Grandma always said . . .

At the close of our study last week, we mentioned the old saying, "Pretty is as pretty does." We drew the application there, that if we are going to be growing, maturing, discerning believers, we must work at it. We must walk the walk.

How do we work at being vibrant? At growing?
How do we avoid being stagnant?
How do we encourage and experience personal growth?
Years ago, this study blog was started by a wonderful Christian lady named Tonya. She handed the baton to me, and since that time, I've learned that the best way to grow as a Christian is to teach. (Grin) There's nothing that can compare to our spiritual fire inside being fueled!

I don't want to be a "stick in the mud," do you? I don't want to be neglecting my faith and growth, like an old house that I used to drive past. I don't guess there had been anyone in it for fifteen years or more . . . the floor was buckling, and there was a hole in the roof letting the weather in. The porch swing had fallen down and a couple of windows were broken. The car in the front yard could barely be seen through the kudzu and weeds that were valiantly trying to hide it from passers-by. How does a house stay ready to live in? By someone being there and caring for it, maintaining it. How does a car stay ready to start and run? Again, by someone diligently caring for it, not neglecting it.

I truly believe that Jesus desires for us to continue and to grow in our faith until death. He spoke to believers in Smyrna and in Sardis:

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. (Revelation 2:10b)

The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:5) 

We should do all we can to avoid being a "stagnant" Christian. Our physical bodies will die if they do not get the proper and needed nourishment on a routine basis.....so why would we do that to our Christian selves, to our spiritual bodies? The flame of God's love within us should stay bright and glowing (and growing!). If we have lost our flame, we need to do as Paul told Timothy:

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (II Timothy 1:6-7)

If we have allowed that flame to flicker and almost go out, it will affect us in many ways.... do we long to understand more of the Word? If we have not grown in our faith the way He desires us to, we cannot hope to grow in our understanding. Obviously, there are some parts of the Bible that are more difficult than others to understand. We must graduate from the "milk" stage of our faith to the "solid meat" part:

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.  (Hebrews 5:11-14)

As Christians, we should always be students of the Word. We will still need spiritual milk from time to time, but as we grow we will be taking in solid meat and understanding more and more as the Spirit teaches us.

If we diligently fan the flicker into a flame, we will be more useful and fruitful in His kingdom.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:5-8)

Growing in our faith will help us to produce fruit for Christ. But we must also remember that "every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2)  Many of us are very happy to bear fruit for God, but are we also ready for God to prune us?  We know (head knowledge) that sometimes the only way to grow is to persevere through difficulties, but our hearts cry out, wishing to do without the "pruning" times.

If our goal is to become more like Christ, we will want to grow in wisdom, in knowledge, and in the fear of the Lord. If we take a good look at ourselves and realize that we've fallen short, let's pray with David:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:12)

We will be doing a "deep dive" this week into becoming discerning, growing believers -- living holy, godly lives, and looking forward to His coming.
I hope that we will all receive blessings from our study (without too many bruised toes).