Posts Tagged ‘spiritual growth’

Are You A Mature Christian?

Posted in All Posts, Devotional Thoughts, tagged , , , , , , , on March 11, 2013 | 2 Comments »

She’s at it again: * Guest blog by Susie Walther, http://www.thewellbiblestudy.org

 

Would you say that you are a mature Christian?

Why would you consider yourself “mature” in your faith?

Susie writes, “I recently attended a Verge conference, and one of the speakers cited some recent statistics from the Barna Group regarding women in the church.

She said that 74% of Christian women consider themselves mature in their faith.

But the Barna poll also revealed that less than 25% of those same women actually shared the gospel, helped the needy, valued volunteering/serving or gave financially to support ministry, and that only 13% viewed their main role in life as being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

So, that really begs the question – exactly what do these women mean when they say they’re “mature?”

Obviously, Christian maturity for them has little to do with being a disciple, which would involve spending time with Jesus through the Christian disciplines of daily quiet time and prayer, and intentional involvement in the Great Commission. Maturity for these women did not include the pro-active sharing of their faith, serving others intentionally, helping the world around them or giving generously out of their monetary means.

So, again I have to ask, what the heck do these women mean when they call themselves “mature???”

Are they defining maturity as time in grade – you know, “I’ve been a Christian for 10 or 50 years…so I’m mature” or “I’ve attended church all my life, so I’m mature?” Are they the ones who “read through the Bible once?” Are they dubbing themselves mature because they’re uber-involved in their kids’ lives or they home school, eat organic foods, run marathons and are nice people? Is maturity to them volunteering once a year on a missions trip or helping with VBS, attending a Bible study, listening to Christian radio, and reading Our Daily Bread when they can?

Whatever the case, we should be absolutely alarmed because we are a generation of Christian women who consider ourselves “mature in Christ” who don’t live like we need the Gospel and certainly aren’t living our lives to advance the Kingdom of God.

Righteous King of Heaven, wake us up from our slumber and show us the peril of our deception!”

So I ask you again, “Are you mature in your faith?”

What evidence of maturity can you point to in your life?

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Mutual Submission and Marriage

Posted in All Posts, Book Reviews, Parenting, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Submit?!  Arrrgh.  The first book someone gave me on this topic was called “Me, Obey Him?” and I threw it across the room and resolved not to read it…  It sat there for a good six months, mocking me.  Sometimes we women become overly dramatic about the idea of having to submit to our husbands!

It is my personal opinion that our angst is usually a result of misconceptions of submission, or having married a man who does not understand or embrace his part – the part about loving your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for it.  (Eph. 6:25)

Another reason for our angst about submission is that the context of Eph. 6:22 “Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” is often forgotten.  The correct context is from the previous verse, Eph. 6:21, which reads “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ Jesus.”

So what does that mean?  We were talking in our small group a few nights ago about this very idea – the idea of “mutual submission“.  Here’s what it means according to Andy Stanley,

“I will leverage all of the power, energy, and resources at my disposal for the benefit of other members of the family.” 

Did you catch that?  It’s not all about me!  It’s about me working for what is best for my spouse and kids.  It’s about leaning IN toward the middle of the family circle to help others, rather than leaning OUT and away from engagement and responsibility.

Here is the question that we should be asking our spouse and kids daily, “What can I do to help?”

Now that can be a scary question!  However, it is a question we need to get in the habit of asking - every single day.  What do you need from me?  How can I help?  That is the question Jesus asked.   It was time-consuming, energy-consuming, unpredicatable, frightening. It was the ultimate question that cost Him his life.

It was an unselfish question.  Marriage and parenting are about learning to be unselfish.

On that note, let me recommend a book that changed my view of marriage – it’s not a practical, how-to book.  It’s a book that says – “Wait!  You are thinking about this all wrong. Marriage is not really about making you happy!”

SACRED MARRIAGE by Gary Thomas, (Zondervan, 2000).  sacredmarriage

Gary Thomas asks a shocking question:  “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”  Thomas’ argument is that marriage is one of God’s primary vehicles for character change.  “If you want to become more like Jesus, I can’t imagine any better thing to do than get married.  Being married forces you to face some character issues you’d never have to face otherwise.”  After all, marriage is a temporary institution (’til death do us part), designed to last while we are on this earth (no marriage in heaven), and destined to help us develop an eternal relationship with God.  Thomas has chapters on how marriage teaches us to love, to respect others, to persevere, to forgive, to serve, as well as how it exposes our sin, and teaches us more about God.   If we truly believe that we are called to holiness and not happiness, then maybe we ought to reshape our thoughts on marriage!

I’m going to work on being unselfish this week.  I am going to ask, “What can I do to help?” and not flinch when the answer comes back.  Will you join me?

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Apostasy aka the Slow Fade

Posted in All Posts, Devotional Thoughts, tagged , , , , , on November 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“One of the scariest words in the Bible is apostasy, which can be defined as a slow fade or when you face the Cross, but are walking backwards from it, believing that you’re actually following Jesus just because you know it’s there.

The Bible talks much about apostasy in the form of warnings and prophecies, but we don’t hear much about it in our pop Christian culture. We’ve got lots of talk about grace, “decisions” for Christ, health and prosperity, politics, and songs about Jesus living to rescue us 24/7 and mend our broken hearts, but not a whole lot on apostasy.

That’s truly frightening since only Christians can become apostate. The typical weekly spiritual intake of the typical American Christian practically guarantees a slip and slide into apostasy:

We sit through a 20-30 minute sermon once or twice a week, which alone can never bring us to maturity in Christ or help us discover and fulfill our spiritual purpose on earth.

We extend our hands during the “Grip and Grin” on Sunday mornings, which isn’t meaningful, Christian fellowship.

We listen to Christian music during the day, and as comforting and encouraging as that is, music cannot conform us to the image
and character of Christ.

We read through a devotional or Christian book whenever we have a little extra time, which will never be enough to sufficiently
renew our minds in the Truth and overcome the lies already embedded there.

So, if you want to prevent morphing into a religious person who possesses a “form of godliness that has no power,” (2 Timothy 3:5) you’re going to have to live spiritually harder than that. You’re going to have to do the hard work of developing a transformational devotional life in the Word of God, practicing obedience to Jesus Christ (actually doing what He says), and submitting to honest accountability with a sister in Christ running the race faster and harder than you. Begin doing that and it is less likely you’ll wind up a spiritual statistic of the slow fade.”

- Guest blog, Susie Walther, www.thewellbiblestudy.org

   … These are my sisters – who are running the race faster and harder than me…  Thank you for modelling how it is to be done!!

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Sinking, Floating, and Sin

Posted in All Posts, Devotional Thoughts, tagged , , , , , , on October 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“I read an illustration by J. Oswald Sanders a long time ago about what it means to be in union with Christ.  It goes like this:

“I have in my hand a piece of lead.  I hold it over a pool of water, and relax my grip. The lead is drawn irresistibly earthward and sinks to the bottom of the pool. It has been mastered by the law of gravitation. I take the same piece of lead, attach it to a piece of wood and drop it into the pool. Now it floats. No change has taken place in the nature or tendency of the lead, nor has the law of gravitation ceased to function, but through its union with the wood, it has been mastered by a stronger law, the law governing floating bodies, and has been emancipated from the downward pull of gravitation.“

I know you know that you’re that piece of lead in this illustration and that sin, like gravity, will sink you every time if it were not for that piece of wood, representative of Jesus Christ, possessing a power stronger than gravity.

However, knowing that doesn’t emancipate you from the downward pull to the bottom of the pool of life – staying attached does, and you stay attached to Jesus Christ by first choosing to repent – i.e., in keeping with this analogy, you recognize that the piece of wood in the water next to you is your only hope and you forsake everything to grab it!

Then you mustn’t lose your grip by doing stupid stuff like grieving the Holy Spirit by sins of commission or quenching Him by sins of omission. You’ve got to hold on tight by choosing to read and apply God’s Word, memorizing it and cultivating a life of prayer.

And should you try to slip off and start sinking to the bottom, it sure does help to be surrounded by women who will try to rescue you, women who don’t merely talk about what holding on and being attached means, but who are attached to Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit evidenced by floating.

Oh, may God grant us the sense to be the kind of woman who actually holds on.”

- Guest blog, Susie Walther, www.thewellbiblestudy.org Susie Walther

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The Two Main Areas of Christian Development

Posted in All Posts, Discipleship Tools, tagged , , , , , , on October 2, 2012 | 1 Comment »

“Your Christian development can be divided into two main areas of concentration:

Learning to follow Christ and learning to make Christ known.

Following Jesus involves repentance, baptism, reading and studying God’s Word, obedience and surrender (AKA – just do what He says already!), and accountability. Growth in Christ is impossible without those basics, but your personal growth alone is not the objective of Christianity.

As much as God loves you, He’s really not content with just having you or doing things for you, so it’s imperative you grow up so you can effectively make Christ known to others. Our God wants the rest of humanity, too, and He wants to use your converted and sanctified life to reach them! Making Christ known starts with a willingness to identify yourself with Jesus. That involves becoming an active part of a church body, serving others, discovering and using your spiritual gifts, knowing and sharing the gospel message and your testimony as often as you have opportunity, and inviting people to be a part of what has made a difference in your own life.

These are the parts and pieces that make for an active and effective Christian life vs. a fairly passive and useless religious life spent attending church, listening to sermons, singing songs and waiting to be asked to do something. I pray you’re one of the Christ-followers that brings glory to His name and Kingdom because, quite frankly, we’ve got to shrink the ranks of the Christian onlookers and temporary volunteers.”

- guest blog by Susie Walther, The Well Bible Study Ministry (Tampa, FL)

http://www.thewellbiblestudy.org

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Is going to church all the time changing you?

Posted in All Posts, Devotional Thoughts, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2012 | 7 Comments »

I’ve noticed something since moving to the South last year.  People sure do go to church a lot.  Every time the door is open – Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and a few Mondays and Fridays thrown in too.

People are busy DOING things at church too.  Singing in the choir.  Volunteering in the nursery.  Teaching Vacation Bible School or Sunday school.  Collecting food donations.  Even going on mission trips!  People are really BUSY… serving and helping.  Doing good things.

So here’s my question – with all this “doing” have we forgotten the importance of “being” – or rather “becoming more like Christ”?

I have met very few women who have a spiritual hunger, a desire to know more of Jesus and to become more like Him.

So many women I see are… well… just busy at church… but not changed, not growing, not renewed and transformed, and not even excited about Jesus and all He is doing in their lives.  Mostly they are tired.  And over committed.

A friend wrote this week, “Unfortunately, for the most part, bunches of women attend Bible studies week in and week out, and church Sunday morning after Sunday morning, but nothing at all changes.  They attend, and attend, and attend with spiritually little to show for all that attending they do. They’re content to be a “good enough” Christian or worse, to possess a “form of godliness that has no power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Their bad habits don’t change. Their speech doesn’t change. Their attitudes and thinking don’t change. They’re still unforgiving. They still treat their husbands with disrespect. They still don’t invite anyone they don’t know to Bible study or church. They still haven’t shared their faith with anyone. They still don’t read their Bible or do their Bible study.

But they come week after week regardless, and I have to ask, why? Is it just to get out of the house? Is it because they believe there’s a righteousness in being a part of church? Is it because they believe Jesus is pleased when they attend Christian things?

And so I hope session after session that women in my Bible study are different from the majority of women out there who are “always learning but never come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7).” – Susie Walther, www.thewellbiblestudy.org

I hope you’re not in the same spiritual place you were at this time last year!!

If you are, ask God to give you a spiritual hunger for His Word.

Ask Him to help you find some other hungry women and then study His Word with them.

Ask Him to help you re-prioritize the way you spend your time – your precious little time!

Resolve right now that this year will be different – this year you’re going to pursue Jesus and allow Him to change your life.

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Trying to squeeze Jesus into your busy life?

Posted in All Posts, Devotional Thoughts, tagged , , , , , on June 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Guest blog – by Susie Walther, www.thewellbiblestudy.org, a women’s bible study and training ministry in Tampa, FLSusie Walther

Quiet Time, Prayer, Scripture Memory, Accountability, Bible study, Obedience, Application, Inviting Women, Sharing Your Testimony, Sharing the Gospel, Going for Coffee – these are a regular part of the language and dialogue you’re exposed to at The Well.

However, you need to know we’re not encouraging you to try and “add” these spiritual disciplines to an already busy and/or mostly secular life.

No, no, my dear, what we’re encouraging is the surrender of your busy and/or mostly secular life for the spiritual lifestyle of the Kingdom of God.

Why? Because Jesus doesn’t want to be added to where you can fit Him into your life. Jesus wants to be your life because He is your life! Jesus has the right to define your life, rule your life, and control your life because He’s the Lord of Life and He bought you for a price.

You belong to Him, and not vice versa.

Jesus wants to expose you to Himself, so you can have the kind of relationship He has with the Father.

Jesus wants to impress His life upon your character, upon your day and upon your Friday and Saturday nights.

Jesus is soooooo not interested in you picking up a few religious habits or mostly just blocking off time to attend church or The Well. He wants you 24/7, not the things of God and the Kingdom you’ve determined you can add or fit into your schedule.

The Well is a place to begin learning how to live your life oriented toward the Kingdom of God (not to be confused with a life oriented toward church, because they’re not the same thing).

Adding some spiritual things here and there, and dropping others that don’t fit so well isn’t Kingdom living.

Surrendering and following at all costs is Kingdom living.

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Longing for Good Soil

Posted in All Posts, Devotional Thoughts, tagged , , , , on April 17, 2012 | 6 Comments »

I wish some grass would grow in my backyard.  I dream of lush, green, golf course grass… but all I’ve got is Florida sand.  Sand, sand, sand.  This is what my yard looks like.  I was thinking it would be cool to do time-lapse photography to show how the grass filled in.  At this rate I’m gonna be dead before I can time-lapse grass growing.  There’s only sand.  And weeds.  The weeds are growing like crazy.  What’s up with that?!

So today I’m waiting on a contractor to give me a quote for sod.  I already know he’s going to want a million dollars to make my yard green.   But I don’t think I can have a sand-trap backyard forever.

What does it take to make the grass grow?!

Twice in the last two weeks we’ve studied the Parable of the Sower at church. Usually if something is repeated, it’s important so I’m trying to pay attention!  You know, the parable really isn’t about the sower at all – note to Bible editors – it should be titled the Parable of the Soils.

I presume you are familiar with the story in Mark 4 (or Matthew 13) – the seed is the Word of God and it falls on 4 different soils which represent four different heart conditions:

The hard path – where the seed is snatched away,

The rocky soil – where the seed sprouts but has no root and withers in the harsh environment,

The thorny soil – where the weeds and cares of the world grow up and choke out the seed, and

The good soil – where the seed produces a hearty crop.

So as I eat my breakfast cereal and stare at my sand trap every morning I am thinking about how to get FERTILE soil, in my yard and in my heart.  Best I can tell, this is what needs to be done:

  • Get rid of the weeds – The worries of the world, the deceitfulness of wealth, and OTHER things that distract me from a single-minded focus of a life lived for God, they all have to go.  Pull the weeds out!  They will always grow faster than the good grass and they will steal all the energy and nutrients and eventually take over the whole yard, choking out all that is good.
  • Get rid of the rocks – Whenever there’s a rock, the grass doesn’t grow.  Gravel, cement chunks, or boulders – the bigger the rock, the bigger the bare spot in your yard and in your heart.  You cannot put down roots to sustain you in times of drought if you’ve got boulders in your yard.  Get rid of the rocks!  And sometimes you need the help of a friend (and maybe even their truck) to haul out some of the rocks in your life.  Do it.  You cannot grow grass where there are rocks.
  • Break up the hard soil – If you just have a few hard spots then a patient gardener can break them up by hand.  But if the whole place is baked hard, that gardener is going to need to run a plow through there.  I personally prefer to NOT have God run a plow through my life, so I am trying to keep my heart soft and to allow Him to break up the hard spots before they turn into something else.
  • Beat the birds – In the parable the birds that snatch away the Word represent Satan.  Are there flocks of crows in your life?  Or even just one persistent crow?  Do you need a plan to keep the birds out of your life?
  • Lots of water and fertilizer – Scripture is called the Living Water.  Drink of it daily.  Do not impose a drought upon your soul.
  • Ask other expert gardeners for help – Find a place where the seed has yielded a hundredfold and ask some questions of the gardener, learn from her.  People with beautiful gardens love to show them off and share their gardening secrets with you.  Trial and error on your own is slow and painful, go get some good advice!

Weeds?  Rocks?  Hard spots? Crows?  Water and fertilizer?  Help from other experts?  How is your soil doing?

Have you ever heard of “hardpan”?  Hardpan is a general term for a dense layer of soil, usually found about 10 inches below the uppermost soil layer.  With hardpan you can have a crop, but it will never be a great crop because 10 inches underneath the soil is hard as a rock.  One of the best ways to get rid of hardpan is to use a tool called a “ripper”.  That just doesn’t sound good.  ….  So maybe your life is ALREADY producing a crop – yea!  But beware of the hardpan deep in your soul – we don’t want to have to call in the ripper.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

Also, check out this neat animation of the Parable of the Sower (SOILS!):

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