The Foundations of Growth

"The entrance of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple." - Psalm 119:130

Yesterday we looked at the beginnings of spiritual growth. Undoubtedly, spiritual growth begins with that desire for God to search us, to know us, and to lead us in the way everlasting. Now lets consider the foundations of spiritual growth.

God's Word, the Bible, is the foundation for our spiritual growth. It is the firm foundation, the solid ground. It is the revelation of God's instruction to mankind. It stands to reason that if a Christian desires to grow spiritually, that the Word of God is the place they must turn to find instructions on how to grow. God has chosen to reveal His instructions to us in a special way in His Word. While its true that God has revealed himself to us through creation in a general way, if we want to know specifics about who He is and what He wants from us as human beings, we must turn to his special revelation.

This verse in Psalm 119 tells us that the way to get understanding is through the entrance of God's Word. As you and I read the Bible and gain an understanding of what it means, we learn how to live. You don't need to know much to become a Christian. You need to understand that you are a sinner deserving God's punishment for sin, that Christ died for your sin and rose again, and that if you place your faith in what Jesus did you can be declared righteous and have eternal life as God's free gift. After salvation, God would have you learn and grow to understand much more than this. As a new Christian learns God's Word, he gets to see this verse in action in his life. God's Word gives understanding to the simple. This chapter also tells us that "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (v. 105). As Christians walk through life reading and learning God's instructions, the path to walk on is literally lit up by the Word of God. This process of growth that we desire and need as Christians is laid out for us in the Bible.

It is impossible to grow spiritually without the Bible.  Job said that he considered the words from God "more than my necessary food." That means that Job saw God's Word as more important that even the physical food that he needed to stay alive. Do you feel like you are stuck? Not growing? Frozen in your spiritual life? Let me ask you, are you trying to grow without the Bible? Are you trying to find instruction for your spiritual life outside of God's special revelation to you? Christians, we must read the Bible, study what it says, commit it to memory and practice in our lives. This is the foundation to build our spiritual life on. This is the foundation of growth. Neglect it and you neglect the source of your spiritual growth.