![]() Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.īut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,Īnd do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.įor everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. That happens only when, through faith, we obey his commands and implement his principles.And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. ![]() God’s ultimate goal is for all believers to become more Christ-like. Instead of behavior that is unbecoming to a believer, the fruit of the Spirit produced in us – “Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” ( Gal 5:22-23). Paul taught, “Repent and turn to God and demonstrate repentance by deeds” ( Ac 26:20). Repentance means we commit to making an about-face and heading in the opposite direction from our sin. This is more than acknowledging wrongdoing or promising to try harder. The third step naturally follows the second – after confession should come repentance. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” ( 1Jn 1:9). ![]() But when we confess our transgressions, the opposite happens – we mature because we admit our dependence upon God. When we deny our sins, we delay our spiritual growth. Second, we must be ready to admit our failures and assume responsibility for them. ![]() Therefore, we must meditate on the Word, considering what it means and applying the truth we discover to our lives. Though God saves us and gives us a new spirit, it is our duty to control our thoughts and focus our minds on what honors him, so that our minds can be transformed. The Bible gives us powerful principles about how to do so:įirst, we are responsible for renewing our minds ( Ro 12:2). Second Peter 1:5-7 continues, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness and to goodness, knowledge and to knowledge, self-control and to self-control, perseverance and to perseverance, godliness and to godliness, mutual affection and to mutual affection, love.” Then how are we to grow? Second Peter 1:3 promises, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” It is God who transforms us into his image, but it is our responsibility to implement all that he teaches us. Since none of us matures as a Christian without taking action, Peter instructs believers, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” ( 2Pe 3:18). Unfortunately, some believers never hear how to develop in their relationship with the Lord. ![]() Not many people can say that on the day they were saved, someone explained the steps to spiritual growth. To Him be the glory both now and forever. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ![]()
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