GROWING IN GRACE
“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:9-11 NLT
One of the ways the word knowledge is used in scripture is to describe the progressive aspect of our growth into the new identity we receive when we become born again.
Just a child is born and learns how to do everything, so it is with this spiritual birth — growth is required. In our theme scripture, Paul prays that as people grow in God, who is also love, they will be able to live pure and blameless lives. In other words, growing in grace is not measured by the fact that you haven’t backslid but by the fact that you carry an understanding of where you are spiritually and continuously relying on Christ to call you higher (Revelation 4:1).
Any man that is under the impression of having attained will always be short of this understanding for God cannot reveal more than we can bear nor heal what we haven’t acknowledged.
Praise the Lord!
Prayer: Father, I thank you for this wisdom. I seek you with all my heart for you promise to be found when the posture of my heart is right. Shine a light upon my heart that I may be quick to confess and repent what you unveil. My deepest desire is to be attuned to your voice in every season, that I may do the works of my Father — in Jesus name. Amen!
CI.
RELATED RESOURCES
• Revelation 4:1
• Genesis 18:17
• Psalm 139:23-24
