June 3, 2025
Living a Christian’s life in today’s complex and intricate world can seem quite difficult. So many things demand our attention on a moment-by-moment basis. Most of them aren’t bad, but they take our time and can keep us from growing in our faith.
Yet we all know people who seem to have found a way to balance the conflicts of modern life, and of course, countless Christians before us have been successful in their times as well. So what’s the secret? Just as we must eat, breathe, and exercise in order to grow physically, there are three essentials to spiritual growth.
We grow by eating. Reading and studying God’s Word is food for our souls and essential to spiritual growth and life. “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). ”When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16).
We grow by breathing. Prayer has been called the breath of the soul. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing,” and Romans 12:12 to “keep on praying.”
We grow by exercising. We exercise by actively following in Jesus’ footsteps, doing what we can to help the needy, relieve the burdened, and encourage the downhearted. Most of all, like John the Baptist, we can point others to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)—Ronan Keane
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We are commanded in Scripture to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). This growth is spiritual growth, growing in faith.
At the moment we receive Christ as our Savior, we are born again spiritually into God’s family. But just as a newborn baby requires nourishing milk for growth and good development, so also a baby Christian requires spiritual food for growth. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2–3). …
What should a Christian’s diet consist of? The Word of God! The truths taught in the Bible are rich food for Christians. Peter wrote that God has given us everything we need for life through our (growing) knowledge of Him. Read carefully 2 Peter 1:3–11, where Peter lists character qualities that need to be added to our beginning point of faith in order for maturity to take place and to have a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.—GotQuestions.org1
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As Christians, we strive to be like Jesus—living as He would, acting as He would, speaking as He would, and even thinking as He would. But how do we accomplish that? How can we grow spiritually and be more like Him? It comes from living close to Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Many of us do spend time with Jesus, but how much quality time do we spend with Him, where we shut out the business of the day and give Him our full attention, communing with Him, enjoying Him, and getting to know Him better so we can become more like Him?
The dictionary defines “communion” as “a feeling of emotional or spiritual closeness, a connection.” So, communing with Jesus means to make an emotional and spiritual connection with Him. Praise, prayer, and reading God’s Word are all ways of making and sustaining that connection. These are the lifeblood of our spiritual lives.
It’s natural to pick up the pace when our workloads increase, and that can lead to stress. Taking time off to relax can help relieve the pressure, but time alone or with friends or family can’t give us what Jesus can.
The surest way to complete and lasting renewal—in fact, the only way—is to spend time with Jesus. We need His love and strength and wisdom, and the only way we can get those is by spending time with Him.
But carving out time from our daily schedule is no guarantee that we’re going to get closer to the Lord; it’s what we do with that time that counts. We need to get still, empty our minds of the business of the day, and let the Lord fill us with positive, encouraging, strengthening, faith-building thoughts from His Word.
Jesus said the way to a fruitful life is abiding in Him. “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4). That means staying connected with Him by taking time to read His Word and pray and listen to Him. But He won’t push us. He waits to see how much we are willing to abandon all other distractions in order to put Him first. If we have Him in first place, then we will see and feel His power manifested in our lives.—Peter Amsterdam
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Is reading the Bible a necessary part of your day or does it have a low priority in your life? George Mueller, after having read the Bible through one hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement: “I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends often say, ‘I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.’ Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I.
“For more than half a century I have never known one day when I did not have more business than I could get through. For four years I have received annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands.
“Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been my care. Besides, I have had charge of five immense orphanages. Also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles.
“But I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful.”—Jay Carty2
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As a follower of Jesus, I understand how crucial it is to spend time studying the Bible, praying, and just being still in God’s presence each day. These are holy habits that help deepen my relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, I must admit that even though I know how central it is to my spiritual life, I don’t always make time to seek the Lord.
Hosea 10:12 speaks about seeking the Lord in terms of growth and gardening. The prophet Hosea states, “Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the LORD until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.”
The Hebrew word in this verse that translates to our English word “seek” is darash. It doesn’t just mean “to look at something or someone.” Its broad definition can mean any of the following: “to care for, to study, to inquire, to consult, to investigate, to question, or to search diligently for.”
Isn’t this the goal of our time with Jesus? We show Him our care and love as we praise Him. We study His words. We consult with Him, inquiring as to what we should do about various situations. We investigate Scripture, carefully searching for His will and asking Him questions about following hard after Him. …
As we seek the Lord, He “sends righteousness on [us] like the rain” (Hosea 10:12). These times refresh and renew us, making us grow. Just thinking of time with God in these terms can cause us to desire to meet with Him.
And on the days we fall short, we don’t need to beat ourselves up. God longs to connect with us, not to keep track of our missed meetings as a record of shame. Let’s grant ourselves the loving grace He offers us when needed.
Father, help me long to meet with You each day, recognizing how important it is to my spiritual growth. Thank You for not shaming me into obedience but lovingly embracing me each time we’re together. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Karen Ehman3
Published on Anchor June 2025. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Fogarty.
1 “What does it mean for a Christian to grow in faith?” GotQuestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-grow-faith.html
2 Jay Carty, Counter Attack (Multnomah Press, 1988).
3 Karen Ehman, “Taking Time To Seek the Lord,” Proverbs 31, May 14, 2024, https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/05/14/taking-time-to-seek-the-lord
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