Ahh so it is officially summer. Many of us long for those warmer temperatures, some of us not so much. Here in AZ we experience 100 plus temps from now until October.
I hope you are getting your hands dirty digging into the earth our Father has given us. What a joy it is to see flowers or a garden grow!
Keeping in mind what spiritual growth is, let this growth strengthen your heart in this summer season.
Be intentional with this growth. Our growth and spiritual maturity doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes study and learning on our part along with searching our hearts and asking GOD to grow us up in HIM.
Just like a garden, our hearts and soul need a continual attention to any weeds that may grow and a constant watering of the soul in HIS word is a daily requirement!
WE CANNOT GROW UP INTO SOMETHING GOOD WITHOUT OUR SOVEREIGN GOD’S HELP AND LOVE FOR US.
Focus on GOD’S promises……..grow there. Grow in your trust of HIS love and care for you. HE cares for us faithfully, personally and consistently. GOD never fails in doing this for us. This personal care for each of us should grow us and mature us.
Our focus matters too…….our intentions matter to GOD. Do we intend to grow more like HIS son, JESUS CHRIST? We need to do a daily check on our own hearts and minds to see if we are growing in the right direction. What is important to GOD should be important to us. What breaks GOD’S heart should break ours.
Let us remember this…….
ROMANS 8:6 “FOR TO SET THE MIND ON THE FLESH IS DEATH, BUT TO SET THE MIND ON THE SPIRIT IS LIFE AND PEACE.”
Our mind set on the Spirit will determine how we are able to continue to grow. All of us want to grow up and grow into someone good and right and beautiful in our character because of this……
ROMANS 8:8 “THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD.”
We can grow, one step at a time, one day at a time, but we need to engage all of our being, mind, heart and soul. Let us embrace what Paul reminded us to do so well in Philippians 4:8:
“FINALLY BROTHERS, WHATEVER IS TRUE, WHATEVER IS HONORABLE, WHATEVER IS JUST, WHATEVER IS PURE, WHATEVER IS LOVELY, WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE, IF THERE IS ANY EXCELLENCE, IF THERE IS ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS.”
Let us practice all we have learned from GOD’S word and in so doing, with all of HIS amazing grace upon us, we will grow up into something good!
As Christians we should be in a constant state of growth…….beware if you feel like you are at a standstill. Growth is good, but we have to be willing to change and learn…….and be corrected! We are never too old either to be challenged and corrected. Let us be careful if we think somehow that we have grown enough, if we have somehow arrived…….because we never will until JESUS takes us home!
Growing in our souls should be exciting! Learning and growing in GOD’S word should captivate us! Learning and growing in this way will motivate us to praise HIM even more!
2 PETER 3: 18 “BUT GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.”
Let’s grow up into something good and know that our growth benefits the whole Body of Christ…….never stop growing in JESUS!
EPHESIANS 4: 15 -16 “……..WE ARE TO GROW UP IN EVERY WAY INTO HIM WHO IS THE HEAD, INTO CHRIST, FROM WHOM THE WHOLE BODY, JOINED AND HELD TOGETHER BY EVERY JOINT WITH WHICH IT IS EQUIPPED, WHEN EACH PART IS WORKING PROPERLY, MAKES THE BODY GROW SO THAT IT BUILDS ITSELF UP IN LOVE.”
HEAVENSREEF 
SO good, Maxine! I was just reading along with Stu’s daily Scripture, and he had a verse from Romans 8 (along with YOUR Romans 8.8), so that passage is doubling sown in me:
Rom 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
So, taking your post into consideration with that passage, I am meditating on God and how He tells us His Spirit works. We cannot grow if we don’t first have the seed. God quickens our spirits with His Spirit, plants the “seed” of His indwelling. He gives us responsibilities and desires with that Spirit: all those you mention in your post. We must water and nurture and weed out. We cannot let the weeds of the flesh and the world and satan weaken our spirits. We must strengthen our spiritual selves with God’s Word (daily!) and be obedient to the guidance and direction His Spirit so abundantly give us. Just as plants lean toward the sun, we must lean toward God. As He grows us into something good (HIS goodness) we receive His blessings; and just as flowers and garden goodness are a blessing to all who partake, so we are a blessing to all who God puts in our path.
Oh, you have blessed me again!
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Oh Kathy you have just written another post! So well said and isn’t it just like GOD to have HIS servants in the same scripture at the same time. Thank you for your well thought out comments reminding us of HIS seed in HIS word! All you said here was a blessing to me……thank you friend!
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Oh, Maxine this is powerful! I agree with Kathy⬆️ We must continually water and nurture our hearts and weed out our fleshly desires. It can happen. But we must truly be intentional and consistent with reading His Word and prayer😊
Have a blessed day!
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Thanks Stu…….all HIS words, not mine. I love how GOD uses HIS word to draw the like-minded together. Your words were an encouragement for me……be blessed dear brother in CHRIST!
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