Grow

From the time we are born, we start growing. Some grow bigger and taller than others, some grow smarter and wiser, but we all grow. As Christians we aught to grow. We aught to grow both smarter and wiser, not with the wisdom of this world but with God’s wisdom (1 Cor. 2:13).

We do not have the option to grow or not, we will grow, only what we grow into, is of our own determining. “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). If it is not one way, it’s another. Men will either draw closer to God, or away from God depending on what their desires are.

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Pet. 2:1-3). If we do desire to draw closer to God, we can make that choice and continually work at it. Like Peter says, we must desire the pure milk of the word. We will not grow closer to God without that desire, and we cannot even come close if our desire is toward the world more than God.

God does not force us to believe. He does not force us to grow close to Him. We must do it ourselves. To do so, we must turn to His word to find what it is that He desires from us. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18).