Growing

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. – 2 Peter 3.17-18

I used to tease my children and I now tease my grandchildren about growing up too fast. I talk about tying a brick to their heads to keep them from growing. We think, well not really, but we like to think how nice it would be if our kids could just stay our kids. 

I just finished Spencer’s Mountain, on which The Waltons was loosely based. There is a section in there (I wish I had marked it so I could find it) where Olivia is talking about how much is pains her to see her children growing up and getting ready to leave home. She mentions how she wishes life could just stay the same. We love our children and grandchildren and love to just always have them close by our sides. 

But life goes on we know deep down what a tragedy it would be if our children did not grow. 

Not growing is abnormal. This is true whether we are talking about physical or emotional or spiritual growth. If our child was not developing physically we would see a doctor. If our 16 year old was acting like a 4 year old emotionally we would say it was normal. No, really, if our children did not show signs of emotional development we would be concerned. Why is it then that far too often we are happy enough when our own spiritual growth is stunted? 

Peter puts it pretty clearly. Keep at it. Don’t stumble. Don’t be drawn away be false teaching. 

Grow in grace. 

Grow in knowledge.

I take growing in grace to mean that as we age we grow in what grace living is all about. Grace living is not about a whole tick list of dos and don’ts. Growing in grace means that I enjoy life in the grace that Jesus surprise. It means I learn how to use the liberty through grace that I have to serve God and serve others. Hopefully it means that I learn to show the same grace that Jesus shows me. 

Growing in knowledge reminds that my life is a journey to know Christ better. Our ultimate goal is to come to a ‘super-knowledge’ of Christ. Our desire is to not just know about Christ, but to know him absolutely and intimately. 

The question is not so much ‘how well are we doing today’ but are we growing day to day?