Bill Robinson

Maturity is the aim of every life especially, for those professing to be Christians. The intended purpose of our relationship with the Lord should not be consummated in baptism for the forgiveness of sins apart from the desire to grow. Peter reminds us of this when he writes, "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (I Peter 2:1-3).

The world throws any number of obstacles in the path to our spiritual maturity. But such things only remind us that being a servant of the Lord is a challenge to be lived every day. As I reflect on my life, over the past 26 plus years which I have tried to serve the Lord, there have been many challenges presented by the world. Some of them I have met valiantly because the Lord has blessed me with the strength to meet them successfully. Unfortunately, some I have met with failure and regret because I was not where I thought I was in terms of my spirituality. Even so, whether with success or regret, cumulatively these challenges have served as stimulants to my spiritual maturity improving my personal relationship with the Lord. These experiences have taught me to be open to changes and corrections in my life when I have been challenged by substantive thinking from the scriptures. After all, life in the Lord cannot exist apart from change and it is impossible to grow apart from making corrections. Unfortunately, far too often those who have never made any changes or corrections in their life refuse to be challenged, because they are content to recycle their failures and to rest with their mistaken concepts. One is made to wonder if the line "he is never in doubt but often in error," is not an accurate reflection of those who refuse to be challenged and/or change when necessary.

I am reminded of those times, in the not too distant past, when I was impetuous, perhaps, to the point of being petulant, in my applications of scriptures and assessments of various situations. Thus, not all the challenges in serving the Lord have been put there by the world. At times I have been the greatest obstacle to my own maturity. In my certainty that I could not be wrong, I became indifferent toward the struggles of others with whom I differed, though they were just as honest in their convictions. Unfortunately, if we are not careful our sense of rightness may take on an arrogance that we could not possibly be wrong. When it does it will lead us to demand conformity to our way of saying or practicing a thing and to that end, whether we intended to or not, we have sown the seeds of "partyism" (sectarianism) by our creed and bigotry. Let us not only be reminded of an important difference but let us learn to make the distinction in our attitudes: "it is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong." (G. K. Chesterton)

My convictions about certain passages of scriptures over the years have been challenged. Thinking back on it, because I was not very secure with my faith, I didn't always appreciate those challenges. As I have gotten older, I have learned to welcome honest challenges and different views because I could possibly be wrong and above everything else I want the truth (John 8:31-32; Prov. 23:23). It is the realization and awareness of what one can never know (Deut. 29:29; Eccl. 3:11), as well as how little one really does know of what can be known, which ought to humble us. Yet, until we humble ourselves and discover that wisdom (the skillful/artful use of knowledge), which is born out of a profound reverence for God and apply it to what we do know, we are going to be arrogant (e.g. thinking more highly of ourselves than we should or that we know more than we do) filled with the certainty that we could not possibly be wrong. Is this not the admission of Job, who matured in His relationship with God through suffering, after his ranting had been eclipsed by God's interrogation? Humbly, Job confesses to God, "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Your's can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:1-6).

Through the years God has truly been good to me and my family. For this I am so thankful, and pray that gratitude will always hold rein on my heart. It is fair to say some of the local works where I have labored have not been easy, nor did things always go smoothly. However, I am confident I have been made better because of each of the places I have been privileged to live. Furthermore, it is my firm conviction that the circumstances of each place I have labored has led me to discover new insights regarding God's word which I had never known or fully comprehended up to that time. As I look back over the years, I have tried to learn from my enemies, as well as my friends, and I am still in school trying to learn because life is a series of corrections. However, if we are not willing to change and/or refuse to be challenged we can never learn to make the necessary corrections in our lives that will make us the kind of servants God desires for us to be. "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few." (Eccl. 5:1-2) To this end, may we all strive for His sake, giving Him the glory, that we may truly see the great things He hath done!