Balanced Growth

ONE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS CHRISTIANS IS TO GROW SPIRITUALLY IN ALL THE THINGS OF GOD. IT WILL DO US NO GOOD WHATSOEVER TO STAY IN THE SAFETY ZONE OF SPIRITUAL INFANCY OF JUST BEING BORN AGAIN. WE MUST GROW!

PETER WROTE IN 1 PETER 2:2-3, “LIKE NEWBORN BABIES, YOU MUST CRAVE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK SO THAT YOU WILL GROW INTO A FULL EXPERIENCE OF SALVATION. CRY OUT FOR THIS NOURISHMENT, NOW THAT YOU HAVE HAD A TASTE OF THE LORD’S KINDNESS.”

GROWING DEEPER IN OUR FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE IS CRITICAL FOR ALL BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS. THAT IS WHY PETER URGED US TO GROW. THE WORD “GROW” HERE IS A VERB IN THE PRESENT IMPERATIVE, MEANING “KEEP ON GROWING.”

SO, THE CORRECT TRANSLATION OF OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE TODAY IS, “KEEP ON GROWING IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.”

IN OTHER WORDS, WE SHOULD BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ANY OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL HELP US GET TO KNOW JESUS ON A DEEPER AND INTIMATE LEVEL.

NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE IN OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, NO MATTER HOW MATURE WE ARE, THE SINFUL WORLD WILL ALWAYS CHALLENGE OUR FAITH AND TEMPT US TO MOVE FARTHER AWAY FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.

WE MUST HUNGER FOR GOD AND FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. WE MUST THIRST FOR HIS WAYS AND SEEK HIM DILIGENTLY. WE MUST BE DETERMINED THAT WE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED UNTIL WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED HIM INTIMATELY AND PERSONALLY.

JEREMIAH WROTE IN 15:16, “YOUR WORDS WERE FOUND, AND I ATE THEM, AND YOUR WORD WAS TO ME THE JOY AND REJOICING OF MY HEART.” WE SHOULD LONG TO INGEST AND DIGEST GOD’S WORD. WE SHOULD DESIRE TO HAVE A “BALANCED DIET” OF HIS WORD.

WE GET THE PROPER AMOUNTS FROM THE FIVE BASIC BIBLE GROUPS:

HISTORY – GENESIS, JOSHUA, 1 SAMUEL, AND ACTS

PROPHECY – DANIEL, REVELATION, EZEKIEL, JEREMIAH

POETRY – PSALMS, PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES, SONG OF SOLOMON

GOSPELS – MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN

EPISTLES – ROMANS, EPHESIANS, 1 PETER, JUDE.

YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T NEED TO STUDY FROM ALL FIVE EVERY DAY, BUT YOU DO NEED TO GLEAN FROM THEM REGULARLY IF YOU EXPECT TO HAVE A HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL SPIRITUAL LIFE.

DON’T EVER SETTLE FOR JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT COME FROM SKIMMING THROUGH THE BIBLE. DON’T TRY TO LIVE BY BROAD, GENERAL CONCEPTS THAT PROVIDE YOU WITH TOO LITTLE INFORMATION OR NOT ENOUGH OF THE TRUTH.

INSTEAD, DIG DEEP AND LOOK CLOSELY AT ALL THE WORDS. DISSECT THE LANGUAGE TO UNDERSTAND THE SPECIFICS. GET DOWN TO THE NITTY-GRITTY OF THE BIBLICAL IDEAS.

GET TO KNOW HOW THE PASSAGE FITS INTO THE CHAPTER AND HOW THE CHAPTER FITS INTO THE BOOK. STUDY AND MEDITATE TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING WHY THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN, WHO IT WAS WRITTEN BY, WHO IT WAS WRITTEN TO, AND WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN. IT ALL PAINTS A VIVID PICTURE TO IMPACT YOUR LIFE AND TO ENHANCE YOUR SPRITUAL MATURITY AND GROWTH.

AS JESUS WARNED SATAN IN MATTHEW 4:4, “MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PRCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.” THE SPECIFIC WORDS OF SCRIPTURE ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR US – NOT JUST THE GENERAL CONCEPTS. HAVING BALANCED GROWTH IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES REQUIRES A BALANCED SPIRITUAL DIET OF GOD’S WORD.

ANOTHER WAY TO HAVE BALANCED GROWTH IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES IS TO KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL EXERCISE. THE TWO MOST COMMON FORMS OF EXECISE IS PRAYER AND CHURCH ATTENDANCE.

PRAYER IS SO IMPORTANT AND CRUCIAL FOR US BECAUSE IT IS COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNION WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. IT IS THE MOST COMMEN-SENSE THING TO DO, YET THE HARDEST.

PRAYER IS HARD WORK. IT TAKES EFFORT AND A REQUIRES A LOT OF CONCENTRATION. JESUS HAD TO USE GREAT PHYSICAL STRENGTH WHILE PRAYING. IN LUKE 22:44, TELLS US THAT JESUS “PRAYED MORE EARNESTLY. THEN HIS SWEAT BECAME LIKE GREAT DROPS OF BLOOD FALLING DOWN TO THE GROUND.”

IT WASN’T ANY EASIER FOR JONAH IN THE BELLY OF THAT GREAT FISH (JONAH 2:1-10) NOR WAS IT A BREEZE FOR ELIJAH FACING DEATH AT THE HANDS OF QUEEN JEZEBEL (1 KINGS 18:36-37), SO WE SHOULDN’T THINK IT WILL BE A “SINCH” EITHER.

SOMETIMES PRAYER IS AN ACT OF THE WILL, BUT IN ALL, WE KNOW IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. YES, PRAYER IS A DISCIPLINE, BUT A HEALTHY PRACTICE THAT CAN BECOME A NATURAL PART OF WHO WE ARE BECAUSE WE KNOW WHO WE ARE SPEAKING WITH.

PRAYER IS COMMUNION WITH GOD. PRAYER IS A TIME OF INTIMACY WITH GOD. PRAYER IS A TIME OF WORSHIP AND AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO GIVE HIM HONOR, GLORY, AND PRAISE.

YOU SEE, PRAYER ISN’T JUST ABOUT SENDING UP A “SHOPPING LIST” TO HEAVEN FOR GOD TO “ANSWER THIS” AND “GIMME THAT.” GOD ENJOYS HEARING AND ACCEPTING OUR REQUESTS. WE JUST NEED TO ENSURE THAT OUR REQUESTS ARE NOT THE ONLY SUBSTANCE TO OUR PRAYERS.