The Maturing Thinker

By Rufus Rawls

The Maturing Thinker chronicles a myriad of growth transitions that chronicles life in general and spiritual growth in particular. It is a collection of brief crescendo discourses that beckons each of us to dig deeper for nuggets of truth that may have been previously left unearthed. Each chapter is likened to a series of spiritual

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781648956997

Rufus Rawls

The author is married, is the parent of four children, and presently resides in a small Mississippi town. He is a pastor, bishop, and prayer warrior. He has a doctorate in theology. He is a student, not a graduate, of the Bible. His internship is that of a servant in life, and his graduation will commence when Jesus raptures the Church.

Book preview

Foreword

The most profound behaviors of any human will be those that center on one’s getting to know his or her Creator on a deeper and more intimate level. Any prayer, meditation, Scripture study, or spiritual reading that is attempted with this goal in mind is always rewarded with His grace. To that end, The Maturing Thinker presents the opportunity for just that. The believer understands Jesus of Nazareth not only as Lord and Savior, but also as a man who was fully human and totally divine. Part of the glory of our salvation is that we can identify with Him in human terms because He has experienced everything already that we could ever face. Our call is to be holy, just as He was while on the Earth. Since all our behaviors are germinated from our thoughts, our journey of holiness must necessarily emanate from our thoughts. We have no better model to pattern our thoughts after than the Perfect Thinker Himself, Jesus the Christ.

The Maturing Thinker is akin to a road map for our journey of holiness. The precepts that are developed are frequently illustrated with detailed metaphors of how our thoughts may be detoured from the Way. They help to show us how we may not only maintain our focus, but also how we may draw closer to the Father, our penultimate goal.

James E. Mack, PhD

Introduction

The title of this book, The Maturing Thinker, captures its overall scope. It will not attempt to exhaust any singular theme; it is rather a collection of brief crescendo discourses that beckons unto you to dig deeper for nuggets of truth that may have been previously left unearthed. Although the topics share a recurrent idea or theme, each is related and yet able to stand on its own. Moreover, each chapter can be likened to a series of spiritual brushstrokes that etches the thoughts of the Perfect Thinker as Jesus Christ onto the canvas of the heart and soul. The time and energy devoted to the daily study of the Word of God is likened to that of a sprinter whose race is fast and short, or a long-distance runner whose race requires endurance and discipline. You will gain biblical insight and strength by making The Maturing Thinker part of your daily spiritual training regimen. It will inspire you to reflect and ponder the excellence of life while pressing forward toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Your emotional, mental, and physical faculties will be strengthened and your spiritual needs fulfilled. It will compel and inspire you to see yourself through the eyes of God and to also know Him even as you are known.

This book was birthed in 1995 as The Perfect Thinker. It was rebirthed and renamed as The Maturing Thinker in 2013 and is now being resurrected anew in 2020 with the same title. But changing its title from The Perfect Thinker to The Maturing Thinker also expanded its scope. For example, the word perfect means maturity when referring to a person, but to avoid the suggestion that a believer can avoid temptation and grow beyond the possibility of yielding to an act of sin, neither of which is attainable by mortal man, the word perfect has been replaced with the word maturing. However, a maturing believer or thinker is a person who chooses through the enablement of the Holy Spirit not to practice sinning. Moreover, the resurrection of this version of The Maturing Thinker is a total of three transitions of this book that represents the essence of growth and maturity.

Although it is definitely a sin to tell a lie, whether it was intentional or not, but telling a lie does not necessarily qualify the person as a habitual liar. Should you lie or commit a sin, repent at once and resist the temptation of becoming a liar or transgressor! In any event, our conversation or behavior is the measure of who we are. So if our conversation or behavior is twisted to conceal the truth, deceive, or impress, we are at best a jester and at worst a liar that believers are warned not to become.

The further intent of The Maturing Thinker is to inspire progressive spiritual growth in each of us. A maturing thinker is capable of committing sin and sinning, but chooses not to practice or indulge in either.

When our son was five or six years of age, his behavior when confined to the back seat of our car during long trips exemplified the difference between a mature and an immature person. He usually escaped the boredom by sleeping and would quickly awake from his slumber when hungry or needed a bathroom break that was usually announced with a thirty-second window to pull over and secure a spot with total disregard to the traffic situation!

Any healthy and mature adult can choose to do what a young child may be unable to do—hold out until the next exit or rest area. Therefore, temperance or self-control is a distinctive difference between an immature and a maturing thinker. Also thinking the right thoughts is fundamental in becoming a maturing thinker. Whatever you think on the longest becomes the strongest, thus persistent thinking leads to deliberate actions. Since it is impossible not to think, the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 (NIV) what a maturing thinker should think: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

Each chapter of The Maturing Thinker is introduced with a story or an allegory that may or may not relate directly to the chapter. But prayerfully, it will inspire you to recall personal memories and experiences that are uniquely you. Also, each story or narrative in the chapter will speak directly to your heart and help you to extract divine wisdom from personal victories, defeats, trials, and tribulation. Again, The Maturing Thinker will help you read you as you read it. You will have Pentecostal-type experiences as the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart in a language based on your maturity and needs that will empower you to become victorious.

While The Maturing Thinker is by no means a book about the Olympics, Christians can learn from athletes the rewards reaped from training and commitment. For example, the Olympians of the 2012 games in London deserve recognition for being the best of the best in the world. Allow me to spotlight a select few: Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt set new and broke earlier records set in swimming and track and field, respectively.

Lolo Jones, a virtuous Christian hurdler, trained twelve years to run a twelve-second race, but failed to medal by one-one thousandth of a second. Sixteen-year-old Gabby Douglas thanked God after winning two gold medals. She sacrificed and prepared herself by spending the last two years prior to the Olympics away from home in order to train with her coach. Two Mississippians, Bianca Knight and Michael Tinsley, won gold and silver medals respectively in separate events. South African double-amputee known as the Blade Runner competed in the 4×400-meter relay finals. He had the severest physical handicap of all the athletes, yet he overcame what would have likely been an overwhelming hurdle for most of us. Manteo Mitchell finished the last 200 meters of the 4×400 relay preliminaries on a broken leg. He credited his determination to not wanting to disappoint his teammates or the United States with three words that are of utmost significance to especially the maturing thinker: faith, focus, finish. Due to his heroic effort and willpower, the United States made it into the finals and won silver behind the team from the Bahamas.

However, the Christian race is neither a game nor a sprint, but a lifelong spiritual marathon. So take a closer look at the three words that are of expressed and unspoken importance throughout this book.

Faith: Make sure your faith is grounded and rooted in God: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Have faith in God(Heb. 11:1 and Mark 11:23, NIV).

Focus: Make sure your focus is fixed on Jesus Christ: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 4:18, Col. 3:2, and Phil. 3:14, NIV).

Finish: Make sure the goal is to finish the race: However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (Acts 20:24 and 2 Tim. 4:7, NIV).

Unlike Olympians, we’re competing for an incorruptible crown. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat 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 Cor. 9:24–27, NIV).

Finally, each chapter ends with an alphabetic acrostic sentence or statement. As you read The Maturing Thinker, think on its title. Meditate on the recurring thematic messages undergirded by faith, focus, and finish throughout the book.

Read and be blessed!

Section

One

Think Mature Thoughts

Chapter 1

The Oneness of God

And God said, Let us make man is our image, after our likeness…And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

—Genesis 1:26a; Matthew 3:16–17, 28:19; and John 14:26

When I was twelve, our family moved from the outskirts of a rural area of Crystal Springs to Jackson, Mississippi. On a humid day in October 1956, we packed up our modest belongings, loaded them on the back of a borrowed truck, and headed up Highway 51 north to Jackson. My siblings and I were sardined between the furnishing like cattle being transported to the slaughterhouse. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the ride and scenery with mixed emotions. Never having been to Jackson, I braved the brisk autumn wind gently stroking my face with every passing moment.

We moved into a shotgun house on a dead-end street that I later learned was in the heart of the ghetto. And although I did not know it then, we were poor, very poor! Nevertheless, we were happy, and I met lots of friends to play with in Jackson. But being the new kid on the block at a new school and adjusting to an unfamiliar environment was another story. There was this one particular classmate who made my life absolutely miserable. At every given opportunity, he bullied and harassed me to the point that I hated going to school. Instead of looking forward to weekends, I began to dread on Friday evening that I had to go to school that Monday.

Needless to say, my spirit, soul, and body were conflicted. Although I never told my parents, this kid and his supporting cast made my life so miserable until the thought of having to live in those conditions drove me to the brink of not wanting to live, though I didn’t want to die. I finally decided this bully would no longer control my life. So I resolved to put an end to his bullying or die trying. Enough was more than enough! Once I decided enough was enough, a burden of fear and apprehension were lifted off my shoulders.

In the process of deciding enough was enough, I learned to keep a watchful eye on this fellow, and my watchfulness paid off. As I returned to my desk after putting paper in the wastebasket, he deliberately stuck his foot out to trip me. But instead of stumbling and crashing to the floor, I quickly spun around and landed an unexpected blow to the left side of his head. The blow shocked him more than it hurt. Before he could gather his wits and counterattack, the teacher came to my rescue, or maybe it was him who she rescued. At any rate, thank God for the teacher! He promised to kill me after school, but having survived the first flurry of his attack, I was now ready for warfare!

After school, he and his gang followed me from a menacing distant nearly all the way home. I watched them watching me from afar. With each step, I felt a surge of courage and fearlessness rising up within my heart. As I neared the dead-end street we lived on, they faded into the shadows of the trees that lined the street. Although unsure of what tomorrow would bring, I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and slept restfully throughout the night.

He was the first person I saw the next morning on the school campus. As he approached, I was unsure of what to expect. While slightly horrified, to say the least, I did my best to make him think I was ready to pop him on the other jaw. Instead of a rematch of sorts, he wrapped his arm around my neck and said something that amounted to a truce or an apology. I can’t exactly remember what he said, but I was relieved to know he didn’t want a rematch. Suddenly, my spirit, mind, and body came together in unified peace. I was set free of the fear and disunity the unknown had created. I learned from that experience the importance of abiding in the oneness of self. A house or a person that is divided cannot stand.

As a new resident in a city with tall buildings, bright lights, and strangers as classmates and friends, I was disjointed and estranged from the comfort zone of the rural environment from which we moved. My spirit, soul, and body in disharmony with each another were struggling to travel separate roads within the same vessel. The voice of my spirit, soul, and body, though distinct voices within my person, were not functioning in unified harmony the way God intended them to from the beginning. As a triune person created in the image of God who is a triune Person, I might have continued to live in fear of bullying or other challenges had I not taken a stand and faced the situation.

You and I are created in the image of God. We are a spirit. We have a soul. We live in a body. We must therefore learn how to harmonize our person. A good place, the only place to start, is with God. Unlike you and me, God is never conflicted with or in opposition to Himself. In John 17:20–21, Jesus prayed for His disciples and us: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their words; That they may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

We must first become one with God, self, and each other before we can truly become the persons God created us to be. Moreover, each of the preceding verses offers undeniable evidence that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the inseparable Godhead. God is three Personalities but one Character, one Being, and one Person. This profound truth cannot be understood by analyzing it under a microscope of carnal or logical thinking. The most studious and analytical attempts will result in confusion and unfruitful reasoning. Also, you have probably asked yourself at one time or the other, Where did God come from? Since everything from a humanistic point of view has a beginning and an ending, it’s impossible for the natural mind not to try to limit the illimitable God to our limited thinking. This too is a source of confusion for anyone who tries to figure God out in the laboratory of deductive reasoning. But God will reveal no more of Himself to us than He desires us to know. Besides, what purpose would it serve for God to tell us things that we would not be able to understand? We must therefore accept by faith God did not come from anyplace. He is self-existing. He has always been. We must by faith choose not to restrict this incomprehensible truth to logic. If not, we will lose our way in the valley of massive confusion.

Follow the Bloodstained Road

By faith and with diligent practice, we can learn to read the road map of life. If your most unquenchable desire is to know God and His purpose for your life, start or continue your journey by overcoming these and all faithless and unfruitful questions and accept this truth: the created cannot delve into the infinite mind of the Creator. However, through diligent prayer, daily Bible study, and unwavering obedience, we can learn everything God desires for us to know about Him. To return to the matter of the triune of God, the key to understanding the essence of God is made very clear in John 4:24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

To reiterate, you are a triune person: You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. Allow God to make you a whole person of oneness in spirit, soul, and body. Sweet communion with God is experienced in the recreated spirit of the believer and nurtured by the word of Truth. Let’s continue by internalizing the meaning of spirit and truth. The recreated spirit of the believer is to become absolutely attuned to obeying the Word of God. The maturing thinker is empowered by the Holy Spirit to learn to think the thoughts Christ thinks.

Even so, the triune God cannot be understood from a carnal or intellectual viewpoint. The greater the degree of logic applied, the greater the confusion. However, the following example may help us better understand the oneness of God: The owner of a fast-food restaurant is the waiter, cook, and cashier. He is one person functioning in three distinct positions that are inseparable, interrelated, and supportive of each other. The owner is one person serving in three positions. Keep in mind, however, that the owner of this restaurant is a human being and is therefore limited, whereas God is illimitable. Furthermore, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as a Person, a Comforter whom the Father would send to live in as many of us as will receive Him. And He will bring to our remembrance everything Jesus is saying to us during our lifetime recorded in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is a person who lives in every born-again believer. He is not divided, though He lives in every believer, and neither is God divided from His oneness, though He is a triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The triune God can also be likened to a spiritual investment corporation. The Father is the President, the Son the Secretary, and the Holy Spirit the Treasurer. The Father sets policies and procedures; the Son is the Mediator of the new covenant; and the Holy Spirit teaches, confirms, and brings to the remembrance of the believer the promises of the Mediator and dispenses the promised blessings according to the will of the Father.

Although the preceding examples will not answer all questions, I pray they will help you to understand God is in absolute harmony with Himself. Even though each of His Personalities is unique, the triune God is indivisible and one in purpose, three Persons, one Being.

Let’s continue by looking at the triune God as a parabolic investment corporation within the context of accessing spiritual blessings. Every check or blessing issued by God is approved and endorsed by Jesus’s signature signed with His blood. His signature cannot be forged or duplicated. The Holy Spirit verifies Jesus’s signature and the authenticity of each check or blessing issued. By faith and through fervent prayer and unwavering obedience, the promised blessings of God are accessible, but all unauthorized transactions attempted are identified and rejected.

So before the full blessings of God can be enjoyed, we must obviously be born again. We must also commit to progressive growth and to obeying the Word of God to obtain the full measure of God’s blessings. If we are found guilty of willful disobedience, trying to access the manifold blessings of God is an ungodly act of attempted forgery.

The promised blessings of God are not redeemable unless we ask the Father in the name of Jesus. As born-again believers, we must also pray in the name of Jesus and exemplify the character of Christ. Salvation is received by faith and is the entranceway into eternal life and life more abundantly in this life. However, the previous dialogue is not intended by any means to minimize the immeasurable and miraculous gift of salvation. But after accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, the overflow of blessings can