Growing To God

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Failure to thrive. I am told these words are used as a doctor's diagnosis and explanation for the reason some children do not grow. For some unknown reason, the child stops growing and seems to have no interest in eating or taking in nourishment. I don't know all there is to know about this condition but I would suspect that if a child is in this condition for an extended period of time, there are serious health risks. Their very life is in jeopardy. When I hear the word “thrive”, I think of living life in an ever-increasing growth curve. When someone or something is thriving, it is not only existing, it is excelling. It is not only being fruitful, it is bearing fruit. Sadly, so many of us living the Christian life today could be labeled as “failing to thrive”.
It is painful to live out a life thinking about what might have been. I believe that so many times God wants to call us out of a painful place in our life and we refuse to go. It's almost as if we would rather stay in a place of no growth rather than risk going to an unknown place and trusting God. So we remain in a safe, sterile, controlled existence. No refreshing, exciting, exhilarating life is lived remaining inside our own self-contained, self-constructed comfort zone. Listen, life hurts. When we risk living it, sometimes it hurts more before it gets better. But God would call some of our pain “growing pains”.
Have you been hurt and believe that by withdrawing from the world you can remain unhurt for the rest of your life? God is a Living God. Living means changing and growing and dying and being and becoming. God wants us to grow toward Him. God wants us to grow with Him. God wants us to grow. He wants His children to thrive...to live abundantly! Here's some points to ponder:

I. SPIRITUAL GROWTH BEGINS FROM THE INSIDE AND GROWS OUTWARD.
No amount of external reading and study can bring about spiritual birth. It is a work on the inside of a human being's heart. The heart begins to feel what God feels and love what God loves. The external evidence is a changed life. We will also begin to be offended by what offends God. Others will notice the inward change in outward ways. That is a good thing.

II. SPIRITUAL GROWTH CANNOT BEGIN FROM THE OUTSIDE AND GROW IN.
If it were that easy to be transformed spiritually, we would claim credit for it. It would be a contest of whose book, exercise, or food could bring about the greatest change in the shortest period of time. God is still in control of spiritual transformation. And it's in His time.

III. SPIRITUAL GROWTH BEGINS IN THE MIND.
The changing of the mind is the first act of transformation. God gives us the ability to choose His way. He enables the mind to believe Him and gives us the knowledge that His way is best. He helps our unbelief. Belief will guide behavior. It all has its start in the willing mind. If our mind is not in tune with God's mind, then unbelief will rule the heart. Unbelief is knowing what God wants and being unwilling to change. Believing begins with a made up mind to obey God and submit to His authority.

IV. SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS A PROCESS.
We should be forever growing spiritually. There is so much to learn. God's ways are much higher than our ways. The life of the spirit is so alien to the life of the flesh. It is like learning a second language. God's word translates the spiritual life to us fleshly beings. I should be able to say that I am more spiritually mature today than I was a year ago. Growth is an ever-increasing level of maturity. When growth stops, we die. It is never too late to start growing to God.