Growing God’s Way

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

2 Peter 3:17-18

I was speaking to my son over dinner, and he told me that if you are not growing then you are regressing. Now, I have heard this statement before, but it is something else when you hear it from your own son who is maturing before your eyes. We were discussing his high school experience and things he liked and did not like about those years. He was also sharing about the campers he counseled during the summer and the many hardships they had endured in their young lives. He talked about how he was able to connect with the campers, and how he desired to make a difference in their lives. He was pleased with his decision to spend his summer at camp as he saw how God used him in this work.

My son wants to be an educator and run to his own school one day. He wants to continually grow in all things, which is how it came to be that he said “you are regressing if you are not growing”. An educator is one who should desire to grow and learn no matter how much they already know and no matter the years they have put in the classroom. That field requires continuous education, and you must be open to new ideas and concepts. My son has grown up in a Christian school and even a Christian college, which seem like perfect learning environments, but he is seeing the cracks in perfectionism as he has realized that there is no perfect school.

We sent our kids to a Christian school in large part so they would be shielded from the evils of the world. There is no guarantee of this happening as the world seems to creep into the school because of our sin nature and our propensity to sin. Every student is personally responsible for their own spiritual condition, no matter the circumstance or the situation. My son has has the privilege to be exposed to preaching these last two summers, hearing from some of the best preachers our country has to offer. He has been exposed to many speakers at college who have talked about living for God and growing God’s way. Although he has been exposed to all of these good and godly things, there will always be those who will seek to draw him away from the things of the Lord.

I grew up in a similar home as my son, and I know how quickly we can be drawn away from God and instead be attracted to the things of the world. We must continue to grow in the things of the Lord as we never come to a point when we arrive to the “perfect” spiritual level. We must remain steadfast and continue to grow or we will regress back into the things of this world and lose our spiritual footing. If we are not growing we are regressing, and our goal is to be more like Jesus Christ everyday. We are meant to grow God’s way so we do not fall from the truth and the steadfastness we have grown in through the sanctification process.

Where are you today? Have you grown in the things of the Lord or have you regressed in your walk with him? If we were to ask those around you if they have seen a change in you, what would they say? How about those who know you best? What about those you work with? Do they see you growing God’s way or have they seen a falling back? May we continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and may we look more like Him than the old person we once were.