Growth

Believers' spiritual journey begins with surrender and trust, but true growth in grace continues beyond that. Scripture calls for ongoing development, as seen in 2 Peter 3:18, which encourages growth in grace and knowledge. Growth happens when believers are rooted in God's grace, allowing the Divine Husbandman to nurture them.

By abiding in God's presence and trusting His guidance, without relying on self-effort, believers will mature spiritually, becoming fruitful and strong, just like a tree planted by waters.

After a believer fully surrenders and trusts, they find a life of happy communion and peace. This raises the question, "Is this the end? “I answer emphatically “No, it is only the beginning.” But, this is so little understood that many oppose the faith advocates. They claim the advocates do not believe in growth in grace. They are to teach that the soul can reach a perfect state. There is no further advance beyond it. This teaching voids all the Scriptural calls for growth and development.

Since the opposite is true, I must, next, consider this subject. I want to, if possible, fully answer such objections. I also want to show the scriptural place and way for the soul to grow. The most quoted text is 2 Pet 3:18. It says, " But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. " This text expresses our belief in God's will for us. It also reflects our belief that He has made it possible for us to experience it. We accept, in their fullest meaning, all commands and promises. They concern our growth into Christ in all things, until we are perfect, and measure up to His fullness.

We are glad that we don't always have to be like babies, needing milk. We may, by use and growth, become skilled in the word of righteousness. We should then be able to discern good from evil and need strong meat. And none would grieve more than we at the thought of an end to the Christian life.

There could be no advance beyond it. But, we believe in a growth that produces maturity. We believe in a development that, in fact, bears ripe fruit. We expect to reach the aim set before us, and if we do not, we feel sure there must be some fault in our growing. No parent would be satisfied if, year after year, their child remained a helpless babe. And no farmer would be pleased if his grain grew only to the blade, but never produced the ear or the full corn in the ear.

Growth, to be real, must be progressive. The days, weeks, and months must bring a maturity in the thing growing. But is this the case with a large part of that which is called growth in grace?

Doesn't the very Christian who longs for it, too often find that, at year's end, he is not as far in his Christian experience as at the beginning? His zeal, devotion, and separation from the world are not as complete as when his Christian life began.

I was urging a group of Christians to take an immediate, definite step into the Promised Land. A very intelligent lady interrupted me. She thought her words would completely rebut my argument. She exclaimed, "Ah! But, my dear friend, I believe in growing in grace.” “How long have you been growing?” I asked. “About twenty - five years,” was her answer. “And how much more unworldly and devoted to the Lord are you now than w hen you began your Christian life?” I continued, “Sadly!” was the answer. "I fear I am not nearly so much so." Her eyes opened to see that, at least, her growth had failed. It had done the opposite.

The trouble with her, and every other such case, is simply this, they are trying to grow into grace, instead of in it. They are like a rosebush. The gardener should plant it in the hard, stony path to grow into the flower-bed. But, it would reduce and wither instead of flourishing. The children of Israel wandering in the wilderness are a perfect picture of this sort of growing. They had traveled for forty years. They took many weary steps. They found little rest from their wanderings. Yet, at the end, they were no nearer the Promised Land than at the start. At Kadesh Barnea, they were at the land's borders.

A few steps would have taken them into it.

Upon ending their wanderings in the plains of Moab, they were at its borders. But now there was a river to cross, which there hadn't been at first. Their wanderings and fights in the wilderness had not won them an inch of the Promised Land. To possess this land, one must first be in it. To grow in grace, one must first be planted in it. But, once in the land, their conquest was very rapid. Once planted in grace, the soul will grow in one month more than in years in any other soil. For grace is a most fruitful soil, and the plants that grow therein are plants of a marvelous growth.

A Divine Gardener takes care of them. The Sun of Righteousness warms them. The dew from Heaven waters them. Surely, it is no wonder they bear fruit. "Some a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold." But, what does "growing in grace" mean? Few people understand what the grace of God is. So, it is hard to answer this question. To say that it is free, unmerited favor, only expresses a little of its meaning. It is God's wondrous, boundless love, poured out upon us without measure. It is not based on our worthiness, but on His infinite, unfathomable love. Its heights and depths surpass all knowledge. I sometimes think we change the meaning of "love" with God. We understand it well in its human use.

But, if ever human love was tender, self-sacrificing, and devoted; if it could bear and forbear; if it could gladly suffer for its loved ones; if it would pour itself out for their comfort and pleasure, then Divine love is far more so. It is infinitely more tender, self-sacrificing, and devoted. It is glad to bear and forbear, to suffer, and to lavish its best gifts on those it loves.

Take all the tenderness and love you know of, dear reader. Add the deepest love you have ever felt.

Then add the strongest love ever given to you. Next, pile on the love of all the world's loving hearts.

Now multiply it by infinity. You might then faintly glimpse the love of God in Christ Jesus. And this is grace. To be planted in grace is to live in love. It means to envelop yourself in it, steep yourself in it, and revel in it. It means to know nothing but love, and to grow in knowledge and faith in it. It means to trust it completely and have no doubt that it will order all things well.

To grow in grace is opposed to all self-dependence, to all self-effort, to all legality of every kind. It is to put our growing, as well as everything else, into the hands of the Lord and leave it with Him. We should trust our Husbandman. His skill and wisdom are perfect. So, we won't question His methods or His cultivation plan. It is to grow as the lilies or babes grow. To grow, without a care or anxiety. To grow by a life force that must grow. To grow because we live and must grow. To grow because He who planted us made us to grow.

Surely, this is what our Lord meant. He said, “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Or, when He says again, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" There is no effort in the growing of a child or of a lily. They do not toil or spin. They do not stretch or strain.

They make no effort to grow. They are not even aware that they are growing. But, by an inner life force, they grow. God's providence, a gardener, the sun, and the rain nurture them.

And the result is sure. Even Solomon, our Lord, says, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.

Solomon's array cost much toil and gold, but the lily's cost none of these. We may toil to make ourselves beautiful spiritual garments. We may strain for spiritual growth. But we will achieve nothing. No man can add a cubit to his stature by thinking. Our efforts can't match the beautiful dress the great Husbandman gives His garden's plants. They grow under His care.

If I could make my readers see how helpless we are in growing, I believe it would relieve many lives.

Imagine a child obsessed with growing. He would not grow unless he tried to. He insisted on a combination of rope and pulleys to stretch himself to the desired height. He might, it's true, waste his days in a weary strain. But, there would be no change in the fact, "No man can add to his stature by thinking." His years of labor would be wasted if they did not hinder the longed-for end.

Imagine a lily trying to clothe itself in beauty. It stretched its leaves and stems to grow. It tried to manage the clouds and sunshine, to meet its needs. Yet, these two pictures show a truth. Many Christians want to grow. They know they should. They feel a deep instinct to grow. But, they try to do it by toiling and spinning. They wear themselves out with endless self-effort.

It is wear ying to watch. Grow, dear friends. But, please, grow in God’s way, the only true way. Be sure to be rooted in grace. Then, let the Divine gardener cultivate you in His own way.

Expose yourselves to His presence in the sunshine. Let the dew of heaven fall on you. Then, see what will happen. Leaves, flowers, and fruit must come in their season. Your Husbandman is a skilled one.

He never fails in His harvesting. Just don't hinder the shining of the Sun of Righteousness or the falling of the dew from Heaven. A very thin covering may block the heat or moisture. The plant may wither even in their midst. A slight barrier between your soul and Christ may cause you to fade like a plant in a cellar or under a bushel. Keep the sky clear. Open every part of you to receive the blessings our Divine Husbandman may bring.

Bask in the sunshine of His love. Drink in the waters of His goodness. Keep your face upturned to Him.

Look, and your soul shall live. You need to make no efforts to grow, but let your efforts instead be all concentrated on this, that you abide in the Vine. The gardener who tends the vine will care for its branches too. He will prune, purge, water, and tend them. They will grow and bear fruit that will last.

Like the lily, their glory will surpass even Solomon's.

What if you seem to yourselves to be planted at this moment in a desert soil where nothing can grow!

Trust fully in the great gardener. He will make that desert blossom and create springs in its sands. The promise is sure. The man who trusts in the Lord, “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”(Jeremiah 17:8)It i s the great prerogative of our Divine gardener. He can turn any soil into the soil of grace, the moment we put our growing into His hands. He does not need to move us to a different field. Right where we are, with just the circumstances around us, He makes His sun to shine and His dew to fall on us. He turns our greatest obstacles into the best means of our growth. I care not what the circumstances may be, His wonder- working power can accomplish this. And we must trust Him with it all.

Surely He is a man we can trust.

If He sends storms, winds, rains, or sunshine, we must accept it. We must trust, with unwavering faith, that He will cultivate us and bring us to maturity. He knows the best way to do this. He controls the elements to ensure our rapid growth. Let me entreat of you, then, to give up all your efforts after growing, and simply to let yourselves grow. Leave it all to the Gardener, whose responsibility it is, and who alone can manage it. No difficulties in your case can baffle Him.

Nothing in your past can mar His perfect work. Not the limiting of your growth, the dryness of your life, or any deformity. If you will, put yourselves completely in His hands and let Him have His way with you. His own gracious promise to His backsliding children a ssures you of this. “ I will heal their apostasy ,” He says: “I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon.

His shoots shall sp read out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.”(Hosea 14:4- 6) “They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon." (Hosea 14:7) And again He says, " Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield."(Joel 2:22-26) And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.” (Joel 2:25 -26) Oh! You could. But, you know what your Lord meant when He said, “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"(Mathew 6:28 ).

These words show a life and a growth far different from the ordinary life and growth of Christians.

They show a life of rest and growth without effort. Yet, this life and growth have glorious results. To every soul that becomes a lily in the Lord's garden, and grows as the lilies do, the same glorious array will be given. They will know a mystical passage about their Beloved: "He feeds among the lilies."

We who fully trust believe in a growth in grace. It is a growth that brings desired results. It blossoms into a flower and fruit, becoming a tree planted by rivers of water. It bears fruit in season. Its leaves do not wither. It prospers in all it does. We rejoice to know that, in the Lord's heritage, many such plants are growing up now. As the lilies grow by seeing the sun, they are changed into the same image by beholding the Lord's glory, from glory to glory, by the Lord's spirit.

If you ask them how they grow so fast and well, they would say they don't worry about it. They hardly notice their growth. Their Lord told them to abide in Him. He promised that if they did, they would bear much fruit. They focus only on abiding, which is their part. They leave the rest to their good Husbandman, who alone can manage it. You will find that such souls are not engaged in watching self, but in looking unto Jesus.

They do not toil nor spin for their spiritual clothes. They leave it to the Lord to dress them as He pleases.

Self-effort and self-dependence are at an end with them. Their interest in self is gone, transferred over into the hands of another. Self has become really nothing, and Christ alone is all in all to such as these.

And the blessed result is, that not Even Solomon, in all his glory, was arrayed like these will be. Let us examine this subject practically.

We all know that growing is not a thing of effort, but is the result of an inward life, a principle of growth. All the stretching and pulling in the world could not make a dead oak grow. But a live oak grows without stretching. It is plain, then, that the key is to get within you the growing life. Then you cannot help but grow. And this life is the life hid with Christ in God, the wonderful divine life of an indwelling Holy Ghost. Be filled with this, dear believer. You must grow, whether you know it or not.

Do not worry about your growth. Just ensure you have the growing life.

Abide in the Vine. Let the life from Him flow through all your spiritual veins. Interpose no barrier to His mighty life-giving power, working in you all the good pleasure of His will. Surrender completely to His gentle guidance. Put your growing into His hands, as completely as you have put all your other affairs. Suffer Him to manage it as He will. Do not concern yourself about it, nor even think of it.

Trust Him without reservation, and at all times.

Accept each moment's gift, from His dear hands. It is the needed sunshine or dew for your growth. Say a continual "Yes" to your Father's will. Until now, you may have tried, as many do, to be both the lily and the gardener, both the vineyard and the gardener. You have taken on the burdens and duties that belong only to the Divine gardener. Only He can bear them. Henceforth consent to take your rightful place and to be only what you really are. Say to yourself, "If I am only the garden, not the gardener; if I am only the vine, not the gardener, then I must keep the garden and act its part."" I must not usurp the gardener's place or try to act his part."

Do not choose your own soil or set your borders. Do not plant your own seeds, prune, or tend your vines. Be content with what the Divine Husbandman arranges for you, and with the care He gives. Let Him choose which plants and fruits to cultivate. If He wills it, let Him grow a potato as gladly as a rose. And, let Him value everyday virtues as much as exalted passions. Be content with the seasons He sends, and the sun and rain. Accept your growth, whether fast or slow. In short, be satisfied with all His ways, even if we don't understand them.

There is infinite repose in this. As the violet rests in its nook, it contentedly accepts its daily portion. It lets the rains fall, the suns rise, and the earth whirl, without one anxious pang. So, we must repose in the present as God gives it to us. We should accept, without worry, our daily portion in His grand plan.

It is creative and redemptive.

The wind that blows can never kill the tree God plants. It blows east, it blows west. The tender leaves have little rest. But any wind that blows is best. The tree God plants Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, spreads wider boughs. For God's goodwill meets all its wants. No frost can blight the tree God shields. The roots are warm beneath the soft snows. When spring comes, it knows, and every bud will blossom. The tree God shields Grows on apace by day and night, Till, sweet to taste and fair to sight, its fruit it yields.

No storm can blast the tree, God knows. No thunder, rain, lightning, or hurricane can. When they spend, it remains. The tree God knows. Through every tempest, it stands fast. From its first day to its last, it grows ever fairer.

If in the soul's still garden, a seed God sows a little seed, it will soon grow. And, all men will know it.

For heavenly land, He bids it blow. A seed God sows, and up it springs by day and night; through life, through death, it grows right, forever grows.