Moving Forward

Our scripture for today speaks about a dynamic spiritual life made possible for us through true and personal knowledge of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Not only has God bestowed on us (given us) everything we need to live a truly religious life, but He has also trusted us to gain true and personal knowledge of Him who called us.

It’s a relationship that indicates the involvement of both parties. Being called by God, and choosing to respond to His invitation, isn’t a once-off decision. It’s a choice to keep growing, to keep learning about His character, seeking Him through trials and tribulations, holding on to Him during the storms of life and keeping our eyes on Him.

Unfortunately, people often get caught up in their own struggles and eventually just feel stuck in the same spot forever. They don’t experience the dynamic Christian life spoken about in God’s Word and they don’t seem to be able to ‘forget the things which are behind and reach forward to the things which are ahead’ (Philippians 3:13). The enemy loves to twist God’s truth and to blind us by endless lies, which force us to keep looking inwards in self-condemnation and judgment.

Following on from today’s verse, Simon Peter gives us a ‘recipe’ for growth in our relationship with Jesus Christ: ‘For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love’ (2 Peter 1:5-7 HCSB). Learning to know our Father isn’t going to happen if we don’t seek Him and desire to know Him more and more.

In Hosea 4:6 the Lord says that ‘His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’ (AMP). This verse alone is enough to make us realise how important it is to the Lord that we make every effort to grow in our faith and our relationship with Him. There are many reasons why people don’t gain knowledge and move forward with the Lord. If you are feeling stuck, maybe it’s time for you to ask the Lord why.

It could be that you actually chose to isolate yourself from people in the process of trying to protect yourself, or maybe you became so self-sufficient that you think you don’t need anyone. There are many reasons, but the Lord knows you and where you are at. Look up from ‘yourself’ and ask Him to open your eyes to His truth. He is gentle and kind and will never overwhelm you. He will lead you ‘beside quiet waters and refresh your soul’ (Psalm 23:2-3).