But Grow In Grace And Knowledge

BUT GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)

(There is a part #1 STUPIDITY: TO GROW OR NOT TO GROW, THAT IS THE QUESTION?) Stupidity of sameness.

There is a sad tendency with a low priority on spiritual growth. We must correct this problem.

*GROW: DEVELOPMENT BY INCREASING, PROGRESS, MATURITY, CHANGE, GREATER, ADVANCEMENT, BETTER, SUCCESS, EXPAND, OPTIMISTIC, OPPORTUNITY, IMPROVE, LEARN, FLOURISH, GOALS.

Am I asking myself do I walk by faith? As we learn more and more about God we learn to trust His plan more and more. We learn as we trust by faith that we CAN LEAN ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS OF AN OMNIPRESENT GOD. The more we read, learn and believe God’s word GROWTH will become natural. Good healthy growth takes a plan involving time and effort. Is my compassion and love growing? DO WE VALUE SPIRITUAL GROWTH OR ARE WE STAYING IN THE SAME PLACES? Spiritual growth will help us deal with our emotional and spiritual UPS and DOWNS.

REAL GROWTH COMES WHEN WE ASK JESUS: PLEASE HELP ME. We must let go of our anxiety, fear and worry. WE CAN HONESTLY SAY LORD, I TRUST YOUR PLAN… BUT JESUS HELP MY UNBELIEF…

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

GROWTH: COME AS A CHILD, BUT WE MUST PUT ASIDE CHILDISHNESS…

*CHILDISHNESS: BRATTY, SILLY, IMMATURE, POUT, FOOLISH, EMOTIONAL YO YO, BLAME, IMPULSIVE, MINE, NO BOUNDARIES, EMOTIONAL, LIE.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

TRIALS AND TEST HAVE A PURPOSE. WHY ARE TEST GIVEN?

I read where a man that never graduated high school worked as a janitor and helper in an operating room at a hospital for many years. He watched the doctors do major surgery. He thought I can do that. He got the bright idea of moving and sitting up a doctor’s practice and doing surgery. He was very successful until his real record was found. He was just a janitor and a helper. He had done several surgeries before he was caught. The man that did the surgeries never finished high school. He never graduated college or medical school. He just decided to be a SURGEON, kind of like Jethro Bodine. He never studied. He was never tested. He never did residency. He was just a surgeon. (NOTE: Wow. When this became PUBLIC NEWS several of his patients said he was the best doctor ever?)

Would you want a doctor that never passed a test? How about a lawyer that never attended law school or passed the bar exam? How about someone to do your taxes that had absolutely no knowledge of the tax codes? We want people that had exerted effort and learned and grew and bettered themselves.

Often we see in the spiritual realm people that never apply effort to improve. They are lazy as a dead fish drifting with the river current. WHAT ARE YOU DOING OR NOT DOING TO STUDY AND GROW CLOSER AND CLOSER TO GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE?

COME AND LEARN AN ENGLISH LESSON:

There are 4 kinds of sentences. 1. Declarative; 2. Interrogative (?); 3. Exclamatory (!) 4. Imperative command.

Let us look at what an IMPERATIVE COMMAND IS. The imperative command is a sentence that expresses a direct command, invitation, instruction or warning. Rarely do imperative commands have a subject, it is implied second person, you understood. (Example: Turn the stove off.)

There are many imperative commands in the Bible. Let not your heart be troubled. John 14:1. PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER… Growth is not optional it is essential and a requirement for healthy spiritual life. HOW DO WE EVALUATE SPIRITUAL GROWTH? MEASURE? But!

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

2 Peter 3:18 (MSG) Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!

WHAT IS A NOVICE? DO WE EMPHASIZE SPIRITUAL GROWTH?

We send our kids to school 35 hours a week and we close our Sunday School classes from lack of attendance?

1 Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

1 Timothy 3:6 (MSG) He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up.

A novice (na-vas or NO-vas) is no skills, not proficient, a beginner, new person, inexperienced in situations, a race horse that has never won a race, someone not qualified, not prepared.