What is emotional maturity?

“He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls”.    Prov. 25:28  AMP

Did you know that the Bible tells people----literally---to “grow up”?   It is found in Eph. 4:15; “…we are to hold to the truth with love in our hearts.  We are to grow up and be more like Christ.  He is the leader of the church”.

The ultimate goal of every Believer is to grow up to be like Christ.  This means reflecting the same character that Christ had, who explained that He had “overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).  

The world is filled with raw emotions.   Billions have learned to yield to whatever impulses and feelings come naturally to them.

God’s Word states, “A man who can't control himself is like a city whose walls are broken down (Prov. 25:28 NIRV).    What a deplorable and tragic condition for anyone to fall into-----and yet, to one degree or another, this is the condition of most people.

One obvious point in this passage is that a city without walls is defenseless.   It cannot protect itself.  It is subject to being overrun by invading armies, bandits or animals.

So it is with people whose emotions are able to “overrun” them.   They lack the “wall” of emotional maturity to protect them from feelings, impulses and emotions and moods, which are merely emotions extended over a long duration because the person is unable to “pull himself together” and “snap out of it”.

Rudeness, anger, emotional outbursts, envy and resentment, unforgiving attitudes, self-pity, sulking, hatred and harboring bitterness, covetousness, and numerous other wrong attitudes, come and go at will in such weak, defenseless people.

On the other hand, God’s Word also states, “He who is slow to anger is better than the powerful. And he who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32 NLV).

This powerful verse reveals how God values people who have developed strong self-control (temperance).    In the world, the acclamation—the greatness—of military commanders is often defined by the great cities they capture (“take”).   Yet God says that one who can capture ---rule---his own spirit (feelings, attitudes, etc) is greater than any famous general!

In the NT, the apostle Paul taught, “….exercise self-control in all things” (I Cor. 9:25 NKJV).   To have self-control in all things is a tall order.   In fact, it takes a lifetime to master all the feelings involved in every aspect of life.

The good news is we have the Holy Spirit who will empower us to walk in the ways of Christ and help us to exercise self-control over our emotions.