In the concluding section of Chapter 28 of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren lists 4 ways to incorporate God in the process of growing our spiritual maturity:
1. Believe God is working in your life even when you don’t feel it. Just as the earth has seasons, so does our spiritual life. Short, intense bursts of growth will be followed by times of stability and testing.
2. Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned. Pastor Warren states that writing a narrative of the insights and lessons learned from God’s teachings will help us to review and remember them as well as pass on those lessons to succeeding generations. Regular review will spare much spiritual heartache.
3. Be patient with God and with yourself. Rick encourages us with these words: “Remember that God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time.”
4. Don’t get discouraged. As the author notes, delay does not equate with a denial from God. We are reminded by Rick to: “Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.”
Tomorrow’s blog: “The SHAPE of Things to Come”. The blog will post on the web site by mid-afternoon. Updates on FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn will occur around 8:30 PM CDT.
