GROWING
IN GRACE
Memorise
But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18
Read
Colossians 2:6-7
2:6 As ye
have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
2:7 Rooted
and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught,
abounding therein with thanksgiving.
MESSAGE
Even though little children and babies enjoy many
benefits such as being carried, being assisted in every situation and receiving
prompt attention and care when they cry, it is not a desirable thing to remain
a baby or a child. It is neither in the interest of the child nor that of its
parents that a child or baby remains stagnant in growth and not mature. In like
manner, while Jesus as the Great Shepherd of his people will gather the young
ones with His arms and carry them in His bosom (Isaiah 40:11), He would not be
delighted in having them remain immature indefinitely. To remain a babe in the
faith for too long is to make yourself a liability to the body of Christ and an
unnecessary burden for the leaders set over you. Such Christians don’t know
their full rights in Christ, and hence, the enemy takes advantage of their
ignorance to afflict them and cheat them. It is common knowledge that in the
natural world, children do funny things that can bring them harm, the same
applies spiritually. Spiritual babes can ignorantly inflict injury on
themselves by allowing the devil to make them do foolish things. Such
Christians will no doubt be carnal Christians. Besides, babies don’t reproduce
and God hates unfruitfulness (John 15:1-2). With these in mind, it is therefore
very undesirable to refuse to grow in your Christian life. Now, how is a
Christian expected to grow? This is revealed in Colossians 2:6-7.
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
Note from the above passage that there are two
directions of growth. Basically, a plant sends its root downwards, while its
stem and branches grows upward. It is the root growing deep in the soil that
gets food supply to support the stem, branches, leaves and fruiting of the
plant above. So also must the children of God keep sending their roots deeper
and deeper in Christ till an evident outward expression of growth and maturity
in Christian virtues, character and wisdom is made manifest. Also, from the
above passage, to achieve spiritual growth, you must expose yourself to Bible
teachings i.e. sound doctrinal teachings that reveal the total counsel of God.
You are not helping yourself if you select only the things in the word of God
that suit you and neglect other instructions, warnings and chastisement.
Prayer
Point
Pray that the lord will help you to be consistent
in exposing yourself to provisions of God for your growth - studying,
meditating, praying, evangelising and obedience to the word of God.
BIBLE
IN ONE YEAR
1 Chronicles 4:24 - 6:81
Proverbs 26:15-28
0 comments:
Post a Comment