measure this

We live in a society where we need to measure things. That is why we have report cards in school, performance reviews & lists to work from. That is why we time our races. That is why we have a scale in the bathroom. We need to know if we are doing "better".

I had a conversation with someone that asked "how do you know if you are growing spiritually" I thought that was a great question. I started to think about that and here is what I came up with. 

Galatians 5:22 talks about "fruit of the Spirit" - it consists of peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. 

If we are growing in our relationship with Christ, we will be growing in these areas. Granted, some of these areas may be a little more challenging to measure than others but we can at least use these as areas to focus on in our lives. 

Do you have more peace in your life? Do you have more joy in your life? Are you finding yourself more patient when you used to explode? Are you being more kind to people who may not deserve? Are you doing more good than you used to? Are you gentle in your actions and your words? Do you find yourself having more faith and less worry? Are you able to visibly see self control in areas of bad habits, language towards others and in your personal health and finances? Do you find yourself showing love when you don't have any reason to?

That my friend is Spiritual growth. 

My point: we can measure pretty much everything else, why not spiritual growth. This is a way to look at your life compared to the qualities & characteristics that the Bible says you should demonstrate. You may not like what you see, but you can't plead ignorance anymore. 

Feel free to agree or disagree. If you disagree, how do YOU measure spiritual growth. I am open to learn

I am going to practice self-control and go to bed so I can get up early & workout...