Grow in Grace

When I woke up this morning, the LORD said:  "Grow in grace."  Sometimes we think of grace as something to be received or given.  The fact remains it reaches even deeper:  grace is something to be grown in.  This statement placed upon my heart today is found in one scripture: 2 Peter 3:18.  The context is Peter warning believers that many would twist and contort the scriptures and invite their own destruction.  2 Peter 3:17-18 says, "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. [18] But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." [KJV]  The contrast is clear:  we can be lead away by the error of the wicked or grow in grace.

Grace is undeserved favor, goodness we have no right to be offered or much less receive.  This grace is offered to the repentant freely from God.  The greater grace we extend to others, the greater supply is given to us by God.  When we ration God's grace to only the "deserving," grace is no longer grace.  Too often we tend towards Pharisee favour rather than grace which resembles that of our heavenly Father.  There was no group of people more led away by wickedness according to Christ than the Pharisees, because they justified themselves righteous according to their own works.  By tightly rationing the grace of God with others we constrict His grace toward us.  By tightly clamping our hands on God's grace, we prevent ourselves from receiving additional supply.  Hoarding the gift of grace from others hurts us most of all.  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Peter says, "...grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."  We ought to increase in grace, meaning that the grace of God should be revealed in and through our lives more each day.  As we surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit's power, our knowledge of God and His ways will grow.  Experience is a great teacher.  That is how we grow in our relationship with the Greatest Teacher, Jesus Christ:  we grow in grace when we experience Him personally.  When our eyes are opened to how undeserving we are of God's favor, He grants us grace to give grace to others.  As long as we are sufficient in ourselves we have no need for grace.  Oh, we need grace - but pride keeps our need hidden from our eyes.

Physical growth occurs through life, nourishment, experience, rest, and how the body is programmed at the genetic level.  Spiritually speaking it is much the same:  God brings life to our souls, nourishes us through His Word, and teaches us through experience as we rest in Christ's finished work.  Stress and resistance placed upon muscles, tendons, and ligaments help them to grow stronger.  Trials and tribulations cause our faith to grow as ease never could.  We grow in grace when we choose to trust God and extend His grace to others as He freely gives it to us.  This will challenge us.  We will no doubt at times feel taken advantage of, unprotected, uncomfortable, and vulnerable.  It is in this place of weakness where God will prove His grace is sufficient for us, for His strength is made perfect in weakness.

Ol' John Ploughman

At any given time I seem to be reading a couple books at a time.  I recently raided my dad's bookshelf to re-read a classic, Charles Spurgeon's "John Ploughman's Pictures and More of His Talk."  I do not know the exact date of publication, but it was likely written in the late 1800's.  There is hardly a man who ever lived who had the wit, wisdom, and common sense of this beloved preacher.  I enjoy reading his works because the LORD uses him not only to hold forth the wisdom of God in a masterful way, but in so doing humbles me concerning my weak words.  If you ever find an author who exposes your best attempts as feeble and joyfully goads you to do better, procure and read as many of those books as you can!

Here is a delightful paragraph I read the other night on page 84 of the aforementioned book which contains witty proverbial sayings to go along with pictures:

"The worst sort of clever men are those who know better than the Bible and are so learned that they believe that the world had no Maker, and that men are only monkeys with their tails rubbed off.  Dear, dear me, this is the sort of talk we used to expect from Tom of Bedlam, but now we get it from clever men.  If things go on in this fashion a poor ploughman will not be able to tell which is the lunatic and which is the philosopher.  As for me, the old Book seems to be a deal easier to believe than the new notions, and I mean to keep to it.  Many a drop of good broth is made in an old pot, and many a sweet comfort comes out of the old doctrine.  Many a dog has died since I first opened my eyes, and every one of these dogs has had his day, but in all the days put together they have never hunted out a real fault in the Bible, nor started anything better in its place.  They may be very clever, but they will not find a surer truth than that which God teaches, nor a better salvation than that which Jesus brings, and so finding my life in the gospel I mean to live in it, and so ends this chapter."

Here is another portion from pages 85-86:

"We have all heard of the two men who quarreled over an oyster, and called in a judge to settle the question:  he ate the oyster himself, and gave them a shell each.  This reminds me of the story of the cow which two farmers could not agree about, and so the lawyers stepped in and milked the cow for them, and charged them for their trouble in drinking the milk.  Little is got by law, but much is lost by it.  A suit in law may last longer than any suit a tailor can make you, and you may yourself be worn out before it comes to an end.  It is better for to make matters up and keep out of court, for if you are caught there you are caught in the brambles, and won't get out without damage.  John Ploughman feels a cold sweat at the thought of getting into the hands of lawyers.  He does not mind going to Jericho, but he dreads the gentlemen on the road, for they seldom leave a feather upon any goose which they pick up.

However, if men will fight they must not blame the lawyers; if law were cheaper, quarrelsome people would have more of it, and quite as much would be spent in the long run.  Sometimes, however, we get dragged into court willy nilly, and then one had need be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.  Happy is he who finds an honest lawyer, and does not try to be his own client.  A good lawyer always tries to keep people out of law, but some clients are like moths with the candle, they must and will burn themselves.  He who is so wise that he cannot be taught will have to pay for his pride."

A Lasting Work

As I think back about the four-plus years I spent on staff at Calvary Chapel El Cajon, there were many building projects and repairs I performed.  Our fellowship is in the process of vacating portions of the building because we have sold it to a school.  This school plans to spend the summer doing major renovations and remodeling of the structure.  I think about the hours spend scraping and replacing floors, fixing hardware, patching and painting walls, organizing and sorting paint and supplies which will be completely rubbed out.  Walls I have patched will be torn down; cables I have run will be cut; pipes I have fixed will be removed and re-routed.  It's depressing in a way, to think of all that hard work being undone.

I have come to realize it is not the work itself which matters.  The labor of a custodian whose efforts are erased in the moment he leaves the restroom he has cleaned or masons who built cathedrals which have stood for centuries can stand on equal footing.  One work clearly outshines the other according to man's perception, but whatever is done for the glory of God will stand for eternity and be rewarded by Him, though all memory of it has faded from the earth.  The poetic adage of C.T. Studd still rings true today:  "Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last."  Everything done in the flesh for God is as chaff, fit only for the fire.  The testimony of the strength of the flesh may stand for thousands of years, but a small fleeting thing done led by the Spirit for God will last forever.  As Jesus says in Matthew 10:42:  "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  A cup of water is consumed and eliminated, but God remembers and rewards something even as insignificant as this when done for His glory.

It is time we stopped regarding the work as the thing to be admired:  we must worship and admire the KING of kings with our works.  It is for this purpose we have been created and redeemed.  Titus 2:11-14 states, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, [12] teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, [13] looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."  The man who lays the carpet, the one who vacuums the carpet, and the one who removes the carpet and replaces it with tile all have great reward if done for the glory of God.  It is not for the sake of reward that we serve, but for the sake of our great God who loves us and gave His own life for us.  Whatever we do, may it be for the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Inheritance, Right, and Memorial

Nehemiah is one of my Bible heroes.  Talk about a guy who was completely devoted to God, unshakable in faith, was fearless in obedience and speech, a prayer warrior, kept others accountable to God, and a hard-core straight-shooter.  He was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and God moved Nehemiah to lead the Jews in rebuilding the wall surrounding Jerusalem.  If I had to pick a guy I admire most in the O.T., it would likely be Nehemiah.  Thankfully I don't have to pick one!

When Nehemiah began the building the walls of Jerusalem, not everyone was pleased about this development.  Though he had the approval and financial backing of King Artaxerxes and God moved upon many Jews to put their backs to the work, Sanballat and Tobiah among others despised that any would seek the welfare of the Jews.  Throughout the book of Nehemiah we see them scheming and trying every possible way to distract, threaten, or place fear in the hearts of the Jews.  When they laughed scornfully at Nehemiah for his efforts, he says this to them in Neh. 2:20:  "...The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."

Nehemiah knew his efforts alone would amount to nothing, but God would cause His servants to prosper and prevail though their enemies threatened them.  But the part of the statement which jumped off the page to me is the second half.  If a statement is true, then the exact opposite is also true.  Nehemiah was inferring in his statement to Sanballat and Tobiah that he had a heritage, a right, and a memorial in Jerusalem.  The word "heritage" is translated from "allotment, or inheritance."  Jerusalem was the place where God placed His name, and directed King David and Solomon his son in the building of the temple there.  For this reason the children of Israel had a right to Jerusalem:  a right to build, inhabit, protect, and worship according to God's will and commands.  Every sacrifice offered was a "memorial" before the Lord, and the Jews had a rich history of worship in Jerusalem.

I immediately began to think of the spiritual application for those who rest in the New Covenant of Christ's blood and have been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Followers of Christ are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we have a heritage, right, and memorial by the grace of God.  The worship of God no longer confined by geography or a dot on a map:  Christians are blessed to be able to come before God's throne room of grace with Christ as Mediator and Intercessor at any time, from any place.  God is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

Christians have an eternal inheritance in the heavens which does not wax old or fade away.  Jesus spoke to Paul in Acts 26:17-18:  "I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, [18] to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."  All have a right to Christ because He has said, "Whosoever will."  God loved all people so much He sent His only Son so whoever believes in Him will not perish but receive eternal life.  Christians receive righteousness imputed through faith.  1 Cor. 1:30-31:  "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- [31] that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."  The prayers of Christians rise as a memorial before God.  Cornelius had a vision during which an angel of God spoke to him:  Acts 10:4 says, "...Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God."  It is through Christ and the grace of God we have an inheritance, righteousness, and a memorial before God.

Let us refuse to be cheated of our rights as children of God by scorn, intimidation tactics, or attacks of the enemy!  We do not claim our rights out of selfish ambition, but we stand upon the firm promises of God.  As Christians we must receive what God has given and choose to abide in Christ.  May His boldness, courage, and zeal rest upon us to fulfill our calling for His glory.