Growing in the Lord

When I was just starting high school, it was tough. I wasn’t getting the grades I wanted to get, there was so much more work, and I didn’t fit in very quickly. It was such a hard transition. “Why is this so much harder?” I wondered. And then I began to compare myself to others. “Why isn’t it this hard for everyone else? My sister is doing so much better than me, and she seems fine with the workload. So why am I struggling so much?” It’s the same way with our walk with Christ. When we struggle with sin, doubt, or hard passages of the Bible, we sometimes start to compare ourselves to other Christians. We can even start to believe everyone else’s faith is, well, perfect! But that’s a lie: we all struggle with different aspects of following Jesus. The good news is, God calls us to community with other Christians—not comparison. As Christians, we’re all sinners saved by grace, growing in our relationships with our Savior. It’s a process, and it’s a process we do in community. Our struggles are easier when we share them with our family in Christ. If you’re wrestling with something, share it with other trusted Christians—whether that is your parents, your siblings, a pastor, a Bible study group, or someone else. When we share our struggles with other believers, we find that everyone is struggling with something. That honesty allows us to encourage each other as we all grow in the Lord! • Kaelyn Hartman • What’s one area of your faith you struggle with? • Who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to about your struggles? • Reread today’s Bible verses. Why is community such an important part of following Jesus? But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head— Christ. Ephesians 4:15 (CSB)

Read Verses:

Galatians 6:1-10; Epjesoams 4:1-16; Hebrews 10:23-25