When You Obey Jesus, You Become More like Him

“If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (CEV)

If I want to be Jesus’ disciple, I have to do what he tells me to. Always.

Jesus taught, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 CEV).

In that verse, Jesus highlights a few important things about spiritual growth, or discipleship.

First, discipleship is an ongoing process. I need to “keep on obeying.” It’s going to take the rest of my life for me to grow up spiritually. I don’t listen to a sermon or take a class and suddenly reach maturity. It’s a gradual, incremental, lifelong process.

Second, one of the ways spiritual growth is measured is by obedience. Jesus said, “If you keep on obeying . . . you truly are my disciples.” Spiritual growth isn’t based on how much I know. It’s based on how much I practice—how much I obey. 

A lot of people know the Bible but don’t live it. In fact, sometimes those who have the most Bible knowledge are the most cranky, cantankerous, judgmental Christians. As the Bible says, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1 CSB). Knowledge without love leads to arrogance.

The truth is that I only believe the part of the Bible that I practice—that I do every day.

Third, spiritual growth is based on God’s Word. Jesus told his followers to obey what he told them—because it’s the truth of God’s Word that will feed my soul.

And, fourth, spiritual growth sets me free. As Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.”

The more I grow spiritually, the freer I'm going to be. I'm going to be set free from the expectations of others, from past memories that bother me, from guilt, from resentment, from bad habits, from shame, from the pressures that other people try to put on me.

The people who are the most fully alive in life are those who are growing in spiritual maturity—because the truth sets me free.

It won’t happen overnight. But as I obey God more and more, I'll find myself becoming more like Jesus. The Message paraphrase says, “Our lives [are] gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In summary:

Jesus teaches in John 8:31–32 that true discipleship means continually obeying His Word, not just knowing it. Spiritual growth is a lifelong, ongoing process marked by consistent obedience rather than accumulated knowledge. It’s not about how much of the Bible I understand intellectually, but how much I live out daily with love and humility. As I root my life in God’s truth and actively practice it, that truth transforms me—setting me free from guilt, shame, fear, resentment, unhealthy habits, and the pressures of others. Over time, steady obedience leads to deeper freedom and a life that increasingly reflects Christ, growing brighter and more beautiful as I mature spiritually.

Bottom Line:

Spiritual maturity isn’t about what I know—it’s about consistently obeying God’s truth, and that obedience is what leads to real freedom.

Next Steps:

Deepen My own daily obedience before expanding my external influence. If freedom and transformation come through consistent obedience, then the most powerful thing I can do for those I lead is to model it. Not just teach truth. Not just inspire vision. Live it visibly.

Practically, this looks like:

Establishing (or strengthening) a non-negotiable daily rhythm of time in the Word and reflective prayer.

Identifying one specific area where obedience needs to become more intentional—not theoretical, but actionable.

Integrating what I'm learning into my leadership conversations, coaching frameworks, and content—not as information, but as lived conviction.

My influence will only rise as high as my integrity.

My authority will only be as deep as my obedience.

As I align my life more fully with truth, I won’t just speak about freedom—I'll embody it. And that embodiment is what gives others permission to step into theirs. know—it’s about consistently obeying God’s truth, and that obedience is what leads to real freedom.

Built for Connection: God’s Design for Growth Together

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Small groups aren’t just beneficial—they’re biblical!

Jesus started his public ministry when he was 30 years old. The first thing he did was get baptized. And the second thing he did was start a small group; he went out and gathered 12 guys to be his small group. For the next three years, he traveled and ate and ministered with them.

Even Jesus needed a small group—and he was perfect! I need one even more than he did to make it in life.

Why? I need a small group because they’re relational.

That’s important because life is all about learning how to love. And I can’t love unless I build relationships. Small groups are the laboratory for learning relational skills. They’re a laboratory for learning how to love.

I can’t have a conversation with a crowd. But in a small group I can ask questions and share wisdom. In a small group I can pray in specific ways for others, get support, and share the ups and downs of life.

One of the problems in our culture today is that we live among strangers. People aren’t learning relational skills anymore. We don’t know how to make conversation—and worse, we sometimes don’t even try. Electric garage doors have made us all strangers! We don’t ever have to engage with or even meet our neighbors.

I'm not very good at relational skills because I don’t put myself in situations where I learn them.

Jesus said the most important thing in life is learning how to love, and it’s called the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31 NIV). That means the most important thing for me to do on earth is to learn relational skills—loving God and loving other people. And to do that, I must get to know people personally. 

I don’t have to know everybody in the church for it to be my church. But I do have to know somebody.

I need a few people who know when I get sick or when I leave the hospital, when I get a raise or when I get laid off, when I can’t pay a bill or when I need a ride to the airport. They know me. They celebrate with me. And they show up when I need them.

I learn to love others like that—like Jesus loves me—through a small group.

In summary:

Jesus modeled the importance of community by forming a small group of 12 disciples, showing that even He valued close, relational connections. Small groups aren’t just helpful—they’re essential for spiritual and personal growth because they provide the space to build genuine relationships, develop relational skills, and learn how to love others well. In a world where people often live in isolation, small groups give us a place to share life’s ups and downs, pray for one another, and practice the Great Commandment: loving God and loving others. True Christian maturity happens not in crowds, but in close connection with others who know, support, and walk beside me in life.

Bottom line:

To grow in faith and become the leader God designed me to be, I need to intentionally invest in authentic relationships—because true spiritual and personal growth happens in community, not isolation.

Next Steps:

I need to start or join a small, growth-centered group where authentic relationships, accountability, and shared learning can flourish. Whether it’s a leadership circle, faith-based mastermind, or coaching group, I need to surround myself with people who challenge, encourage, and walk with me as I live out my purpose and strengthen both my faith and leadership impact.

Pain Is Often the Price of Growth

“When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:3-4 (NLT)

It's possible to grow during times of bright, fair weather—but you put down deeper roots during the dark days of life.

As a pastor, I’ve heard from countless people who said they had grown more through separation, illness, job loss, or tragedy than they would have otherwise. They recognized how God had used difficulty to draw them closer to him and mature them.

The Bible says it this way: "When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing" (James 1:3-4 NLT).

Let it grow! When you let God into your problems and don’t push him out, then you’ll develop endurance that will make you ready for anything—strong in character, full and complete.

Pain is the high cost of growth. The old cliché is true: There is no gain without pain. We want the quick solution and the easy fix. We want the pill or the seminar or the book that's going to change everything without involving pain. We want the product that brings maturity without the painful process. But that isn't going to happen!

Theologian J. I. Packer said, “God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with all the other inflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. It deepens our dependence upon Christ for strength each day. And the weaker we feel, the harder we lean, and the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually.”

The very thing that's discouraging you right now is the very thing God is using to develop you right now.       

How was David able to write such beautiful and powerful psalms? Because through all the loneliness, neglect, and injustice he went through as a young shepherd and even as a king, David knew God was with him the whole time. David wrote his most beautiful words in his deepest pain.

There will be growth in the painful parts of life that you will not gain any other way. The process will not make you perfect, but it will move you toward being more like Christ. And if you’ll trust God to keep you and walk with you in your pain, he will develop endurance in you and give you his peace and rest.

In summary:

Growth comes most deeply not in easy seasons but in life’s hardest moments, when pain, loss, and trials test faith and push roots down deeper into God’s strength. James 1:3-4 reminds us that endurance develops through testing, shaping character and moving us toward completeness in Christ. While we often long for quick fixes without pain, true maturity only comes through the refining process of difficulty, where God uses challenges as tools to sculpt us and draw us closer to him. Just as David wrote his most powerful psalms out of seasons of loneliness and hardship, our deepest growth often flows from our hardest experiences. If we choose to lean on God in the midst of struggle, he will grow endurance, deepen dependence, and bring peace, shaping us into who he’s called us to be.

Bottom line:

My deepest growth and strength come through trials—when U trust God in pain, he develops endurance, character, and Christlikeness in me.

My next wisest step:

I should integrate my personal testimony of growth through challenges into my interaction with others. Draft one story from my life where God used pain to grow my endurance, then shape it into something I can share with others.

Give God Your Best and Live Your Calling

“Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NIV)

When Timothy joined Paul on his missionary journey, Timothy was still a very young man. Paul sent him to a city called Ephesus to help start and lead a church. Even though Timothy struggled with fear, God used him.

Three lessons I can learn from Timothy about how to fulfill God’s calling in my life. 

Develop the gifts God gave me.
The Bible says, “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity. . . . Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you. . . . Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all” (1 Timothy 4:12, 14-15 GNT).

Paul also told Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV).

As a believer, I have a lifelong responsibility to develop the talents and gifts God has given me.

Refuse to be distracted.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16, “Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you” (NLT).

It’s easy to get sidetracked by a desire to build my business, family, career, or my bank account. And I often waste countless hours of my life on the internet and on my phone. As a follower of Jesus, I've got to keep the most important things in focus so I can fulfill my calling.

Give God my very best.
The Bible says, “Run your best in the race of faith, and win eternal life for yourself; for it was to this life that God called you” (1 Timothy 6:12 GNT). God has called me to a specific task, and it can only be accomplished when I give it the best of my time, effort, gifts, and focus.

Paul says about Timothy, “I have no one else like Timothy” (Philippians 2:20 NLT). Can you imagine a greater epitaph? There was no one else in the world like Timothy. He was focused. He was committed to the call of God on his life. Nobody could distract or discourage him, and he gave God his best.

As I give God my best and follow his calling, God will bring out the best in me as well. 

In summary:

Timothy’s story reminds me that fulfilling God’s calling requires intentional focus, courage, and commitment. Though young and timid, Timothy was called to lead and serve with boldness, and Paul urged him to develop his spiritual gifts, stay focused on what matters most, and give God his very best. Like Timothy, I’m responsible for growing the talents God has placed in me, refusing distractions that pull me away from my purpose, and pursuing my calling with excellence. God doesn’t give a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-discipline—and when I live from that truth, God brings out the best in me.

Bottom Line:

To fulfill God’s calling, I must grow my gifts, stay focused on what matters most, and give God my very best—trusting that He has equipped me with power, love, and self-discipline to live it out.

The Test of Character

“Tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” James 1:2-3 (MSG)

People are like tea bags—sometimes you don't know what's in them until you drop them in hot water.

In The Living Bible paraphrase, Jeremiah 17:10 says that God “searches all hearts and examines deepest motives so he can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds.”

So, how does God inspect and test me? The Bible says, “I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10 NKJV).

Pain is a measuring tool to test my character, and my reaction to it reveals a lot about me. James 1:2-3 says in The Message paraphrase, “Tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.”

Pain exposes the real me and shows what I'm really like inside. My image and reputation are what everybody thinks I am. But my character is what I really am. And when I'm in pain, it’s hard to keep up appearances.

I can say that I have integrity, but do I lower my standard when life is painful? I might say I'm committed, but do I want to throw in the towel when life is difficult? I say I'm a person of faith, but do I want to give up when pain comes my way? My faith, commitment, integrity, and maturity can be measured by my reaction to pain.     

Going through a tough time right now might be a test. God’s showing me what’s really going on in my heart so he can help me grow and become more like him—and learn to trust and follow him more closely.

In summary:

James 1:2-3 reminds us that trials reveal the true state of our faith—just like hot water brings out what’s inside a tea bag, pressure and pain expose what’s really in my heart. God uses difficult seasons to test and refine me, not to harm me, but to show me where I truly stand in terms of integrity, commitment, and trust in Him. While my image is what others see, my character is who I am when everything is stripped away. Pain reveals that. And when I go through hardship, it’s often God’s way of helping me grow, mature, and become more like Him—if I'm willing to trust Him through it.

Bottom Line:

God uses pressure and pain to reveal who I really am—not to shame me, but to grow my character, deepen my faith, and make me more like Him.

Patience and Persistence Will Bring Success

“But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” Habakkuk 2:3 (TLB)

If I don’t make plans in life, I'm just going to drift. In Genesis 24, the story of Eleazar gives helpful steps for getting where you want to go.

We’ve already learned why it’s important to:

• Determine your present position
• Describe exactly what you want
• Find a promise from God
• Ask God for help
• Identify the barriers
• Create a step-by-step plan

Here's another step: Be patient and persistent.

Accomplishing big goals in life isn’t going to happen overnight. The bigger my goal, the longer it will take. The more significant my goal, the more time and energy will be involved. Reaching goals takes time and discipline. 

Nothing great is ever accomplished without patience, persistence, determination, and endurance. I need to set big goals and spend the rest of my life going after them. 

Eleazar did this. Genesis 24:21 says, “The servant watched [Rebekah] in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission” (NLT). And Genesis 24:33 says, “Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, ‘I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.’ ‘All right,’ Laban said, ‘tell us’” (NLT).

He was an example of great patience and persistence.

Here’s the point:  For me to reach my goals, I'm going to have to learn how to delay gratification.  

The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people do things unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.

Successful people often do things they don’t feel like doing. Successful people know how to delay gratification. They do the right, tough thing before they do the fun, enjoyable thing.

The Living Bible paraphrase says, “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3). 

God says it’s going to happen—but it’s going to take a while. One of the marks of maturity is learning the difference between no and not yet. 

And God is more interested in what I am than what I do. He’s much more interested in my character than my career. Because I'm not taking my career to heaven. I'm taking my character. So while I'm working on my goal, God is working on me.

In summary:

Achieving big goals takes time, discipline, and endurance. Success requires delayed gratification—doing the hard things first. Like Eleazar in Genesis 24, I must stay focused and trust God’s timing. Maturity means recognizing "not yet" is not "no." While I pursue my goals, God is shaping my character.

 

Pain Can Make Me Better or Bitter—It’s A Choice

“So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” 1 Peter 4:19 (NLT)

When people go through tragedy and disaster and pain, some turn to God. But others turn away from God—even when he’s offering the comfort and power they need to make it through a difficult time.

How pain affects me depends on how I choose to respond to it. I am going to let that experience make me bitter, or am I going to turn to God—and let the pain make me better?

Jesus didn’t come to explain away my pain. He came to share it.

He enters into my pain. He is a God who suffers with me and walks with me through whatever I'm going through, whether it’s emotional, physical, relational, or spiritual.

Some Christians think that it’s never God’s will for me to suffer and that if I have any pain in my life, it means I don’t have enough faith.

This is far from the truth. Sometimes I'm just going to suffer. Sometimes I'm going to have pain that is part of God’s will. The Bible says, “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). 

Pain is inevitable. It’s a part of life, even for Christians. The choice I get to make involves whether or not I will waste my hurt. I can choose whether it will make me bitter or better.

Next time I'm experiencing pain ask God: “Are you using this pain to guide me in a new direction? Are you using this pain to spur me into action? Are you using this pain to show me what I need to work on? Are you using this pain to guard me from something more harmful? Are you using this pain to grow me and make me more like you? Lord thank you that you will never waste my pain. Please help me trust you as I follow you in faith.”

Let whatever pain I may go through guide me into the caring arms of Jesus Christ.

In summary:

Pain is inevitable, but how we respond to it shapes our growth. 1 Peter 4:19 reminds us to trust God during suffering, knowing He will never fail us. While pain is a part of life, it’s a choice to either let it make us bitter or better. Jesus shares in our pain and offers comfort, helping us grow and become more like Him. We can trust that God will use our pain for good, guiding us and teaching us through it.

To Grow, I Must Choose to Change

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” Ephesians 4:22 (NLT) Change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing. It’s not enough to desire change. To change, I need to make a decision. I must choose to change. Change is intentional. Am I going to be any different in six months? Am I going to be better a year from now? Am I going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Am I going to be happier? Am I going to be more like God wants me to be? These changes will only happen if I choose to change—because change doesn’t happen accidentally. Change requires a choice! A lot of times I think we’re waiting on God to change me. No! God is waiting for me. He’s waiting on me to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.” I will need to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change. There is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If I'm going to grow, I will have to change. And change means that I let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things. It’s like swinging on a trapeze. The trapeze artist swings out on one bar and then has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he’s got to let go of the first one in order to grab the next one, or he won’t make it to the other side. If he tries to hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and he will fall. I to am stuck in the middle, and falling because I haven’t let go of the old patterns, the old habits, and the old ways of thinking. I have to let go of my old ways. The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in my life—let them go. Throw them off and trust that God is working in me “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). In summary: Change requires intentional choices. To grow and improve, I must actively decide to make changes, as change doesn't happen by chance. It involves letting go of old habits, sins, and patterns to embrace new ways of thinking and living. Just like a trapeze artist must release one bar to grab the next, I must let go of the old to move forward. God is waiting for me to make that choice, and though change can be painful, it's necessary for growth. Ephesians 4:22 urges us to "throw off your old sinful nature" and trust that God is guiding us toward transformation. I will be intentional today, and not just think about it, but actually do it.

Five Ways God Uses Your Problems

“My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.” Psalm 119:71–72 (NLT) Life is a series of problem-solving opportunities. The problems I face will either defeat me or develop me, depending on how I respond to them.  When most people encounter difficulty, they react impulsively or become resentful. They don’t pause to consider what benefit their problems might bring. As a result, they never see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. There are five main ways that God uses the problems in my life. I need to understand them so that, next time I face difficulty, I can be on the lookout for how God is working. God uses problems to DIRECT me. Sometimes God lights a fire under me to get me moving. Problems can point me in a new direction and motivate me to change. Is God trying to get my attention? As Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT).  God uses problems to INSPECT me. People are like teabags: If you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Think of when God has tested my faith with a problem? What did that problem reveal about me? James 1:2-3 says, “When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience” (NCV). God uses problems to CORRECT me. Some lessons I learn only through pain and failure. When I was a child, my parents  told me not to touch a hot stove. But I didn’t actually learn the lesson until I ignored their instruction and was burned. Sometimes I only learn the value of something—like health, money, or a relationship—by losing it. That was true for the author of Psalm 119: “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver” (Psalm 119:71–72 NLT). God uses problems to PROTECT me. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents me from being harmed by something more serious. Later I may be able to say like Joseph did, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20 NIV). God uses problems to PERFECT me. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders: “We know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character” (Romans 5:3-4 NLT). God is far more interested in my character than my comfort. My relationship to God and my character are the only two things I'm going to take with me into eternity.  I'm going to experience difficulties. Everyone does. When I do, I need to remember that I have a choice. I can let those difficulties defeat me, or I can choose to let God direct, inspect, correct, protect, and perfect me through them! In summary: Problems are not just obstacles but opportunities for growth. There are five ways God uses difficulties: Directing you – Problems can motivate you to change and point you in a new direction. Inspecting you – Difficulties test your faith and reveal what’s inside. Correcting you – Pain and failure teach valuable lessons we might otherwise ignore. Protecting you – Sometimes, problems prevent greater harm or danger. Perfecting you – Challenges build character and endurance, helping you grow spiritually. I need to view problems as tools God uses for my growth, and to choose how I respond: either letting them defeat me or letting God use them to refine me.

God Uses It All for Your Good

“There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. . . . When your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:6–7 (NLT) What I'm learning is that life is not a series of random accidents. Life isn’t unplanned. It isn’t without meaning. God knows what’s going on. In fact, he’s using every part of my life—the happy times and the difficult ones—to weave my story into a beautiful tapestry. A a child of God, nothing can come into my life without God’s permission.  Everything is Father‑filtered.  Not everything that happens to me is God’s perfect will. That’s just not true. When I sin, that’s not God’s will. When somebody sins against me, that’s not God’s perfect will either. But God does have a permissive will. He allows some things without causing them. For example, when I overeat, I become unhealthy and do not feel well. God does not cause that, but he does allow it. In the same way, God does not cause evil and God does not cause suffering. But he does allow them—and then he uses them. How does God use evil and suffering? What I'm learning is that He’s an expert at bringing good out of bad! He could have kept Paul out of prison in Philippi, but instead he let Paul go to prison and the jailer became a believer as a result. God could have kept Jesus from the cross, but he let him suffer and die—and because of that, the gift of salvation is available to all who believe!   God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections.  The things I most wish were removed from my life are often the very things that God is using to shape me into who he wants me to be.  The Bible promises, “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. . . . When your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:6–7 NLT). God wants to use my biggest problem for my greatest good. Even when I'm in pain, I can look beyond it and trust that God is in control. The apostle Paul said it like this, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:16–17 NLT). In summary: Life is not random or unplanned, but that God uses every experience—both the good and the bad—to shape my life into something meaningful. While not everything that happens is God's perfect will, God permits certain things, including suffering and evil, and then uses them for good. God is an expert at bringing good from bad, For example Paul’s imprisonment and Jesus’ crucifixion, where negative circumstances led to positive outcomes. He encourages believers to trust that even in pain, God is in control and is using our struggles to produce lasting glory. Ultimately, my faith through trials will lead to joy and honor when Christ is revealed.

Sometimes the Change Is Gradual

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says, “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (NLT)

I need more power than just willpower in my life. I need God’s power.

The fruit of the Spirit is the qualities that God puts in my life when the Holy Spirit lives in me: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT).

How does God produce that fruit in my life? Not by willpower. I could go out and say, “I’m going to be a more patient person!” but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work.

The Holy Spirit has to grow it on the inside. I try to say, “I’m going to be more patient. I’m going to be more loving.” It’s like tying some oranges on a eucalyptus tree and calling it an orange tree. It doesn’t work that way. The fruit of the Spirit can only come from the inside—God’s Spirit living through me.

How does the Holy Spirit work in my life? The answer is gradually: “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT).

When God wants to make a mushroom, he takes six hours. When God wants to make an oak tree, he takes 60 years. The question is: Do I want my life to be a mushroom or an oak tree?

I didn’t collect my hurts, habits, and hang-ups overnight. The things I most want to change usually develop in me over years. I’ve got to peel that onion one layer at a time.

The Holy Spirit works within me to make me gradually more and more like him. My character is the sum total of my habits. My responsibility is to develop new habits that reflect his work in me.

By gazing at the nature of God with an unveiled mind, I can be more like him. In the Good News, I see that truth about Christ, and it transforms me morally as I understand and apply it. Through learning about Christ's life, I can understand how wonderful God is and what he is really like. As my knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps me to change. Becoming Christlike is a progressive experience. 

Spiritual Growth Requires Change

In Galatians 5:22-23 it says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (ESV)

God’s purpose in every change of my life is to make me more like Jesus.

The promise of Romans 8:28 is wonderful: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT). But it doesn’t make sense until I read the next verse: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son” (Romans 8:29 NLT).

God doesn’t just want me in his family. He also wants me to develop the family characteristics of a child of God. He wants me to grow spiritually. And my model for maturity is Jesus Christ.

So what is Jesus like? The best picture of Jesus’ character is the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (ESV).

God produces that kind of fruit in me by putting me in situations full of the exact opposite circumstances, where I get a chance to learn and practice these character qualities.

I don’t learn kindness when I’m around the nicest people; I don’t learn contentment when I have everything I want. So when God teaches me how to love, he doesn’t put me around people who are easy to love; he puts me around unlovable people.

Anybody can be happy when everything’s going their way. But God teaches me true joy in the middle of suffering and grief and heartbreak.

It’s easy to be peaceful when there is no struggle in life. When God teaches me peace, he’ll allow chaos and conflict in my life to teach me a peace that passes understanding.

How does God teach me patience? By placing me in a long line at the Department of Motor Vehicles or at a delayed doctor appointment. Anytime I have to wait, God is teaching me patience to make me more like Jesus. 

Change is not always easy, but the big and small ways I’m growing in spiritual maturity will make it worth it.

The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ's control. I can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help. If I want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in me, I must join my life to his. I must know him, love him, remember him, and imitate him. As a result, I will fulfill the intended purpose of the law, to love God and our neighbors. 

Which of these qualities do I need the Spirit to produce in me?