Don’t Stop Growing
I love meeting new Believers. They are so eager to learn about God and His Word. If the Bible says it, they believe it and desire to do what it says. They are often looking for opportunities to share their new-found faith with others. After what God has done for them, they don’t want to just keep it to themselves.
As excited as I get when I meet people like this, I am extremely burdened for those who have gone to church their whole lives. Many of them do not exhibit the joy of the Lord, they are not in the Word asking Him to try them and know them and show them the things that displease Him, and they are not being the Light that God calls us to be. Instead, they show up at church Sunday morning, looking like they would rather be anywhere else.
The Bible is a big book with lots of guidelines for how God wants His children to live, but a great starting point would be Galatians 5:22 and 23: the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance). Jesus said we would know those who are His by their fruit. Does this list describe you?
When I came to know the Lord in my late teens, there were certain negative character traits He took away from me. Some things, however, I still struggle with. As much as I would like to not struggle (I even hate it at times), I realize that it is in these struggles that growth comes. If everything were easy, I would not see the need to rely on Him. As it is, I call on Him daily to help me walk in a way that pleases Him. I pray that I never become content but will constantly seek to grow and follow Him wholeheartedly. I want to be a vessel He can use until my dying day. I pray that is your prayer as well.
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