Stepping up

I was talking to a buddy on Saturday that is involved in a church plant similar to what the Quest is and he asked me this question…“How excited would you be if one of your kids was still wearing diapers when they were graduating from high school?” Well…you can probably guess what my answer was….. I would be confused and probably a bit disappointed. I am all about my kids becoming all they can be. I deliberately set up things in their lives to help them grow. I try to look for issue they are struggling with and offer them ways to go about process’ better. If they took all of that teaching and just left it behind and kept crapping in their diapers, I would wonder why they had wasted instruction. The things I have learned from my parents, I want to pass on to my children…
I believe that God has a similar perspective. He has taken the time to bring us to the place of discovery of himself. He has set up critical turning points in our lives that have made us aware of his plan for us. He has brought people into our lives to show us his love.
He wants us to utilize these experiences and knowledge and live out his plan. He hasn’t done all these things for us just so we can pass them by and do our own thing. He desires that we constantly move ahead in growth and also help other move ahead. If we are not moving ahead we are like a stagnant pool. Collecting good things that just sit and spoil; collecting but never giving back. Nothing good comes from this kind of lifestyle.
God knows, just like a parent does, that certain steps have to be taken by an individual which help develop a life of purpose. Nothing in this world ever grows without effort…nothing just happens…there has to be conscious determination. Grass growing out of blacktop is a great example of this. Our spiritual lives are the same. Just like a child, our growth in God has to be developed and grown with intent. We have to take the obvious next steps. What are your next steps?
Dave outlines some critical steps for growth in the PDF file that accompanies his “Stepping up” talk.
Check out the questions at the end of the sheet.