Growing Up in Christ

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:11-16

Some things are easy to measure - how tall you are, what size clothes you wear, how much you weigh. But how do you measure spiritual growth? How can you determine how far you’ve come in your walk with the Lord? God works in the lives of His children in different ways at different times. But as you pray, study the Bible, and worship regularly with other Christians, you should notice several changes.

Quick and genuine repentance - When the Holy Spirit convicts you of specific sin, you go immediately to Jesus to confess and turn away from it.

Rejoicing in trials - Spiritual battles become more intense, but you want to thank God for them.

Increasing desire to obey - Sin becomes less attractive; you find delight in following His commands.

Eagerness to share - As you discover His lovingkindness, you can’t keep the joy to yourself. You tell others what He is doing in your life.

Are you becoming more like Jesus each day? No matter where you are in your relationship with Him, you can cling to this promise: “...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

“...and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God...” Ephesians 4:24