You can become like Jesus. You are not stuck where you are.
Faith is a journey where we keep growing and changing. As we learn more about God we begin to become more like Jesus. This slow change helps us live with more love, hope, and kindness. We don’t need to have all the answers right away. What matters is being curious, asking questions, and being open to how God might be shaping us every day. This week, we’ll explore how learning helps us grow closer to God and become the people we’re made to be.
Mini-adventures
Pick one of these challenges to try out this week. As you do it, pay attention to the ways in which God might show up.
- Start to learn a new skill this week - something small, just to practise being a learner. Notice how it feels.
- Try listening to some episodes of Christian podcasts. You can find some of our favourites here. They are very different; which one spoke to you most, and why?
Podcasts
Get talking
Learning is at the heart of following Jesus. We learn as we read the Bible, as we reflect on our experiences, and as we listen to God’s Spirit at work in us. The Bible gives us many pictures of how faith grows, but one of the most powerful is when Jesus describes himself as the vine. It’s an image full of life and movement: roots and branches, fruit and growth, and yes, even pruning. Because sometimes things need to be trimmed back so that more energy and sunshine can flow into what really matters: growing good fruit.
John 15:1-11 - Jesus, the vine
- Jesus used the picture of a vine and its branches to talk about staying connected. What helps you feel most “grounded” or “connected” in life?
- In gardening, pruning means cutting things away so the plant can grow better. Are there things in your own life that sometimes need “pruning back” — habits, routines, distractions?
- Fruit is a natural outcome of a healthy vine. What kind of “fruit” do you hope your life produces — qualities, actions, or legacies?
- How might God be inviting you to respond to this passage?
Get inspired
- What do you notice in this artwork?
- How does it make you feel?
Get deeper
Learning isn’t just about picking up facts or skills—it’s about growing and becoming more of who we’re meant to be. In fact, the whole Christian life is meant to be process of growing and changing. We call this sanctification. It’s the process of God working in us so we become more Christlike: loving God and loving our neighbour more and more each day. In this way, we learn to live in love, patience, kindness, and all the other qualities Jesus modelled. Learning and growing this way is part of God’s work in us, helping us become more fully ourselves and more like Jesus at the same time.
- Sanctification is being transformed by God’s love into Christ’s likeness; sometimes quickly, usually very slowly. What part of your character needs attention right now, and what steps might help it grow?
- The Spirit gives many gifts, but love is the greatest. How might growth in joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are help you also grow in love?
- God enables us to love like Jesus. Who or what currently makes it hard for you to show that kind of love, and how might you take a small step toward it?
Prayer
Loving God,
You are the Father who runs to meet us,
the Mother who embraces us with open arms.
Thank you for your boundless love and forgiveness,
even when we wander far from you.
Holy Spirit, guide us home.
Help us to return to you with open hearts,
and to celebrate when others do the same.
Teach us to love without judgment,
to forgive as we have been forgiven,
and to welcome all into your grace.
May we reflect your mercy in our lives,
and share the joy of your reign with everyone we meet.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.