Spiritual growth and new year: What I realized
A few days ago, as we were awaiting the new year, I began reflecting on my spiritual maturity over the last year. I looked at my life and realized that there are areas in my spiritual life that need to grow. As a minister of the Gospel, spiritual growth is non-negotiable.
It is the desire of God that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). This realization has really made me look less on the physical and strive more for spiritual growth and maturity in 2023.
The Apostle Paul after walking with Christ for many years aspired to know Christ even more in order to “know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10). I have come to realize that knowing Christ is a lifetime project, which every believer must pursue with the determination to acquire it in increasing measure. I also aspire to grow in grace so that I should not only enjoy Heaven but increasing fellowship with Christ in the present age.
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How many of us understand that we need to grow in sanctification? Our walk with Christ needs growth and should not be stagnant just because we are already saved. We need to crave pure spiritual milk like a newborn baby so that we can receive the nourishment needed for our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). I believe that the only source of this spiritual milk is the Word of God.
Being satisfied with the bare minimum is not good enough. The spiritual configuration of a mature Christian should be different from that of a baby Christian. Unfortunately, many of us have found it comfortable to remain as babies dwelling mainly on elementary doctrines of Christ. Scripture pushes us to move towards maturity: “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God” (Hebrew 6:1).
Spiritual growth involves moving beyond having a simple faith in God to understanding who Christ is and getting equipped to willingly partake in His suffering. I look forward to a time this year when I will start rejoicing in my infirmities, persecutions, and troubles for Christ’s sake. I am hoping to grow spiritually to the extent that I will count it all joy when I am faced with diverse temptations. Embracing and cherishing the “old rugged cross” is a must.
This process of becoming like Christ and producing the fruits of the Holy Spirit is a journey that starts with confessing Christ as Lord and Savior. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. However, we should also desire to be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. We need to pray often and ask the Holy Spirit to help us because we cannot grow spiritually through human efforts. With the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives, we can be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, which will help us to live a life worthy of Christ and please Him in every area of our lives.
The time has come for us to take our spiritual growth a little more seriously. Let us strive to do so as we navigate the challenges of 2023, knowing full well that it is God who is at work in us, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery Of The Cross Revealed.
