I felt something special just being in that house.
A couple of summers ago Libby and I were visiting some friends in another area of the country and we were staying overnight with them. I first met the man who lived there years ago. He was a dedicated dad, but he was also a driven, intense, sometimes angry, alcohol and drug abusing man. I guess that smoking a ton of weed each day mellowed him somewhat, but he was still very intense.
After becoming friends he began to attend the church I served, and I had the privilege of watching him become a follower of Christ. And now I was back in his home.
As I took our things to the room where we would sleep I suddenly was aware of this wonderful sense of peace and blessing. I don’t know if you have ever felt that in someone’s home. I’ve been in many fine homes that are warm and welcoming, but this one made my spiritual blood pressure go down and produced an irresistible sigh of knowing that God was there. And I thought to myself, “Godly people live here.”
What a change I had seen over the years in this person’s life. It was amazing what he and his wife had become.
This Sunday I will be speaking about Growing, really about becoming what God had in mind for us. Colossians 3:10 says that God is renewing us in his image. Romans 8:29 says that God is conforming us to the image of Christ.
Here’s the deal – God accepts us as we are, but God doesn’t leave us like we are. And what we become is amazing.
It’s easier to see this becoming in others than it is in ourselves.
But, Sunday I will talk about the Three Ways We Grow. I will also identify the Passion Killers that threaten our growth.
Have you ever thought about what has best helped you grow?
What has helped you grow in your experience with God?
What has been a Passion Killer?