Path to Spiritual Maturity Meeting #1 Recap

We have had our first Thursday Skype meeting, and for your convenience I have included a brief recap of some helpful things that were discussed. 

Where do I start on the "Path to Spiritual Maturity"?

*Begin by taking time to read, think, and pray through the "Preface to the User: Motivation to Grow" on the Path.

The most important thing is doing the right thing for the right reason. The motivation must be pursuing Christ out of love. The tools in the Pathway are meant to be used as an aid in pursuing Christ. God wants our hearts to honor Him, not simply outward obedience. So start there. Ask God to help your heart be in the right place. Ask Him to help you make Him the first priority in your life. If these instructions (or that preface) are confusing to you, begin by reading the articles in the Salvation category under the Foundations step. 

Then with your focus and priorities moving in the right direction, begin using the Assessment, the Bible reading, the Foundations categories, and the Application suggestions --as ways to grow in your relationship with God. (But don't forget, these are just tools in your relationship, they are not your relationship! Flowers, chocolate, doing the dishes, etc. are not my relationship with my wife, but I might use them as intentional ways of being considerate and caring for her within that relationship...)

See the next few posts for expanded discussions on an Overview of the program, Motivation, and The Bible Reading Plan. See also the individual posts for the 13 topic categories in the Foundations Pathway: 

1. Salvation 2. Assurance (of Salvation) 3. God (Trinity) 4. Prayer 5. Bible Study Methods 6. Baptism 7. Communion 8. The Church 9. Sexual Purity 10. Evangelism 11. Discipleship 12. Spiritual Gifts 13. Giving (Tithing)

Go and pursue Christ in all you do. Keep Him first, and if this pathway can be a help to you as a tool in doing that—then use it! This is our prayer and desire for it and for you.