We want to grow in Christ
February 1, 2010 (Monday)
Every living thing grows. If growth does not take place, there is a problem of some kind. Christians are born into God’s family by believing in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the World. Once a person becomes God’s child by faith, he/she begins to grow, just like a normal child begins to grow after birth (2 Peter 3:18).
The Christian needs to grow. We start our Christian life as newly born babies in Christ. The only way we can move toward spiritual maturity is by growing in the grace of God. Our diet as babies in Christ consists of milk at first, which means we start our Christian life with the basics, asking the Lord for help in ridding our lives of bad things and allowing the Holy Spirit to replace the bad with the good (Galatians 5:19-23). First we learn to crawl, then walk; later we learn to run.
The Christian wants to grow. If a Christian does not want to grow, perhaps he/she is afraid of making changes or maybe he/she has not yet been taught that he/she needs to grow. Some new Christians have more trouble than others in leaving the old life behind. The attractiveness of some sins is strong. Believers need to think about the desire to grow, concentrating on the example of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21) and taking note of great Christians who set the right example for others to follow.
The Christian can grow. He/She can leave the past behind, with its successes and failures. The Christian can move forward to new opportunities. He/She can be stirred by new possibilities made known by the Holy Spirit who lives within him/her. Living for Jesus can be his/her way of life.
Everything in the natural world experiences growth. Everyone in the spiritual world can and must grow also. As children of God, empowered by His Spirit, we will.