Grace: Sweetness, Loveliness, Loving kindness.
Knowledge: a knowing, understanding.
Not only does God command us to grow in grace, He provides us with grace. Each day we can come and get a fresh new application of grace and knowledge of Him.
2 Peter 3:18 tells us to "... grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory both now and for ever." Each day we can get sweetness, loveliness, good will and loving-kindness from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If there is anything we need as Christians, it is to grow in sweetness. You know, at times we can be rude - maybe even hostile! If we aren't mindful of it, we can easily get to the point where it makes us feel good to be sharp-spoken and quick tongued! As you already know, we can't draw people to the Lord when we behave like that! Instead, non-believers look at us and think, "well if that's what being a Christian is, I'm better off not being one!" So remember, while our flesh may love it, God's word tells us to grow in grace, sweetness, and loveliness. Now, I don't mean physical loveliness here, I'm talking about the spiritual beauty of a personality that is lovely and sweet.
To him be the glory both now and for ever." Each day we can get sweetness, loveliness, good will and loving-kindness from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If there is anything we need as Christians, it is to grow in sweetness. You know, at times we can be rude - maybe even hostile! If we aren't mindful of it, we can easily get to the point where it makes us feel good to be sharp-spoken and quick tongued! As you already know, we can't draw people to the Lord when we behave like that! Instead, non-believers look at us and think, "well if that's what being a Christian is, I'm better off not being one!" So remember, while our flesh may love it, God's word tells us to grow in grace, sweetness, and loveliness. Now, I don't mean physical loveliness here, I'm talking about the spiritual beauty of a personality that is lovely and sweet.
I still remember one of the prayers my Grandmother often prayed, "Lord let me grow old and be sweet!" God truly answered her prayer, she lived to be in her nineties and people all around our small town talked about the sweetness of Mother Wade. Just as the Lord did it for her, He will surely do the same for me and you... providing we seek it!
God also provides knowledge. True knowledge includes wisdom and understanding, so as we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, we grow in understanding and wisdom. A lot of misunderstandings and quarrels arise because people lack the spiritual knowledge to understand one another. Many times as a situation or a decision is presented to us, we think/say, "I’ll do this or that; I can’t see anything wrong with it." Well my friends, that’s precisely the problem! We don't have the insight to see what's wrong with a certain action and we don’t know how to handle situations because we haven’t gone to the One who provides true knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
Just as Paul, David, and Joseph came out victoriously in the battles they faced, we can do the same - IF we grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
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