Are You Growing?

This was not meant to be a personal question! Don’t shy away just yet! I will not dig any deeper– this is not an accusation about weight gain or how your clothes fit–I would not want anyone to do that to me! Well, I guess my doctor asks personal questions like that, but that goes with her job, so I agree to the interrogation. Speaking of size… I have a little 3 inch square note card that says this: “I don’t mean to brag, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school.”

Ha ha, I love that sentiment!

My question about your growth was meant to measure your spirituality.

God brings us many lessons about our spiritual growth and well being:

2 Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Like a plant, our growth can only occur when tended to. My flowers in pots on my patio would not survive without my watering, snipping and feeding from time to time. Similarly, we are to water ourselves with honorable thoughts, devotional messages, Godly ideas and peace. We can snip away all evil inclinations, depressing moments and thoughts that might separate us from the Almighty and our soul’s food could be warmth for our hearts and peace for our minds.

But, hey, on some days it is hard to keep up with all this spiritual maintenance. On the other hand, disconnecting from God would mean that life is likely harder because we may have to handle everything all alone. No one likes to feel alone and God wants to be ever present with us. We may ask, “How much time in devotion should I spend?”

Rest assured that any movement toward God is positive movement!

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

(James 4:1)