CHOOSE to Grow... Spiritually
It's amazing what DOESN'T happen if we don't CHOOSE to do it.
Washing the car?
Cleaning?
Laundry?
Dishes?
We have to make conscious CHOICES to do them or they won't get done.
Spiritual growth is the same way.
If we don't CHOOSE do to the things to grow spiritually,
We WON'T.
Just like building muscle in your body,
You need a routine and a habit to exercise your SPIRITUAL muscles.
You need weights,
You need exercises,
You need proper form,
You need a schedule.
Just like everyone should walk each day to stay healthy,
The spiritual exercise everyone MUST do is READ the Bible,
Aka, be in scripture (God's word),
Aka, your spiritual DAILY bread.
Trying to grow spiritually strong without feeding on God's word,
Is like trying to build muscle without feeding yourself.
A friend of mine was in a communist country as a missionary,
And they invited some locals over for dinner.
The bodies of the locals were clearly malnutritioned,
But even with abundance of food in front of them,
But they physically couldn't eat a lot,
Because STARVING was NORMAL for them.
Here's the thing...
You can go to church every week and be spiritually STARVING.
You can say a prayer before each meal and be spiritually STARVING.
You can say a prayer before bed each night and be spiritually STARVING.
If you've been a Christian for years or your whole life,
And you're not reading God's word DAILY and getting something out of it,
You're spiritually STARVING.
If you're reading God's word DAILY but it's boring and doesn't do anything,
You're spiritually STARVING.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly EQUIPPED for every good work."
So there's 2 parts to a good spiritual workout:
1) The proper ACTION (reading the Bible)
2) The proper FORM (digestion and application).
If you don't have BOTH it's like eating food that doesn't digest and just comes out unprocessed on the other end. All you did was chew and swallow but your body didn't get the nutrients from the food.
There are Bible reading tools and strategies on my previous post called Bible Reading Plan (click for details).
"Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me grow spiritually the way You want this year,
Help me lean into YOUR understanding and not my own,
Help me raise the bar to greater spiritual health,
Help me see spiritual health in a new light,
Help me become more like You each day.
In Jesus name, Amen."
Cheers to new levels of spiritual health that will grow you in ways you never imagined! Wohooo!!!
