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Growing Spiritually
by Linda Miller
Description: What do spilled milk and your heart have in common?
Growing Spiritually
Let’s begin with the big picture: Faith!
Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance/patience.
And let endurance/patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and entire/complete,
lacking in nothing.
~James 1:3-4
We all began our Christian walk with faith in Christ. Pretty simple, yet profound.
And throughout our entire Christian walk, our faith is tested—not a pass/fail test where we get a grade for our performance, but it's more like testing a recipe.
We often say, "The proof is in the pudding." In other words, did we put in the right ingredients to get a pudding that is complete, lacking nothing—ready to serve?
This word test in the above Scripture comes from the Greek word dokime, which means the process of proving. It can also be translated "the proving of you," trial, probation, the effect of proving, experience.
Testing a Recipe ~ Testing Our Faith
In the same way as we test a recipe, the Lord "tests our faith."
He takes us through a process of examining the ingredients/thoughts we allow into our minds because we always act upon what we believe.
The "proof" of our lives is manifested/outworked in how we behave. Said another way, our conversation (our speech and actions), to use the Biblical word, reveals what's in our hearts (mind, will, emotions).
He includes us in His process of testing those ingredients we put into our minds, causing us to examine if the pudding is ready to serve.
The "proof in the pudding" in our lives is, Are we lacking nothing? Are we complete, ready to serve? If not, our loving Lord will take us back to the kitchen and have us start over with ingredients/thoughts that He will test until we are complete, lacking nothing.
How does He test our faith?
Through relationships and circumstances.
As people and circumstances bump our hearts, we can see for ourselves who we really are.
Just like when we bump a glass of milk and knock it over, what pours out? Milk. If we bump a glass of juice and it topples over, what pours out? Juice.
When relationships and circumstances bump our hearts, what pours out? Love, joy, peace...? or irritation, anger, frustration, fear, strife, manipulation to get what we want?
God speaks to us through those circumstances and relationships that bump our hearts, and He includes us in the process of testing our faith as we willingly begin to examine prayerfully before Him our conversation (our speech and behavior/actions).
Where, Lord, do you need to change me?
How can I yield to You in these
circumstances and these relationships
that uniquely represent my life?
As we recognize His Voice in the everydayness of life and willingly obey, we will grow closer to Him and He will transform us.
Search me, O God,
And know my heart;
Try me…
And lead me in the everlasting way.
~Psalm 139:23
For more in-depth articles on spiritual growth: http://www.revived-Christian-woman.com
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