Most of us aspire for growth. Naturally, as we make efforts to improve ourselves and develop our thinking, we grow. We should want to be the very best we can be, right? 

What would it look like to grow in God’s grace? Second Peter 3:18 says to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (Emphasis mine.) 

First of all, how do we grow in His grace? Well, since grace is undeserved favor, can you even begin to imagine what undeserved favor from God looks like? When we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He actually pours unmerited favor into our-sinful-selves. 

When I stop to really think about who I am as a sinner and then apply the fact that the perfect Lord of lords gives me unfathomable grace by allowing me the right to be called His child for eternity… Goodness gracious! — that humbles me greatly. Actually, it makes me feel quite small. So, one of the things that happen as we grow in His grace is that we are humbled. This growth makes us smaller, in a sense. 

Now combine that with growing in the knowledge of who He is. Let’s look again at 2 Peter 3:18: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (Emphasis mine.) 

So, secondly, what would it look like to grow in the knowledge of God? The more time we spend getting to know God through reading the Bible and basking in His presence through prayer and meditation, we begin to understand how incredibly magnanimous He is. He is so much more than what we are capable of fulling grasping. Therefore, as we better understand who God is, we realize how big He is. 

So now, bask with me in this… in this “growing in grace and knowledge of Him.” It’s here that an amazing phenomenon occurs:

As we grow in the grace of God, we become less.

As we grow in the knowledge of God, He becomes more.

This chasm that remains does not separate us from Him, though!

It’s within this chasm, when we come to realize and accept this, that the glory of Jesus Christ shines in and through us and draws us nearer to Him.

How amazing is that!

We live in a time that is vital for us to understand who we are in relation to who God is. Let’s not allow anything to separate us from growing in the knowledge and grace of Him. He loves us and desires for us to have humbled growth as we shine His light on others for His glory.

by Shawna Russeau-Franklin