A Closer Walk With God
Continuing To Grow
Growth is necessary in all areas of life: business, science, industry, etc. This is especially true in our lives as Christians - Ep 4:14-15 "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,"; 1 Pe 2:2 "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation--"; 2 Pe 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."; 2 Th 1:3 "We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." But spiritual growth must be well-rounded, balanced growth... The Christian must grow in knowledge, in zeal, in faith, in Christ-like character, in good works. The Christian must not be full of knowledge while his disposition remains un-Christlike. This final lesson is intended to help us continue growing ever closer to God and more productive in our service to Jesus Christ.
It is beneficial to be aware of those things which act as hindrances to growth. One of those hindrances is lack of effort. Growing in Christ is not automatic. One may still be a "babe" after many years - He 5:13 "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."; 1 Co 3:1,2 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,". Growth requires effort, but those who are spiritually lazy will simply follow the course of least resistance; such will forever remain "babes" , if they do not fall away altogether.
Another hindrance is discouragement. Some people make a good beginning, but get discouraged and quit. Reasons may vary: church troubles, personal problems, lack of encouragement from others, etc. But consider the example of the apostle Paul: few of us would ever have the problems he had - 2 Co 11:24-29 "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?" Yet he did not "lose heart" (become discouraged) - 2 Co 4:8-9 "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" Why? Because he knew his labor was not in vain - 2 Co 4:16-5:1 "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." And so he encourages us not to grow weary in doing good - Ga 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."; 1 Co 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
The law of disuse hinders our growth. A knife stays bright when used, but unused it becomes rusty. So it is with Christians, we lose what knowledge, ability, and opportunity we have when we do not use them! To use another metaphor, unless we are earnest in our endeavor, we will simply "drift away" from the Lord - He 2:1 "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."
There is also the law of interference. Crops, trees and flowers do not grow well when crowded. So our spiritual growth will be hindered if we allow others to crowd out our spiritual life. Businessmen may become to busy to attend to God's business. A woman may get so occupied with housekeeping that she has little time for God. Young people may be so busy with school activities that prayer, worship, good works and Bible study are crowded out. Preachers might get so tied down with meetings, administrative duties, etc., that they too do not have time to spend alone with God. Jesus warned about the danger of interference - Mk 4:18-19 "And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
In an effort to prevent succumbing to these hindrances, When we continue this lesson we will offer some suggestions for continuing your spiritual growth, overcoming the aforementioned hindrances.
