Have you ever stopped to ask yourself if you are really growing or just getting older?
Maturity is not about how many birthdays you have celebrated or how long you have been in church or even the grey hair that speaks of your old age.
Real maturity is in how much responsibility you are willing to take or have taken. It is how you show up for others, how you carry what God has entrusted to you, and how you refuse to just sit on the sidelines.
Paul said it perfectly: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
You cannot keep making excuses, blaming others, or expecting someone else to always clean up after you or take the lead in everything, including your own life. There comes a point when you must own your decisions, your growth, and your place in God’s plan.
Maybe your parents made mistakes, but what will you do now?
Perhaps your spouse has fallen short, but how will you respond?
Your child may have disappointed you, but what choices will you make moving forward?
You cannot let the failures of others become your excuse for staying stuck. At some point, you must choose to take responsibility for your own growth, healing, and obedience to God.
Responsibility Is Doing Without Being Pushed
The mature do not need to be whined at or cajoled before they move. They see responsibility as an honour and a privilege.
Look at Isaiah. When God asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah did not hesitate. He said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). He volunteered himself for service without thinking twice or over calculating. That is what responsibility looks like; stepping up, seeing a need, and volunteering without waiting for the best conditions.
Some of us want positions but do not want the work. We want blessings but not the commitment. Jesus addressed that mindset when He said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:43). Serving is not a punishment nor is it beneath you; in fact, it is the very path to true greatness.
Responsibility Means Being Zealous For God
You need passion to be responsible. Paul said, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
Zeal keeps you praying when it is easier to sleep, studying when others are wasting time, and showing up when no one else does. Without zeal, responsibility becomes dry duty, and it is only a matter of time before you stop showing up.
Peter and John in Acts 4 knew this well. When they were threatened to stop preaching Jesus, they did not pray for safety; rather, they prayed for more boldness (Acts 4:29). They knew souls were at stake, so they asked for zeal to burn more for God’s work.
Responsibility Means Pouring Into People
If you have ever wondered whether you are living a responsible life, the answer is in:
Who are you responsible for?
Who do you serve?
Who do you pour into?
If you cannot name anyone, you are very sadly just passing time and occupying space. Maturity is measured in the lives you impact, the souls you disciple, and the people you help stand stronger in Christ.
Maturity Reproduces Itself By Investing In Others
Paul took Timothy under his wing, taught him, corrected him, prayed for him, and eventually trusted him to lead others. He said to him, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).
He also took Onesimus, mentored him, and groomed him until that man became nothing like what he was when he left his master. By the time Paul was writing a letter to Philemon, even he knew he was sending back an asset he would have otherwise kept but for integrity. Onesimus had become of such great value that Paul offered to pay back any debt he owed.
Paul did not dismiss him as worthless. He saw potential in him and took responsibility for reconciling him to his master, and more importantly, to God. That is a level of responsibility we should all aspire to.
That is the heart of maturity: taking responsibility for someone else’s restoration, standing in the gap, and doing whatever it takes to help them become who God called them to be.
Responsibility Makes You Grow
One thing I have seen over and over is how responsibility stretches you. It keeps you on your toes, makes you dig deeper into God’s Word, pray harder, and live carefully. Because you know people are watching you, especially the little ones God has entrusted to your care, and you don’t want to fall their hands.
I know I still have a lot of growing and maturing to do. I have not arrived. But I am definitely not where I was last year. God has done a tremendous work in me simply through the gift of responsibility. The more I have been responsible for the things of God, the faster He has been able to work in me. Because when you know others are watching your life, you do not want to be caught saying one thing and living another. You raise the standard with God’s Word, and you become determined not to fall short.
Like Paul said, “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27). So you find yourself constantly checking your heart, growing, leaning on God’s grace, and asking for His mercy daily. There has hardly been a single day in the past year when I have not cried out to God for mercy. It has become second nature, like a reflex.
Responsibility has changed me. I have become more serious, more intentional, and more disciplined.
Responsibility Keeps You Focused On What Matters
Taking responsibility helps you keep your eyes on what truly matters. Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
Seeking first the kingdom of God means taking ownership of soul winning, discipleship, and building up the work of God. Responsibility reminds you that every day counts, every opportunity matters, and lives are at stake.
Responsibility Blesses You Too And Opens Up More Opportunities
The beautiful part about responsibility is that it shapes and blesses you too. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” This means as you serve, you grow stronger. As you pour into others, God pours back into you and trusts you with even more.
Jesus said in Luke 16:10: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…” Faithfulness in small things is how we show God we are ready for bigger things. When we take little things seriously, when we give them our best shot, He knows He can trust us with more.
Remember: Big Doors Swing on Small Hinges.
This means we should not run around chasing only the big, flashy opportunities to prove our worth. Begin with the small things God lays on your heart. Make that phone call to encourage someone. Intercede quietly for the person God has placed on your heart. Serve faithfully in your local church, even when no one claps for you.
Start that prayer group God has laid on your heart and steward it well, even if only one person shows up at first. That is a whole soul you are being responsible for and pouring into. Give it everything you have in that small beginning. Scripture says not to despise the days of small beginnings. (Zechariah 4:10) God sees your heart and your faithfulness, and in His perfect time, He will cause it to grow beyond what you could ever imagine.
Maybe the big break or blessing you have been trusting God for is directly tied to your willingness to take responsibility by starting what He has laid on your heart.
Many people have discovered that no sooner do they take responsibility for the things of God than they see the truth of Scripture unfold: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”(Matthew 6:33).
My husband often says that the easiest way to see God take care of your business is to take care of His business. It is a small thing for God to handle your needs; it costs Him nothing, and in fact, He is delighted to do it. When you focus on what matters to Him, you can be sure He will focus on what matters to you.
May we be the kind of people God can trust with souls, tasks, and assignments. May we live responsibly, love sincerely, and build His kingdom faithfully.
Amen.
