Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic. It’s gradual and progressive.

God wants you to build up, motivate, and inspire other people. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Encourage one another and help one another.” How do you do that?

God didn’t put you on this planet to mark things off your to-do list. He put you here to learn to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. But what does that really mean, and how do you do it?

The Bible says you should take time to review your life: “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith”

All of us have unused abilities. Maybe you are still figuring out what your God-given abilities are. Or maybe you have abilities you’ve abandoned or ignored because of life circumstances.

When you know what you’re shaped to be, then you know what you ought to be, and you can start focusing on that and make better use of your life.

No matter what you’ve been told by someone in your life or by culture or by the lies Satan puts in your head, you are infinitely precious to God.

God planned every single day of your life. Before you took your first breath, God knew everything that would ever happen to you.

There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it. But this kind of thinking allows you to be manipulated by your moods—making you live according to your feelings.

Just before Jesus died on the cross, he said, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28 NIV). That moment shows his humanity, that Jesus was God living among us as a man.