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This keeps me growing - Kristie
Sermon Summary
Kristie teaches that what keeps us growing spiritually is first thinking about our thinking, allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our minds to be more like Christ’s. And second, focusing our attention and life on Jesus as our true priority, so that everything else follows in His way.
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Drawing on Ephesians 4 and John 15, Kristie urges sustained spiritual growth through a disciplined reorientation of the mind toward Christ. Growth begins with metacognition: noticing how thoughts form and then intentionally inviting the mind of Christ to reshape desires, priorities, and habits. Using the Mary-and-Martha episode, the address contrasts "Christie" thinking—efficiency, self-provision, preoccupation with tasks—with "Christ" thinking that chooses presence with Jesus and concern for others as the organising centre of daily life. Practical discipleship is proposed, not as quick fixes but as steady practices: greeting God at daybreak, soaking in Scripture to see Christ’s contours, and cultivating a brief pause to invite the Spirit into choices and conversations.
Concrete metaphors—riding a motorbike, choosing a parking spot, steering toward a destination—illustrate the biblical claim that vision shapes motion: eyes set on Jesus will cause the soul to follow. The call is not for moral perfection but for proximity; holiness is framed as nearness to God, which gradually makes right action less strenuous and more natural. Abiding in the vine remains the anchor: where branches remain joined to Christ, fruitfulness, protection, and joy follow. The address closes with an appeal to adopt small, repeatable habits that rewire attention, so the life that appears outwardly as service and work is inwardly rooted in relationship and love.
Key Takeaways
Think about your thinking:
Careful observation of one’s own thought patterns creates space for the Spirit to intervene. This is not mere self-analysis but a spiritual practice: recognising habitual impulses, tracing their origins, and inviting Christ to reframe long-standing narratives. When thought becomes an object of prayerful attention, decisions shift from reactive impulses to choices aligned with gospel priorities.
2. Turn your head toward Jesus:
Attention directs trajectory; what the eyes fixate on is where the soul will steer. Choosing to look at Jesus in the small moments — not just during formal devotion — reorders competing desires and reshapes practical priorities. This turn is often subtle and ordinary, but repeated acts of orientation compound into a life increasingly formed by Christlike concerns.
3. Practice the pause regularly:
A brief pause before speaking or deciding invites the Holy Spirit into otherwise habitual responses. That microsecond of surrender can interrupt reactive patterns and allow a different, wiser trajectory to be chosen. Over time, the pause becomes a spiritual reflex that protects relationships and advances kingdom-minded choices.
4. Abide in Christ’s love:
Closeness to Christ is the means and measure of holiness; intimacy precedes transformation. Remaining in the vine produces fruit, resilience in trial, and a joy that is not merely circumstantial. Rather than striving for a checklist of behaviours, the priority is sustained communion that naturally yields righteousness and compassion.
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