Growing in Faith

Here we are on Day 40. You've done it! Forty days of showing up, praying, listening, surrendering. Some days felt strong. Others probably felt like a grind. But you kept coming back. That's no small thing. And here's the beautiful part: these forty days have led us straight to Easter. This journey has been preparing our hearts to remember and celebrate the risen King in a fresh way. As we stand on the threshold of Resurrection Sunday, Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 feel tailor-made for this moment.  Notice what Paul does not say. He does not say, "Your faith is perfect now," or "You've finally arrived." He says it is growing abundantly. It is moving in the right direction, getting bigger, deeper, even under pressure. And the same is happening with their love for each other. Paul is so grateful he has to thank God for it, because this kind of growth is not self-made. It is God's signature.

Take a quick look back. Where was your faith on Day 1? Maybe a little more guarded, a little more self-reliant. Now? Even if the change feels small: quicker to pray instead of panic, softer heart toward someone who hurt you or a stronger sense that God is near even when life stays hard.  This is real growth. If there is any increase at all in trust, any deepening of love, any loosening of control, celebrate it. That is not you trying harder. That is Him at work.

These forty days were not about reaching perfection. They were about opening the door a crack wider each day so the Spirit could keep reshaping you for this very purpose: to stand in awe of the empty tomb with a heart more ready to worship, more ready to live in the power of the resurrection. The beautiful truth? Day 40 is not the finish line. The same God who has been growing your faith through these intentional weeks is not stopping now. He wants to keep increasing it abundantly—like He did for the Thessalonians—so that the reality of the risen Christ shapes every day ahead.