We enter into a process of spiritual development when we become Christians: similar in many respects to entering into the metamorphosis of the different stages of growth and development. However, we are eternal creatures. The choices we make have consequences that ripple into eternity. God created us in His image, and wants us to mature to become like Him; we are not mere mortals. That truth is expressed beautifully by C. S. Lewis:

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.

The end product of what we shall be does not happen on this side of eternity, but that we move through the stages of spiritual growth and development is what God desires. Truly there are no ordinary people.

God invites us to collaborate with Him because He wants to make us sons and daughters after the image of Jesus. Jesus did not live His entire life on earth as an infant. He grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

The Apostle Paul charges us to “Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” I do not believe Paul is saying that we have to earn God’s favor by doing good deeds, but I do think he is asserting that when we become Christians, the expectation is that we mature in our spiritual lives. That “working out” process is collaboration with God: an apprenticeship to become creatures in Christ’s likeness. This is important because, “Our souls are restless until they rest in God,” as St. Augustine so aptly said. When we come to faith in Jesus, we are reborn as “new creatures.” St Paul makes this very clear: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” As new creatures, we do not automatically evolve into mature spiritual beings; we enter into a journey of spiritual transformation. We do have a choice: free will. If we choose not to participate we can become a horror and a corruption such as we now meet, only in a nightmare.  

It is through spending time with God in His Word that He speaks to us: His Word is His voice to us. We spend time with God by making a commitment to set aside a time daily. An excellent bookmark-size pamphlet entitled, Seven Minutes with God—How to plan a daily Quiet Time briefly outlines a great starting place. Starting small is a realistic beginning.

If we intend to run a marathon, we would begin training by learning how to pace ourselves; the training would include muscle strengthening exercises and developing stamina. In the same way by spending time with God on a regular basis, we build spiritual muscle and stamina toward the goal of spiritual transformation.

In preparation for the marathon of our spiritual journey, we need to be a life student of Jesus; His apprentices. An apprentice is an individual who is bound by a contract to a teacher to learn. God’s goal for our spiritual marathon is that we become “everlasting splendors.” It is serious business because this life is a dress rehearsal for eternity. There is no short cut to spiritual development. For each of us the process is different. For all of us, however, the transformation change that happens on that journey is contingent upon our choice to spend time with God.

God has a plan for your spiritual life. I encourage you to begin by spending seven minutes a day with God. For some it may be easy to do that with a cup of coffee before your day begins. For others that time may be best carved out during or at the end of a day. What is most important is that we begin somewhere. I pray that you would desire to formulate a plan to spend time with Jesus, because He wants to change your life into an everlasting splendor.

May the peace of the Lord be with you!