| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Christian community” Our Bible verse for today: “For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him; bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.” Colossians 1:9-12 (CSB) Our thought for today: “You’re not a turnip.” Growth takes time. How much time depends on what it is you’re growing. Alan Falding offers an interesting take on this in his book, “An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest.” Falding writes, “It’s hard to argue with the idea that growth happens over time. You might be able to grow a turnip to maturity in a couple of months, but that’s not true for people. It may take nine months for a baby to fully develop in her mother’s womb, but it takes years for that baby to reach maturity, and longer still to reach emotional, relational and spiritual maturity.” So, you’re not a turnip. You need more than just a few months to reach full maturity. Growth takes time. A baby needs nine months in the womb before its even ready to be born. Then another eighteen to twenty years are needed to reach full physical maturity. More are required to achieve full emotional maturity. And for spiritual maturity – well that’s a lifelong process. It just takes time. And as was noted in yesterday’s devotional, we won’t grow at all if we’re not intentional about nurturing our spiritual growth. In Colossians 1:9-12 Paul was telling the Christians in the church in Colossae that he was praying for their continued spiritual growth. He wasn’t just praying for them individually, he was praying for them as a church. Spiritual growth is an individual process, that’s true, but it happens in community. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find examples of isolated Christians who are out of community and it being portrayed as a good thing. Always, a full and healthy Christian life occurs in community. An important part of your lifelong process of growing spiritually is your full involvement in the life of a good church. Settle in, stay there, and grow. You’re not a turnip. Spiritual growth takes time – it takes a lifetime – a lifetime spent in a good church with other growing Christians. God bless, Pastor Jim (Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church every Sunday at 10:00. Join us in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you are a shut-in, join us online at www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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