The Bible is clear about the fact that God expects His children to grow–to mature spiritually. So it stands to reason, and the Bible affirms, that nourishment is necessary. That’s why it is essential that we feed on God’s Word daily. Merely getting a meal on Sunday isn’t nearly enough. I think most Christians see this need and have attempted to set aside time alone with God each day, but it’s short-lived. Something distracts or discourages them and they quit. While many factors might enter into this, I suspect one of the main reasons is that they feel it isn’t all that helpful. They don’t see any immediate results so they quit. They hoped for obvious and instant results and when they don’t see any change they throw in the towel and say,”I tried but it didn’t make any difference”.
But, whether we’re talking about the physical or spiritual, we can’t always perceive progress. Even when we eat right and exercise regularly we don’t notice immediate physical changes. Growth, physical or spiritual, is slow and imperceptible. Change happens little by little. You can lift weights all day but it won’t change the size of your biceps overnight. Such effort fails to bring a drastic change, yet it is a necessary part of the process.
Even so, Bible study and prayer doesn’t transform you into a spiritual giant overnight, but it is essential for your growth and it is helping you in other ways that you might not even be aware of. Rather than worrying about the rate and extent of your growth you should simply do what God tells you to do. We should never lose our yearning for learning, nor our desire for serving. We must remember that the learning is for living. As we put into practice what God God teaches us growth will be sure to follow. And, that growth will come by the Spirit of God as we obey the will of God (2 Cor. 3:18)–not by human effort. Make no mistake about it, you need God’s Word everyday!
