February 14-Always Growing in Christ

The Mirror of the Word by C.E. White can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Word-Devotions-Reveal-Refine/dp/B0DFZS83C7  To learn more about this author and other works, visit https://cewhitebooks.com/

“Finally then, brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel even more.”

—1 Thessalonians 4:1

We have this idea that the closer we get to God, the less growth we will need in the way of character and obedience. The truth is that as we walk with the Lord, we will learn there are always ways to do so even more over time.

The closer we get to him, the more we see the sins that are ingrained in our hearts and not only evident in our actions. 

Just as we wouldn’t notice a speck of dirt at the edge of a mud pile, we often don’t see our specks of sin until the most glaring mounds have already been cleared away by Christ’s redemptive power and our obedience to him. 

Once those are gone, the Holy Spirit shows us things we never realized were rebellion—the different ways we love poorly, the attitudes that do not glorify him, or the things we do only to impress others.

We may find that our selfishness, pride, unforgiveness, resentment, and impatience are more deeply embedded than the things others can see from the outside.

This is not cause for frustration, but a continual reminder guiding us into deeper humility and closer to the heart of God. As Paul says, we have not attained, but we press on (Philippians 4:12–14), confess, and know he will cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) as we endure for the prize that awaits us (Philippians 3:14).

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