Growth is something we all strive for. Whether physical, mental, or spiritual, growth is a natural desire we have as humans.
Physical and mental growth are relatively easy to measure. You can see how much someone has grown in height or how far they have progressed in their lives. But spiritual growth is harder to quantify.
Our innermost selves are involved in the process of spiritual growth. Spiritual growth simply pertains to our souls. When we are confronted with adversities, we are constantly growing and changing spiritually, as we’re typically calling His name and mercy.
Just like physical and mental growth, spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, patience, and effort. But it is worth it because as we grow closer to God, our lives are transformed for the better. We can do this by praying, reading the Bible, and attending church frequently. Doing so enriches our spirits and helps us grow closer to God. As the Bible says, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness,” Colossians 2:7.
If you are looking for guidance on your spiritual journey, the Bible is a great place to start. Many scriptures can be used to aid your spiritual development. You can achieve it by devoting your time to reading the all-time favorite Bible verses we have compiled for you.
15 Bible Verses About Growth and What They Mean
1. 1 Samuel 2:26
“And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people.”
This verse tells us that growth is something that happens gradually over time. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes years of patience and care. Even physical growth occurs slowly; we don’t just wake up one day and be fully grown adults. The same is valid for mental and spiritual growth. We must put in the time and effort to grow our knowledge and faith. So, we must be patient and trust that God works in our lives, even when we can’t see it.
2. 2 Peter 3:18
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
This verse says that as Christians, we should grow our knowledge, obedience, and love for Jesus Christ for lifetime. By allowing them to grow, we would better understand His will for our lives. When we grow our love for Jesus, we are more motivated to obey Him. And as we obey Him, we could follow His commands gracefully.
3. Hebrews 6:1
“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,”
The word “maturity” in this verse means “full growth.” In other words, as Christians, we are constantly growing up. We are not bound to remain childlike in our faith, yet mature in living with righteousness to become more Christlike. To do this, we must first lay a foundation of repentance from sin and faith in God. Once we accomplish them, we can be fully grown up in living a moral life that leads us to eternity.
4. Jeremiah 12:2
You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.”
Just like plants, growth takes time. You have to be patient and allow things to take their course. There will be times when you feel like you’re not making any progress, but if you keep at it, eventually, you will see results.
While we are in the process of growing, we must ask God for strength and guidance. He is the one who can help us overcome obstacles and become better people. With and through Him, we can achieve anything.
5. Luke 8:14-15
“14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
To grow, we need to be willing to do the work and not give up when things get tough. These verses remind us that it’s not just enough to hear God’s word; we need to retain it and live it out. This way, we can produce a crop that glorifies God. This crop can be anything from good works to sharing our faith with others.
6. 1 Peter 2:2-3
“2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
This means that as Christians, we are called to grow in our faith and knowledge of God by consuming His Words like milk denoting purity. To do this, we must be diligent in our pursuit of Him. The Bible is an excellent source of wisdom and guidance, and it can help us to grow our relationship with God that pleases Him.
7. Colossians 1:9-10
“9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”
Part of our growth is dependent on our actions. We are to grow in knowledge and wisdom so that we can live a life that is pleasing to God. There are many ways we can grow spiritually, but it is essential to remember that our growth should be based on God’s Word.
Here are a few things we can do to help us grow spiritually:
- Read the Bible daily and apply its morals to our lives.
- Pray regularly, and ask God for wisdom and guidance.
- Seek godly counsel from elder Christians.
- Attend a Bible-believing church regularly.
- Serve others in love, and use your gifts and talents to build up the body of Christ.
8. Psalms 92:12-14
“12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,”
This verse tells us that the righteous will grow and flourish. This is because they are planted in the Lord’s kingdom and abide in His courts. When we are close to God, we will receive His blessings, and our growth will be evident to others.
It is important to remember that our growth is not just physical but spiritual as well. To grow spiritually, we need to be close to God and allow Him to work in our lives. When we do this, we will be like a tree planted by the river of His presence and bear fruit every season.
9. 2 Peter 1:5-8
“5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 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.”
As we grow up, we become more mature. We add to our faith and become better people. We become more self-controlled, persevere through difficult times, and grow our love for others. All these things make us more effective in transforming our lives into what God wants us to be.
10. Ephesians 4:13-16
“13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead of speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
This passage speaks to the need for growth in knowledge and unity. As we grow in our understanding of Christ, we become more mature and can withstand false teaching. We also grow closer to harmony with other believers as we learn more about what we have in common.
This passage also shows that growth is not something that happens instantaneously but is a gradual process. We build ourselves in love as we learn and grow more each day.
11. Ephesians 4:20-24
“20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
We will all go through the growth stage where we “put off” our old selves. What does that mean? It means to forget the things of our past that led us astray. To put off our old selves also means changing our attitude. So, we must eliminate any negative thoughts and ways of thinking that hold us back. This process takes time, but it is worth it to grow our relationship with God.
12. Proverbs 1:1-5
“1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; 3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—”
This verse says that if you want to be wise, you should be teachable with the morals and wisdom of elders as they already experienced and learned from it. This is especially important for young people who need guidance to make good decisions and avoid regrets. Thus, we should set aside our ego and make daily reflections that will help us discern sound results.
13. 1 Timothy 4:11-15
“11 Command and teach these things. 12Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.”
Progress is significant to God. In the Bible, He commands us not to let anyone look down on us because we are young. We must set an example for others in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. This is how we progress as Christians – by living out our faith and sharing the gospel with others.
No matter what stage of life we are in, God wants us to grow. He has gifted us with unique talents and abilities and calls us to use them for His glory. When we do this, we can have confidence that He will work through us to accomplish His purposes.
14. 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
“6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God can bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.9As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
Growing in righteousness is something that we all must strive for. The Bible tells us that God will bless us abundantly if we give generously. We should all remember this as we strive to grow in our faith and righteousness.
Our righteousness will also help us grow because it endures forever. What a great reminder that our relationship with God is not based on what we have done in the past but on our willingness to grow in His righteousness.
15. 1 Corinthians 3:2-8
“2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? 5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.”
This verse tells us that God makes things grow. We may plant the seeds and water them, but it is God who causes them to grow. This is an important reminder for us, because sometimes we can become so focused on our efforts that we forget that God ultimately blesses our work. We need to trust Him and His timing, even when it doesn’t make sense to us. This way, we can be confident that He will ultimately bring about His desired results. Knowing that we can trust God with the growth process is comforting.
Bottom Line
Growing in Christlikeness might be challenging as it requires time, energy, and effort. But take note that the rewards are great. When we develop our relationship with God, we become more like Him. And as we become more like Him, we experience His joy, peace, and love. So let’s not give up! Let’s keep growing in our faith until we reach our full potential in Christ and live for eternity.
