Are You Reaching the Stature That Belongs to Christ?

FRIENDS AMONG THOSE DOING GOD'S WILL

Jesus Christ was friendly toward people in general. Individuals of all sorts felt at ease in his company-men, women, young, old,  even children.  But  in choosing close friends, Jesus was selective.  He said to his faithful apostles:   "You are  my friends if you do what I am commanding you." (John 15:14)  Jesus chose such friends from among those who loyally followed him and served  Jehovah wholeheartedly. Do you similarly select your close friends from among those who serve Jehovah unreservedly? Why is this important?

Many types of fruit ripen best in warm sunlight.  Similarly, the warmth of our brotherhood can help you to progress to maturity. Perhaps you are a young person who is trying to decide what course you will pursue in life.  How wise you are if you associate  with fellow believers who have considerable experience in serving Jehovah and in contributing to the unity of the congregation!  Over the years, they may have had some ups and downs in life and may even have faced challenges  in serving God. Such ones  can help you to choose the best way of life. Warm, upbuilding association with such brothers and sisters can help you  to make your own wise decisions and to press on to maturity. -Read Hebrews 5:14. 

Helga, for instance, recalls that during her final year at school, the students in her class were comparing their personal goals. Many of them were reaching out for  a university education as a stepping-stone to what they hoped would be a promising career. Helga discussed  the situation with her friends in her congregation.  "Many of them were older than I was," she relates,  "and they helped me a lot.  They encouraged me to take up the full-time ministry.  Thereafter,  I was able to spend five years in the pioneer service. Now, years later, I am happy that I focused much of my youth on Jehovah' service. I have no reason to regret having done so."

Trying to focus our lives on the example Jesus set will help us in our Christian growth. We will draw closer to Jehovah, and we will grow in our desire to serve him to the greatest extent possible. A servant of God can give Jehovah his best when he has reached his full spiritual growth, when he is a mature Christian.  Jesus encouraged his followers:  "Let you light shine before men, so that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens." -Matthew 5:16. 

As noted, a mature Christian can be a powerful influence for good in the congregation. And such spiritual maturity is reflected in how a Christian uses his God-given conscience. How can our conscience help us to make wise decisions?  And how can we respect the conscientious decisions of fellow believers?  We will consider these points in the following article. 

Next time: Is Your Conscience a Reliable Guide?

From the jw.org publications