Keep Growing
As a Christian, it can be easy to find ourselves in this place of contentment when things are going well and we just kind of stop seeking growth. Have you ever been there? Maybe you’ve been riding this high and, sure you thank God for your blessings, but are you finding ways to get better? To be sanctified? To look more like Jesus? We can quickly and easily become complacent in our faith. And to be honest, that’s a really scary place to be. We will never reach fullness until we are in heaven, which means that we are never done learning and growing while we are on earth. When we believe that we’re “at the top” is when we are most vulnerable to the enemy’s lies and deceit. So, how can we continue growing in our relationship with God? How can we make sure that we are never stagnant in our faith? I have 3 things that I want to challenge you all with:
Make the private moments count. Read your Bible daily. And I mean really read it! Don’t just skim through, but take time to read through a passage a few times and meditate on it. Try and focus on what the Lord is truly saying through his Word.
Closely surround yourself with likeminded people. I’m not saying that you should only hang out with Christians. After all, we are called to minister to the lost, and how would we do that if we never come in contact with them? What I am saying is that your closest community, the people you tell everything to, should know and believe the same thing you do. They should call you higher when you’re falling short, lift you up when you feel low, and rejoice with you when you’re on top of the mountain!
Find a mentor. This is something I am very passionate about. I believe that everyone should have someone in their live that is older (and wiser) that is pouring into them. We all need someone that has already been through our stage of life and can walk with us through it, leading us in a way that looks beyond our current struggles. Someone that reminds you that it gets better, that you will make it through, and that life is a lot bigger than what you’re going through right now.
Our culture preaches so much on working out and staying healthy. “Make sure you’re going to the gym!” “Don’t forget to eat your veggies!” “Go on a walk and stay active!” “Drink water to stay hydrated!” We make these goals for our physical health and do just about anything to reach them. And when we do reach them, we make more. We do this because we know we can’t just stop working out and expect to get stronger. We stay constantly growing in our “fitness journey.” I believe we should have the same mindset when it comes to our spiritual health as well. We should have goals that we are always striving toward and, if we reach them, then we must make more goals. Keep growing, keep pushing yourself and never stay content.
2 Peter 3:17-18 says, “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” When we take our eyes off Jesus and our faith, the world is so quick to grab hold of our attention. We must continue to follow God and seek him in all that we do. It’s not enough to just talk the talk. We must walk the walk. We can’t expect to get better by just sitting around. We must fight the good fight! So, let’s rise up together, keep growing together, and let’s never stop chasing Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for each person reading this and their desire to grow and learn. God, I pray that we would never grow weary of doing good. That we would never grow complacent in our faith. That no matter where we go or what we do, you would be at the center of our lives, and we would seek you in everything! May we never be naïve to believe that we have reached the end of growth and that we can just cruise in our faith. Remind us that there is a spiritual battle going on around us and we must constantly be ready to fight. Teach us your ways, Lord, and lead us in the way that we should go. We love you and praise you. In Jesus’ name! Amen!