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| How Do You Picture Christian Growth? |
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Howdy All, We all have a different picture in our minds of what Christian Growth is. Here's mine. Please post yours. When I think of Christian growth, the picture that comes to mind is from my fishing experiences. Whenever I find a stream I want to fish in, I look for fish swimming in it. I noticed something about trout - they always face the current, and they are always swimming into it. When a trout sees food, it turns sideways, nabs the food, and turns back into the current. Trout are mostly meat. Older trout end up with more meat, percentage wise, than young trout. There is very little fat in a trout. It's like they permanently live in the gym.
That makes me think of my growth in my Christian walk. Jesus never takes away adversity entirely. He uses it to help us realize how much we depend on him. He knows just how much adversity to put in my path to help me grow. |
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| To add a comment to "How Do You Picture Christian Growth?" |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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It look like Jesus have made you a fisher of men.
I see Jesus as a calm ocean of love.That can only come from above. God Bless,Doyle. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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| Spiritual maturity is not how much you know but how much you love. Jesus constantly battled with people who know everything and yet he would constantly tell them, "go and learn what this means,,," His reply to a question that was meant to trick him was that the most important commandments had to do with loving God or loving people. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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As I grow older. I think of how many years I may have to serve our Father. I start to cram more lessons in my writings in hopes of reaching just one more person. Though, I know my job is planting seeds. Only God can make it grow. It depends on him and just how much of the Spirit is in all who read his Word correctly. I pray if a mistake of mine should keep just one Christian to real in and not fish for His Word. I have lost my reason here on earth. Success, to me is leading all to Christ. Keep fishing, my friend. The world to come has so much to give us all!! God bless!!!
There is one good lesson here. Don't go with the tide. That's too easy. Swim up-stream as hard as you can and the answers will come!! Such a great example!! |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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I like what you said, Jess; constantly (or at least regularly) facing challenges makes us grow stronger.
Christian growth to me is affected by how much one knows about the Way. It's largely about learning to apply this knowledge to one's life. It can't take place if someone is not open to seeing the truth about his or her own self and about his or her God. Intrespective analysis reveals things about you are are not in accordance with God's way; and knowledge of the truth shows how to fix it.
Being challenged in different ways (for example, people who question what you believe) teaches how to handle the situation and also prompts to get an answer to the problem through the Scriptures.
Swimming against the stream. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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Hey Jess,
Good question. I think Christian growth occurs when I open my heart and mind to God's leading. This sounds so easy, but often I am more focused on what I want or need and miss God's leading all together.
Another way to look at it is, what does it take to grow in Christ? We need to read His Word and talk with Him on a regular basis. We will face challenges along the way, and when we rely on His Word and the Holy Spirit we will see growth in our lives. The difficult times come but He is faithful to hold us firm.
Some times it's easier said than done, it is soooo much easier to go down stream, but drifting is not going to enable you to grow. I'll be swimming upstream with you Jess.
peace |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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| I think if we ever stop growing in Christ we are in trouble. There is something new to learn every day...the bible speaks to me in different ways each time I read it, even though I have read the same passage many times, I can still gleen something from it. It is a very fine line that we walk with Christ, and so easy to become stagnant. We have to be very careful not to. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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I've heard that growing in our Christiain walk is always moving forward--there's no such thing as staying still and not moving ahead in some fashion. If we're in that place, we've become complacent and are actually moving backwards not forwards. The good news is that our Heavenly Father has patience with us that is beyond our comprehension. He knows some of us are just plain turtles (like me!), and that's just fine with Him--as long as we keep plodding along, taking each step where He's directing--not where WE think we should go. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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Growing in the Christian walk is actually a lot of things coming together at the same time:
1) It is knowing what the Word says. You don't have to quote the text or know chapter and verse but you need to know what it says and be able to paraphrase it in several ways.
2) It is knowing who Jesus is. If we are to be His disciples we need to know what He said and how he applied it daily.
3) It is walking the faith daily. In everything you do, do you need to ask "WWJD?" If so, you still have a distance to go. Growth means we stop asking that because we're always trying to do it.
4) It is walking along side others in the faith. We are one Body and we need to be connected together in our walk.
5) It is serving one another and those in need. Jesus gave to the poor even though He had "no place to lay His head."
6) It is serving on behalf of God - not ourselves or our church. We can go as a group and be identified that way but it is for God that we serve and His Kingdom.
7) Finally, we do these things without thinking because God's love is so full in our hearts that we live this way all the time.
How we get there varies. What we do on the way shows who we are.
Great blog idea, Jess! |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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| Great thought Jess and Great Comment Gene: |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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| Great post! I see Christian growth as me being on my knees before the King. I never want to stop learning, that is a dangerous spot. May I always sit at Jesus' feet. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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Jess, I was just commenting in Lara's blog about the similar topic on Growth. It seems this is on the minds of a lot of people. Great minds think alike or maybe the Holy Spirit has something to do with it. :-) I like what Paul in Philipians 3 wrote. He calls us to delight in the Lord and to worship God in spirit. Paul was one who could have pointed to all he knew of scripture but he counted all things as rubbish and garbage for Christ's sake. Paul also talked about forgetting what is behind and pressing on for the upward call of Christ. So if I am growing in Christ, I am going to represent Phill 3, and if not I am going to represent myself. Every day I need to give up and die to myself so that I can allow conform to Christ. Sorry for rambling, I hope this makes sense. |
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| January 22, 2008 |
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| When I strive to press in to the Lord, rather than grabbing an old crutch like smoking, or lusting or whatever the obsession of the day was. |
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| January 23, 2008 |
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Jess Excellent Thanks for sharing 
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| January 23, 2008 |
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Paul had a thorn that he asked God to remove. The response? "My grace is sufficient".
The trout analogy is great.
"Jesus never takes away adversity entirely. He uses it to help us realize how much we depend on him. He knows just how much adversity to put in my path to help me grow."
That and remembering that God's grace is sufficient are a big encouragement during the growing pains.
The Other Gene |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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when He puts adversity in my path and Turning to Him, putting my trust, faith and Hope in His hands,
and when I get to the other side, thats when i know I am growing as a Christain.
Also when I read something for sunday school and have to answer questions
( I have a hard time comprehending what I read) and I get them right, I pass that fear of >>I cant do this!!! |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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Ok ok my brain kicked in some what lol
MY Christian Growth is.
when I grow out of things I use to do and am doing more things through Him!!!
Learning from my mistakes, moving forwards and not regretting the past.
Praying more instead of reacting, asking for help instard of doing it my way!!!!!
Awesome post!!!!
Thanks Jess |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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Howdy All, I seem to have made another blog that's creating more response than I can keep up with. Please don't be offended that I can't respond to each post. I'm reading them all, but I can't respond to them all. Sorry about that. |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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Howdy Paul, When it comes to the whole thorn in the flesh thing, I don't see that God removed it ever. If God had removed it, I think Paul would have explicitly said so. Instead, he says that God told him to accept that He was bigger than the thorn, whatever it was. Paul's response is to say he'd brag about his weaknesses, and how Christ works in him through them. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!
8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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| awesome post,brought so many thoughts to me. what a true blessing it is to walk along this journey of growing and learning each day. GBU♥ |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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| Great post! I see Christian growth as me being Upgraded; like a good software, where many things improve, the interfaces may change, more task abilities, new features, ability to open more file extensions…As a good upgrade now it is better than before, but we haven’t finished yet …researches keep going! Right now I'm running Holy_Filled 3.5 LOL |
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| January 24, 2008 |
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WOW! I know how growing as Christian feels, but putting it into words is a challenge. One expects this "enlightening" when we make the choice to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour. For some, that just may happen. For me it was more of a reflection of time gone by and realizing that I have changed dramatically... all for the better. I'm still the same sassy, outspoken and stand your ground person. Where I am different is that I am not as quick to react when provoked and become angry. I am conciencious (sp?) about my how my behavior or actions will reflect His image. Although I have always been empathetic and compassionate, I believe that I even more so because of the love that He has abundantly blessed me with. To sum it up, I want to be pleasing to God, therefore I do my best not to let the selfish part of me keep me from doing so. I am not always successful, but when I realize that I have fallen short of that, I ask for His forgiveness and strive to do better.
Thank you for posing this question, it was a great opportunity to reflect.
Blessing to you! |
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| May 21, 2008 |
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For me, Christian growth comes through abiding in the vine. For apart from Him- I can do nothing.
The more I am aware of Him, talking with Him and being one with Him, I feel myself growing because He's filling me up! |
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