GROWING INTO CHRISTLIKENESS

Saints, we won’t just morph into spiritual maturity, rather, just as an athlete trains the various attributes of their sport to become proficient, we develop spiritually through disciplined training. Spiritual maturity – growing into Christlikeness -- takes effort and discipline. Repetition is the mother of skill, and discipline is a habit formed from doing. It takes focused effort driven by fierce desire to change fleshly lumps of coal into radiant diamonds, jewels fit for the Father’s crown. The key attributes of spiritual discipleship are *study of God’s word, *pray, *seeking God, *worship, and *submission to the Lordship of Christ. 

God’s word is how God communicates His will to us, the primary tool of the Holy Spirit to teach, lead, guide and direct our pathway. We simply must taste of God’s word – gorge ourselves with it -- if we are to understand His will for us and know that He is good to us.

Prayer in its most basic form is asking God to do what He wants to do, understanding gained from His word. Prayer has an element of self-centeredness for we are and will always be dependent children needing provisions... our daily bread. But prayer will also demonstrate our love as we ask for the spiritual and physical needs of others, and as we ask for the desires of God’s heart, for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

We must pursue the one pursuing us to find God... to be found by Him. Much as an earthly father plays hide and seek with his child, leaving an elbow or foot exposed to help the child’s search, so our Heavenly Father ensures that we find Him when we seek Him. He pursues us through thick and thin, using everything of life to turn us ever Godward... ever home to Him.  As we will for God to have us… He does, invading our heart... working in us to will and do of His good pleasure.

In worship we willfully submit our body (position) and our soul and spirit (attitude) to our loving Father, bring Him worth and openly declaring His value. We become like the “god” we worship: Worship is important for worship determines what we will become, chooses what image we will be made into.

Submission to the Lordship of Christ which, of necessity, includes death to Self -- the pretender to the throne of our heart -- is the only way to fulfill God’s grand plan for us.  Our divine purpose is not to be imitators of Christ, but partakers in Christ, bone of His Bone, and flesh of His Flesh. In short, we must be willing to forsake our life for the matchless treasure of having His, as our life becomes His life lived through us as our life.

If we give ourselves to these five essential attributes of the Christian life we will bring to fruition the deep yearning of the Apostle Paul’s heart, “Christ in me, my only hope of glory.”

“IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, 

BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME”!