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Hello , I Hope You're Getting Bigger!"Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen". 2 Peter 3:18, NLT.1. Growth. It's important. We're concerned when our children aren't growing as they're supposed to. We want to see our own growth spiritually, too. That's vitally important. The most important item in life is our relationship with our Lord. Matthew 16:25: "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it," NLT. Spiritual growth takes time and effort. You grow by prayer, meditation, Bible study, and practicing the Christian life.2. The Big Four. (1) Our prayers must often. It's not difficult to pray. You talk to God. Praise and thanksgiving should be given to our Father. Our requests for ourselves and others are valid. Consider these thoughts when praying: Pray in faith, Ephesians 3:20-21; Pray God's promises (it's been said there are over 3,000 of them in the Bible), James 5:17-18*; Know He wants our good - He's a great Father, Matthew 7:7-11; Know that all things ultimately work together for our good, Romans 8:28.(2) Bible Study is our daily food from God. All Bible scripture comes from Him, 2 Timothy 3:16. It's profitable for everything we need to live rightly before Him and go home to heaven. We study so that we are approved by God, knowing how to handle His word, 2 Timothy 2:15. You wouldn't deprive your children of food. Don't deprive yourself of studying God's word, spiritual food. Bible study takes mental elbow grease.(3) Meditation is essential. It's a word that's in vogue these days. It's a popular word. I think I read somewhere we're to meditate on our dinner. Meditation is not some weird, Eastern practice. It means to cogitate, think, ponder, probe. Ever considered making a large purchase? Did you think about the details beforehand? You meditated on that purchase. So meditating on God's word is no different. In meditating on God's word, you might surprise yourself when you come to the "light bulb!" moment. You see the truth for what it truly is. Here's Philippians 4:8, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."(4) You cannot go to heaven without being right with God, "For the Scriptures say, you must be holy because I am holy,” 1 Peter 1:16. So it's the daily Christian life. Upon awakening, you know your day is going to be living the best you can under Jesus. Here's Matthew 16:24-25, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it," NLT. The Christian life is both easy and hard! It may not be easy putting away the things that entice us. It can be a struggle to say "No" to self and "Yes" to Jesus. Overcoming temptations can be difficult. But then other things are easy. You're a good person, no doubt, there are many godly things about you already.3. Growth. Grace and knowledge. Grace - understand what Jesus has done for you, the whys, the whats, and the hows. Understand why He gave up His position in heaven, to give His life for yours. It's a great and rewarding study! Knowledge - get to know Jesus through the word. You can know Jesus quite well by studying the Bible. Grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you're getting bigger every day!*God said in Deuteronomy 11:16-17 that if Israel turned to idols He would shut off the rain.Tip: It doesn't take that long to ponder a verse and pray, living each day as Jesus' disciple.Prayer: O Lord of heaven and earth, that each of your children would consider your word each day. How strong we would be! How devoted our lives become! What an investment in eternity! You are so gracious, Father, giving us Your word to live by. It's a light to our feet so that we see how to get home to You. Thank You, Father, for Your inestimable love. In Your Son's Name, Amen.
This message is from Garland Van Dyke at Bible Points!Matthews St. church of ChristPO Box 1522, Bay City, TX 774141915 Matthews Street, Bay City, TX 77414(979) 318-2463Contact me at [email protected]www.matthewsstreetchurchofchrist.com facebook.com/matthewsstreetchurchofchristWant your own copy of our devotional in your inbox? biblepoints.org/bible-points(It's twice weekly and we don't bombard you with stuff!)
