It’s no news that I am not the world’s most expressive person. To see me get excited about something – I mean – really excited, unfortunately, doesn’t look too much different from everyday life and conversation. I’m ok with this. Or . . . I’ve grown to be ok with it. It’s how God made me, after all. Anyway, so whenever something causes me to be extra expressive, I (along with those who know me well) take note. This morning was just one of those moments when I found myself being expressive over what I was reading.* So – I’m taking note of it (and sharing that note with you, thank you very much).
Taken from II Peter 3:18, Spurgeon writes:
“Grow in grace”— not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fulness [sic], constancy, simplicity. Grow also in love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward—having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to “grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.” He who grows not in the knowledge of
Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know Him is “life eternal,” and to advance in the knowledge of Him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of Him yet. Whoever hath sipped this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet it is such a satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but whetted. If you know the love of Jesus—as the hart panteth for the water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of His love. If you do not desire to know Him better, then you love Him not, for love always cries, “Nearer, nearer.” Absence from Christ is hell; but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not then content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of Him in His divine nature, in His human relationship, in His finished work, in His death, in His resurrection, in His present glorious intercession, and in His future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the mystery of His wounds. An increase of love to Jesus, and a more perfect apprehension of His love to us is one of the best tests of growth in grace.
Did you catch that – I mean, really catch it?!
Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of Him yet . . . search the mystery of His wounds.
Imagine this beautiful picture that Spurgeon paints for us of a well whose depths cannot be reached. But it is not empty. The more parched you grow, the more endless it becomes; its depths simply cannot be reached. This is what it is to know Christ. The greater your hunger is, the more fully He satisfies.
What does it mean to grow as a Christian? What does it really look like to be closer to Christ?
I’ve been a believer for more than two decades, and these are questions that I often ask myself. While there may not be a physical, spiritual growth chart available for purchase through LifeWay (although at times, it seems that would be nice), Spurgeon lays out for us this morning one way we can ensure closer growth to Christ: “Believe the promises more firmly than you have done.” Yes! Drawing near to God means trusting Him, believing our need for Him and resting in His control over our lives more now than we did yesterday.
Here’s the reality: None of us have a clue what 2012 holds in store. Not.one.clue. That could be really scary. However, even if we find ourselves fearful of the unknown, we are given a golden opportunity to know Christ more. Through heartache, He is your comforter. Through loss, He is your friend. Through sickness, He is your creator and healer. Through joy, He is your source.
We can be sure of nothing in the future aside from the reality of God, who controls and sustains all things; and loves us. Let’s believe His promises more firmly, friends, and grow together in the days to come.
*Taken from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. Buy it HERE (you really should).
Excellent word. Struck my heart so deeply. “Rest not then content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus.” I pray & seek that this be true in my life. Thank you for sharing your excitement with this post, dear friend. It has encouraged & challenged my heart greatly.