My family and I (Pastor Joel) are preparing to go on vacation. I don’t know about you, but I am someone who likes to plan ahead and wants to know what is next and what is coming up. I will even spend time looking at the route we are taking to see if there are construction zones or expected delays and if I can get around them. I mean, I can’t be the only one who wants to beat their ETA everytime they use the GPS. Okay, maybe that is just my competitive nature talking. Looking ahead and forming a plan seems ideal to most of us and makes a lot of sense.
I have often wondered how many of us use this line of thinking when it comes to our relationship with Jesus? Do we look at who we want to become and ask ourselves how we are going to get there? Do we look at the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and ask ourselves our plan to grow those fruits?
One day I was thinking about the end of my life (morbid, I know). I was thinking about what it is I want people to say about me at my funeral. Maybe it’s a hazard of being a pastor and doing funerals, but I happen to think about this often. I was asking myself, am I becoming who I want to be? For me, I want to be known as someone who has a radical, unrelenting faith in Jesus and who lives like Him. Someone that loves and cares for his family and friends deeply. Someone who is generous, kind, compassionate and tenderhearted. That may not seem groundbreaking to you and honestly it isn’t. But this is who I want to be.
With those things in mind, I began to put a plan in place on how I want to grow in all those areas. I spend time in prayer, asking God to empower by His Spirit, to cultivate and to grow these fruits in my life. This is the first part of my morning and step one of my plan. Without God’s help, none of these things will happen, so I ask for His help and guidance first.
The second thing I do is spend time with God’s word specifically reading on the topics of faith, generosity, love, compassion, and being tenderhearted. There are a number of resources from different reading plans in the YouVersion Bible app, to books and even searches online that have helped me know where to turn.
The final part of my plan involves accountability. I have people in my life that ask me specific questions to make sure I am becoming who I want to become. These are people that I trust, that will hold me accountable when I am going astray and will speak tough truths into my life when necessary.
My encouragement to you is to find a spiritual plan that works for you. Something that keeps you on the right path to become who you want to become. Someone that is growing in their relationship with Jesus and becoming more and more like Him.
Pastor Joel
