“Growth in Christ is not instantaneous but is a lifelong process of dying to self and being remade in the image of Christ.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 2, 2022
Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 1 Corinthians 14:20, NIV
By historic standards, we are one of the most literate and educated societies to ever exist. What began with the printing press has now in many ways reached its culmination with the Internet. Knowledge and information are freely shared and instantly distributed across the world to rich and poor, young and old alike. This shift has affected virtually every area of society, and Christianity is certainly not immune. Not only do most of us have multiple hardbound copies of the Bible in our homes, we now also carry around in our pockets dozens of translations, commentaries, and devotional books, all a few simple clicks or swipes away.
Yet, has this exponential increase in Christian knowledge translated into genuine growth in Christ?
If we limit our understanding of the Christian faith to head knowledge about God and divorce it from Christian living, we will trick ourselves into thinking that we are spiritually mature while in reality we remain as spiritual infants! It is entirely possible to know a great deal about God and yet entirely unsure of how to live as a Christian. Put another way, it is one thing to know about Jesus, but it is something altogether different to be transformed by his love. As C.S. Lewis once said, “it is fatally easy to confuse an appreciation of the spiritual life with the life itself.”
“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14, NIV)
The author of Hebrews reminds us of an essential aspect of Christian living: growth in Christ is not instantaneous but is a lifelong process of dying to self and being remade in the image of Christ. If you struggle in your walk with Christ, let these words be an encouragement to you! You aren’t expected to “get it right” overnight. Genuine growth in Christ isn’t a one-week workout class but is more like months and months of training for a long distance race.
When you go out of your way to love and serve your spouse, when you express genuine interest in the things your kids are passionate about, when you are transparent and vulnerable with a close group of trusted friends about your struggles and challenges in life, you are embracing daily practices that over time become life-long habits of holy, virtuous living. It is here in the lived experience of our Christian faith that we move from mere knowledge about God to a genuine encounter of the living God, from spiritual infancy to maturity in Christ.
Prayer
Father, may we never content ourselves with spiritual infancy but daily submit to your Spirit’s guidance as you lead us into true maturity in Christ. Amen.
Application
What faithful habits of the Christian life can you take on and sustain daily as an ongoing part of your submission to the transforming power of God?
Related Reading
Luke 8:14; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:15
Worship Resource
The Worship Initiative feat. Davy Flowers: Let it Be Jesus
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