bits from bob....
bits from bob....
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18)
The newspaper article raised an interesting question: How much do I want to grow? Am I content to grow just a little, or do I want to really grow in grace and knowledge?
The article told about a man in Pennsylvania who had grown a record pumpkin weighing over 1600 pounds. It took a bunch of people to move it. He had started the seed indoors and moved the plant outdoors on May 17 according to the article. During the best days of the growing season, the grower said the pumpkin was putting on 40 pounds. (The article didn't say how he arrived at conclusion, but the statements suggests he was checking on his pumpkin daily.) The point is clear to me. Big pumpkins come from constant care, nutrients, and lots of water. One doesn't grow a big pumpkin accidentally. Because the growing season is only so long, big pumpkins come from daily growth, and lots of it.
The parallels with the Christian life are intriguing. In your spiritual life, how much are you growing daily? Are you adding spiritual weight and muscle every day? How much daily growth will satisfy you? And what is your ultimate goal? Are you seeking a record-setting level of spiritual growth and maturity, or are you satisfied with mediocrity?
A pumpkin weighing almost a ton would indeed be something to see. I wish the newspaper article had included a picture. A one-ton Christian (spiritual measurement, not physical) would also be something to see. What a weight for good! What if we all made if our goal to become "one-ton" Christians? How much grace can we develop in our goal to be like Jesus? How much knowledge can we gain as we strive toward Christian maturity? Next time you pray, step on God's spiritual scales and check your weight. No one else will look--just you and God. Then we can all resolve to go on a spiritual "weight gain" diet. Know any one-ton Christians?
