Are You Growing in Your Faith?
The Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said "The unexamined life is not worth living." It is barreling through life with no idea where you are going and without ever stopping to see where you've been. It is never learning from your mistakes, never changing direction, and never setting a purposeful course for your life. For Socrates, the purpose of life was personal and spiritual growth. This requires a life lived on purpose, guided by reflection and self examination. We move forward while making constant course corrections. The alternative is either the chaotic crash and burn of trial and error or the brain dead fog of living on autopilot. The unexamined life is not worth living. As followers of Jesus, we couldn't agree more. Let's take a closer look at this life we are living…
When you are trying to lose weight, it is important to step on a scale now and then to know how you are doing. People with diabetes check their blood sugar several times a day and adjust their food intake accordingly. Likewise, we must examine our own lives and check in on our progress as disciples. Disciples are like children: they are meant to grow. How are you doing in your walk with Jesus? Is God a small part of your everyday life, or is your life rooted and centered in God? Here's a quick check up to encourage you to take your next step closer to God:
1. How are you deepening your love relationship with God? If you are not sure you have a love relationship, then give me a shout out in the comments below. We need to talk. You can have this and this relationship can grow stronger each day. We can show you how through Bible, prayer, and worship.
2. How are you learning to follow Jesus in your everyday life? We learn best when we learn with others. Are you in a bible study, Sunday School class, or a discipleship group? The journey of faith is hard to do on our own.
3. Are you generously sharing what you have with God and with others? Do you give to those around you who are in need? Do you support God's work in the world by giving regularly to a local church? Would you consider making a personal commitment to give every week?
4. How are you loving God by serving the needs of others? God calls us to join in on God's work of alleviating suffering and establishing justice for all. God invites us to join in making the world a better place to live, work, raise kids and grow old. The Kingdom of God is not about escaping this broken world to hide in a perfect heaven. It is about rolling up our sleeves and making this world better. Only God can make it perfect but we have our part to play.
5. How are you encouraging others to take their next step closer to God? For some it will be their very first step, inviting them to meet Jesus and His Church. For others it will be encouraging them to embrace Jesus and His Church. We all have another step to take closer to God and we encourage each other to keep going.
So how are you doing? May this summer be a big step forward for you in your life-long walk with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
5x5 Discipleship 
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