Why Should We Grow?

Growing In Christ

(In Picture: My best friend ,Ashley League, and her boyfriend, Trent Deans)

This past week I was feeling doubt with myself... not just about life but about who I am as a whole.  I always tend to compare myself to my friends, celebrities, models, and just the people around me.  I look at their hair, clothes, shoes, look, body features then look at mine and I say "Why can't I just look like them?" It becomes devastating to my esteem and confidence and sometimes it takes a toll on my friendships and relationships I've built up.  To be honest, I don't think there's a lot wrong with my look when I just look at myself and no one else.  My friends love me for how I look and am as a person.  Why do I even care what others think? (good question!)

Before I move on to what I really want you to hear me out on, I want to let you think about how you perceive yourself.  Ask yourself if you compare yourself to everyone else.  If the answer is yes and you always compare yourself to others then I want to give you some information that I believe is very helpful.

Yesterday, my preacher started the sermon with "We have a responsibility"!  At first I was puzzled but slowly became eager to hear what the lesson was going to be about.  He then stated we needed to begin with the ending in mind.  I was quickly confused again.

We began to read a bunch of scriptures from Ephesians and talking about how we always compare ourselves to others and I just kept nodding my head because I couldn't help but agree to everything he was saying.
- Reading a bunch of scriptures never helps me understand what I'm reading or talking about, but when I discuss it or hear it I know exactly what it means.
- Or when I'm just listening to a lecture or a lesson from someone, I don't comprehend much of what their saying because I need to see it in text and hear it to know what's going on.

During this sermon my preacher was teaching us the one thing that stuck with me since is: Don't measure yourself to others, measure yourself to Christ.  To do that is the only way you will grow not only in yourself but in Christ.

My preacher had an outline for us (like he always does--- SOOO helpful!) and he listed expectations on how we can grow in Christ and reasons as to why we should grow.

Expectations:
- Service (Ephesians 4:12)
- Unity (Ephesians 4:13a)(Ephesians 4:3)
- Faith (Ephesians 4:13b)
- Knowledge (Ephesians 4:13c)

Why Grow?
- So you won't be infants.
- So you won't be tossed back and forth.
- So you won't be deceived. (Colossians 2:8)(2 Corinthians 10:5)

The sermon has left us with the question of "How is All of this Possible?" and to this day I am still amazing by what God has given us, proven to us, and dealt with... he is truly and AMAZING God!