Skip to main content

Growing Up

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)

Why is it that we want to grow up when we are kids, and when we are adults, we want to be kids? Is it the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" syndrome? Might be. 

Whatever it is, it is impossible to accomplish either scenario. We, as adults, are always saying or thinking, "What on earth? How did you grow so fast?" when we know very well what has happened. Time has ticked away steadily and constantly. Time does that. On the other end of that spectrum, we might look longly to the past, wanting to return to our childhood. 

Children will grow with time because growth is natural; only an early death can stop it. Sometimes we might hug a little one very hard and say, "I'm not going to let you grow up!" In reality, we’re expressing our desire that the little loved one stay at their innocent stage of life. However, we realize that our longing for continuance in their youthful state is merely wistful thinking. 

When we consider spiritual growth in that same child, we want them to mature quickly and not slowly. We want our little ones to “accept Jesus” sooner rather than later. At times we even force them to make a decision. 

Our daughter Ann is an example of the "forced spiritual growth" attempt. She was two or three years old at the time. It was Halloween night, and the trick-or-treaters were coming to our door in full force. There I was, a concerned dad wanting my baby to come to salvation. Then it dawned on me that I could use this special night as a perfect illustration. Just then, an ugly little devil came to our door shouting, "Trick or treat!" 

I looked at the terror in Annie's eyes and said, "Do you want to go where he lives?" She shook her tiny head, and I knew that I could drive home my point. I said, "You need to accept Jesus as your Savior!" I then told her how to pray, and she "got saved.” 

It was several years later, during the middle of the night, that she came bursting into our bedroom crying and saying, "I need to be saved!" 

My sincere but silly attempt at leading my two-year-old to Christ had now come full circle. Ann, in church all of those years, was learning about the spiritual life. The Holy Spirit was drawing her toward true Salvation. 

Peter encourages us to grow up in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Spiritual growth is God's work and our work. Unlike physical growth that comes naturally, spiritual growth comes with time and work. Lazy habits can stunt it. Don't let this happen to you. 

Do all you can to grow by reading the Word, praying, sharing your faith with others, and doing good to all. Let God use your life today. These healthy things will help you to grow up.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tottering!

I was watching my one year old grandson, Brandon, today. He had on some baggy little shorts, weird flip-flops over his socks, and he was tottering. It made me think about how I often feel these days. Funny how that when we are little and "innocent" and tottering in our baggy pants, with our little potbelly sticking out from under our t-shirt we look precious. When we are older and tottering in our low slung trousers and the same potbelly, we looks pathetic! I guess that the two drastically opposite points of view are based on the viewer's chronological perspective. Brandon is growing and I'm dying. He is cute because the little guy has a lot to learn and we love to see him progress. The old guy has already had his chance at learning and what he is progressing toward is not quite so much fun to ponder. When I have these weird thoughts I praise my God because He never lets go of my hand whether a tottering little guy or an old one. And I found this verse to prove my po...

What Are You Worth?

What are you Worth?  Have you ever thought about what you are worth? In investing circles there is a term used to gauge this exact question, it's called Net Worth. You take all of your assets, like property owned, funds in your bank account, clothes, jewelry, car, etc.. You total all of these things. You then take everything you owe, like mortgage, car loan, and credit card debt, and you subtract these items from the first total. This gives you your net worth. That number represents where you are financially. Most people never stop to think about this number because they don't understand anything about it. They never have two nickels to rub together. They live from hand to mouth and know (or at least believe) nothing will ever change so, they fall into the "daily grind" mentality. Psalm 49 should be a great encouragement to such as these. The sons of Korah write about them. These sons write about all of us. They call all people everywhere to listen to their wisdom. Bo...

Church Isn't a Place

  Many times we say, I'm going to church on Sunday. What some fail to understand is that "church" isn't a building. I remember our pastor saying, "the church is an organism, not an organization." He was teaching us the Bible truth about the church. Jesus Christ is the head of the body, and the church is his body on earth. Another pastor once said, "God's hands have human fingers." This is a difficult concept for some to grasp, pun intended. However, it is important to understand that God accomplishes his work through human beings. He uses us, the church, to do his will and work. It's not that if we don't do his will that he is stymied. But he does use willing servants. To be in the church, one must be a part of the family. You cannot be in the church if you don't have the Savior. The church is not for the lost; it is for the edification of the saved. The lost can come and hear the message of salvation. But the church is made up of t...