my own work of calligraphy

The Formula of Spiritual Growth

If you want to be physically fit, you have to eat right, exercise and put some time and effort into building good physical habits. similarly, is you want spiritually fit-it will require investing in a spiritual regimen.

There are five points in a formula for spiritual growth.

1. Connect with God through Spiritual Input.

Making time daily for godly input and spiritual nourishment is paramount to having a vibrant spiritual life. Jesus affirmed that God's Word is our source of spiritual nourishment when He quoted the Old Testament verse: "man shall not live by bread alone, but by word that comes from the mouth of God."

The Bible is the "word that comes from the mouth of God." Just as we need to eat physical food every day for sustenance and good health, we need to take in spiritual nourishment every day. If you only have a few minutes to spend with God, don't skip it and figure that it won't count or make a difference. Jesus said, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." Don't miss your daily infilling of "spirit" and "life".

2. Develop an Active Prayer life.

Prayer is a key component of our spiritual life; it's how we communicate with God, our Creator. We can speak with Him, and tell Him our concerns, troubles, needs, and ask Him for His help, intervention, and strength. Prayer is asking for the will of God to be done, and through prayer, we listen to his voice and seek His guidance, encouragement, comfort and instruction. prayer is designed to be a two-way conversation, a means of developing and deepening our relationship with God.

3. Keep your heart right with God.

The next point of our formula of spiritual growth and health is to stay right with God. This doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Jesus understands our flaws and human weaknesses, as He experienced life as a human. When He gave His life for our sins, He knew very well that we'd never get everything right, no matter how hard we tried. We can enter into that wonderful place of peace and forgiveness by regular confessing our sins and mistakes to Him. We can find peace in His forgiveness as we humble ourselves, acknowledge our faults and run to His outreached arms.

4. Follow God.

Another point for spiritual growth is doing what God's Word says to do. We are called to obey what God ask of all Christians, as well as His personal guidance and instruction to us as individuals.

We don't want to just be "smart christians," people who know a lot about spiritual things and doctrine and theology. We don't want to just be able to talk about Jesus and His expectations for His followers. We are to apply the spiritual principles, to be living examples, and that comes from being doers of the Word and not hearers only.

5. Participate in a community of believers.

When we believers are together, we gain a lot. When we have spent time with other Christian worshipping, reading God's Word, singing and praying together and confinding in one another, we come away stronger. We are refreshed, our vision is clarified and we are better prepared for what God will bring into our lives.

So cultivate a thriving spiritual life, put these five points into practice. You'll be happy to the result.

by Peter Amsterdam