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This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our new mini-series entitled, “Growing in Grace.” A couple of weeks ago we started walking our way through 5-9 of Peter’s second letter. The Apostle Peter wrote, “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books” (2 Peter 1:5-9 MSG). Today we will focus on the following statement, “Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Without intentional growth life can pass you by. The Apostle Peter warns us that if we fail to grow in grace, by adding certain qualities to our faith, we run the risk of living life without “seeing what right before us.” If you are not careful, days can turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, before you realize what happened. You can exist without living. Time can pass by without you being productive. That is why the Lord wants you to make a conscious effort to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him. The Father does not want you to get to the end of your life, only to be full of regret because you never actively or intentionally pursued your purpose. The richest soil on the planet is the soil found in graveyards because they are full of people who died with their best still inside of them. Don’t let that be you. You don’t want to die with God’s treasure for your life still locked up inside of you. You want to get it out, but to do so you must be both intentional and relentless.
2. Intentional growth requires self-awareness. The Apostle Peter urges us to grow in grace and to add certain qualities to our faith. In order to do so you must be aware of both your strengths and weakness in Christ. In other words, it is hard to advance in your efforts to grow and develop if you don’t know where you are along the path. Therefore, believers should conduct periodic self-inventories. Be honest with God and with yourself. Until you acknowledge and admit where you are, as opposed to where you desire to be, you are not in a position to grow on-purpose. You might grow over time, but haphazard growth is not as effective as intentional growth.
3. Self-awareness helps you realize what you can and should be thankful for. While taking self-inventory helps you see how far you are from your desired end-state, it also helps you see how far you have come. So while you may not be where you want to be, you ought to thank God that you are not where you used to be. Peter said, “Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you.” As a believer you should acknowledge what’s right before you. Look around. Think about where you are. Now think about where you used to be. You should be able to acknowledge the fact that you are blessed. If you are anything like me, then the Lord has brought you from a mighty long way. So while the Holy Spirit will always lead you to continue to press forward, He will also prompt you to give God praise for where you are right now! Do you realize how blessed you are? Acknowledging where you are helps motivate you to press on towards your purpose.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your Word. You are teaching me how to grow in grace as I grow in the knowledge of You. This wisdom will help me accelerate my growth and development. I don’t want haphazard growth, I want intentional growth. So I will be both deliberate and determined as I seek to grow in You. I take periodic self-inventories that help me see where I am along the path to Your designed and desired destination for my life. I am not where I want to be yet, but I am also not where I used to be. I look back and say, “Thank You.” You have brought me from a mighty long way. I look around and say, “Thank You.” You have blessed me richly and Your favor surrounds me like a shield. I look forward and say, “Thank You.” My future is bright because You are ON me, IN me, WITH me, and FOR me. You made plans for me before the world began, by your grace and purpose, and I am determined to FIND, FOLLOW and FINISH those plans. I won’t live my life without seeing what’s right before me. You have given me plenty of reason to be thankful and I declare that I will. I enter into this day with thanksgiving praise. Today I walk around with a spring in my step, a song in my heart and a smile on my face, because I realize how blessed I am and how bright my future is. I may not know all that my future holds, but that’s okay, because I know who holds my future! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
