It’s that time of year again when I am going through my annual growth spurt. My wife is a great cook and loves to bake sweeties and being the good husband that I am I refuse to insult her by allowing those treats to just sit there. The result is my annual Christmas growth spurt followed by eleven months of working to beat back those rogue pounds that seem to track me down each year like clockwork. Sometimes, growth just isn’t what you are looking for, however, in 2 Peter 1:10 we see that the “Christmas growth spurt” is just what we need.
Peter began in verse 4 talking about the fact that it has been granted to believers to actually be partakers of the divine nature which is to say that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. Therefore, he continues in verse 5 by telling us that we should be diligent in seeking spiritual development and after listing out several qualities in a progressive order he essentially says in verse 9 that it is foolish for a believer not to seek this spiritual development. How important is this to you that you mature spiritually as God intends for you to? What would you point to over the last seven days that would serve as evidence of this? I would submit that within our culture here in the US there is an epidemic of anemic Christians going from one defeat to the next due almost exclusively to their neglect of their spiritual growth as they live in defiance of God’s clear commands that this be a priority.
By the time we get to verse 10 the commitment to spiritual growth is actually assumed by the Apostle as he encourages believers to be “diligent” in their pursuit of spiritual growth. In Proverbs 10:4 we learn that, “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” No matter whether you are talking about business dealings or spiritual development the same holds true; without a commitment to your development you will remain spiritually or physically poor.
Peter goes on to say that the thing that we are to be diligent about is that we are to “make certain” about our calling. Not to say that we cannot be sure of our salvation, no, making certain carries with it the idea of checking on or attending to spiritual issues. The Apostle Peter very matter-of-factly assumes that anyone who has come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ will have a hunger for the deeper things of God and as such the spiritual dimensions of the life of the believer will occupy a large segment of their thoughts and activity. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Paul talks about the fact that by the “worlds” standard, most who are called are of little prominence and that, so God may be glorified. However, this does not mean that we should allow ourselves to stay that way. We need to attend to developing spiritual muscle and as we do this our steps are made even surer. You see as you occupy your mind and time with the development of spirituality you close the door to the attacks of Satan as he is less and less able to gain a foothold in your life.
So what is it that you will do to be diligent about your spiritual growth? God bless and be sure that you go and live out your faith today.
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