“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else,
counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” Phil.3:8 NLT
The value you place on something will determine how much you are willing to
sacrifice for it. The value of spiritual growth has profit both in this life and in that
which is to come. ““Physical training is good, but training for godliness is
much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1Tim.4:8
NLT. Spiritual growth requires focus so that distractions are not allowed to
hinder attaining the predetermined goal.
Spiritual growth demands that before you engage in any activity to ask
yourself this question: “will this help, hinder or slow my spiritual growth or
running the race God has set for me. Whatever does not help your race
should be avoided.
Some of the things you should avoid include:
- LIGHTNESS —Lightness are things that will mainly feed our flesh and have
little or no relevance to running the race God has set for you. Generally,
what will feed the flesh will starve the spirit. Some of the areas of lightness
include how you spend your time, what you read, the songs you sing and/or
listen to (for example, songs that are not based on scripture, religious rock
n roll). Lightness will also include irreverence to the things of God including
in church services (for example use of phone and social media, walking
around or causing distractions during service, not paying attention to the
message during service) . Lightness also shows in not caring what our
children read, watch, sing or listen to. It will also include not being mindful
of the impact of your disobedience to God or what you say and do on
others, and the church. Living your life as you want and not being mindful
of the God’s purpose for your life. Not majoring on what God majors.
Neglecting to feed your faith. Do not treat the things of God lightly. Attend the church services, come expecting to be blessed; bring your supply, do not be distracted by the unimportant.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
The deep things of God are not revealed to those who are spectators and
occasional visitors to His presence.