Spiritual Birthdays - A Demarcation

Shalom Mishpachah (Family),

This Sunday, February 16, 2014, will be my 40th spiritual birthday.  As I've been thinking about it I couldn't help but think about the passage of time and how fast it's gone.  On the one hand it seems as though I've been a believer forever, and on the other hand, I can remember the day I received the Lord as if it were yesterday. I consider myself blessed to know the exact day of my salvation but I'm not sure that information is all that important.

As our spiritual birthdays come and go we can clock the years (putting notches in our belts), as if that, in and of itself, some how makes us more spiritual.  Sometimes we throw those dates and figures around thinking that it will impress somebody.  Sometimes we deceive ourselves by thinking that the passage of time really does make us something special.

I believe that it's important to count the years, but not for the sake of higher numbers.  I believe we should count the years of our walking with God and use it as a demarcation for growth!  So the question becomes, "How much have I grown in forty years, or, How much have I grown in the last year"?  We can then use the answer to that question to set our pace for the coming year.

The Bible tells us to "redeem the time" (Eph 5:16).  1 Cor. 9:24 says, "do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win".  "Redeeming the time" and "running the race" both speak of time as an important demarcation and a measurement tool to be used in measuring our spiritual growth.

All of us want to grow in the Lord and so I want to challenge you to use your "birthdays" as a type of starting line and a finish line in determining how much you are growing!  Don't end up like people who have known the Lord for 40 years but have the fruit of a 12 year old.

Shalom,

Pastor Bruce