I have tomato seeds in my garage that never grow. They lie stagnant, dormant, just above my rarely opened toolboxes. Why don’t they grow? They are not planted in nutrient-rich soil and they receive no water.
Christians, given the seed of regeneration, are to grow deeply into the Grace of God and the knowledge of God. “…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.” Those who are declared to be the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12) are to live for the glory of God from now on into eternity. Christians are not to lie dormant on the shelf in the garage. They need to be dive deeply into the soil of the Word of God and be watered by the Spirit of God – they need to grow!
How do we do that? The Scriptures boldly and clearly give the answer. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Word of God is the richest possible soil for the Christian seed to grow. In fact, the Word was given for that very purpose. The Bible is unique (it comes from God), the Bible is powerful (it is the Word/power of God), and the Bible is life-transforming. We cannot come into contact with the dynamic Word from God, it having been watered by the Spirit, without being transformed by the encounter.
Scripture is breathed out by God. The same Word that was spoken and the universe came into existence, the same Word that became flesh and dwelt among us for our salvation, is the same Word that we read, preach, and mix with faith. It is the Word, blessed by the Spirit that engenders growth.
The Bible is profitable for teaching. God’s fingerprints are on the whole of His creation but we can read His signature, and see his portrait, in the Scriptures. If you want to know God and grow in your knowledge of God, listen to Him speak in His Word. It is his authorized autobiography! Men derive their patchwork guesses about God from many other sources, experience, other religions, what my grandma told me, what Hollywood portrays; but the only true, pure, accurate knowledge of God comes from His own revelation. For a Christian to grow one must study the Word from God.
The Bible is profitable for reproof. When you see God clearly, in all His holiness, glory, purity, and power, you also begin to see yourself accurately. And the picture isn’t pretty. In the light of His glory our sin, selfishness, and rebellion cannot be denied. Our self-constructed glory appears as rebellion in His holy presence. This is where many stop reading and studying the Word of God. It is uncomfortable to be humbled by the truth. We tend to prefer to live in a comfortable lie than to submit to the rigors of the truth about ourselves. Personal change requires prior knowledge that something is wrong with us. The Bible correctly diagnoses our foundational sin; pride-driven rebellion against the only God.
This brings us to correction. The Bible not only points out the problem, sin, it also drives us to the solution. His Word is beneficial for correction. The Bible provides answers to the human dilemma; the law of God. Our sinful rebellion is forgiven and washed in the blood of Christ, and not we live in gospel gratitude to God by submitting to his will. “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The Bible at once points out the wrong path that we are on and points out the proper path we should be traversing. The Bible cuts a path back to the highway of holiness.
Training in righteousness is the mission of the Word of God. Once back on the path, we improve the road. We serve the highway on which our brothers and sisters are traveling. We are equipped to do every good work. Loving, willing, self-sacrifice service is the norm among mature, growing, path-walking Christians. If a Christian is not walking in humble and joyful service to our Lord and King Jesus then the steps must be re-traced. Does he need to be trained? Or, one step farther back, does he need to be corrected? Or is the stumbling block reproof? Does sin have a crippling stranglehold on the believer in some area of his life? Or finally, is the root of the problem teaching? He doesn’t understand God, the gospel, the law, the way, the truth, or the life?
Yet, wherever the wrench in the works is found, the solution is always the same – heavy doses of the pure, undiluted Word of God, blessed by the Spirit.
All this is simply to ask, how are your daily devotions going? Are you planted in the life-transforming soil of God’s Word? Does the Word instruct you? Expose you? Refocus you? Train you in humble service? Or are you on the self in the garage waiting for the soil and the water to come to you?
The water. I have only hinted at the water so far. The Word of God must be blessed by the Spirit of God for it to work its wonders! So, how do we know that the Spirit is present and active in our devotions? We ask God to send him. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).
Spend time with God listening to his Word and asking for his blessing. That one-two punch will get you off the shelf and into the God-glorifying life that you were reborn to live.