Spiritual Growth

Your parents were keenly aware of your physical growth from your infancy well into your teens. They were mindful to feed you the things that your body needed, to grow correctly. They may have made you stand in the doorway of a closet and mark your height on the door jam, to mark your progress. If you are an athlete you are aware of the food, exercise, and rest needed to make your body perform at it’s peak, and your progress is marked in your advancement or winning record.

Your Spiritual growth needs a lot of the same attention. How you feed, exercise, and rest in your spiritual walk determines how well you grow. Let us look at what the Bible says about Spiritual growth.

Food

[1 Peter2:2] Just like an infant you must start with milk

[ 1 Cor.3:1-2] You must work your way up to meat.

[Prov. 30:8] Food convenient for you.

[Job 23:12] Necessary food.

Water

[ John 4:1-15] Living water

[ John 7:37-39] The Spirit God

Soil / Environment

What type of soil are you?

[Mark 4:2-20] wayside, stony, thorns, or good ground

Be ye Separate [2 Cor.6:17] bad environment stun proper growth

The body of Christ [Eph.4:11-16] the best environment to grow in.

Rest

[Matt.11:28-30] He will give you rest

[Mark 6:30-32] Jesus desired for the apostles to rest

You need rest also, if you are to grow.

 

If you are very careful with these four essentials you will grow Spiritually. But what are some of the marks of your progress? How can you gauge your Spiritual growth? Check your fruit. [Gal.5:22-23] Got Fruit?

Love  [2 Thes.1:3] toward each other  [Col.3:14] “bond of perfectness”

Joy  [John 15:11] that you might be full  [John 16:22] joy in answered prayer

Peace  [Phil.4:6-7] How much of that peace do you have?

Longsuffering  [Romans2:4] It serves a eternal purpose

Gentleness  [Ps.18:34-36] will make you great

Goodness     [Rom.15:14] Paul acknowledged their fruit [Prov.20:6] We wrongly proclaim it

Faith  [1 Thes.1:3] the work of faith  [1 Thes. 2:13] effectually worketh also in you

Meekness  [1 Cor.4:18-21] power under control  [1 Pet. 3:15] ready to answer

Temperance  [1 Cor.9:24-27] moderation [Phil. 4:5]

You gauge your spiritual growth by the fruit that is being produced. Got Fruit?