Growth into the image of Jesus Christ is a process, and it is a gift from the Spirit of God at work in us. Yet we are not passive in this process, we are to cooperate with the Spirit. We have been given several means of grace—things we can do that the Spirit frequently uses to help us to mature and deepen in our faith and our obedience. Two of these means are the reading of God's Word and prayer.

Both of these should be done with other believers—as we do in worship on Sunday—but they also are to be part of our daily lives as individuals and as families. No discipline is the same as godliness; only the Spirit can breathe life into these things. And yet we are most likely to grow in knowledge, godliness, and obedience when we make a solid habit of them.

Practices for Spiritual Formation