Hebrews 11 - Don't Give Up - They Didn't!

            I love reading from Hebrews chapters 10 through 12.  Chapter 11 has often been referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame.”   The Bible characters and their acts of faith mentioned here are an encouragement to me now; but I must admit that was not always so.  I used to be intimidated by these Biblical heroes. 

When I was younger, the remarkable stories of these characters often left me feeling that I could never measure up.  They did such great things for God!  Things I knew I would never be able to do.  But as I got older and studied each character in more detail, I began to realize that these people were just people who allowed God to use them.  They were ordinary folks like me and you.  They were not perfect.  Sometimes they messed up things too. 

Think about some of the people mentioned and it is not difficult to understand what I mean.  Abraham was called to go out not knowing where he was going, (Hebrews 11:8-9) and Sara received strength to conceive (verse 11).  Before she had Isaac though, Sara had become impatient and tried to bring about God’s promise herself by giving Abraham her handmaid.  Instead of putting his foot down, Abraham agreed.  This action ended up causing both of them plenty of heartache.

Isaac and Jacob are both mentioned in this chapter, but they both played favorites with their sons and suffered heartache for doing so.

            Moses became one of the greatest leaders of God’s people ever, yet he offered excuse after excuse before he finally answered God’s call.  Rahab lived a wayward life before she recognized God as the one true and living God.   And then look at those mentioned in verse 32 – Gideon – tested God.  Barak would not go to battle unless Deborah would go with him.  Samson had a weakness for the wrong women.  Jepthae made a careless vow that cost him greatly.  David – sinned with Bathsheba and Samuel had rebellious sons. 

            It is not my purpose here is to point out the bad in these people.  They were still truly great people of God.  The point I am trying to make is that God forgives anyone who seeks to be forgiven and uses anyone – ANYONE – who is willing to be used in His kingdom.  If we love Him and are willing to give our lives to Him, then He will forgive us for our past and even forgive us when we stumble along The Way.  More importantly, even though we mess up – He can and will use us for His glory if we allow Him to.  God is rich in mercy and abundant with His grace.  He loves to magnify the works of those who seek Him and do His will!

            These people are mentioned to encourage us in our daily walk with God.  The writer of Hebrews illustrates to us that these great people of faith acted for God in faith believing His promise.  His promise of what, you may ask?  It was the promise of His blessing ALL nations.  It was God’s promise of the coming Messiah and the established of the “kingdom that would never be destroyed.”  Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David – none of them ever got to see Jesus on earth.  They never got to experience the kingdom of God (the church) on earth. 

            We were not alive when Jesus was here, but we can read of His life and ministry.  We know that the kingdom has come.  We have the promise that the church will never be destroyed.  The church is for anyone and everyone who is willing to obey the Word.  We are the recipients of not only Christ’s blood; but of the blessings that have come our way through the faith of our fathers.  Wow! 

            The Hebrew writer is telling us not to give up in our faith even during affliction because we have more and know more than those who went before us.  They did not see the fulfillment of their faith, yet they never gave up.  That’s the point!

God is telling us here --Don’t give up!  People who lived before you – who lived before the promise was fulfilled – who lived before Christ lived and then died for our sins did not give up.  They lived for their God who is also our God – the only God.  They lived for Him and the promise He made. And yet, they never really actually received the promise. 

I think God wants us to understand that these people were not super human.  I think He wants us to see the whole picture.  Realizing that these people were not perfect helps us understand that we don’t have to be perfect either.  Yes, they were ordinary people – BUT they had a great faith in God who does great things.  They lived for Him without having seen the promise.  We have more than they did because we know Christ was the fulfillment of the promise.  If they didn’t give up, we can’t give up!! 

God can still do great things through us.  So don’t give up.

 Let Him use you.  You will be blessed beyond measure! 

Christ above all things,

Robin

 

 

             

He Has Overcome the World

     I almost didn't write tonight.  As a matter of fact, I was headed to the bedroom to go to sleep and changed my mind.  So here I am.  My mind has been spinning in circles.  My thoughts seem to be constantly in motion as they jump from one subject to another.  As I did this, certain scriptures came to mind. 
      Earlier today I reminded a friend of promises found in God's word.  I often go to these passages for comfort and strength.  They build my faith and give me hope.  They also help me understand the deep love the Father has for us.  God has given us even the air we breathe.  We owe all to Him.  God loves the whole world.  He created it and set it in motion.  He is always in control.  
      We have reason to rejoice because we choose to follow Christ our Savior.  His Father - our Father - has given Him all power and He reigns in heaven now.  What a beautiful, wonderful thought! I love to read from the gospel of John.  So many beautiful passages can be found in that book.  I love to read Jesus' promise of going to prepare a mansion for us in John 14:1-3.  I love to see the promise of the peace He leaves with us in verse 27 of that same chapter.
      On the days, I get discouraged or feel beaten down by the world, I turn to John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace.  In the world, you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."  Just reading these words brings a smile to my face!
       Yes, the world is going to give us all kinds of heartache.  We will be hurt - people will let us down.  We will let ourselves down. That is a fact.  Life is going to happen.  But we have a precious promise from the one who shed His blood for us.  We have the promise that He has overcome the world!!!  It is in Him and through Him that we will have the victory!!
       After I read those verses earlier this afternoon, I began to think about the unconditional love Jesus has for all of us.  Oh how beautiful the gift forgiveness is!  No wonder the gospel is called the good news!  We can be washed in His precious blood and be made as clean and white as snow.  God loves even me!  
     I used to think I could never be good enough for God to love me.  I thought I had lived such a rotten life there was no possible way He would want me in His family.  It took me a long time to understand I was forgiven.  God did that for me.  He did it for all of us! 
      Jesus told us in John 3:17 (and in other passages) that He came to seek and save the lost.  If Christ Himself tells us that He came to save the lost and if He tells me that He has overcome the world, and if the Bible teaches that God has given Him all power over heaven and earth, then I think He is powerful enough to wash away even my sins. 
      I can read about the riches of His grace and mercy and how God loved us while we were yet sinners.  When I see how much love Christ displayed to His own after the resurrection, loving and forgiving - not just Peter who denied Him three times - but all of them because they all fled from Him except John.  It is then that I understand that God could and does want me in His family too. 
      I am so thankful for His great love and mercy.  I am so happy that I obeyed His commandments and that I follow Him.  He has forgiven me, washed me and made me white as snow.  And in John 14:1-3, He promises to come again and receive those who love Him -- He will receive them to Himself.  How wonderful is that????

In thanking Him for His great love -- please remember..

Christ above all things,
Robin

Don't Wear Your Shoes on the Wrong Feet

     I once knew a little girl who wore her flip flops on the wrong feet.  If anyone ever brought it to her attention she would say, "I know.  I like my shoes on the wrong feet."  I suppose she really must have liked to wear them that was for she seemed quite determined to do so.  Her mother wisely made no fuss about it.  She knew her child would eventually decide to wear her shoe correctly.  Sometimes as parents, we do have to pick our battles. 
     Mom was right of course.  In a short time, my sweet little friend began to wear her flip flops on the correct feet.  She grew up and out of this little phase, but I always smile when I think of her that summer.  She looked so funny walking through Christian camp with her flip flops on backwards.  And we all enjoyed watching her.  It was funny to me then and is still amusing to me now.
    It does make me think about our lives, though.  We are God's children and He loves us so much.  I suppose we amuse Him with our antics sometimes.  Other times, we probably make Him quite sad with our stubbornness. 
    Perhaps there are some bad habits- some sins that we are unwilling to give up.  Maybe there are some things that we stubbornly cling to that keep us from growing spiritually.  I don't think our loving Heavenly Father is so amused with us then. Do we sometimes say, I love You, God; but I really like living this way, do I have to give it up?
     Think about that for a second.  Imagine telling God, "I like talking about other people.  I like to be 'in the know' about what's going on. That's not really gossip is it?  Maybe we tell the kids to tell whoever is calling that we are not home because we don't want to talk to them right then.  Surely, that's OK right God?  Maybe we stayed up too late Saturday night and we think it'll be OK just this one time to sleep a little longer and skip Sunday school.  As long as we make it to worship hour, we are still putting God first, right? 
     What about remembering to pray or study God's word every day?  That's one of my weaknesses and something I should work diligently to improve.  Oh, I pray pretty regularly; but I don't always spend time in God's word every day.  I suppose it hurts the Father when He thinks I might not want to hear from Him on a daily basis. 
     All of us have areas in which we can improve.  We know this.  Unlike the little girl who insisted on wearing her sandals on the wrong feet, this is no laughing matter.  We should take our obedience to the Father very seriously.  We should strive every day to obey the commandments of Jesus so that we can grow closer to Him every day. 
     Jesus is the best friend we will ever have.  God is a perfect Father- THE perfect Father.  We really should keep our eyes on Him all the time.  We can't say, God I love you -BUT .. I like doing so and so, are you sure I have to give it up?  Come on now, we all know that all of us have weaknesses.  Christianity should be an on-going process and we should always -- always seek to grow and mature and do better .  We are never perfect as Christ was when He was among us; but He is the example we are to follow.  His life is the perfect pattern. 
      So let's grow up and out of our stubborn phase with our God.  Let's take off those flip flops and put them on the right feet.  Then we can continue to walk that straight and narrow path that leads to heaven!

Christ above all things,
Robin 

Serving Him through Encouragement to Others

            All of us have our crosses to bear.  None of us go through life unscathed.  We face pain, illness, accidents and death.  We lose those we love; sometimes through conflict of some kind and as already mentioned, sometimes through death.  We have financial burdens and stresses at work or at home – or both. Even though we are not of the world, we still have to live in the world.  Sometimes, folks that is really tough!

          On the other hand, we also experience incredible joy while we are here.   We see innocent babies born into the world and get to watch them grow.  We love our times with our families and our friends.  Being with those we care about brings us much happiness.  We have our mountain top moments too. 

          Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes 3:1 –“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”  Through inspiration, he then continues to mention many opposites – living and dying; weeping and laughing; mourning and dancing;  and tearing down and building up are just a few of the “times” Solomon mentions. 

          Then in Ecclesiastes 9:11 Solomon says, “I returned and saw under the sun that – the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.” 

          My point is that everyone goes through some kind of storm sooner or later.  That is something we all come to know as we go through our lives.  Time and chance happens to everyone.  How we react in each situation is what is important.  Are we following God and doing His will during the good times and the bad? It is easy to forget our Father during both of these times.  When things are going wonderfully well for us,  we become so proud of ourselves – so enamored with ourselves that we forget to give God the glory.  It seems we think we accomplished these things all alone!  Sometimes we don’t remember to be thankful for all His beautiful blessings in our lives.

        When trials, temptations and tribulations land in our lap – sometimes we become angry with God for letting bad things happen to us.  We may have the “Why me?” attitude.  Sometimes we just get so overwhelmed with what is going on around us, that we allow Satan to move in and push God right out of our minds.  We may be so downtrodden  we don’t think God cares anymore.  Of course, we are terribly wrong about that. 

      Those people who cling to God even through their heartache and pain have always inspired me.  I am encouraged by their unyielding faith and dedication to serve the Lord the best way they can through all the circumstances of their life.  We draw strength from one another when we help each other carry on God’s work no matter what. 

          Last week in our prayer group, the comment was made that by going through our own struggles and overcoming our own temptations, we can encourage others who might also be going through tough times.  We mentioned different Christian women who have encouraged us through the years.  Someone said they watched one sweet lady in the congregation walk around to others smiling and doing what she could do bolster their spirits like she so often does.  Then when she thought no one was looking, she let her guard down for just a second and my friend realized this sweet lady was not feeling very well.  Yet she would never want to bring attention to herself or put a damper on anyone’s spirits by airing her own difficulties. 

          Most of us know very special people like that.  Sometimes we wonder what kind of cross have they borne.  What was their trial or heartache?  How do they hold up well enough to become so gifted in the comforting of others?  What helps them keep going with their heads held high, a smile on their face and a hug or word of cheer for others, never complaining about their own troubles? 

          I most definitely think the primary reason for this is because they love their God.  They have learned to depend on Him.  They have the vision to see past their pain – or through it – or around it – to see the pain of others.  It takes the vision of faith to be able to see the needs of others when we ourselves might feel needy.  These Christians realize even while going through a storm, they (we) are still commanded to follow God and to serve others by serving Him.  They understand no matter what they are going through, God is still in control and there is always something they can do to serve Him.  So they smile through the storm, knowing sunnier days will come; for they almost always do.  They also know one day they will be in heaven where no storms come. 

          Now thinking about serving the Lord through good times and bad reminds me of Paul’s instruction in Romans 12: 1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” 
         Do you think maybe these wonderful spiritual cheerleaders – these faithful Christians we always count on to cheer us up -- do you think this is what they are doing?

         They don’t just stop and sit down because life got difficult to deal with.  No!  They are sacrificing themselves by yielding to God’s will even when they might not feel so well themselves.  They present themselves holy because they are not yielding to any temptations of the world no matter how tough things get.  They use their bodies in His service so that they can be acceptable to Him.  And finally, they know after all the things Christ did for us …. up to and including His death and resurrection it is only reasonable that we should live for Him. 
 

         So how about us?  Are we willing to do the same thing?  Are we willing to use our bodies and minds in service to Him even when we aren’t at our best?  Do we strive to encourage others when things seem to be going wrong all around us? 
       Do we tell people Jesus loves them – even when someone we love might be causing us pain?  Do we understand that ourselves?  Do we know without a doubt that Jesus loves us and is going to help us through anything we encounter in this life?  If we don’t know – really know – that Jesus will see us through; then honestly, how we can tell anyone else that?  Have the vision to see through your pain to the needs of those around you.  Love God enough to serve Him by serving and comforting others. 

 

Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” 

 

Christ above all things,

Robin

Talking With Our Father

        Whew!  It is has been several days since my last post; but it certainly feels good to be able to sit and write tonight! 
        Prayer is an awesome benefit of being a Christian!  I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been in my life.  I notice that the stronger my prayer life is - the more diligently I give attention to prayer and the stronger my faith becomes.  Yet sometimes I still forget to pray.  The devil wins on those days.  I try my best not to let him win very often. 
       Prayer is one of the building blocks for Christian growth.  I once saw a sign on the outside of a church building that said "Prayer is the exercise, faith is the muscle."  I have shared that with others and may have already used it in a 1 or 2 of my posts.  Think about that phrase for a minute, though.  It is so true, isn't it?  Do you get it?  The more often we pray, the closer we grow to God.  The more fervently we pray, the more effect our prayers have.  The more we see our prayers answered, the more value we place on prayer.  The more value we place on prayer -- the more we realize that our prayers are working --AND the more we realize our prayers are working - the stronger our faith grows!  Whew!  How great is that?
      I have the honor of being part of a prayer group.  We meet once a week.  I have friends in other towns who participate in prayer groups and I have heard them attest to the benefit of praying with others.  It is an honor to be able to come to our Heavenly Father in prayer. 
Being part of a group who prays together adds another dimension to this blessing and honor.
      As part of this band of Christian sisters, we share with one another.  We trust each other and depend on each other.  And we pray together.  I love my prayer sisters.  Such a strong bond is  built between people who pour their hearts out to one another and then pray together over heartaches, trials, temptations and yes the all the joy our special blessings bring too.  Honestly, I do not think I knew the true meaning of "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those weep" until I became a part of this prayer group!  
      These women are such a big part of my life now. They have helped me grow and mature as a Christian.  Praying together builds a strong bond between fellow Christians.  The first century Christians prayed together.  In Acts 2:42 - Luke says "they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and ....and in prayers."   This habit of praying together is recorded in Acts 1 before the church was established.  Chapter 1:14 says, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."  
A third example of Christians gathering for the purpose of prayer is found in Acts 12:12.  Peter has just been released from prison by the angel of the Lord.  The scriptures says, "And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying."
       Yes, we are commanded to pray; but communicating with our God is so much more than obeying a command!  It is the way we actually talk to our Heavenly Father.  We can tell Him what's on our hearts.   Amazingly, He listens.  He loves us so much -- so very much!
        Have you ever thought about why God listens to us?  It is because we have obeyed His Son.  It is because we are in Christ.  He is the door of the sheepfold.  We knew His voice and answered His call and went through the door.  We have learned that His great love caused Him to lay down His life for us.  And we have loved him enough to obey His commandments.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He is the only we can get to God and we have followed Him, obeyed Him, had our sins washed away and become His.  So we are able to come to the Father through Jesus Christ our Savior.  And when we talk to our God, Jesus is there too -- and He is telling God - she is one of mine, Father.  She has obeyed my voice.  I am her Shepherd.  Hear her prayers.  She is your child! 
        I know many of you value prayer as much as I do.  I know you have seen many prayers answered.   So have I.  It is wonderful and amazing to watch God work, isn't it?  Sometimes we see His plan unfold right before our very eyes.  That is when we are sure He has heard our pleas.  That is when our faith muscles get a little stronger. 
        You don't have to be part of a prayer group to experience this joy.  Individual prayers have great affect too.  I know that.  Families that pray together are prayer groups.  Parents, remind your children when prayers are answered.  Praying with someone is one way to help comfort and encourage them.  If they know you care enough to go to God on their behalf right there in front of them, it can be a wonderful source of comfort for them.  And you will be rewarded also.  Maybe you are the one that needs someone to pray with you.  Reach out - seek comfort from those Christians around you.  Christians are God loving people who love God's people.  Draw strength from their petitions for you or with you. 
      It is important to go to God on our own.  I think He likes His one on one time with His children.  We must seek Him out as individuals.  I know we have to do that in order to get to know our Father.  Group prayer does not take the place of praying alone, but adds to it.  Don't let the devil win.  Don't forget to pray. 
     God loves to hear from us.  We are His children.  All God wants is to spend time with those who are His.  He wants to be with us.  But we have to want it too.  So He and His precious Son wait for us -- and you know how good we feel when several of our family members are all together at one time?  We are sharing with one another, catching up with each other -- loving each other.  You know how happy that makes us feel.  Then is it too outrageous to think that God is also pleased when several of His children come together to talk to Him? 
        
      Talk to your Heavenly Father today.  He will be glad you did .... and so will you!

Christ above all things,
Robin

God Already Told Us

The Saturday before our Vacation Bible School started, several of us were at the church building working on decorating our rooms and preparing for VBS to start the next night.  The lady who was in charge of the puppets is the mother of the little girl in my 2 & 3 year old Bible class.  She is a very sweet little girl and I love being around her.  Her parents are both very faithful Christians and they are doing a good job in raising their daughter. 

Anyway, my young student was there with her mother.  At one point I walked by them and told my little student, “I love you.”  She looked up at me and smiled.  Then she said, “I know that, Mrs. Robin.  You already told me yesterday.”  Of course, she meant Wednesday night – not yesterday.  This was a Saturday and I had not seen her the day before.  But you get the point. 

She knew I loved her because I had already told her.  She was quite confident in this too.  I was so happy to hear her say that!  I want my students to know that I love them because I do.  I think it is very important that our children learn from experience at a very early age that being with the church is a very loving place to be.

There are many, many verses in the Bible that speak of love.  We can find passages on loving our neighbor, loving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, loving all men and even loving our enemies.  And the verses on love are some of the most beautiful parts of the Bible.  The love I’m thinking about tonight, however, is the love that God has for us and the love we have for him. 

Remember the song, “Jesus Love Me.”  The song says, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.”  Isn’t wonderful that we can know that Jesus loves us – because the Bible does tell us so?  Thank you, God for your Holy Word that gives us this beautiful message.  In the words of that sweet little girl, we can confidently say “I know Jesus loves me; He already told me that.” What a comforting feeling!

         Let us consider a few verses that help us know and understand the great love of our God.  Of course we all know John 3:16.  It is probably the most quoted verse from the Bible.  This verse alone tells us of the love of God; but there are so many others. 

Deuteronomy 7:9 – “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”

John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Romans 8:35 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril or sword?”

Romans 8:39 – “..nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

           Oh, there are so many times – when God tells us He loves us. Time will just not permit to share them all – though these verses just fill my heart up – knowing what He sacrificed – what Christ sacrificed because of His great love toward us.  I just have to share a couple more –

I John 3:1a – “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God!”

Revelation 1:5 – “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”

         Doesn’t reading these verses give your spirits a boost?  Take a few minutes to really stop and think about the intensity of God’s love for us – for you personally.  Bring it home to yourself as an individual – for that is how He loves us … ALL – but individually.  He does not love us because of our last name – or where we go to school or what kind of sports team we are on – or what color our skin is – or what kind of club we belong to.  He loves you – He loves me because of who HE is first and then because of who we are.  He sent Jesus to the cross for us.  Christ washed us from our sins with His own blood.  God calls us HIS children.  Nothing – not one thing can separate us from the love of God!  When somebody tells us God loves us – we can look at them with a smile and confidently say – “I know.  He already told me that.” 
         Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for our love and your tender mercy.  I am thankful for your Word that we have to learn and study from.  I am thankful for your precious Son who has washed me clean in His blood.  Help me to realize the joy I have in your love.  Please help Father, help to learn to share this great love with others.  In your Son’s name, Amen.

Always remember – HE loves you.

Christ above all things,

Robin        

Spiritual Growth - An On Going Process

     Yesterday at work I was asked to fill out a mid-year job performance evaluation review on myself.  It is an evaluation of the progress you are making toward the goals that were set forth for you at your annual year end review.  This is not an easy task - or it wasn't for me anyway.  I wished that I could have said I had already met all my goals; but I couldn't say that.  I had to be honest. 
      Oh, I had accomplished part or some of my goals; but there were definitely some that I still needed to work on.  My answer on the review for one goal was that with due diligence I hoped to show marked improvement by the end of the year.  With another goal, I had made some improvement already -- but was it was still an "on going process."
        All this self -examination and my use of the phrase "on going process" reminded me of a book I sometimes read to my two and three year old Bible class.  The name of the book is I'm Growing.    The book is about all the things a child could not do when he or she was a baby compared to the things he or she can do now.  The last page goes something like this -- "When I was a baby, I did not know how to pray - now I can say, 'Thank you, God' every day.  I'm bigger than I was and I'm still growing."    The children love this book.  You see two or three year olds love to talk about being a "big girl or big boy." 
        Then my thoughts jumped to my spiritual growth.  I began to think about how I might do on a mid-year spiritual performance review and realized that I fall way short.  In my mind, I could Jesus gently telling me that I still needed to work on this and this and that.  Spiritual growth is very definitely an on going process and I have a long way to go!  Like the little children in the book, maybe I have grown some - but I'm still growing.  At least, I hope I am. 
      I remember having a conversation several years ago with a very sweet elderly Christian lady who has since gone on to heaven.  She was always encouraging everyone and had been faithful all her life.  Her husband had served as an elder, but he had been in heaven for a long time.  She had continued to serve the Lord faithfully and set a wonderful example for all those around her. 
       Well, anyway that day I sat down beside her to visit with her a few minutes.  She was encouraging me, telling how sweet I was and building me up in so many ways.  I thanked her and then I mentioned to her that I was just beginning to learn that spiritual maturity was an (ha!) "on going process."  She very quickly agreed with me.  She said, "Oh it is honey!  We have to keep growing, keep learning --keep working.  We have strive to grow every day."  This wonderful Christian lady was telling me that she still worked on her Christianity!  Like I said, she was always a wonderful example.
      Spiritual growth is something that all Christians should strive for every day.  We should love spending time with the Lord in prayer.  We should crave learning more about Jesus by studying our Bibles every day.  We should be working on becoming more Christ-like every day.  We should long for Jesus and God to make his abode with us.  Love for Him should reign supreme in our hearts.  I say "we" folks, but I really am talking to myself. 
      God loves us so much and He wants us to be with Him in heaven.  Jesus Christ is our Savior, Redeemer and best friend.  If I am not growing closer to Him every day, why not?  Paul tells us the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us.  Paul beseeched us not to be conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewing of our mind. (Romans 12:1-2)
       What about our brother Peter?   Consider a few verses from his epistles --
            "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby; if so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."  (I Peter 2:2-3) 
See - we are supposed to desire to grow -- desire the word so that we CAN grow -- IF you have tasted that the Lord is gracious - then desire more of His word so that you can grow.  Hmmm - well, have you?  Have you experienced that the Lord is gracious?  Oh my, I certainly have!  How wonderful that He has died for us so that we can be free of sins.  Peter says -- Grow....
           "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (II Peter 1:5-8)
What wonderful verses telling us to add -- add -- to your faith and add to virtue knowledge and then -- add ..... in others words keep growing and adding until these things are in you and abound ---let them abound in you so that you won't be unfruitful.
     Lastly, Peter's final exhortation -- the last thing we ever hear from this apostle is:  "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. (II Peter 3:18) 
      I think Peter must have thought spiritual growth was pretty important!  I guess I need to keep my on-going process going on!  What about you?

Christ above all things,
Robin