2 Peter 3:10–18 (NASB95)
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 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.
We are one day closer to the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Just thinking about that gets me fired up. I so long to see Him face-to-face and enjoy His love and grace forever, free of sin. But until that day, I want to do what the passage above says and grow in holiness, godliness, diligence, purity, and an ever-deepening understanding of Him as my Lord and Savior. I want to walk in a manner worthy of His calling upon my life (Eph. 4:1ff), and I want to bear much fruit to bring glory to my Father in heaven (John 15:5-8).
I try to evaluate my life constantly, but there are two times each year when I seek to do a more thorough evaluation – the beginning of each year and mid-summer. Right now, I am asking myself a lot of questions, but one of the most important questions is, “Am I growing?”
[Note: as you read the following questions, please look up the verses and read them out loud]
- Have I become more like Jesus intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually?
- Is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) more evident in my life?
- Am I taking better care of my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:12-20)?
- Am I making the most of the time I have each day, knowing the days are evil and my time is limited (; Ps. 90:10-12; Eph. 5:15-16)?
- Am I doing a better job guarding what goes into my mind (Job 31:1; Phil. 4:8-9; 2 Cor. 10:5)?
- Are my words more edifying (Eph. 4:29-30)?
- Am I more kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving (Eph. 4:31-32)?
- Am I more sacrificially loving my wife and family (Eph. 5-6) so that they feel it?
- When I am aware of sin in my life, am I quicker to confess and repent?
- Am I more intentionally engaged in reaching lost people for Jesus (prayer – care – share)?
- Am I more effectively discipling specific people to grow to maturity so they can reach and disciple others (Mt. 28:16-20; 2 Tim. 2:2)?
- Am I sacrificially (and cheerfully) giving to my local church and giving above and beyond that to other ministries as the Lord leads?
- Am I developing and using my spiritual gifts more effectively to build up my local church?
- Are the angels of heaven observing me and seeing more of God’s grace on display (1 Pet. 1:10-12)?
- Am I more zealous for Jesus Christ and His coming kingdom (Titus 2:11-14)?
- Am I a better steward of all that the Lord has entrusted to me than I was 6 months ago?
There are more but I will stop there and let you add your own questions to the list. If you don’t mind, please email them to me so I can benefit from your own commitment to grow in the Lord (paul@bridgebible.church).
Like the Apostle Paul, I am not perfectly mature (Phil. 3:7-14), but I press on. It is my sincere desire that you would see me not as perfect, but as someone who keeps making progress (1 Tim. 4:12-15). To that end, would you please continue to pray for me and hold me accountable to diligently grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Feel free to ask me how I’m doing and tell me how you are doing.
May Jesus be glorified in our lives both now and to the day of eternity.
P.S. Two great opportunities for all of us to grow this summer: 1) Sunday morning worship (with different brothers each week leading us in a study of the Psalms. 2) “Summer Nights at the Bridge” on 7/19 (Pastor Nam Park – Family Worship) and 7/26 (Pastor Chris Mueller – Singleness). Fantastic opportunities for personal growth as well as outreach to guests that you can invite.