Sunday Southerner –

REFLECTIONS 

Bible Texts: 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 4: 13–15 (NLT) 

_This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Ephesians 4:13-15_

My dear brethren in Christ, Peace be with you. Today through the eye of the church, God is drawing us towards an important aspect of our existence which seems to be over looked most times because of too much concentration in the transient things that man tends to forget that after here and now, there is another form of existence.

Hence, while we take care to grow physically, mentally, financially, we must as well be open to grow Spiritually.

Spiritual growth means growing in our relationship with God. Just as a child is expected to grow physically, a Christian is also expected to grow spiritually. When a person gives his or her life to Christ, that person has started a new life.

But becoming a Christian is not the end; it is the beginning of a journey of growth; growth in the knowledge of Christ.

Nobody expects a baby to remain a baby forever. As the child grows, he learns how to walk, talk, eat, think and take responsibility.

In the same way, God does not want us to remain spiritual babies. He wants us to grow in faith, knowledge, character, obedience and love.

As 1 Peter 2:2 points out, the Word of God is spiritual food. Just as our physical body needs food to grow, our spirit needs God’s Word. A Christian who rarely reads or listens to God’s Word will find it difficult to grow spiritually.

We should develop the habit of studying the Bible, listening to sound teaching, meditating on God’s Word and putting it into practice.

It is not enough to carry the Bible or quote scriptures. We must allow God’s Word to change the way we think and live. Because, the more we know God’s Word, the more we understand God’s will for our lives.

Spiritual growth requires a desire to know.

This means that spiritual growth requires hunger. One must personally desire God. You must want to pray, study the Bible, pray and know God’s ways. There should be a hunger in us for God’s presence. If our desire for God becomes weak, our spiritual growth will also become weak.

Spiritual growth means becoming more like Christ.

Growing spiritually is not simply about knowing more Bible verses. It is about becoming more like Jesus. Jesus is loving, humble, forgiving, obedient, compassionate and truthful.

As we grow spiritually, these qualities should become more visible in our lives. Spiritual maturity should affect our character.

Prayer is important for spiritual growth. Prayer is one of the ways we communicate with God. A Christian who wants to grow spiritually must learn to pray. If Jesus valued prayer, we should also understand its importance.

Prayer helps us depend on God instead of depending only on ourselves. Just like prayer, spiritual growth requires obedience. We cannot claim to be growing spiritually if we continually refuse to obey God’s Word. It is possible to hear many sermons and still not change.

We can attend church regularly, listen to teachings and even know many scriptures, but spiritual growth is seen when God’s Word begins to influence our actions. Growth is demonstrated through obedience.

Spiritual growth brings about stability in our dealings with God and one another. It gives you a platform for serenity in the midst of the storm of life. He is not swayed by the times or a false teachings or what people say or do around him because he is known better and can differentiate between truth and falsehood.

Hence, as we grow in God’s Word, we become more established. We learn to examine what we hear and compare it with Scripture.

Growth is a process. Nobody becomes spiritually mature overnight. There will be times when you make mistakes. There will be areas where you still need to improve.

But do not give up. Keep learning, keep praying, keep trusting God and keep moving forward. God is still working on us. The important thing is that we should not remain at the same level year after year. There should be evidence that we are growing.

Above all, Spiritual Growth should produce Spiritual Fruit —love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These qualities should become more visible as we grow. A spiritually mature person does not become perfect overnight, but people should begin to see a difference in the person’s attitude, speech, decisions and relationships. I

f your relationship with God is growing, it should affect how you treat your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and even people who disagree with you.

My dear brethren in Christ, Spiritual growth is God’s desire for every believer. We are not called to remain spiritual babies. We are called to grow in God’s Word, prayer, faith, obedience, character and love.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves: Am I growing spiritually? Am I closer to God than I was before? Do I understand His Word better? Am I becoming more like Christ? Is my character changing? Are people seeing the fruit of the Spirit in my life? Let us not only grow older in the church; let us grow deeper in Christ.

May the Peace and Love of God that surpasses all things rest and abide in our hearts. Amen.