Glory

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. ~ 2 Peter 3:18

Growing - it's a process, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. The verse above was Peter's last written words to the early church all of those centuries ago. While many of his writings touched on the importance of holiness, submission to one another, what it means to really live for God and warnings about false teachers - he chose to end on the idea of relationship.

Grow in the grace and the knowledge . . . growth is something that usually happens pretty slow. In this microwave kind of a world we live in, it is easy to expect our spiritual maturity to just happen over night. We spend a lot of time studying God's Word, or fasting and praying endlessly. Sometimes we will even break our backs trying to serve in the name of loving Him.

While all of these things are good and necessary in the discipleship of our Lord, there are no fast tracks into the Kingdom. God desires our hearts above all, which means that He looks past our activity, right to the heart of our motives . . . why we do something is far more important to God than the action we take.

There is a fine line between discipline and legalism. While it is important to set aside time to be alone with God, we need to be careful that it doesn't become something we simply check off the list. When things become too structured, we can miss the most important thing - and that "thing" is Him.

To grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is important to spend time with Him, by being aware of His continual presence. I have had great moments with God in the middle of a grocery store or while rounding up a rowdy mess of kids. I don't have to be in my easy chair in the living room (or in my quiet time spot) in order to grow in my knowledge of God. If He kept Himself confined to those two spots, I would be in a world of trouble!

If you are feeling discouraged today about how far you've come, or not come - know that looking to Him is really our only requirement. Growth takes time . . .