Growing Forward

If we want to pray well, we need to remember to whom we are praying. Adoration and thanksgiving help us to do that. Adoration is praising God for who he is. Thanksgiving is praising God for what he has done. As we remember those things, it will help us as we engage in Supplication--making requests of God.

If we are to live the Christian life, we need to become intimate with the Bible. It tells us what believe and how to live. Like food for an ultramarathoner, the Bible is our spiritual food. It is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for instruction in righteousness so that we will be equipped for every good work.

We all suffer loss and pain of different kinds. It is important that we not get lost in that loss and pain. Even though it may come from our own sin or the sin of others, God will still use it to bring good into our lives. The "pruning" will make us stronger, more fruitful and better able to follow Jesus.

It is better to stay on the road with Jesus than to fall into the ditches that are along the road. It is so easy to fall into the ditch of self-elevation, or self-reliance--to put ourselves above God. It is also easy to fall into the ditch of self-condemnation, putting ourselves below what God says about us. Instead, we need to stay with Jesus on the road, living Life in Grace.

Unless we learn to abide in Christ, we will always be stepping on the feet of the people around us. Only when we abide in Christ are we able to do anything meaningful and worthwhile.