I keep running into people who talk about their relationship with God like it’s a history lesson. It goes something like this: “God saved me twenty years ago... I met Jesus when I was eight... God changed my life back in college.” If that's the start of the story, great. But way too often, I've noticed, that’s the whole story. We treat spiritual transformation like a one-time event we just manage for the next five decades. The problem? Stagnation is not sanctification. There's a phrase in a song by Ben Rector that perfectly sums up where our spiritual lives need to be: “Healthy things grow and growing things change.” Think about that for a second. A healthy relationship with Jesus doesn’t just grow—it changes us. Sometimes in ways we’d rather avoid. Think of Nicodemus. He shows up at night, full of questions and fear. A few chapters later, he’s speaking up. By the end, he’s publicly caring for the body of Jesus. That’s not instant transformation. That’s slow, courageous, uncomfortable growth. God’s invitation isn’t just freedom from sin; it’s complete freedom that comes with holiness. It’s time to ask yourself: Are you hungry for more? In our latest article, Hunter Bethea wrote about hunger, courage, change, and why standing in the “kitchen” of what God is doing might be the invitation we’ve been missing. It’s not an invitation to do more, but to desire more. Ready to move your faith out of the past tense?

Posted by World Methodist Evangelism at 2025-11-25 20:15:00 UTC