I wrote yesterday about having a plan. Nothing sinks our goals faster than not developing a plan to achieve them. God had one for our salvation. We should have one for growing and maturing in our faith and worship, becoming more like Jesus in our character.
The first part of every plan is knowledge. We want to be more like Jesus. That’s a great goal but what does it mean to “be more like Jesus.” What was Jesus like? We want to grow and mature in faith. Great – but what does mature faith look like? To find out we need to study. We need to immerse ourselves in the life of Jesus in the Gospels. We need to read what determines mature faith in the Epistles. Want to learn how to worship, then read the psalms, sing them even. Want wisdom, head for Proverbs.
The plan begins with knowledge. Dig into the word. Set aside a time each day to read a few Scripture verses. Check out commentaries and read what others have found in those same verses. It doesn’t have to be giant blocks of Scriptures. Pick a paragraph or chapter that’s relevant to your life at the moment and determine to focus on that for a few days or a week. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.” [Col 3:16 NIV]
Moses laid out a plan for the children of Israel to learn what God required of them so that they could grow and become mature. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” [Deut 6:4-9 NIV]
Now that’s a plan!
