Many of us have ministers and leaders that we admire. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It reminds me of the scripture that says, follow me as I follow Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1)
That being said, just as many of us think we can never reach their level. That we cannot do the things they do in life. That is a lie. We can do all things through Christ. God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another. If, that is, we follow Him and walk in His word and His ways.
I heard a statement one day that has remained with me for several weeks. The conversation was about a person who wanted to date another person. Their comment about this was… “they are out of my league; I am not on their level.”
The response of the other person in the conversation was priceless. They replied… “if you are not at their level, then grow.”
I began to think about this in terms of ministers that I have a great deal of respect for. Those who are doing things that I desire to see in my own life. At the present moment, it would appear that I am not on their level. There is a solution. I only need to grow in those areas.
2 Peter 3:18 says: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Spiritual growth should be a part of our daily life. Let’s look at a couple more scriptures on this subject.
Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to be. (Heb 6:1 NLT)
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. (1 Tim 4:14-15)
And one of my all-time favorite scriptures…
Let your roots grow down into Him and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Col 2:7 NLT)
Friends, we are not created to get born again and stop at that point. We are created for increase in every area of our lives. That includes growing in God. Growing in the things of the spirit.
We grow in God the same way we grow in the natural – by feeding what we want to see growth in.
A life rooted and grounded in the word of God is vital for growth. Meditating on His word is important to our spiritual life. Hearing and obeying Gods voice is critical. All these things help us to grow in God.
Is there someone whom you admire for their spiritual walk? Do they seem to be on a different level than you? Out of your league? Then grow.
If you set your heart and mind to grow in God. If you do the things require for growth – you will grow in Him. How do I know? We have His promise on it…Philippians 1:6 says, Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. May it be so in your personal life and walk with God.
