The Purpose Driven Life, Chapter Twenty Three
How We Grow
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God's goal is for you to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual growth takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow and persist in growing.
Your commitments can develop you or can destroy you, but either way, they will define you.
GOD'S PART AND YOUR PART
Once you decide to get serious about becoming like Christ, you must begin to act in new ways. You will need to let go of some old routines, develop some new habits, and intentionally change the way you think. Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit works with us, not just in us.
CHANGING YOUR AUTOPILOT
To change your life, you must change the way you think. Every behavior is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude.
The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act.
The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance. You repent whenever you change the way you think by adopting how God thinks--about yourself, sin, God, other people, life, your future, and everything else. You take on Christ's outlook and perspective.
There are two parts to this. The first half is to stop thinking immature thoughts, which are self-centered and self-seeking. The second half is to start thinking maturely, which focuses on others, not yourself.
Christianity is not a religion or a philosophy, but a relationship and a lifestyle. The core of that lifestyle is thinking of others instead of ourselves.
Spiritual growth takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow and persist in growing.
Your commitments can develop you or can destroy you, but either way, they will define you.
GOD'S PART AND YOUR PART
Once you decide to get serious about becoming like Christ, you must begin to act in new ways. You will need to let go of some old routines, develop some new habits, and intentionally change the way you think. Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit works with us, not just in us.
CHANGING YOUR AUTOPILOT
To change your life, you must change the way you think. Every behavior is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude.
The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act.
The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance. You repent whenever you change the way you think by adopting how God thinks--about yourself, sin, God, other people, life, your future, and everything else. You take on Christ's outlook and perspective.
There are two parts to this. The first half is to stop thinking immature thoughts, which are self-centered and self-seeking. The second half is to start thinking maturely, which focuses on others, not yourself.
Christianity is not a religion or a philosophy, but a relationship and a lifestyle. The core of that lifestyle is thinking of others instead of ourselves.