Hope

hope: /hoʊp/ [hohp] – noun: to believe, desire, or trust

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Growth

Growth comes in lots of forms. A tree getting taller and stronger. A city developing and expanding. A baby taking their first steps. The nerdy kid at school standing up to the bully. A lost soul giving in to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
---
One of the coolest things I've recently learned is that Jesus went through growth too. I suppose I always just assumed that Jesus, being the son of God, knew everything there was to know and was born having all the answers to our interrogating questions. And in all honesty, Christmas was the only time I thought of Jesus not being an adult. I didn't think about the fact that he had to grow up, just like the rest of us.
---
Mary and Joseph also went through the stages of worrying about their teenager, wondering where he was when he wouldn't show up for a few hours or days - it kind of seems like Jesus was a rebel at times. However, he would most likely be found listening and learning about God somewhere. He was so fascinated about God, even though I believe he always knew he had a special connection with Him.
---
This inspires me. Life is hard. Life is so hard. But the older I get and the more I learn, the more I can see my growth. My growth as a Christian, as an artist, a photographer and a person. The more I grow, the more I want to grow more. The more I learn the more intrigued I am to learn more. Knowing that Jesus felt a craving to know more makes Him more human to me. It makes me feel more connected to the man that died for me. When I hear about Jesus in church or while reading the Parables, its always about how he knew everything. He could answer with a really smart answer that would either leave you dumbfounded or totally inspired to be a better person, and that's totally awesome, but he had to learn to know. And I know I'll never know as much as Jesus, but I can learn and study and be closer to Jesus.
---
I guess what I'm saying is this: To be more like Jesus, one must learn and share what they learn about God and living as a successful Christian. It's a crucial step on the journey to being more like Him. And that should be every Christians goal if they want to live a more intense and dedicated Christian life.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

His Plan For Me

  • Get In To the Word and Deep In Prayer
  • Prayer Journal - To see God's amazing power through Prayer
  • Committment Journal - Record my struggles and successes to visually see progress over time
  • Personal Goals - Start doing more of the things that make me happy and save some "me" time (art, writing, reading, etc.)
  • Work - Pleasing to God, to be happy in what I do and offer my abilities whenever I can
  • Tithing and Saving - Respecting my money and using it appropriately
  • Education - Study God's word and begin thinking more about my future
  • Touch Cleansing - Relationships (family, friends, dating, God, etc.)
  • Taste Cleansing - What I eat and put into my body (food, drink, nutrition, health, etc.)
  • Smell Cleansing - Waking up and smelling the roses, appreciating small things
  • Sound Cleansing - What I listen to and hear (music, language, people, messages, truths, etc.)
  • Visual Cleansing - What I watch and see (movies, television, magazines and media, pictures, people, etc)

God's Amazing Power

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand