The Overwhelming Importance of Spiritual Growth in a Believer’s Life.

14 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:10.       With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

And then it was Wednesday, our mid-week work day that enables us to catch our second wind, renews our energy and enthusiasm, and allows us to continue our good work for Jesus. And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Thank You Lord for reenergizing us, for boosting our hope and faith on this Wednesday, in the crazy days of this summer season! We LOVE You, and praise Your holy name! Amen!’ 

Ah friends, unfortunately, life doesn’t get any easier as we get older, but fortunately with God’s help, with each passing day, we mature and get stronger, and are thus better able to handle whatever life throws at us. And what do we mean by growing in spiritual maturity, and how do we do it? This commentary from the cru.org website article on the subject gives a brief but good explanation.

‘You can grow in spiritual maturity by persevering in following God’s plan through the trials and challenges of your life (James 1:2-18) and living a life that is Spirit-filled — that is, learning to be aware of and listen to God’s Spirit, who lives within all Jesus followers (Ephesians 5:18; Romans 6:11-14). Community also plays an important role in character growth, brings God’s Word to life, gives prayer a life-changing impact and is vital for telling others about Christ.’ 

Yes my brethren, it’s all about growing in knowledge and understanding of Christ and putting it into action for His benefit. And we all know, but don’t like what James says in that reference. (smile) ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers (various) temptations; Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) 

And by any standard that’s tough to do in this evil and ungodly world, but with the help, the numerous tools and promises that God has given to His people, we are certainly able to do it, if we put our hearts, minds, bodies and souls to it. And one of the wonderful things about Bruh Paul, is that not only does he give us sincere doctrine, but always give us some practical guidelines to help us accomplish then. Listen to these simple, practical steps that will certainly help us grow in spiritual maturity, as he writes to the Ephesians. 

‘See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:15-21) 

Oh my fellow believers, you could not find a simpler way to practice godliness and grow in spiritual maturity. And having said that, I just found this other commentary by Art Tilles from the redding.com website, that interestingly expands on our earlier definition of spiritual maturity. He writes: ‘Spiritual maturity is measured by one’s likeness to Christ. Of course, it goes almost without saying that no likeness to Christ is possible at all as long as a person has no real faith-based relationship with him. That is, spiritual maturity is not even an issue when one is spiritually dead. 

For a Christian, though, likeness to Christ is the goal of our election and the purpose of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Viewed from another angle, spiritual maturity is measured the same way the maturity of a fruit tree is, by the amount and quality of its fruit, specifically what the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit; and we’re not talking about some hyper-spiritualistic drama; rather, the Bible tells us what the fruit is that the Holy Spirit works in us: LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those are the measures of spiritual maturity.’ 

And all of that is gospel truth! And if you really want a study in spiritual growth, then look no further than Psalm 119, which is all about growing in God through learning and LOVING  His Word and putting it into action. And these words from the psalm ought to resonate very loudly and clearly in our hearts. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto (contemplate) thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.’ (Ps. 119:9-16) 

Yes, saints of Christ, what rich, sincere, interesting longing and LOVE for God, His Word and Ways! Oh, if only many more of us could feel that way and put it into practical use! How wonderful our world would be! And no, it’s not a pipe dream, but a positive reality, if we believers in Christ will only wake up and do what we need to do! Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

As one strong and sincere voice:  ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if we stick with Jesus right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! He’s promised it! So hope to see you then! Much LOVE!

…solid food…not merely the milk of the word…is essential for spiritual growth…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 June 2022 Psalm 119:9.

11 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 119:9.      Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.​

Can you believe it friends, Friday actually remained bright and sunny for the entire day, and Saturday, our lazy day, has also opened with bright sunshine. Let’s hope it stays that way all day though. (smile) But with the contrariness of the weather system these days, who knows. Anyway, as we rest and contemplate life, let’s also ponder on these quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

And the first one tells us: ‘Always desire to learn something useful.’  Now that’s certainly very good advice, because learning useless things will not enable us to handle the difficult and scary situations we will all face in life. And the best place to begin learning useful things is from the Word of God; His undiluted, unadulterated Word found in the majestic and marvellous book we call the Bible! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to this outstanding advice from Psalm 119, where the author confidently declares: ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.’ (Ps. 119:9) 

Yes, my fellow believers, if God’s word found in the Bible is our guidebook for living, then that’s the best place to find useful knowledge. And remember what Cousin Sol says in the first chapter of Proverbs. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) Oh yes, acknowledging the sovereignty, awesome power, majesty and goodness of God is where all wisdom, understanding, knowledge and wise counsel begins, for He is the fountainhead of it all! 

And one of the ways the Good book teaches us to live and operate is highlighted in this next quote: ‘The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.’ Now is that ever so true. And one thing we Christians are very good at is talking, but we’re not so hot when it comes to walking our talk, especially in the tough times. We talk a whole lot about God and faith when things are good, but when problems arise, too many of us jettison or forget the faith we spoke of when things were going well. 

We get angry with God, wonder where He is, and why He allowed such nasty things to happen to us? But friends, in the tough times is exactly when we got to go to God, cry out to Him for help, show the true colours of the Christian faith we profess, not blame and blaspheme Him, like so many of us do in those difficult times. 

But even on a worldly level, the best way to get started on anything at all is to cut down on the talking and get some action going. You’d be surprised how action … can’t find the word I’m looking for (smile) but once you begin doing, it sort of just continues on its own accord. It’s one of the principles involved in building, in growing…the first step is always the most difficult. Thereafter it gets comparatively easier. And it’s ever so important that we believers stop the plentiful talking for which we’re known, and begin doing more action, for which we are not so well known. 

James, Jesus’ brother says it quite well when he talks about faith that works in his epistle, James 2:14-26, which can be summarized by ‘show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.’ (James 2:18b) Oh friends, one of the ways to know true believers is by the works they do based on their faith. As Jesus said: ‘Wherefore by their fruit ye shall know them.’ (Matt. 7:20) 

And the next quote says: ‘It’s almost always possible to be honest and positive.’ I guess that contains a certain amount of truth, but we need to remember that positivity doesn’t work for honesty alone, it also works for dishonesty. The most evil people in our world are some of the most positive, totally believing in the rightfulness of their cause. And in the kind of evil and fraudulent world in which we are currently living, it’s much harder to be honest and positive, for everywhere we turn lies and deceit greet us with opened arms. 

But this next quote will hopefully help us to handle that last one. It tells us to ‘Find joy in the simple things.’ And that’s excellent advice, for our world has also become so complicated recently with so much information and knowledge available on so many different things, that many of us have a hard time understanding it all and thus making good decisions which bring us satisfaction and a joy in living. However, if we concentrate on the simpler things of life, it’s easier to find satisfaction and joy in them. We don’t have to get into all the convoluted stuff that’s going on around us. A basic understanding of it is quite sufficient. 

To tell the truth, that’s how I try to live my life these days. I endeavour to know what’s happening, but I don’t let it all get into my soul and spirit. I choose the parts or aspects that are necessary and just concentrate on those. Thus, I have much less confusion and dismay in my life. However, don’t ever forget that Jesus must be an integral part of it all, otherwise you won’t be successful. 

That brings us to this last quote. ‘Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.’ Again, there’s lot of truth in that statement. We ought to live the dreams that the Lord has put in our hearts. As Bruh David so rightly said in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) However we do need to remember that sometimes the Lord allows problems into our lives to test and push us forward. 

As they say, problems are a method of growth, of advancement. And whenever we solve a problem, it automatically increases our understanding and helps us to grow. And you better believe that in going after our dreams, we will encounter problems, so it’s necessary to keep an open mind when it comes to problems, for they can be very useful in our growth and Christian walk of life. Much LOVE!

…Jesus had plenty problems here on earth…but He solved them through faith, works and the Father’s help…and so can we… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​