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- Apr 25, 2006
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Grow up (2)
'Train up a child in the way he should go' PROVERBS 22:6
'Growing older' and 'growing up' is not the same thing. You can be forty and still wobble about in spiritual nappies. 'Growing up' isn't just something that happens. It takes work. You must want to grow, choose to grow, make an effort to grow. When you first decided to follow Jesus, something in you was drawn to His invitation. That's great, that's all you need to get started. But where do you go from there? How do you 'follow' Jesus? Do you simply put your feet up until Judgement day, thinking: 'well, that's my ticket sorted for the afterlife.' Well, you could, but you'd miss out on the full ride that God has planned for you.
Following Jesus means trying to make Jesus-like choices and then asking his Spirit to help you stick with it. The Jesus blueprint for choices always focuses on putting others first, not yourself. This kind of thinking is alien to our culture, where we are told 'chase OUR dreams', or 'make a name for OURSELVES', it comes unnatural to us. But it's the core of a Jesus lifestyle, it sums up his 'Love God; love people' attitude.
So where are you at with your thinking? Ask yourself now: where do I need to stop wanting my way and start wanting God's way? Where can I grow up? Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you stick with it.
written by Bob Gass
'Train up a child in the way he should go' PROVERBS 22:6
'Growing older' and 'growing up' is not the same thing. You can be forty and still wobble about in spiritual nappies. 'Growing up' isn't just something that happens. It takes work. You must want to grow, choose to grow, make an effort to grow. When you first decided to follow Jesus, something in you was drawn to His invitation. That's great, that's all you need to get started. But where do you go from there? How do you 'follow' Jesus? Do you simply put your feet up until Judgement day, thinking: 'well, that's my ticket sorted for the afterlife.' Well, you could, but you'd miss out on the full ride that God has planned for you.
Following Jesus means trying to make Jesus-like choices and then asking his Spirit to help you stick with it. The Jesus blueprint for choices always focuses on putting others first, not yourself. This kind of thinking is alien to our culture, where we are told 'chase OUR dreams', or 'make a name for OURSELVES', it comes unnatural to us. But it's the core of a Jesus lifestyle, it sums up his 'Love God; love people' attitude.
So where are you at with your thinking? Ask yourself now: where do I need to stop wanting my way and start wanting God's way? Where can I grow up? Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you stick with it.
written by Bob Gass
