Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!! I hope that your day was special yesterday! I know from my own experience, that we often don’t give our moms enough credit for all they do for us.

So, I hope that you have been thinking and praying about your own spiritual growth this week. I know I have! I met with my personal coach last Monday at 5:30 in the morning (he lives in the Czech Republic where he serves as a missionary–thank you Skype!) and this was one of the topics we discussed. I have also talked to my wife and some of my fellow Centurions about spiritual growth. Before I proceed, I think it is important for me to say what spiritual growth is NOT before I go any further.

Spiritual growth is not something we can manipulate. It will not happen just because we have a plan. The reason is that when it comes to matters of the Spirit–He will move how He moves. We cannot dictate to the Spirit. A checklist does not constitute growth. So, why should we have a plan then? I believe the answer to that is that we can–through daily spiritual disciplines–prepare our hearts and minds to be in alignment with the Holy Spirit. We are all busy people who read this blog. We all have 100 things that we can be doing. In my experience, what having a plan for growth has done is to always center in me what THE most important thing is in my day. It is not a meeting at work, it is not a meeting at church, it is not even spending time with my wife (though that is the second most important thing to me!) It is meeting and spending time with the God of the universe who wants to have a relationship with ME! It is a disciplined set of times where I will make sure that Jesus is getting the place in my life that He deserves. I know that we are to pray without ceasing so all of my day should be in relationship with Him, but the truth is–I am not there yet. But I strive to be which is why I have a plan! Don’t we always plan out what we are striving for? We never will hit a target that we aren’t aiming at.

I want to say something else about a Spiritual Growth Plan. It should not be a guilt thing if you don’t make progress on it everyday. There will be days that you don’t get done what you wanted to get done. Don’t let guilt ruin your next day because you think now you have to do twice as much to make up for it. Remember that it is about a relationship with Christ–not a checklist of things to do. If you miss a day–or more–just pick-up from where you are on your plan and go from there. Don’t let Satan use guilt to keep you from spending time with God.

Here is your challenge for the week! If you would like to see my Spiritual Growth Plan just let me know and I will send it to you by email. Better yet, if you would like to share your plan with me we can help hold each other accountable. I know that I need accountability! Life moves very fast and I need people around me that aren’t afraid to tell me when I am getting off course! I do encourage you to share your plan with someone. Real power comes from sharing your journey with someone else, it will also help you stick to it!

More to come…
Jeremy