Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”
Our Bible verse for today: “So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.” Colossians 2:6-7
Our thought for today: “Have a plan to guide your spiritual growth.”
Have you ever met a “static” person? I’m talking about someone who is going nowhere in life and they don’t seem to care. They just shuffle through their days, they’re not interested in much, they don’t do much, and they don’t change much. There’s no passion for living, there’s no effort made to grow or change or improve, they’re just static.
Many Christians are like that. They’re static Christians. They’re just shuffling through their spiritual lives with no passion, no real interest, and no growth. But it’s not supposed to be that way. Our faith should be dynamic and growing. We should have a passionate desire to know Christ, to be built up in Him, and to be in a state of continuous spiritual growth. But for that to be true of us we have to be intentional about it. We have to have a plan that will help to facilitate that growth.
The most important thing you can do to help your spiritual growth is to study your Bible every day. Get a Bible study plan. There are dozens of them available, you can even Google the subject. Just pick one that’s interesting to you and use it. Reading your Bible is even more important than praying. Why? Because it’s more important for you to hear from God than it is for God to hear from you, and the Bible is God’s primary way of communicating with us.
The next most important thing you can do for your spiritual growth is to pray. Have a set time everyday when you meet with God. Read your Bible and then have some time talking to God. It doesn’t have to be formal or flowery, just have a conversation with Him about all the things going on in your life, about the problems you are wrestling with, the concerns you have, etc.
Then participate in the full life of a good church. Not only do you need the group worship and the teaching, but you also need the fellowship of other Christians. God frequently communicates with us and ministers to us through other Christians. He will use others to speak to you and to bless you, and He will use you to do that for others. But if you’re not there, you miss all of that.
And then, be involved in some ministry activities that allow you to be a blessing to others and to serve others in need. Few things can help to spur your own spiritual growth than when you are engaged in acts of service to others.
I encourage you to have a plan for 2020 to guide your spiritual growth. Make some resolutions to study your Bible, have daily prayer time, be a full participant in the life of your church, and to be involved in ministry. If you would like to have a fuller conversation about how to develop a plan to help with any of those things, or about other aspects of spiritual growth, please send me an email or message me on Facebook and I will be happy to help.
Tomorrow we will begin to consider the benefits of spiritual growth, both in this lifetime, and in eternity.
Oak Hill Baptist Church