This past Sunday as I was sitting in church feeling fairly distracted by the Palm Sunday festivities happening around me, my mind was wandering. I was thinking about the big events churches our churches have, as well as a conversation I had with some students from my high school community group the week prior. Which led me to thinking about spiritual growth and where it comes from. Which was the topic of that conversation. I thought back over my life and the times I’ve experienced real growth I came to realize that real growth happens in the daily grind and routine of regular Bible study and prayer. For me, the place I grow and feel most comfortable growing is in the over-sized chair in our spare bedroom where I have my daily time alone with God. It is in that place where I truly meet my Savior and have honest and real conversation with Him. It’s in that place where He speaks to me through His word, often surprising me or catching me off guard. It’s the place where I feel safe enough to let my guard completely down and come before Him openly, honestly as the broken person I am. The more I thought about it, I came to the realization that each morning as I begin that routine, I don’t go into it looking for anything other than God. In my experience that is where God meets me.

Before, I go any further, I feel like I need to make a disclaimer -I am NOT opposed to big events or churches planning and hosting them.  They are important, and vital to the furthering of God’s church. There is a ton of time, effort and money put into these events and they are often very successful. So please don’t read more into this writing than what it is meant to be- which is simply an observation that real spiritual growth does not happen at those events but in the day in and day routine and rhythm of spending time alone with God. In fact there are many weeks I look forward to going to church, be that on a Wednesday night or Sunday morning. When summer draws near I look forward to heading to camp with my students. Those are the important things and times and are often the catalyst needed to start the growth process. I know they have been for me. But I believe the that growth happens back at home through the daily discipline of spending time alone with God.

Coming to this understanding and realization it makes perfectly good sense why so many of us struggle to make time alone with God a priority in our lives. Enter the enemy we all have. Even he knows this is where real and lasting growth happens. 1 Peter 1:8 says “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”  You better believe that our enemy will do everything he can to get in the way of us spending quality time alone with God. He will distract and keep us from it using all kinds of things and people.  

There is a quote I read earlier this week from Alicia Britt Chloe that says it well “Proximity does not automate intimacy”. Intimacy is developed over time, consistent and alone time with just you and God. Take a look at John 15:1-8 provides a great analogy for this point: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

Just like branches can’t grow unless they are connected and nourished from the vine on a regular and consistent basis, never can we unless we are connected with Jesus and allow Him to provide us with the nourishment and pruning we need on a consistent and regular basis. We can’t expect to grow spiritually by just being near Jesus and going to church, camps, conferences, small groups, etc.. In order to truly grow spiritually you have to put in the daily time and effort to spend time with Him.

Why not try it? You won’t be disappointed!