Spiritual Growth - VIII-A

Spiritual Growth
Concluding Thoughts – Part One

In this series, I've emphasized elements necessary to spiritual growth:
Choosing to obey the command of God to grow - 2 Pe 3:18
Believing that we are capable of growth, with God's help - Ph 2:12-13; 4:13
Setting behavioral, functional, and congregational goals - 2 Pe 1:5-8; Ro 12:3-5
Developing habits to reach our goals - 1 Pe 2:2; Ph 4:6-7; He 10:24-25; Ro 12:6-8
Maintaining positive attitudes about the value of our efforts - 1 Co 15:58
Perseverance to remain steadfast in our efforts - He 10:36-39
Inspired by role models whose pattern we should follow - Ph 3:17; 4:9

In this final lesson in the series, I wish to offer some concluding thoughts; pointing out things that can hinder spiritual growth along with suggesting some steps to take to ensure spiritual growth occurs. As mentioned throughout this series, spiritual growth is not automatic. Indeed, there are a number of things that can work against us, that become hindrances to spiritual growth, such as lack of effort. Lack of effort in failing to set proper goals and developing the daily habits that are necessary to grow is one hindrance. Those who are spiritually lazy tend to follow the course of least resistance. Such will forever remain "babes" if they do not fall away altogether - He 5:12-13 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.”; 1 Co 3:1-2 “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,”. -- Just as the lazy man's vineyard lies in ruins and leads to poverty (Pro 24:30-34 “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”), so spiritual sloth leads to spiritual ruin!

Another hindrance is discouragement. Some people make a good beginning, but get discouraged and quit. Reasons may vary: church troubles, personal problems, lack of encouragement from others, etc. But consider the example of the apostle Paul:
Few of us would ever have the problems he had - 2 Co 11:24-29 “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?”
Yet he did not "lose heart" (become discouraged) - 2 Co 4:8-9 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”
Why? Because he knew his labor was not in vain - 2 Co 4:16-5:1 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
And so he encourages us not to grow weary in doing good - Ga 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”; 1 Co 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” -- Discouragement happens; but we must not allow it to deter us from pressing on!

Another hindrance is lack of use. A knife stays bright when used, but unused it becomes rusty. So it is with Christians, we lose what knowledge, ability, and opportunity we have when we do not use them! To use another metaphor, unless we are earnest in our endeavor, we will simply "drift away" from the Lord - He 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” -- There is no concept of "retirement" when it comes to the service of the Lord!

Although there are many other hindrances we could list and look into overcoming there is one final one we need to keep in mind; interferences. Crops, trees and flowers do not grow well when crowded. So our spiritual growth will be hindered if we let things crowd out our spiritual life. Businessmen may become too busy to attend to God's business. A woman may be so occupied with housekeeping that she has little time for the house (family) of God. Young people may be so busy with school activities that prayer, worship, good works and Bible study are neglected. Preachers might get so tied down with meetings, administrative duties, etc., that they too do not take time to spend alone with God. Jesus warned about the danger of interference - Mk 4:18-19 “And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” By things like the cares of the world, the desires for other things, which can choke the word of God out of our minds, to such an extent that it cannot bear fruit in our lives. -- If we desire a healthy spiritual crop, we may need to "weed out" some things in our lives! In the next and final part of this lesson we will look at some ways we can “weed out” the hindrances of our growing strong spiritually.