4 Spiritual Practices for Continued Growth

This past Sunday at Southside we celebrated our high school graduates. We gave them gifts and honored them with a meal. They are outstanding young people.

I preached a sermon directed at them primarily, but as I told the congregation, it was meant for all of us and the things I discussed should be modeled by all of us. I will list them again here:

1. Consistent Silence and Solitude with God. Just as Jesus did, we need to spend time with God alone. Even 15 undistracted minutes a day to sit with God in peace and stillness, or take a walk in nature to take in some of the sights, smells, etc. He has created will help calm the bombardment of our senses from the things around us.
2. Contemplative Bible Reading. Reading the Bible every day is absolutely crucial for our spiritual health, but also for our emotional, mental, and physical health. It also helps us to clearly discern right from wrong, teaches us how to treat other people, and how to live righteous lives that bring glory and honor to God. Reading the Bible not just for knowledge but for transformation by meditating on what God says is vital for our continued growth.
3. Conversational Prayer.  Jesus' disciples listened to the formal prayers of the Scribes and Pharisees which were more presentations than conversations. They asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus modeled for them and us, in all of His recorded prayers, a conversational tone with the Father. God wants us to talk with Him and not make presentations to Him. 
4. Challenging Relationships with Mature Christians.  We were not meant to live life alone without any companions. Jesus sent His disciples out 2 by 2 to preach and teach because He knew discouragement and doubt arise when we feel alone. I have experienced it personally, and you may have too. Scripture is very clear that we must have an ongoing connection to the Church through relationships with folks who have a mature and growing faith in Jesus. These relationships should be with Christians our own age, but also with those who are much older and wiser than us.

I hope you will join with me to follow these daily practices so you will grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, and make a difference in the world for Him!