Topic: Take Baby Steps to Spiritual Maturity [RICK WARREN Devotional 13 November 2019]

BY RICK WARREN — NOVEMBER 13, 2019 5

“Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 TLB).It’s no accident that the Bible routinely refers to the Christian life as a race. Just like in a long-distance race, you must be patient to grow as a Christian. The Bible says, “Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 TLB).

You won’t finish this race in a week, a month, or even a year—it will take your whole life. God’s plan for making you into the person he wants you to be requires a lifetime commitment.

You can’t short-circuit that kind of growth.

When you become a Christian, you start growing quickly. It’s like babies in the early months—they grow enormously fast during that first year. But you don’t continue growing as quickly the rest of your life.

Growth—both physical and spiritual—slows down. It’s stable and secure over a period of time. God isn’t in a hurry for you to grow. You might be, but he isn’t.

This is why you need to start with simple steps toward growth. If you take one or two baby steps every week, you’ll be much further down the road of growth at the end of the year than you would be otherwise.

Christian living isn’t one big leap across the Grand Canyon. It’s a journey of baby steps—one step at a time.

When it comes to your spiritual growth, where are you most impatient, and why?
How have people close to you struggled with impatience in their spiritual journeys?
What’s one baby step of spiritual growth you can take this week?