Do you want to grow?

3 minutes to read

 

Do you want to grow as a believer, be fruitful and please the Lord? It’s about faith in the promises in His Word and a character which flows from a dependence on the Holy Spirit. That will also give you a heart to serve the Lord and bless others. The Word of God is often described in scripture as food which we need to nourish and grow.

1 Peter 2:2

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

 

Peter provides a pathway of steps for growth in 2 Peter 1:3-10 and it is well worth reading and meditating on this passage.

Peter’s steps for Christian growth.

Peter’s pathway has a clear purpose: 2 Peter 1:10-11

  • Not stumbling in our faith
  • Receiving a rich welcome into God’s kingdom

He goes as far as saying, that if you don’t follow this path, then you are near-sighted and blind which is pretty shocking and should encourage us forward.

2 Peter 1:8-9

8 ……they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Everything is provided

2 Peter 1:3-4

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

God has provided everything we need.  Do you know his promises to you?  One of them is that He will resurrect us to eternal life with a new body. (1 Corinthians 6:14)  Another promise is that He will forgive and cleanse us. (1 John 1:9).  And another is that He would give us His Holy Spirit as our helper. (John 14:26)  There are many promises and it is good to search them out and get to know them.

Build step upon step

Peter’s pathway of steps adds principal to principal and it would be wise for us to follow them.

2 Peter 1:5-7  (NIV)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 

 

No one really wants to live their life in an unfruitful manner. You may have thought growth would be about your ministry and so this focus for growth may have surprised you. While we need to work on all 7 areas above, start with excellence in everything you do and then grow your knowledge so visit resources page for ideas.

Outcome

The outcome of walking this path is that we should be more effective and productive in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, we probably want the gifts and the ministry, but this comes through an increasingly faithful walk with the Lord.

2 Peter 1:8

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every day is an opportunity to serve

Of course, growing in our faith is an ongoing journey, so do not wait until you “feel ready” before you get out and serve. Every day is a day where you can do something for the Lord, develop your gifts and honor God with your life.  God has made us to love and experience the richness of a relationship with Him. We experience that in reaching out in service to others.

Next Steps

How motivated are you to follow this path? Pray about these things regularly and ask the Lord to work in your life in each of the areas.