The NEW YEAR is greeting us with that fresh canvas we explored in December when we took our FAITH INVENTORY. With it comes an opportunity to grow closer to God.
Let’s get started with the results from a late-2021 online survey we conducted with this ministry’s global tribe of online followers. We asked them for their top spiritual goal in 2022 and the leading response was some form of SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE and GROWTH. So that will be our first theme in 2022 and we’ll lay the foundation with this:
com·pounding: The process in which an asset’s earnings are reinvested to generate “interest on interest.”
Compounding creates EXPONENTIAL growth over time. It accelerates growth. And that growth-on-growth principal, over time, builds a sturdy foundation that is hard to topple.
In our faith walk, compounding growth is staying connected to God every day so he can BUILD ON each growth spurt before it fades away. Each one of those spurts builds on the previous and the cycle generates momentum with each revolution.
God calls us to grow spiritually and not “remain as children” in our faith. Here’s how the Apostle Peter puts it:
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18
Spiritual growth is clearly the goal, but our focus should be on JESUS…not us. We will not grow spiritually on our own, but we do have to show up over-and-over again to grow. We do have to make a commitment to grow. And we do have to seek God’s power and wisdom to grow.
That’s why our mindset should be: we do not generate the growth…GOD does. Our goal is to grow in Christ, but our focus is on HIM and HIS PROMISES.
“…only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7
Maintaining our commitment to spiritual habits—expressed through spending time with God’s Word, praying, and fellowshipping with others—is an ESSENTIAL part of the spiritual growth process. But we are powerless without God.
GOD controls our spiritual growth–not us. Growth, in and of itself, is not our focus. Our spiritual growth focus is KNOWING God and seeking his GLORY (Philippians 3:8).
EVERYTHING we do to grow spiritually is done to know Jesus more and give God more glory.
I ask God to give me strength to stick with my commitment to grow spiritually in the new year. To keep my focus on HIM and his promises, not my efforts to grow.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Will you commit to grow spiritually in 2022 with the focus on GOD and his PROMISES?
“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7
