Winter is on the way. Summer is on the way. Both statements are correct. It all depends whether or not one lives above or below the equator. There is one thing we do know, for God has declared that ”while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

In one of our hymns we sing, ”Change is our portion now.” Everything about us is changing, the seasons come and go, the sun rises every morning and sets every evening. We are used to these changes, yet changes come so slowly that we cannot observe them with the eye. We can stare at the hour hand of our watch and never see it move, yet it does. We may say that our children are growing like weeds, yet we cannot see them grow, nor can we sit in our garden and watch the weeds grow.

How do we measure changes that come so slowly that we cannot see them with our eyes? More importantly, how do we direct our lives so that the changes that take place, though they may take place so slowly that we cannot see them, are for better and not for worse. We are changing even if we can’t see it. It is happening and we need to make sure that we are changing in the right direction.

The way to measure change that comes slowly is to measure where we are now in comparison to where we were six months or a year ago. Some parents make a mark with the date along side of it on the back of a door to measure the growth. How can we be sure that we are growing in the truth? How do we know if our faith is stronger or weaker now then it was this time last year?

We can each give ourselves a little test. We can ask ourselves three questions to mark our progress, if any, during the last six months to a year. What do we know about living the truth today that we did not know just a year ago? What have we learned about understanding the truth that we did not know just a year ago? What have we learned about teaching the truth to others that we did not know just a year ago? If we have trouble answering these questions in a positive way, then that is telling us something. If there is no measurable change in these things in the last year, will there be in the next? If we cannot see any spiritual growth in these directions in the last year, what makes us think there will be some in the next year unless we consciously begin a program of positive change in the right direction?

In order to grow in the right direction, we need to consciously set ourselves goals that will lead us in the right direction. There are some things that we can do that will help us grow in those three ways all at once. For example, more faithful Bible reading will help us live the truth, will help us understand the truth and will help us know how to teach others. If we don’t understand something we certainly cannot teach it to others and it is very hard to teach the truth if we are not personally living it. So more concentrated Bible study will certainly be a way to help us grow. In addition to the daily Bible readings, why not pick a book of the Bible to study in depth? There are many teaching aids in the ecclesial libraries. Pick up a book, pick a virtue such as love or peace, hope or joy, pick a person such as Paul, Nehemiah, or Peter and really get to know them. It will affect our lives and our thinking, for the better.

If our right arm is no stronger this year than it was last year, it is because we have not gone on an exercise program to build up the muscles in our right arm. It will not get stronger until we decide to do something. The same is true of our spiritual strength. We are changing, like it or not. Let us make sure that we are growing stronger in the faith and closer to God.

Just recently in our daily readings we heard God say to King Asa, ”The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” Let’s hope we did not miss doing our readings that day for that is a powerful lesson we would not want to miss. It is true today as it was when the King first heard it. Let us each resolve that we will seek Him. If we do, we will find Him for that is His promise to us.