Spiritual Maturity Is Not a Solitary Pursuit

Current Teaching Series Transformed

Spiritual Maturity Is Not a Solitary Pursuit By Rick Warren — Jan 16, 2017 “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24 NIV). As I mentioned yesterday, your character is essentially the sum of your habits; it is how you habitually act. The Bible says, “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24 NIV). God uses his Word, people, and circumstances to mold us. All three are indispensable for character development. God’s Word provides the truth we need to grow, God’s people provide the support we need to grow, and circumstances provide the environment to practice Christlikeness. If you study and apply God’s Word, connect regularly with other believers, and learn to trust God in difficult circumstances, I guarantee you will become more like Jesus. Many people assume all that is needed for spiritual growth is Bible study and prayer. But some issues in life will never be changed by Bible study or prayer alone. God uses people. He usually prefers to work through people rather than perform miracles so that we will depend on each other for fellowship. He wants us to grow together. In many religions, the people considered to be the most spiritually mature and holy are those who isolate themselves from others in mountaintop monasteries, uninfected by contact with other people. But this is a gross misunderstanding. Spiritual maturity is not a solitary, individual pursuit! You cannot grow to Christlikeness in isolation. You must be around other people and interact with them. You need to be part of a church and community. Why? Because true spiritual maturity is all about learning to love like Jesus, and you can’t practice being like Jesus without being in relationship with other people. Remember, it’s all about love — loving God and loving others. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How has God used people in your life to help you grow in spiritual maturity? What keeps you from pursuing authentic, transparent community with other believers? In what ways does knowing how to love like Jesus help you love people better?

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Series Summary Message 1: Setting Personal Goals By Faith Message 2: How To Get Closer To God Message 3: From Stressed To Blessed Message 4: Change Your Life By Changing Your Mind Message 5: How To Deal With How You Feel Message 6: Facing The Fears That Ruin Relationships Message 7: Transforming How I See and Use Money Message 8: Facing Giants In Life and Work ​​ PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe