Attaining Spiritual Growth! Page 45

“Then we will no longer be infants
 tossed back and forth by the waves,
and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
 and by the cunning and craftiness of men
 in their deceitful scheming.
  Instead, speaking the truth in love,
we will in all things grow up
 into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
Ephesians 4:14-15

How do we grow physically?  With time….. and by the stretching and pulling or growing of our bones and skin.  Sounds painful and sometimes it is!!  When it’s all said and done we’ve changed; we look different than before!  Time quietly brought growth and with it-some physical maturity!

How do we grow spiritually?  Spiritual growth cannot be seen with the physical eye but it happens in relatively the same way; by the stretching and tugging of our soul through adversity! Using the sandpaper of circumstance; the nuisance called necessity and the huge realization that we need something other than self we eventually find that our minds are ready to expand to hold new truth!  This realization is stirred into us by discernment-which is given to us spiritually. 

“This is what we speak,
not in words taught us by human wisdom
 but in words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 
The man without the Spirit
 does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them,
because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 3:13-14

We are now ready to have a time of growth with our invisible God- who is creator of heaven and earth, of all that we see and don’t see-  and, of course, the creator of intricate man.  Scripture details this below: 

“He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation. 
For, by him all things were created;
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities,
all things were created by him and for him.
 He is before all things and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:15-17

Unlike physical growth, spiritual growth doesn’t happen naturally by the nature of the human condition.  Instead it happens in a vastly larger place-within the spiritual heart-of–the-matter!  Because we are earth-bound at the moment, our human spirit is developed and strengthened through the experience of perseverance, through the building of our character over time, and through our clinging to hope as needed!  Scripture says:

“We know that suffering produces perseverance;
 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
 And hope does not disappoint us, because
 God’s love has been poured out into our hearts
 through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us”

Romans 5:3-5

God’s love is a key ingredient in the scripture above.  Conversely, it is our love for God that allows spiritual growth to take place when we bow in prayer and have a meeting-of-the-mind with that which is greater than all thought and beyond all understanding- with and through the spiritual meeting with a Holy God! 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

“ As the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so are my ways higher than ours ways
 and my thoughts than your thoughts. “
Isaiah 55:8-9

Being born into this world necessitates growth-for without it we would remain helpless!  In the same way, when we spiritually awake to the human condition called selfishness and death…we realize that there is something greater to be hoped for (other than death) and learned (other than selfishness).  If we are attuned to this part of our spiritual nature we begin to sense God and then we can begin to discern that we are a spiritual being with an eternal heritage!  This revelation is just the beginning of spiritual growth AND it is necessary-for without it we would remain lost in the mystery of the material world! 

“I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
 He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
 yet they cannot fathom what God has done
from beginning to end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish
 but have eternal life.

John 3:16

 Finally, we begin to seek growth from within the spiritual realm because our perspective has changed.  There is more to know, there is a difference to make; there is hope beyond the physical…life beyond death!  This news changes us!  We begin to hope that it will change others. Jesus called us to change the world!  And there it is……

Then Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
 baptizing them in the name of the Father,
of the son and of the Holy Spirit,
 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
 And surely I am with you always,
 to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 18-20

Scriptural Summary on Spiritual Growth:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
 than all we ask or imagine,
 according to his power that is at work within us,
 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
 throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
 Ephesians 3:20

Song Recommendation:

Word Of God Speak

BY:  MercyMe

Seek! Pursue! Draw Close! Page 44

Seek!  Pursue! Draw close!  These are action words about relationships in general and these same words can be used to develop our spiritual life as well!  As with any relationship we must  “move into action”; for, we will never know a thing about God if we don’t first respond! 

Did you ever know someone that had a dynamic relationship with God but no longer has an outward countenance of godly character”?  Maybe or maybe not, but the explanation is still the same:  It is because that person is no longer pursuing that relationship.  It is exactly the same with our own personal relationships with each other.   We have to prioritize our relationships!  We cannot be close to someone unless we are interested in that person, spend time with that person, allocate time for that person and actively seek to draw close to that person.  Bringing this full circle-we must pursue a relationship with God in the same way. 

“ Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,
 and all these things will be given to you as well.”
 Matthew 6:33

“Call to me and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
James 1:5

“Draw close to God and he will draw close to you”

I find it interesting that we sometimes miss the key point of these scriptures.  They are directives telling to take that first step toward God!  They are telling us to seek; pursue; draw close!  I think, perhaps, many of us think that God will simply pursue us!  We lean on fate, circumstance, or mere osmosis to be the catalyst for godly pursuits! 

Spiritual knowledge and godly revelations are vastly too important to leave to mere fate! It’s as simple as that! 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”

Jeremiah 29:13

Song Recommendation:

Need You Now
BY:  Plumb

"Mercy Lord"! Page 43

The sun flickered through the car window reminding me of its incredible life-giving warmth and even more so- the power of its creator!  I began to pray!  I was seeking mercy from the Lord… for Death was approaching.  How many of us actually know that!  Unfortunately, some of us have that distinct knowledge! 

A family I know was about to turn off the ventilator to a loved one who had suffered a stroke.  It felt odd to me that I knew this.  I watched the clock and saw time ticking!  There was about 10 minutes till that fateful action would take place. I felt compelled to do something about this eternally relevant piece of information. The gates of heaven were literally about to open.  This was not going to be visible to me but I was floored.  It seemed so vast and incredible!  You see, I actually try to remain mindful of the fact that the mechanisms of the spiritual realm are in movement even though we cannot see them!  “Lord!  Lord! “ I called out for that was the only thing I could do!  It was my honor!    

This world can bring us to our knees…and at times we may even  find ourselves flat on our face!  What then???  I recall another time Death claimed someone I knew!  Again, the only thing I could whisper as I watched his family suffer was “mercy”!  It’s such a small word but delivers such a huge request!  I still don’t fully realize what mercy is or what it does… but it is my deepest hope that it brings relief and that it is a sacred gift for those who are suffering! 

Matt Chandler wrote:

"Trials are God's way of revealing to us,
 out of HIS mercy,
our desperate need for HIM,
 and our lack of control
and our lack of ability
to manipulate our environment for our own good!

For God to give you a thorn in the flesh,
or for Him to free up your hands from the myth of control,
 to show you how dependent you are on Him,
is one of the most merciful things He could do"

To apply this to our lives we must realize….

We cannot control this world or our destiny…only love through it.

We cannot control others or demand justice and mercy-only give it.

We cannot find perfection here- only live with grace as a salve.

We cannot take on other’s reflections-only mirror love instead.

RvH

For my friend, Rene

Song Recommendation:
In Christ Alone
BY:  Brian Littrell

“Yet I am writing you a new command,
its truth is seen in him and you because the darkness is passing
and the true light is already shining!”

I John 2:8

Mercy Reaching to Save! Page 42

Dear friend,

I wanted to write and inspire you today!   I wanted to encourage you- and remind you who you are! To me you are the world….but to this world you are nothing.  That is because this world is full of deception and decay and wants to blind you to your worth!  I want to implore you to shift your perception lest you become bound to worldly standards and its lies!  Mentally and spiritually climb up beyond the obstacles that are hindering your view…. so that you breathe better and take life in from a different perspective!  In doing so you may be better able to see the plans God has for you!  Sometimes His plans get hidden in the distraction of our busyness or bound by other’s opinions.  We must free ourselves of this by choosing to eliminate those distractions and then begin again-seeking God’s best for our lives. 

First and foremost-you must know that you are beautiful!  Not as this world deems it.  But, in the heavenly way!  You are beautiful in worldly standards, yes, …but that is not the measure you and I should ever use!  We’ve been there.  Done that!  That category of beauty will fool you….and will deceive you into seeing your worth in ways that distort!  It will have us building our very lives on temporary things like jobs, and bosses who don’t care about our worth or our health, on outward appearances that fade.  Then what?  Ignore this earthly call to establish your life on outward appearances and temporary posts- including where you work, how well you do that job, how much you earn, or even what you drive!  This pressure is meant to eliminate time for God and deem Him unimportant!  This world has bought into this Grand Scheme…and people’s lives and hearts are scattered and shattered because of it! 

Next-remember that you are loved.  Loved imperfectly but loved!  When we’re hanging in a crowd of unbelievers we don’t feel or even see love!   We sometimes confuse the truth that we don’t receive the love or respect we need for the fact that we aren’t loved!  This is not accurate!  We humans do not know how to love each other in ways that “fulfill”.  We are sinful and selfish and our love gets distorted because of that!  Love isn’t given perfectly and with that it isn’t received well. It’s a cycle that includes us in both the “giving” and the “receiving”.   Make allowances for sin.  Make a way for fallible, human love to seep in and soothe you as best it can.  

This life is truly not based on human love but an eternal love that only God can offer.  God has set eternity into the hearts of men and because of that we can’t seem to find enough time or enough ways for the limited-love-of-humans to fill that gap!  We know of eternity….but we’re bound by the earthly…so love is so distorted, unfulfilling, almost heart-breaking.  What we must do is realize that even love is tarnished by the curse of sin.  With that realization we must view love in a different way and begin “receiving it” and “giving it” in a different way…with mercy and compassion and with allowances for its flaws!  We must choose to love the unlovable and allow them to love us.  We must do this deeply - with great mercy- for “love covers a multitude of sin”. 1 Peter 4:8

Remember that you are a Child of the Most High God and that your worth is based on an eternal mechanism that is beyond the material world!  Your character and value system are linked to another realm!  As such-your worth is not an earthly attribute and if you’re seeking it here in this life-you will be disappointed- for it is not here to find! We bump into discouragement and un-fulfillment enough to know this is true!  

It is in our godly esteem and eternal heritage that we will find our worth!  We must remember that our earthly life is really a spiritual journey and it is through the spiritual quest of seeking God’s kingdom that we will find any reflection of meaning pertaining to this temporary life! 

Heavenly advice confirms this for scripture says:

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness

 then all these things shall be added unto you”!

With mercy reaching to save!

RvH

Dedicated to my sister, Rachel

Song Recommendation:

 Beautiful, Beautiful
by Fransesca Battistelli