Healthy Things Grow

 Have you ever noticed that healthy things grow?  Plants, children, emotional lives, our relationship with God, and our relationship with other people are a few things that come to mind.  If these things are healthy, they are progressing, moving forward, changing, metamorphasizing so to speak.

 Years ago in a pastoral staff meeting, a pastor by the name of James Ryle addressed us and told us this saying which has had great impact on me over the years:

 “Healthy things grow

Growing things change.

Change challenges us.

Challenge forces us to trust God.

Trust leads to obedience.

Obedience makes us healthy.

Healthy things grow…”

 As you can see, it is a cycle.  Even in our relationship with God, it seems as soon as we get comfortable, there will inevitably be some change which forces us to trust God in a new way.

 For example….let’s say you step out and pray out loud for someone for the first time.  It is scary.  It is change.  (But it also helps you grow spiritually.)  The next thing you know, you might be leading in Children’s Ministry or leading a small group.   It is challenging. Things come up which you have no answer for.  It forces us to trust God and seek Him.

And then there are those times, when the person in your group does not get healed, the check does not come in the mail, _________(you fill in the blank) and easy answers just don’t come. And we learn to be obedient to God anyway.  It is healthy.  It is challenging and it forces us to grow.

 We must choose to remember, that even if it is not easy, growth and change can be good.  They may be challenging, but that forces us into the arms of our Father. (Or elsewhere if we make a poor choice)

 May your journey be filled with healthy growing things!

Blessings,

Thora

Yesterday, Pastor Brian taught us about the importance of belonging to a church.  Wrapped inside that great message, was a challenge to me.  And it had to do with planning spiritual growth.

I love to plan.  I plan my menus for the week.  I plan my day.  As a family, we plan our vacations.  My husband even puts our trips on a spreadsheet.  I know that would freak out the spontaneous travellers, but it works for us.  As much as I enjoy planning, I never thought about planning my spiritual growth until yesterday. 

The Bible verse Pastor Brian read was Hebrews 6:1a.  It says, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity” (NAS). 

Brian asked if we knew anyone who had been a Christian for 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years who wasn’t very spiritually mature.   While I might have been able to think of someone else, my mind immediately went to those areas in my own life that I wish were different.  I can easily list a handful of spiritual fruit that is still unripe on the vine.  And I can see how  I haven’t applied as much consistent effort and planning to those areas of my personality, as I have to my to-do list.  

Today, I’d like to invite some conversation on the blog about this concept.  I’d like you to share one or two ways you have planned your spiritual growth.  Or maybe you have a habit or practice that helps you grow spiritually.  Please post a comment on the blog so we can all learn.

As an incentive, I’ll be giving away a book called ”His Princess Bride” by Sheri Rose Shepherd.  This is a beautiful little hardcover book filled encouraging words of love from Jesus to His bride.  On Wednesday at 5 p.m. I’ll randomly select someone who posted to win the book.  Please make sure you include your email address in the post so I can contact you.

As an editor of a magazine, I get lots of free books.  This is just the first of many we’ll be giving away. 

Have a great week in Christ!

In His Love,

Glynnis

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com