growing and growing cont . devotions
Topic : Spiritual Growth Scripture : Luke 2:52 people in bible times
Jesus grew in wisdom by learning the Scriptures . Jesus grew in favor with God by obeying him . He grew in favor with others by showing them compassion and serving them .
questions
1 . King Saul was a tall man , yet he displeased God by not obeying him . Zacchaeus was a short man , yet he pleased Jesus by repenting of his greedy ways and becoming a generous man of faith . Do you think physical growth is the kind of growth that matters most to God ? Does it matter to God at all ? Why or why not ?
Note that physical growth is important so we can be healthy and strong to serve God , but otherwise it doesn ’ t really matter how tall or short we are .
2 . There ’ s a difference between growing smarter ( learning a lot of things ) and growing wiser ( learning what to do with what you know ). Hebrews 5:14 says that people who are mature have learned how to tell the difference between good and evil . Do you think it ’ s enough just to know what ’ s right and what ’ s wrong ? What would be even more important than that ?
The answer , of course , is : to do what ’ s right and not do what ’ s wrong !
3 . There are ways that you might keep track of how much you ’ re growing in your relationship with God . For example , you could count how many Bible verses you ’ ve memorized or make a chart of how many times you ’ ve gone to church . These things are important , but are they the main things God is concerned about ? What are some other things that might be more important to him ?
Some answers are : how much your love for him has grown , how obedient you are to him , how much you are willing to serve him , how much faith you put in him , etc .
4 . You could use charts to keep track of how much you ’ re growing in your relationships with others . For instance , you could count how many friends you have or make a chart of how many birthday parties you are invited to . But are those the most important things to God ? What might he consider to be more important ?
Some answers are : how loyal you are to your friends , how you consider their needs as well as your own , how willing you are to help them when they need you , how willing you are to be friends with kids who aren ’ t very popular , etc .
5 . First Corinthians 3:6 says that you can plant a seed and water it , but God makes it grow . What does this tell you about spiritual growth ?
The answer is : Both you and God have a part to play in your spiritual growth . You need God ’ s help to grow spiritually ! So do your part by reading the Bible and doing your best to obey what it says , and pray that God will help you grow up in all the ways he wants you to .
Copyright © 2011 by Zondervan
Material taken from the NIV Adventure Bible Book of Devotions