Immeasurably More 

At the beginning of the year, I had all the students line up, and one by one stand with their backs to the wall and have their height measured. A line on the wall represented how tall they stood in comparison to others in their class. Next to the line I wrote the student’s name and date. It is at the entry way to the room where they can see their progress. Some students have only two lines, one for the beginning and one for the end of the year. Other have more than two lines that were recording throughout the year at the student’s request. Some, you see, were more interested in details of their progress than others were. 

It’s not unlike what we have perhaps done in our homes. Parents will often designate a special place to do the same thing, usually in a common area with regular traffic. It is a physical reminder of growth of our stature. 

It’s fun to do something like this because we can step back from that wall and see tangible evidence of our physical growth. It is a record, represented in units of measurement of the heights we have gained. 

There is no ruler on earth to measure spiritual growth. There is no diet craze, nor vitamin supplement, nor physical exercise that can promote our spiritual growth. In our bible classes, we talked at length about how spiritual growth can be measured, and it comes partly with the cooperation of others. We all can contribute to the spiritual growth of each other as illustrated in Scripture by the progress of walking. Since it is spiritual growth we are talking about, I call attention to Galatians 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” 

The growth of Christ is recorded in Scripture: 

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52, NIV) 

Spiritual leadership is not a complicated things learned only by biblical scholars with a university degree. It is simply identifying mile markers in another person’s spiritual journey and helping them make it to the next step of their spiritual maturity. On the road of life, you may be the person to which another has been led to be the encouragement they need to press onward. You might be the light in a dark place. And, maturity will be seen by its fruits. 

2 Peter 1:5-8, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

There is in fact a ruler that we have to put our lives against and measure where we stand. It’s called the “Canon” of Scripture. “Canon” literally means “measuring rod.” How does your life measure against the rule of God’s Word? We should be just as interested in the progress of our spiritual growth as young people are of their physical growth. Against the rule of Scripture the heights of your growing potential are immeasurable. 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV) 

I like the KJV, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” 

 Lord willing, I will be present with you at your high school graduation. I will see much taller people. More than that, it is God’s desire, and mine, that the witness of your spiritual maturity will be just as evident as you let God do immeasurably more with you.