SPIRITUAL GROWTH

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”—James 1:27

 

If you want to genuinely grow in spiritual maturity, it is not enough to simply be instructed by the Word of God.  You may love going to church or listening to Christian radio or television programs.  You might talk about everything you hear and assume that you are growing because your knowledge is increasing.  However, if you do not actually grow closer to God by allowing His Word to change you from the inside out, your head will merely continue to fill with information.  You might even sound like a godly person who is admired for the ability to quote chapter and verse.  But if you do not take the next step and allow God to touch others’ lives through you, you are missing the point.

Spiritual growth is the result of practicing the truth you receive from God.  He wants you to give away what He give to you—that is, by loving and serving others and sharing the truth of the gospel.  Our example is Jesus, who said that He did not come to be served, but to serve even the lowest outcast of society.  “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).  He could have exalted Himself and spent all His time preaching and teaching.  Instead, Jesus did only the Father’s will, which was to reveal His heart of love to a broken world.  The Lord sacrificially involved Himself in people’s lives, and He calls us to follow in His footsteps.

 

God’s plan is to reach the world though you.  If that were not the case, He would have taken you to heaven as soon as you were born again.  But you are here for a purpose—to live out Christ’s life alongside hurting people who desperately need to experience His love. 

 

Prayer—Father thank You for helping me today to reach someone who needs to experience Your love, in Jesus Name. Amen.s