Spiritual Report Card

Summer brings a special kind of beauty into the world. During the summer nature blossoms and provides our senses with many reminders of God’s handiwork. Summer is full of bright colors, melodic sounds, and flourishing nature. The sun shines brightly and provides the energy for nature’s growth. Plants and flowers grow due to the perfect conditions created by the bright sunshine for photosynthesis. Animals also thrive during the summer; they are at the peak of their activity and store this energy to survive fall and winter. The birds are actively breeding, nesting, finding nourishment and growing feathers which will keep them warm later in the year. While nature is busy, we humans tend to slow down and vacation during the summer. I want to propose something a little different from the usual as we enter this summer season. I want to encourage you to spend time mirroring what happens in creation this summer; get energized to focus on your spiritual growth.  

The Father expects His children to grow. Luke provides the example of how Jesus grew in wisdom and increased in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). Colossians 1:10 and 2 Peter 3:18 encourage us to bear fruit; grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. Growing in God should be the priority of every Christian. The Father wants us to know Him through studying His Word, spending time in His presence, talking with Him, listening to Him and fellowshipping with Him. The more we engage in these activities, the more we will grow; knowing Him intimately and becoming like Him. This month, I will use the sun-filled days of summer to examine my spiritual growth and carefully examine my ways (Lamentations 3:40, Haggai 1:5). I will spend time in and with The Son and assess my spiritual behavior. Join me as I engage in the exercise of a Spiritual Report Card.  

I invite you to consider evaluating your spiritual behavior using the following scale: M = Mastery, S = Satisfactory, N = Needs Improvement, and U = Unsatisfactory. God has a good plan for your life and mine (Jeremiah 29:11). He sent The Holy Spirit to be your teacher and left The Holy Bible-His Word, as our textbook. Every day of your life, God is ready to shape you into the woman He designed you to be at the beginning of time. His plan for your life is unique and special, different from the plan He has for anyone else. Are you living in alignment with His plan for you?

I invite you to prayerfully grade your behavior for each of the following spiritual disciplines: Abiding in Christ, Living in The Word, Praying in Faith, Fellowshipping with Believers, Witnessing To the World and Ministering to Others. As you consider each discipline, avoid rushing through and hastily responding. Take time to listen carefully to The Father’s voice as He encourages or challenges you in each area. Remember you are assessing your current behavior in each discipline. Avoid responding in the way you think will make you look good, be honest. Also refrain from responding in the way you think others would; you are not comparing yourself to anyone else (Galatians 6:4). Plan to spend one-on-one time with The Father praying for clarity about your responses and honestly evaluate yourself using the scale in the previous paragraph. Give yourself a grade for each statement then average the score for the spiritual discipline. Upon completion, keep your report card. In six months revisit this exercise to witness and celebrate your growth.  

Spiritual Discipline #1: Abiding in Christ 

1. Daily, I spend quiet time with The Father. 

2. I look forward to my quiet time with the Father. 

3. I seek God’s guidance first when making decisions. 

4. I desire to build God’s Kingdom, not my own. 

5. I trust God in every area of my life in good and challenging times. 

Spiritual Discipline #2: Living in The Word 

1. I read and study The Word daily. 

2. I believe The Word of God provides His instructions for how I live. 

3. I live with a biblical perspective; God’s Word is my guide. 

4. I live according to biblical standards instead of worldly standards. 

5. My private and public lives are aligned with The Word. 

Spiritual Discipline #3: Praying in Faith 

1. Daily, I spend time praying. 

2. My prayers are focused on God’s will over my desires. 

3. I wait patiently on God to answer my prayers and trust His timing. 

4. My prayer time includes as much listening as talking. 

5. My prayers include adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. 

Spiritual Discipline #4: Fellowshipping with Believers 

1. I attend worship weekly and am actively engaged in ministry.  

2. I am gentle, patient and kind in my interactions with others. 

3. I practice forgiveness and seek harmony in my relationships. 

4. My closest friends are fellow Christians. 

5. I have Christian friends who hold me accountable for my spiritual behavior. 

Spiritual Discipline #5: Witnessing to The World 

1. People know I am a Christian. 

2. I pray for the salvation of the lost. 

3. I share my faith whenever possible. 

4. I am always prepared to share my testimony. 

5. I support mission efforts and encourage others to do so as well. 

Spiritual Discipline #6: Ministering to Others 

1.I know and use in my spiritual gifts. 

2. I am willing to serve others without expecting anything in return.

3. I live yielded to The Holy Spirit and am open to being used by God. 

4. I tithe as well as give my time and talents for Kingdom purposes. 

5. I show the love of God to others. 

Join me Under The Church Hat for this month’s exercise: 

In less than 250 words, describe what you learned from your Spiritual Report Card grades? 

List two actions will you take address the spiritual discipline(s) which requires the most growth? 

Choose a trusted fellow Believer to score a Spiritual Report Card for you. Did your responses match? 

Revisit this assessment in six months and record your growth.  

Choose a passage from this devotion to meditate upon this month.