"14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by HIM without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15 And count the patience of our LORD as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
18 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."
Being a man of LARGE stature has certain advantages. But there are times when being 6'6" tall is not the most enjoyable! I remember being at an amusement park in my latter teen years riding inside a cramped carnival ride. I developed a leg cramp midway through the ride and could NOT get relief. It took hours before my leg stopped hurting! All because I was cramped up inside of a small compartment that I should have had enough sense to not have gotten into!
In the scripture above Peter was writing for Believers to "GROW", not physically, but Spiritually! Verse 18 says "but "GROW" in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST"! Being a fitness freak or exercise maniac won't accomplish anything Spiritually! 1 Corinthians 13:11 says "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." If we are "GROW"ing in the grace and knowledge of the LORD, the path we travel can have some challenges. Those challenges in my life have wound up being the times when I have experienced the most growth! Giving up the "childish ways" is not always enjoyable, but enjoying the freedoms and privileges of adulthood is generally worthwhile!
We are not created for our own pleasure, rather to Praise and Worship our Creator! To accomplish this we must "GROW" Spiritually. It has been said that the plants in a garden do their growing at night, when things are darkest! The heat and sunshine determine how STRONG and vibrant the crops become. To become a STRONG Spiritual plant we must grow during the dark times so we can produce fruit when the sunshine comes. Unlike a child who has childish ways, we must develop an ability to survive the heat and droughts to become a glorification to our Creator, for HIS glory!
Rain storms, droughts, wind, hail, and other phenomenons can be used in the life of a garden. Various trials and tribulations can be used to "GROW" our Spiritual lives into what GOD desires us to be. We can't all be the tallest corn stalk in the garden, but we can be the best crops that GOD has called us to be! Being 6'6" tall, I do not need to physically "GROW" any taller! But I can ALWAYS continue to "GROW" Spiritually as I serve HIM!
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