Have you ever wondered, “why is it so hard to find your place in this world?” While you may have discovered your spiritual gift, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, finding the ideal position where you can flourish is no small task. If you are blessed to be able to actually do what you love, there is still one thing to consider. Are you serving the Lord with your God given talents or do you find yourself struggling to conform with God’s will?
Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even [f]slothful in achieving spiritual insight]. 12 For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food, Hebrews 5:11-12.
According to one biblical author, struggling to conform to God’s will is a sign of spiritual immaturity. From a psychological perspective, Abraham Maslow suggests that there are certain basic needs that haven’t been met or fulfilled. Subsequently, most people go throughout life without reaching what Maslow calls self-realization. The apostle Paul provides an alternative view based upon developing the mindset of offering your body as a living sacrifice, Romans 12:1.
For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]! 14 But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law, Hebrews 5:13-14.
Paul’s teaching compliments the passage above. When you struggle to conform with God’s will, one of three issues is likely present. Either you’re not living a purpose driven life, your thoughts tend to dwell on the sinful nature rather than the Holy Spirit or spiritual action and deeds are missing from your faith. Similar to the message Jesus shares with the Pharisees in Matthew 9:10-13, the spiritual healthy are able to take care of themselves by conforming to God’s will. The sick and sinners need a spiritual doctor to show them the way, Romans 12:2.
by Jay Mankus