November 30 - Grow in the Lord

November 30 - Grow in the Lord - 2 Peter 3:14-18

Peter comes to the end of his second letter and wants to ensure that he has said everything he needs to say before he is finished. In 2 Peter 1:13-15, we see that he is more than likely very aware of that his time on earth is short.

He wraps up the previous passage by encouraging his readers to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Jesus since the Day of the Lord is near. He repeats his admonition that the Lord's patience means salvation. In other words, just because the Messiah hasn't returned yet, don't dismiss the hope that He is not coming soon. Be prepared, be holy.

There had been tension between Paul and Peter. In Galatians 2:11-21, Paul opposes him in Antioch, yet Peter ends the verse (2 Peter 3:15) by speaking the same words about Paul that Paul used to described himself in 1 Corinthians 3:10. During all of those years, and amidst the disagreements that these two men may have had regarding how to teach the world about Jesus Christ, they still cared for each other.

Peter goes on in 2 Peter 3:16 to affirm Paul's teachings, even those that might have been difficult for Peter to learn.

As we come to the final two verses of these letters from Peter we are encouraged to stay alert. I love the command in 2 Peter 3:18. "Grow." The word means to increase, to grow up, to become greater, to augment. We are not to stay stagnant or maintain the status quo. We are to always be learning and always find ways to grow in God's grace.

I certainly don't want to be the same immature girl that I was at the age of 13 and I certainly don't want to be the same Christian that I was at that age. I can only pray that over the years I have grown into the woman that God wants me to be, both in the world and in His Word.

To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

It's hard to believe that another month has come to a close. Today is the beginning of Advent, the beginning of the Christmas season. I will begin wandering through the Gospels tomorrow, reading the story of Christ's birth. We spend less than a month preparing for His birthday. Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth and their families had spent many months. Can you imagine the excitement that Mary must have felt as she spent 9 months preparing for His coming? Can you imagine the anticipation that all of Heaven had as they waited for this child's entrance?

If you would like to invite someone to be a part of this adventure, they can either log on to the blog at pouroutablessing.blogspot.com or they can email me to get daily notices of this by sending an email to nammynools (at) cox (dot) net.