All in Spiritual Growth
Lately, my life has been a full range of emotions and events. First, my dad unexpectedly passed away and moved through the door into eternity. Two weeks later, my granddaughter was born and passed through the door into this world. Our family has truly been living out the circle of life. As I contemplated the events of the past several weeks, of one exiting and one entering, I considered… What makes a productive and useful life between entrance and exit?
The bottom line is the enemy will try to tempt me with worldly pleasures, so I won’t go through the spiritual door to serve the Lord. Scripture teaches me not to trade my eternal inheritance for a simple, worldly thing like the life of ease and comfort today. In my earthly life, it may be a little uncomfortable to follow Jesus… and that is okay! Learn from Esau’s mistake. Accept the Lord’s invitation to follow and serve Him. Think of the eternal gain. Jesus will lead you to your rightful inheritance.
When a baby grows up and matures, there is a time of giving up the loved and favorite stuffy. In a similar way when I mature as a Christian adult, I grow up spiritually, and I give up my love of the worldly life.
Service for the Lord is not meant to cripple you. So, if it is… I am to ask myself, if God is really asking me to do that.
Before I serve, I should always ask the Lord if this is what He wants me to do and is this how He wants me to do it. And is there anything else I should know?
Jesus can surprise you and invite you into a spiritual opportunity with Him. He is saying when you realize this moment, respond and accept it. It is a spiritual door of opportunity for you specifically. You respond and say yes by accepting the opportunity. This can be an invitation into a relationship with Jesus. Or, if you already have a relationship with Jesus, this invitation can be a Holy Spirit inspired service.
A Christian cowboy tends his cattle on the land surrounding my home. The rumble of his
tractor or truck informs me of his daily trips to care for his herd. He watches over the
expectant cows and checks the herd for disease, hoof issues, and insect infestations.
He also counts to confirm none are missing. In summer, he moves them from pasture to
pasture to guarantee plenty of grass and water. When the winter winds blow, he
provides hay for forage and bedding.
When brothers and sisters around us fall victim to sinful acts or engage in sin, we must intervene.
Maybe through prayer, physical intervention, or verbal counsel. But we should always be moved
to act.
If you're not remaining, you're missing out on the effects of the greatest blessing of your life: Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Everything Jesus has for you is there, in your heart. If your love is reluctant, your focus too worldly, your joy lacking, you have no peace. Remain in Him and rest assured He will fill all the empty corners of your life. It's that simple.
Sometimes, I think we assume our spiritual development will happen automatically.
While growth can occur unexpectedly, most spiritual maturity comes from a desire to
know the Lord and His Word more deeply. We do not simply grow from spiritual
childhood into godliness without effort on our part—not for salvation, but certainly for
growth as a disciple of Jesus.
Every time I go to the beach, God uses the experience to teach me something about
who He is and how He works. In fact, He has been so faithful to do this that I now look
forward to each trip not only for the beauty and rest, but also for what He will teach
me—and perhaps allow me to share with others. I anticipate He will speak, and I come
ready to learn.
The prophet Habakkuk recorded a third prayer to God. This prayer was in the form of a song written for the choir director to be song with stringed instruments. Habakkuk responded to what God foretold of the judgment of Israel by the invading Babylonians. Even though God declared that He would defend His people with His mighty arm, Habakkuk "trembled within" as he waited quietly for the Lord’s deliverance.
I have an old self, a former way of life, that is corrupted by deceitful desires that seem to cling to me like that old shriveled up leaf clinging to the tree. It takes super-natural help from the Holy Spirit to push off the old self… to make it let go.
Jesus spoke of “ears trained to hear” when speaking to the crowds of John the Baptist—the one the prophets had predicted would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Those who had trained their hearts to hear spiritual truth accepted what Jesus said. Others failed to understand. Their ears could not hear.
It did not take me long after we moved to another city to realize that a prayer warrior is simply one who prays fervently. I became convicted about not just saying I would pray for someone, but going ahead and doing it right then and there. Sometimes it would be in person, other times a phone call. Meaningful prayers can also be typed in a text message.
How many of you can relate to the feelings of the disciples in our passage? Have you ever been caught in a storm in your life? Have you had a time when your problem seemed too big and your faith was too small? Have you ever felt threatened by the storm and its uncertainty?
Based upon this biblical definition, believing failure to be beyond God’s redemptive grace, self-deprecating thoughts, and chronic negative attitudes qualify as strongholds. This sobering awareness challenges me to carefully evaluate any thinking pattern that limits my ability to know God as He truly is.
A repeated command found throughout the Psalms is, Sing a new song to the Lord. 'A new song' refers to a song that is not common to this world. In other words, the follower of Jesus learns songs that the world cannot teach.
In Micah 6:8, God says we are to “love mercy.” Showing mercy when I’ve been slightly wronged isn’t very difficult. But extending forgiveness to someone who has deeply and grievously wronged me is profoundly challenging. Can you relate?
