A Prayer to Grow in Christ One Day at a Time
By: Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” - Philippians 1:21
Listen or Read Below:
When I first became a believer, I had a spiritual zeal that I have not experienced since. I wanted more than anything for everyone I knew to come to know the good news of Jesus. Surely, they could see how wonderful Jesus is, and they would place faith in Him. I sadly learned that telling someone about Jesus might not really sway their personal beliefs.
As part of one of my undergrad classes, my evangelism professor had us share the gospel with two people. One of the people I shared the gospel with was my elementary school friend’s mom. As soon as she opened the door, I was excited to share the gospel, and I had my gospel tracts ready in my hand. I asked her if I could talk with her about Jesus, and she looked at me questionably, proceeded to say “no,” and shut the door in my face.
In hindsight, I understand her actions. I was a bit overbearing and too zealous to the point that I completely overlooked the gospel itself. The way I approached this person was not the way Jesus would have approached them. Instead, He would have met them at their level, talked with them as a genuine friend, and moved forward from there.
Since the day my friend’s mom shut the door in my face, I have tried my best to grow in Christ and view others the way He does. Although my evangelism professor had taught us that door-to-door evangelism was a good idea, it is not always the best option. Jesus is our ultimate authority, and we do best when we heed His example of genuine care (Acts 5:29).
By studying what the Lord did and how He lived, we can grow in our relationship with Him and the ways we share about Him. Growing in Christ takes time, and sometimes there is pain and struggle, but to truly grow, we will have to be bruised, cut, and bleed. Struggles and suffering produce growth, and through the pain, we gain tools to help others.
We are not promised an easy life in this world. God will utilize all circumstances in our lives to help us grow in Christ. There might be times when we don’t pick up on the growth; however, when we look back at our lives, we will see just how much God has worked through us. Even without knowing it at the time, our faith and walk with the Lord can become stronger.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). As we grow in Christ, we will be able to echo Paul’s words in this passage. Our life is not our own—it belongs to Christ. It also means that we see death as a gain because we will be with Christ when we pass away.
The growth that we want in our lives will shadow Philippians 1:21. All our lives should be dedicated to Jesus, seeking to place Him at the center of our lives and do what we can to cultivate growth in Him. True spiritual growth creates humility and a greater heart for others.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Jesus,
I want to grow in You, but growth can be hard and rather painful at times. Please forgive me for staying stagnant for so long in my Christian walk. I want to change this, and I ask that You help me to grow in You one day at a time. Help me to take things slow and to truly cultivate growth in my life. I also ask that You help me to echo Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21. I know by applying this passage to my life that I will truly experience growth in You. My life is not my own; it is for You and for Your glory. Help me to grow more in You today and to continue to follow You every day of my life. I give You all the praise and thanks, Lord.
In your name, I pray, amen.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Jevtic
Related Resource: When Life Unravels: Biblical Strategies for Hard Seasons
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This week on Christian Parent/Crazy World, Catherine welcomes back her very first guest and trusted friend, Dr. Erin Barry, to help parents not only survive, but find hope and stability in life’s most turbulent moments. Dr. Barry is a clinical Christian counselor, author, homeschool expert, and co-founder of inseparableLives.com. Her biblically grounded wisdom comes from over 30 years of walking families through the storms of life.
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