Growth Isn't Automatic

A devotional for Monday

Ephesians 4:14-16
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Time doesn't automatically equal maturity. We can spend years around church, hear hundreds of sermons, know the right vocabulary, and still remain spiritually immature. Paul describes maturity as becoming more and more like Christ. That kind of growth requires intention. We have to allow what we're learning about Jesus to actually reshape the way we live. Our reactions change. Our priorities change. Our relationships change. Our decisions increasingly reflect the character of Christ. And one of the beautiful things about God's design for the Church is that our growth doesn't only benefit us. As each person becomes healthier and more mature, the whole body becomes healthier too. Your spiritual growth matters to the people around you.

Question/Challenge:
Where have you been waiting for spiritual growth to happen instead of intentionally pursuing it?