Spiritual Growth (or Shrinkage)

     Christmas is here, school is out for two weeks, the semester is over, (and I survived!), and here I am, with a beast of a textbook for next semester sitting in front of me! What a way to end a semester, right?

     This semester has truly brought a lot of things into my life. I have learned a lot of lessons, and I hope I've grown a little bit. In the Lord, I mean. Not like...THE OTHER way! It's difficult at times to measure spiritual growth, and who is to measure it, anyway? That seems like a silly question, because of course God can! But unfortunately, He didn't leave us a actual measuring stick or ruler with which to measure ourselves. Or did He? 


     There is this one Book that He gave us, a Book that people in the past and in the present gave and continue to give their lives for daily. You all know it, you love it, (or you should!), it's the BIBLE! So what did He say about spiritual growth? What does it took like when we grow spiritually?


Ephesians 4:13 and 15 says, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."


     We are to measure ourselves against Christ. Not by other people or their standards of living, or by our own either loose or strict standards, but by Him. We are to grow, "...unto the measure of the stature...of Christ." The word stature here means....you guessed it, "maturity." Verse 15 says, "...grow up into him in all things."


     So what does it look like when you grow spiritually? You look like Jesus. It's as simple as that, but a warning here. The less you grow, the less you look like Christ. You don't want that, so endeavor to GROW! It is more rewarding than you can imagine! Peace, contentment, all that stuff that makes your life so much easier to live with! ;)

     So, as I get back to my beast of a textbook, have a Merry Christmas! And grow, 'cause if you don't grow, you'll shrink, shrink, shrink!