More than 80 years ago, a 9-year-old boy prayed to ask Jesus to be the Savior of his life. His mother wrote these words in a memory book: "Clair made a start today". Clair refers to the day when he made his decision to follow Christ as the beginning of his journey. Growing spiritually is a lifelong process - not a one time event. So how does a new believer feed his faith and continue to grow? These are some things I observed for some people over the years.
Reading the Scriptures regularly to increase each understanding of God and making prayer a daily part of their lives (1 Chron. 16:11; 1 Thes. 5:17). Bible reading and prayer help us grow closer to God and withstand temptation (Ps. 119:11; Matt. 26:41; Eph. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2). The Holy Spirit began to develop the "fruit of the Spirit" in them as they surrendered their lives in faith and obedience (Gal. 5:22-23). We display God's love through our witness and service.
Our spiritual journey is a process. What a privilege to have a relationship in which we can "grown in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"! (2 Peter 3:18). Salvation is the miracle of a moment. Growth is the labor of a lifetime.
Amen
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