Hebrews 5

“There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. ¹² You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.^[c] You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. ¹³ For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. ¹⁴ Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” v. 11-14 (NLT)

What keeps you from growing?  This is probably a question we don’t ask ourselves very often.  In fact as I sit here and reflect on this question  there isnt’t just one answer that comes to mind.  I have several things that keep me from growing in my relationship with Christ here are a few:

• I’m to busy
• I am tired
• I’ll do it tomorrow
• I don’t want to …
• It’s hard
• My church isn’t deep enough

These are just six of many things that keep me from growing in my relationship with Christ.  Have you caught yourself saying any of these? But I have to be honest, these are just excuses. Everyday I have an opportunity to grow, but it starts with a desire and it takes discipline!  Let me break it down for you

Desire – When you desire to have something you do whatever it takes to get it.  It may mean that you work hard to get it! But it may also mean that you sacrifice somethings in order to get the thing you desire.  Sadly, when it comes to Spiritual Growth, many of us don’t desire it.  That seems harsh to say, but look at our churches today.  Many of us are just content with coming to church, singing songs, listening to powerful messages, as long as we get home in time for the football game.

We will continue to be immature believers until we truly desire to grow.  We have to desire to let God transform us into that new person.  This growth happens when we spend time alone with God.  Yes, God can stir your affections for Him in a service, He can convict you of your sin and break your heart for the things that break His, but if you don’t begin to spend time with Him in a personal way, be careful . . . you could begin to stunt your spiritual growth.  Jesus understood this!  Many times in scripture we see him leave crowds to spend time with God.  He understood how much He needed time alone with God.

Discipline – This is the part where you begin to make time for growth.  This is where you do the hard things of getting up earlier, staying up later, or adjusting your schedule to spend time with God.  This is also the part where you begin to apply the truths you hear from Gods Word in your personal time and from your public worship times.  It will take discipline for this to happen! There will be times it’s easy, and there will be times it’s hard, but you have to discipline yourself to do these things.  It’s in these times that God is growing you, stretching you, and transforming you to be more like Christ.

No great sports team wins championships without being disciplined.  They work hard, practice long, study their plays so they can execute effectively on game day.  The same is true for believers.  We need to spend time with God, so we can wrestle with the Truth of Scripture, understand it so we can apply it, live it so people will see it, so when we explain it they will receive it.

Today, will you stop making excuses?  Let’s put that desire for spiritual growth into action and start being disciplined in the truth, so we can effectively execute the Gospel to the world around us!