Three Essentials Jesus Gave to Empower Growth

An abundant, growing and effective spiritual life is complex and requires many facets for healthy balance and development. Jesus frequently taught on related subjects to help his followers understand this. Listen to what he said here and then explore with me three essentials he gave us for spiritual growth.

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”  

Luke 17:1–10 (ESV)

Four Essential Lessons About Spiritual Growth

There are four things that Jesus introduces us to in order for us to continue to grow and thrive. First he shares some realities about our lives when following him. Then, he gives us three important characteristics to empower spiritual growth.

Temptation

Temptation is inevitable because we live in a world that is completely at odds with the Kingdom of God. Temptation is sometimes obvious and avoidable. Sometimes, it is subtle and simple.

Sin is disobedience to the expressed will of God. It means we compromise the standards he has set for us to live by. Temptation can be for us to simply disregard God’s word, twist it to suit our desires or justify ourselves in order to follow through with our evil intent.

Sometimes, what is more dangerous is the subtle slide into sin. It often starts with distraction, sometimes with good things and often with time wasters. We can substitute what is good for what is better or best. We often compromise what is important with what is urgent or convenient.

Temptation also comes through discouragement. We can spend too much time listening to negative comments, buying into a scarcity or weakness mentality. We might even begin to think we are not good enough or deserving enough to merit God’s grace!

Warning – don’t be one who brings these into people’s lives! Jesus gave this warning because we are liable to be messengers of temptation if we are not careful. We must stay focused on the holiness, obedience and work God has called us for. We should meditate on the bounty and provisions of God!

Forgiveness

The second point that Jesus makes to help us grow spiritually is the necessity of forgiveness. An unforgiving spirit will cause someone to stumble.

Jesus taught many times about forgiveness. He told parables but this is a direct teaching.

The context of the teaching is the offense that is given by a brother or sister, which could be referring to family, church or even national identity.

Instead of stewing and burning with anger, Jesus says we are to rebuke the offender. Of course, this kind of confrontation should be approached carefully and prayerfully with the goal of repentance and reconciliation.

To forgive is to pardon and then to treat the person as if the offense had never occurred. This is a high standard which God can help anyone attain.

Jesus said, we forgive no matter how many times we are asked to forgive – seven times or more each day, if necessary!

Faith

The disciples asked for increased faith. That was their immediate response to Jesus telling them about forgiveness. Clearly, they had already linked forgiveness and faith. It does take faith to consistently forgive.

Jesus gave a vivid example to live their faith. He told them you only need small faith to see incredible miracles. Remember that your faith is linked to an almighty God!

What we need is an informed faith in God. He has all power and knowledge. He is everywhere and has every answer.

Humility

We are called upon to be humble servants. When you think about all that God has done for us, humble service is the only reasonable response. 

We are the servants. We are under obligation to serve our Master. We should remember the words of the prodigal son: “How many of my father’s servants have food enough and plenty to spare?”

We must stay humble and are recipients of an incredible share of grace! We serve because of God’s love. We seek to know his will through his word and prayer. Then, we strive to do his will through his strength, presence and power in our lives. Because of our love for him we desire to give him pleasure by our service, so we give our best.

Your Turn

Strive to link forgiveness, faith and humility to take a quantum leap in your spiritual growth.

If there is someone you need to forgive, please do it right now. You may need to talk to the person but ensure that you forgive now. You can smooth things over as circumstances allow but forgiveness will remove a barrier to your spiritual growth.

Then, continue to serve him with faith and humility!

And share your comments here or on our Facebook page.