Incubator

In the first chapter of the book of 1st Peter, he shares about the hope that we have in Christ and His salvation, writing this:
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.

Two words here - process and progress.  We recognize that we are on a journey, and more than likely, it will not always be a smooth one; we will face challenges to our faith, but God has a purpose - so that we may grow.  The Bible teaches that He is conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.  And, He has set us on a path on which He makes spiritual growth possible.  We have the ultimate goal of transitioning from this life to the next, having been saved and continuing here on earth to be set apart for His glory, until we are taken into heaven.

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I think it is important that we adopt the attitude that we all want to be found faithful to the Lord and
moving in a positive direction in our spiritual life. Philippians 2 provides these words:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We have talked on The Meeting House about how God is working in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and how our change of routine and perhaps more available time can be leveraged for the purpose of prayer and spiritual growth.

And, just a couple of weeks ago, Pew Research released a survey that shows some positive signs.  According to the survey summary:

One-quarter of U.S. adults overall (24%) say their faith has become stronger because of the coronavirus pandemic, while just 2% say their faith has become weaker. The majority say their faith hasn’t changed much (47%) or that the question isn’t applicable because they were not religious to begin with (26%).

Now, those are the stats "overall," including those who are not religious.  When we focus in on just those self-identifying as Christians, the numbers become even more encouraging, with 56% of Protestants "in the historically black tradition" and 42% of evangelicals saying they had experienced spiritual growth during the Coronavirus crisis.

Those who may have already had a propensity to practice their religious faith apparently have grown spiritually, with 46% of those attending religious services at least once or twice a month saying they have been strengthened in their faith.  

This has occurred even though in-person worship, by and large, had ceased.  The Pew summary states:

Indeed, among U.S. adults who say they typically attend religious services at least once or twice a month, just 3% say their congregation is still holding in-person services. The vast majority (91%) say their congregation has closed its religious services to the public, and 5% say they do not know what their congregation has done.

Out of American adults who say they attend church at least once a month, 82% indicated that their church offered some sort of online or televised content.  Nine out of ten evangelicals responded that this was the case for them.

In these unusual times, we can find that the chamber of isolation has become an incubator of spiritual growth.  We recognize that God wants to grow Godly character in us - He will use a variety of components to accomplish His purposes.  It may be the fire of affliction or perhaps the pressure of persecution.  But, through it all, we can be confident in Him that He has a desired outcome.

So, we can identify and take advantage of opportunities to grow.  We don't have to have trouble in our lives to grow spiritually.  But, we also have to be careful not to become caught up in self-reliance when things are going well.  God desires for us to have a consistent walk, incorporating solid spiritual practices in our lives so that, in good or bad, we are rooted in Him and growing in the Lord.

The Scriptures tell us to "work out" our salvation - that doesn't say to work for our salvation, as it's been pointed out, no, we can work it out like a muscle or like we might "work out" in the sense of physical exercise.  If we are not working out with exercise, it has implications on our physical health. Likewise, if we are not studying and applying the Word of God, our spiritual health is affected.