A Picture of Growing in Christ, Part 3 - Getting Personal

February 17, 2022 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments

Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement

The past few weeks we have been considering what contributes to a healthy, growing Christian. First and foremost is a commitment to the ordinary means of grace. We are to seek the ministry of Word, Sacrament, and prayer on a regular basis with humility, longing, and diligent effort. Like a well-spring of blessings, the ordinary means of grace sustain Christians abundantly. They are the fountainhead. Everything else in Christian growth and maturity flow from them.

 Ordinary Means of Grace flow chart

Consider this graphic. With it I am aiming to illustrate the commitments of a healthy, growing Christian. In the center, as the fountainhead, is that commitment to the ordinary means of grace. Everything flows from there. The middle circle represents the personal commitments made by growing, healthy Christians throughout the week. The ordinary means of grace, celebrated and received in the weekly gathering of the church on Sundays, are essential. For healthy and vibrant Christian living, however, there needs to be further commitment to these means of grace throughout the week. The Sunday gathering feeds into and invigorates the personal pursuit Monday through Saturday.

 

Let me speak briefly about a personal commitment to God’s word.

 

In my 25+ years of ministry, I have heard all kinds of reasons why a Christian might not maintain a commitment to God’s word. Too busy. Don’t know where to start. Too boring. Don’t understand it. Not important or valuable. In that same time, I have seen these same Christians accomplish great feats. Graduate school. Woo a spouse. Start a career. Raise a family. Study intensely to be a better parent, spouse, employee, etc. Memorize lists of stats for sports, computing, gaming, finance, etc. I am convinced that the number one factor in one’s commitment to God’s word is not knowledge, but values. We make time for that which we value. If we would comprehend, even on a small scale, the inestimable value of God’s word for our lives, we would overcome the hurdles that keep us from a personal commitment to it.

 

Let me woo you to be a healthy, growing Christian because you have a personal commitment to the Word of God; to read it, to study it, to memorize it, to meditate upon it, to live by it. The words of Scripture highlight the inestimable value of the Word.

 

  1. The Word Sustains Spiritual Life. Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

 

  1. The Word Gives Hope. Romans 15:4, “through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

 

  1. The Word Brings Stability and Success. Psalm 1:3, “He [the one who delights in the law of Lord} is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

 

  1. The Word Does Not Return Empty. Isaiah 55:11, “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty.”

 

  1. The Word is Profitable for Every Spiritual Work. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

 

  1. The Word Equips for Every Good Work. 2 Timothy 3:17, “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

 

  1. The Word Guards Us. Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.”

 

  1. The Word Exposes Our Weaknesses for Our Good. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

 

  1. The Word Teaches us the Riches of Christ. Ephesians 3:4, “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ.”

 

  1. The Word Revives the Soul. Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul.”

 

I can keep going. The Word of God is rich. When you believe that, it will draw you in deeper and deeper. And I pray you will come to affirm with the psalmist, “Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day” (119:97). We should aim for nothing less.

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