“…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18
Where there is life, there must be growth. But we must be born before we can grow. The Bible tells us that we were all born into this world spiritually dead and that is why we all need to be born again, by receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts. The new birth is not the end; it is just the beginning. Grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. Growing in Grace is becoming more like Christ. We grow in grace by reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” and by praying. Those actions by themselves don't mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. To grow in our knowledge of Jesus is to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. This growth does not happen overnight, it is a step by step process throughout our life on earth.
May God enable us to live close to the Cross and search the mystery of His wounds. An increase of love to Jesus is one of the best tests of growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.