June 9, 2021 … Growing In Christlikeness …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 160 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing … Less Like Me … powerfully singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, should grow and mature to become more like Jesus and less like our natural selves. 

==============

Highlight Passage:  Ephesians 4:13 [ESV] …  

13 … until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, …  

… God gifts teachers/leaders in His body to help fellow Christians to mature to become more like Christ.           

=============  

Highlight Passage [Context]: …  Ephesians 4:11-16 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… The Apostle Paul shows that God anoints leaders in His Church to equip the saints to mature in the faith and become more like Christ.  

==============     

Reference Passage: … Proverbs 9:9 [ESV] … 

13 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

… Solomon on how we must help our fellow believers to grow in Godly wisdom.  

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 13:11, 14:20 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul’s exhortation to believers that we must do all we can to mature in our walk with Christ. 

Reference Passage: … Hebrews 5:11-14 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God Spirit, to believers, charges us to learn from mature teachers how to grow in Christlikeness. 

Reference Passage: … James 1:22-25 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God, thru James, commands Christians to become doers of God’s word as a measure of maturity in Christlikeness.  

 

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Kirsten Holmberg, AT THIS LINK   … relates the results of a survey asking participants what behaviors helped identify individuals when they matured into adulthood with some interesting findings revealed. Use the link above to review some of those findings.     

And yes, … it is important that we can discern what reveals maturity to independence and adulthood in our development as individuals.  However, as Christians I think it’s more important to do all we can to mature in our faith to become more like Christ.  And that’s what Zach Williams sings about in the linked song and the Scriptures above point us toward. 

My fellow Christian, are we doing all we can to grow in Christlikeness (see photo)?  Personally I’ve come a long way from those early days - at age 40 - when I was an “infant” Christian.  And in those days I went from an atheist in 1983 when I was born-again to become  an Elder and ordained Minister in my church in 1996.  And that’s growth in Christ because I was willing to be discipled and taught by more mature, anointed, leaders in my church who were willing to Shepherd my growth in Christ. 

I’m praying that all reading here with me are doing all you (we) can to mature and become more like Christ; … then to do all we can to help lesser mature disciples become more Christlike in their discernment and choices in their walk in the faith. 

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for helping me grow to become more like You, Lord.      

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to do all we can today and tomorrow to grow in our relationship and walk with You, Lord.  … Amen

=============

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.