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July 15, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18
God's ability to manifest His love, grace, and mercy in your life, for the building up of your faith and the maturing of your spiritual life, is only limited by your availability. Peter challenges these believers to grow in grace. What does he mean by this? Simply that we may show evidence in our lives that the truth and principles of God's Word are being applied to our daily walk and are evident in every phase of our life. Many Christians believe that having received Jesus Christ as their Savior, they no longer need to seek Him. But being born again by His Spirit is the beginning of our spiritual life; we are babes in Christ, and we need to be nurtured in the Word and develop our relationship with the Lord in effective prayer, reaching out in faith, by trusting Him with everything in our daily encounters. Then we begin to grow and the Holy Spirit begins to use our life to be a blessing to others. Our spiritual stature is not measured by our participation in many spiritual activities, as good as they may be, but by an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, when we experience the out-living of the in-living Christ, His life lived through us!
Here are some standards to measure your spiritual life: Do you have a growing hunger to know God? Read Philippians 3:10. Are you seeking to know and apply the Word of God to your life? 2 Timothy 2:15. Do you desire to be a faithful testimony for God? Romans 12:1-2. Do you have a decreasing desire for worldly activities? Titus 2:12. Is the sphere of His love in you reaching out to others? Acts 22:14-15. Are you finding it easier to forgive those who offend you? Ephesians 4:32. Do you have an increasing desire for His Word? Matthew 5:6. Are you exercising faith and daring to trust God for all things? Mark 11: 22-24. Do you have an increasing spiritual concern for others? Luke 10:33-34. Is there a greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit dwelling in you? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
We need to ask these probing questions before the Lord in prayer, that we may more effectively respond to the striving of the Holy Spirit, who is seeking to bring us into a deeper commitment to God. Our spiritual journey is a challenging walk, in which we encounter the difficulties of life we all confront. With an ever-increasing growth in grace, we can take this walk hand-in-hand with the Lord. He has promised to be our strength, a friend that sticks closer than a brother, one who will never leave nor forsake us, and one who will be our sufficiency in all encounters!
Our journey can be an exciting experience. What could be more exhilarating than to face one of life's traumatic encounters, go to God in prayer, reach out in faith, DARE TO TRUST God and His promises, and see Him do what we cannot do...which is to manifest His love and grace in doing the impossible by His mighty power! That's EXCITING, and a great blessing to us! This is "growing in grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is the challenge Peter gives to all believers. It is a blessing that is ongoing as we study His Word, prevail in prayer, and apply by faith His Word to every phase of our life. It produces eternal fruit for His glory!
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-07-15&print=1
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