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This keeps me growing - Sandy
Sermon Summary
Sandy encourages us to live our spiritual journey as a continuous, sometimes bumpy, process of abiding in God’s love through practices like journaling, community, and remembering who we are in Christ, so that we grow in love and faithfulness each day.
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Sandy draws a line from a simple morning image—a sunflower turning toward the sun—to a theology of spiritual formation rooted in memory, practice, and love. She insists that growth is not a one-off conversion but a wilderness journey: an in-between season where identity, community, and obedience are formed. Journaling and other concrete practices (Sabbath, reciting scripture, communal rhythms) serve as means of remembering who God is, who God’s people are, and what God is making them into. These practices do not earn God’s affection; rather, grace supplies the power to engage in disciplined effort. The life of faith is portrayed as active participation—reciting the Shema, celebrating festivals, shaping calendars—to keep the heart focused on God and others.
Scripture anchors the argument: the Exodus narrative maps the trajectory from slavery to promised land as an image of rescue, formation, and destiny. John 15 reframes the goal as abiding in love—living in the location of God’s affection so that joy may be complete and love for neighbour flows naturally. Community appears both as the setting where love is practised and the mirror that reveals pride, envy, and hidden desires; honesty within community and the habit of writing truthfully about inner life become instruments of repentance and restoration. Testimonies about journaling show it exposing distortions, cultivating gratitude, and preserving highlights that otherwise vanish into discouragement.
A robust pastoral theology emerges: God has given all that is needed for life and godliness—promises, practices, and community—and believers are called to “make every effort” to support faith. Spiritual disciplines are framed practically: choose two to four habits suited to one’s season, embed them in daily rhythms, and let them shape calendars and conversations. The final invitation is reflective: do believers truly believe that love for others springs only after experiencing God’s love? The urgency is pastoral and practical—practice remembering, practice abiding, and practice loving—so that the pilgrim journey toward fullness becomes a lived apprenticeship in divine love.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Be like the sunflower:
Keeping gaze fixed on the true source simplifies spiritual life: distraction fragments devotion and produces anxiety; a fixed orientation cultivates coherence of heart and purpose. The discipline of fixity—through prayer, scripture, or a daily habit—rewires attention so that temptations lose their novelty and grace becomes visible in ordinary moments. This is not moralism but a training of perception to see God’s presence in the small and the ordinary.
- 2. Wilderness forms identity and community:
The in-between of the wilderness is where a people learn who they are: freed from an old system, learning covenantal habits, and forming mutual dependence. Hard seasons disclose idols, shape desires, and teach obedience that a single conversion cannot produce. Treat the wilderness as a classroom where memory practices and shared rituals teach a new way of living together.
- 3. Grace empowers steady effort:
Grace is not opposed to work; it is the strength by which faithful effort becomes possible without turning into performance. Spiritual disciplines are means of enjoying God’s love, not bargaining chips to obtain it; effort shapes character when sustained by the Spirit. Choose practices that fit the season and let grace multiply the return on faithful investments.
- 4. Abide in love, practice community:
Abiding is about location—making home in God’s love so love becomes the grammar of action toward others. Community both reveals selfishness and offers repentance, forgiveness, and growth; honest practices like journaling surface illusions and invite healing. Love learned in solitude must be tested and deepened in relationships where mercy is practised.
Daily Hope Devotionals
Day 1: Remembering Our Identity and Home in God
Scripture:
Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202%3A19-22&version=NIV
Devotional:
The journey of faith begins with remembering who we are in God and where our true home lies. It's a profound truth that we are not adrift but anchored in Him and connected with one another. This foundational understanding shapes our identity and reminds us of the common ground we share as we are continually being transformed by His grace. Resting in this truth allows us to live from a place of security and belonging.
Reflection:
How do you think or feel about your identity as a beloved child of God and that you belong to His household?
What praise can you offer God as you rest in this truth?
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, that my home is in You and with other believers. Help me to remember who I am in You and to trust in who You are growing me into. Speak to me by Your Spirit today. Amen.
Day 2: Abiding in God's Love, Like a Sunflower
Scripture:
John 15:9-10 (NIV)
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015%3A9-10&version=NIV
Just as a sunflower consistently turns its face towards the sun, we are invited to orient our lives towards God's love. This intentional focus helps us avoid distractions and remain rooted in His presence. Abiding in Christ means making our home in His love, allowing it to be the constant location of our being. This deep connection ensures our joy is full and complete, as we live out His commandment to love one another.
Reflection:
What is one practical way you can intentionally turn your focus towards God's love today?
How can you allow God's love to be the primary orientation of your thoughts and actions?
Prayer:
Lord, help me to fix my eyes on You alone, like the sunflower faces the sun. Keep me from distractions and help me to seek Your light and love every day. Amen.
Day 3: Cultivating Gratitude: Shifting Our Focus
Scriptures:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205%3A16-18&version=NIV
Devotional:
In the midst of life's challenges, cultivating a practice of gratitude can profoundly shift our perspective. By intentionally reflecting on the goodness of God, even in the small things—a bird, a flower, a sunset—we are reminded of His faithfulness. This practice helps us move from negative thinking to positive thinking, recognising that God fills our lives with beauty and joy. It's a powerful way to acknowledge His presence and provision in every moment.
Reflection:
Identify three specific moments from the last week, no matter how small, where you sensed God's goodness or faithfulness.
Acknowledge them now and notice how this shifts your perspective.
Prayer:
Thank You, God, for the many blessings You give me each day, big and small. Help me to see Your goodness in all things and to live a life full of gratitude. Amen.
Day 4: Navigating the Wilderness: Our "In-Between" Journey
Scripture:
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208%3A24-25&version=NIV
Devotional:
Our spiritual journey often feels like a "bumpy ride," a wilderness experience between salvation and the promised fullness of heaven. This "in-between" stage is a time for growth, for shedding old ways, and for deepening our relationship with God. It's where we learn obedience and discover who we are becoming as children of God. Though challenging, this journey is essential for our spiritual formation, moving us towards the abundance and joy that awaits.
Reflection:
What is one aspect of your character that God has refined or deepened through a wilderness experience?
What do you sense He is refining or deepening in you right now?
Prayer:
Thank You Lord that You are with me in the wilderness, in this in-between place where I often feel uncertain and restless. Help me to remember who I am in You, even when the path is bumpy and the promised land seems far away. Teach me to live in love, to abide in Your presence, and to trust that You are shaping me through every step of this journey. Amen.
Day 5: The Shema: Loving God with All Your Being
Scripture:
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (NIV)
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%206%3A4-7&version=NIV
Devotional:
The ancient command to "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (the Shema) remains a powerful practice for us today. It's an invitation to integrate our love for God into every aspect of our lives—our thoughts, actions, and deepest affections. This command, reiterated by Jesus, also implicitly calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves, making it a holistic practice of devotion and relationship.
Reflection:
Considering the Shema, what is one specific area of your life—be it your thoughts, daily activities, or relationships—where you could more intentionally express your love for God with "all your heart, soul, and might" this week?
Prayer:
Lord, help me to remember daily that You are my God and that loving You is not just words but a way of living, a practice I carry with me in everything I do. May I keep Your commands in my heart, teach them to those around me, and let them shape my thoughts and actions, so that my love for You overflows into love for others. Amen.
Day 6: Growing in Godliness
Scripture:
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these, he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%201%3A3%E2%80%934&version=NIV
Devotional:
God has given us everything we need to live a life that pleases Him. In 2 Peter 1:3–8, we are reminded that through knowing God—who calls us by His own glory and goodness—we receive His precious promises. These promises empower us to escape the corruption of the world and to participate in His divine nature. This means God equips us not just to believe but to grow in faith and godliness.
Reflection:
What spiritual practices can you commit to that will help you grow in faith and godliness?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving me everything I need to live a godly life. Help me to make every effort to grow in faith and love. Teach me to abide in Your love daily and to live it out in my relationships. Use the spiritual practices You have given me to keep my heart focused on You. Amen.
Day 7: Growing in God's Character
Scriptures:
2 Peter 1:5-8
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%201%3A5-8&version=NIV
The qualities Peter describes are not just nice ideas; they are the building blocks of a fruitful and effective Christian life. God has already given us everything we need to live this life of godliness but it’s up to us to work at it. Grace is not opposed to effort; rather, grace empowers us to grow. We don’t earn God’s love by trying harder, but we do enjoy His love more fully when we practice spiritual disciplines that help us abide in Him.
Reflection:
Which of these qualities are you putting in effort to develop? How will you measure growth?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving me everything I need to grow in faith and godliness. Help me to make every effort to live a life that reflects Your love. Teach me to abide in You daily, and fill me with Your Spirit so that I may bear fruit that blesses others. Amen.
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