September 16, 2022 RESPONSIBLE FOR GROWTH
2 Peter 3:18a “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-“
2 Peter 1:5-8 “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For it these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We either grow spiritually, or we become stagnant; spiritual growth is a responsibility that God has given us. God draws us to Himself and the Holy Spirit is always desiring to reveal the Father to us, but we choose our response. If we are to grow spiritually, studying His word is essential, for it is in His word that we learn of Him and come to know His ways. His word gives specific instructions on how we are to live and it clearly identifies certain qualities that we are to develop as His sons and daughters. Gaining knowledge alone is not the goal; the Holy Spirit and our increasing knowledge of God work together; the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual discernment and the power to live out and apply what we learn in His word. The verses in 2 Peter above gives us a list of character qualities that we are to add too and apply to our lives. Growing and maturing spiritually involves change. Some take the stance that ‘they are who they are,’ or ‘that is just the way I was born’ to justify the way they live. Some resist change; but rather than change being difficult, change becomes natural as we walk with the Lord and as we mature in the faith. For example, at one point in life we may find ourselves to be one who worries a lot; but as we grow in the Lord, worry diminishes-we are changed. Let us not get caught in living life in a rut or a coasting mode; but let us ‘apply all diligence’ that we might grow in the faith and in the knowledge of God, becoming mature sons and daughters of God.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not ceased praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may have a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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