Grow in grace
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18
Peter closes his letter by encouraging the believers to grow. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior Christ Jesus. This is good advice and the same thing that we need to be doing today as we are at the end of this age.
So how do we grow in grace? Grace defined in today’s words would be courteous, kind and polite. A gracious person is humble and generous with their space, time and resources. Grace is also used in handling things. If you handle something gracefully, it is smooth, tastefully, and with fineness. We can also talk about the opposite of grace to come up with a picture of what grace is not. It is not crude, vulgar and grotesque. If you handle something ungracefully, you are clumsy, inept and awkward. The kind of grace we want to grow in is the God kind of grace. We can find it defined in 2 Corinthians 9:8 that says God makes all grace available to you so you have all you need for all occasions in abundance for every good work. So to grow in grace would be to grow in God’s good work each day. By taking every opportunity to help and be generous to others so that they can see the love of God in your actions. God has the supply to empower you to do this and gives it to you abundantly.
Next, grow in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. This is easier. The way to get to know Jesus better is to talk to Him and read about Him in the Word of God. By spending time with the LORD, you grow in knowing Him. Your relationship with Him is like any relationship in that you grow closer as you spend time with Him. If you want to be closer to God, spend more time with Him. Read about Him and talk to Him about what you read. Ask Him to make Himself known to you in new ways each day. The aspects of Christ Jesus and God the Father are eternal, so you could learn something new about them each day and never exhaust the newness.
Today I want to encourage you to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. Start by praying for God’s grace to be on you to accomplish the good plans He has for you to walk out each day. Pray for boldness to share the love of God with others and be on the look out for opportunities to bless others. You can start by praying for others. Pray that God would prepare hearts ahead of time so that when you get there, they are waiting for the grace you have to share with them. Spend time with God in the morning to start your day, then throughout the day as you have opportunity to, talk to Him, or sing a praise song or meditate on a scripture you read that morning. Grow in the knowledge of Him by growing closer and walking out His purpose! This is your calling for these last days.
Today’s scripture reading: 2 Peter 3:14-18
The Daily Dose 