At choir rehearsal, Beth, our Director of Music and Worship, said something during our devotions that struck me as profound. "What you feed will grow." I think we all know that. If you have ever had house plants or a garden you know that if you want them to grow you must water and fertilize them. If you have ever raised teenagers, you know that we feed them constantly and they seem to grow by the day!
What is true of outward, physical growth is also true of inner growth. For good or for bad, the things of the heart and mind grow when we feed them. To feed things of the heart greatly means to dwell on them, to give them time and attention, to focus on them. That means that if we have been disappointed, the more we dwell on that disappointment, the more it grows within us. Likewise, if we have been hurt or offended, the more we dwell on it, the great the offense grows within us.
But the converse is also true. If there are things in our lives for which we are grateful, the more we focus upon our blessings, the greater our gratitude grows. If there are things in our lives we celebrate, the more we dwell upon them, the more joy grows within us. What we feed will grow. I believe where this becomes most important in our lives is in relationship to our faith.
One of our core convictions as a church is that everyone is meant to grow. I believe it is our desire, and it is God's desire for us that we are continuously growing deeper in our faith in Christ. If we want our faith to grow, we must feed it. That means dwelling on the things of God, giving time and attention to our relationship with Jesus, focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
So at a practical level, how do we feed our faith? Worship, participation in a lifegroup, personal prayer time and Scripture reading are all a part of the steady diet that feeds our faith and causes it to grow. Want to see you faith grow stronger this year? Feed it! Be in worship every week. Spend time with God on your own during the week. Connect to a life group.
By the way, if you not sure how to get started with a lifegroup, our Sunday morning lifegroups are a great starting point. In Sandown we have a group immediately after worship. In Amesbury the group meets over breakfast before worship. In Plaistow, the adult lifegroup meets at 9:45 while then children are in Sunday School. In fact in Plaistow, we have a brand new session starting this Sunday focusing on the book of James. James is a great book to study because of it's practical application to daily life. If you attend in Plaistow and would like to get in on the start of that class, just show up this Sunday at 9:45 and we'll help you find the room. If you worship in Amesbury, come at 9:00 and join us downstairs. In Sandown, stay after worship and we'll help you find the classroom.
What you feed will grow. As we press into this new year, let's commit to feeding our faith and watch the growth that God will bring.
In Christ,
Pastor Steve