Scripture: Ephesians 4:15-16 (The Message)
God wants us to grow up, healing to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Thought for the Day: So much of the story of Jesus is about spiritual growth. I think that’s because we need to be constantly reminded that our lives are a process, but it’s easy to get stuck. After we make a little spiritual progress, it’s easy to say, “Wow, that was great! I’m done!” But the truth is we should never become complacent about learning more—about everything. We should always be seeking to expand our minds and consciousness. For me, that’s the entire point of living—to expand my knowledge of, well, everything.

Of course, it’s good to take a breather now and then. After all, we’re not running a sprint. Life is a marathon. We need an occasional pause to deeply grok the new knowledge we’ve acquired. It takes intention to contemplate our spiritual unity with God and each other. But it feels so nice to take a break, to sit in the shade and sip a lemonade, that often we forget we’re still in the marathon. We sit there, stuck.

Jesus reminds us we need to continue our journeys, so that every day we grow a little more understanding of each other, our intimate relationship with God, and the powerful, wonderful, enlightening changes that come through constantly seeking deeper understanding of life, the universe, and everything.

Prayer: Teach me your secrets, God who is the universe. Tap me on the shoulder when I stay in one place too long. Open my mind when it’s closed. Feed me knowledge, Holy Teacher, so I can help bring about a kinder, gentler, more curious world. Amen.