Sanctification is a life long process....And I know I am worried that many times my walk with Christ is more of a stumble than a pleasant stroll lol Jesus is our example, He is our sacrifice....And we are forever grateful for His life, death and resurrection.
On this journey and walk with Christ, I like to look at ways I 'grew' when I was in the world. Personal development, success training, personal growth...I read countless books about the topic, and while I was reading some books this weekend, I came across some fantastic advice on how to grow....In Christ!
Here's what I learned, and this is taken in part from the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh Day Adventist Church:
1. A Life In Spirit
Paul speaks about bearing the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. He speaks about love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. These are the character traits and fruits of being in Christ every single day. And I'll be honest here...I fail at these in my day to day life. We must remember of great example!!
2. A Life of Love & Unity
This is directly from the mouth of Jesus in John 13:34,35....Love others like He loved us. And from that, people will know we are followers of Christ. So much easier said than done! I know I struggle with this because even though I really don't hold grudges, I get mad....Driving my car and someone cuts me off. But going to this example of love and even bearing the fruits of the Spirit, you can see how this can become a life long adventure in....Dealing with others lol
3. A Life of Bible Study
Ahhh now we are talking! When I read 2 Timothy 3:16,17 it gets me fired up to read my bible every day. However I believe this means to not just be surface readers of the Holy Bible, but dig deeper with determined and dedicated study. Line upon line, precept upon precept....We must make bible study a part of our daily lives in Jesus! I mean He did say after all.. "It Is Written...."
4. A Life of Prayer
Time to be 100% honest here, but I fail miserably at this! What's crazy to me, is that I think I had a deeper prayer life before I was baptized. For whatever reason, I seem to put this on the backburner in my life these days and that's pretty much a failure on my part. I think I need to re-read Ephesians 6:18 a few more times and see what Paul writes about praying....We are supposed to pray without ceasing. This is something I struggle with!
5. A Life of Fruit Bearing
Matthew 7:20 shows us how Jesus says the world will know Christians. By their fruit. What are we doing every day to bear that fruit? It is clear in the scriptures that growing in Christ will help us bear more fruit. I always have said, while in the world and even today...We must become products of our product. If Christ is our example, people will see Him in us. That is the greatest example we can live by and will lead others to Christ! Not by being pushy salesmen, but by our actions, our daily lives and how we treat with each other!
6. A Life of Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:12 is one of my favorite verses in the bible. Not only for it's stern warning about who is really pulling the strings of this world, but also to remember....We are not at war with each other. The devil wants us to hate each other, he wants us to point the fingers, he loves it! And I'm not in the business of making him happy. To combat this, right after verse 12, Paul talks about the Armor of God.....Strap it on, every single day!
7. A Life of Worship, Witness and Hope
And finally, this last tidbit of growing in Christ has to do with some big issues...That I also, struggle with lol
I love church, but there are some weeks I don't attend. And I make every excuse in the world, but God calls us to assembly in Hebrews 10:24,25. Witnessing is something we should all do obviously, as it's the great commission (Matthew 28) and our great hope is always....Jesus's soon return!
Being a Christian is SUPPOSED to be a series of battles. That's what Jesus said it would be. But when we follow His great example, stick our nose in the bible daily....It will all work out!
John 14 if you need a quick reminder of that :)
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