Spiritual Growth
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-8
We are in a state of spiritual growth until we leave this life and enter Heaven. Spiritual growth can be summarized as follows: more faith, more Biblical knowledge, closer relationship with Christ, more of God’s love in our hearts, and increasing desire to help others and tell them about Christ. When we increase in these, we will have more courage, be more eternal minded, and our desire for things of this world decreases.
It’s important that we know the Word because when we minister to people, we need to back up our words with scripture. How can we minister to others if we don’t know the Word? Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8) We minister personally to people, teaching a small group, handing out Biblical literature, or whatever the Lord has planned.
As we live to bring Christ to people, God fills our hearts with his love, and love brings us closer to the Lord, with more faith and dependance. As the Lord fills our hearts with more of His love, the more motivated we become to tell others about salvation in Christ. Hearts of love in the foundation of the Christian life.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31) This is the greatest command, and that is why it is the foundation of our Christian life. All the other commands then become natural and desirable.
Today seek to spiritually grow closer to Christ, with more faith and with more of God’s love in your heart. And every day pray for spiritual growth, because the Lord knows exactly how to make more like Jesus.
Prayer: Lord help me to spiritually grow to become more like Jesus. Guide me more to the blessing from Heaven, and away from material things of this world. In Jesus name, Amen