Imagine you have a child who, at 6 months old, talked to you using baby language: “Ya ya ya, wah wah wah.” You would say that he was very adorable. If after, 20 years, he still talks like that, will you say he is adorable? You will be very sad because he did not grow to become a useful mature person.
Paul says; “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that He powerfully works within me” (Col 1:28-29). God wants you to become a mature Christian.
The church will help Christians cultivate a good habit that is critical for spiritual growth: Quiet Time. This is a time when you read the Bible through which God speaks to you to provide you the strength, wisdom, comfort, encouragement and direction to live a victorious life. When Joshua was asked to lead the rebellious nation Israel and to conquer the Promised Land in which lived strong opponents, what will help Joshua succeed? God tells Joshua the secret to success: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate upon it day and night so that You may be careful to do according to that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success” (Josh 1:8). How can you start your Quiet Time? (1) Choose a time. It can be in the morning or at night. (2) Choose a place. The important thing is it must be a place where you can concentrate and not be disturbed. (3) Choose a book in the Bible to read. You can start by reading a paragraph of Matthew each day. You can also buy materials which come in the form of small booklets. You must be careful, however, not to read just the commentary or notes in the booklet. Read first the bible passage and ask two questions: Is there anything that I must change? Is there anything that I must do? You can know what things you need to do by observing the characters if the passage you are reading is a narrative (story).
You must use what you have read or learnt to make a change to your life. “Meditate upon it day and night:” You need to spend some time thinking about what you must do about your life, what aspect of your life you must change according to what you have read. You can check the following areas of your life: your private life, family life, school life, work life, relationships, etc. Then ask the Lord to help you put what you have learnt into practice: “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (Jas 1:25).
The Word of God, the Bible, is the critical factor that helps you grow spiritually. You must read the Bible not just a few times a week. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4): Here the word of God is compared with food. Just as you need food to live, you need the word of God to live. This verse, however, goes deeper than that. That which helps you to survive is not physical food but spiritual food: you need to obey God’s word to survive. “If I do this for God, I may lose this or that,” you may say. No, you will never lose anything that will bring you real benefit. If you lose something because you need to obey God, you can be very sure that that thing is not critical for your happiness. God’s Word assures you: “He will be blessed in his doing” of God’s Word. Trust God. Read your Bible. Obey God’s Word. Then you will grow to become a mature and useful Christian. You will be blessed.