In my 40-year career as a pastor, I have discovered some of the secrets to becoming a healthy, mature Christian. These include founding one’s life on the

Lord Jesus Christ and building on this foundation by learning and practicing the Word of God and developing the character of the Holy Spirit. Getting Christians of all levels involved in the work of the ministry is another vital point, as is teaching

them – including by example – that Jesus-style ministry is about compassion, not condemnation. As Christians consistently apply Scriptural principles and minister to one another and to the lost, they grow in the love of God, which is the key to contentment and to keeping the fire of one’s Christian life alive.