Our 82nd Word is Grow

The simple definition of grow is the process of a person or thing slowly reaching its potential.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

---

The expectant mom rubs her growing belly and thinks about the eight year old girl in the back bedroom who is growing almost as fast as the weeds in the front garden. She shakes her head at the way her husband’s company has grown from a start-up to a profitable business in just a few years’ time and how, during that span, he and his cofounder have grown weary of one another.

We would expect a ubiquitous word like grow to be found in the Bible. And it is. Pity the person who misses it.

Writing to first century Christians in Ephesus, Paul first reviewed all that God has done to give us spiritual life. Then, in the second half of his letter, he focused on what spiritual growth looks like.

Paul used a Greek word that means “to increase.” In secular Greek this word was used to express the idea of attaining the highest position. It refers to the process of a person or thing becoming all that it has within it to be, either good or bad.

Luke 2:52 notes that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Other passages say we can grow in faith (2 Corinthians 10:15) and in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18). With the right spiritual diet, we can grow in our understanding of our great salvation (1 Peter 2:2). By clinging to Jesus in faith, we can keep from growing weary (Hebrews 12:3) or seeing our love for Him grow cold (Matthew 24:12).

When preacher types talk about “transformation into Christlikeness” and theologians write about “sanctification,” they are referring to spiritual growth.

Remember that it’s the nature of all healthy things to grow. when a child isn’t gaining weight in those first few months, we call the doctor. When longtime Christians behave like spiritual infants instead of grown-ups, there’s a problem.

The concept of growing spiritually is confusing to a lot of people. It needn’t be. here are a few truths:

• God is the ultimate cause of our growth (1 Corinthians 3: 6-7); however…
• Growth doesn’t happen automatically. You don’t grow musically simply by putting a piano in your living room. But get a teacher to instruct you and faithfully practice what you’re learning, and you will see progress.
• This same principle holds for the spiritual life. Keep drawing near to God in prayer seek to live out Christ’s teachings. As you do, you will see your heart begin to change.
• Remember that growth comes in spurts. It’s seasonal. In the same way that plants appear to be dead in the winter, sometimes we don’t seem to be growing. Hang in there, spring is coming!

Questions to Ponder

1. What are some specific ways you’ve seen yourself grow spiritually since putting your faith in Christ?
2. In what areas would you like to see more growth?