Making the Most of an Abundant Life: Grow!

Making the Most of an Abundant Life: Growth
John 10:10

INTRODUCTION:
What is life about? Life is either progression or retrogression. It is either development or disintegration. The irrevocable law of God demands that we make the most of life, keep on growing or die! The two great laws of life are growth and death. When things stop growing, they start dying. That is true of vegetation, animals, humans, businesses, churches, and nations.

Plants, animals and people grow until they become grown and then death gradually commences; this is the climax and the anti-climax of growth. But there is one type of growth in which this need not be true - the growth within a person, beautifully stated by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16:

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Early life involves replacing outgrown clothing; and adult life consists of replacing worn-out erasers, abolishing illusions and discarding errors - but there is no other way to grow. Every good thing is obtained at the expense of giving up something else.

We can’t go to a “finishing school” and get completely remade. Nature expects more out of us than this. The whole world is the “finishing school” and the class lasts from the cradle to the grave; and we should not consider ourselves finished until death comes. In Galatians 4:19, Paul writes to the Galatian Christians: “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you—“

Growth gives the melody to life. Distortion of growth fills life with discord. Happy people are living, growing people; the unhappy ones died a long time ago.

When you grow, you are satisfied with life to an extent - you are satisfied with growth and that drives out the gloom and hopelessness that can flood your soul if your life is stagnant. As long as you are growing, you are not failing. Growth implies imperfection, that you have not arrived, but it also signifies improvement. Again, listen to the apostle Paul:

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

NATURE TEACHES GROWTH:
When Longfellow was old, an enthusiastic admirer asked him how it was that he was able to keep so vigorous and write so beautifully. Pointing to a tree clothed in blooms, the aged poet replied: “That apple tree is very old, but I never saw prettier blossoms upon it than those it now bears. The tree grows a little new wood every year, and I suppose it is out of that new wood that those blossoms come. Like the apple tree, I try to grow a little new wood every year.”

Maltbie Davenport Babcock stated: “O that I may grow! I see the leaves out-pushing hour by hour, with steady joy the buds burst out a flower, urged gladly on by Nature’s working power. O that I may grow!”

THE BIBLE TEACHES GROWTH:
The Bible is the book of science on proper living. And it teaches the need to grow:

It is a command: “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

Jesus experienced such growth Himself: “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

The Thessalonians were growing in their faith and love: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure” (2 Thess. 1:3-4).

“Be stronger and stronger” is God’s plan for us: “Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9).

Observe Judah’s point of growth…

When you read to the end of Genesis 37, it does not look good. Jacob’s sons are jealous of Joseph. They take him and throw him into a pit to figure out what to do with him. At first they wanted to kill him. It was Judah who proposed that they sell him to Midianite slavers (Genesis 37:26-27) who were headed to Egypt. 

Judah’s story picks up at chapter 38 and it continues to spiral downward. Can the blessing continue through him? In this chapter Judah illustrates that Jacob’s sons have already begun to act like the wicked Canaanites. They have begun to intermarry with them. In fact, two of Judah’s sons broke family loyalty by not adhering to the near eastern custom of levirate marriage. Because God’s purpose was being thwarted by wickedness, He intervened directly. God killed Er, Judah’s firstborn, for his wickedness (v. 7). Onan, the second born, was selfish and sought his own pleasures; God killed him too. The third son was too young to fulfill his familial responsibilities. Things do not look good. The rest of the chapter shows that Judah himself is also about to break family loyalty too. 

At this point, many commentators find the story of Judah in chapter 38 as out of place. Yet, in the context of the covenant blessing, I find it one of the most pivotal chapters of Genesis. The events of Genesis 38 are graphic and are not meant for children, but the story is key. Just when Judah is about to break family loyalty himself, we see him become a changed man. This is what happened. Judah found out that Tamar was “pregnant by immorality” (v. 24). He was so enraged with her that he was about to execute her by fire. At that moment, Tamar revealed that Judah was the father of her twins. Then, here’s the pivotal moment. Judah says, “She (Tamar) is more righteous than I.”

From that point on, Judah is such a changed man that we later see him stepping forward to lead his brothers (43:3, 8; 44:14, 16, 18; 46:28). He becomes their spokesman and makes decisions for the group. In the end, he was willing to place his freedom on the line when he thought Egyptian prime minister Joseph was going to make a slave out of Benjamin (Genesis 44:18-34). At the end of Genesis, as Jacob was giving his death-bed blessing to his sons, he said regarding Judah: “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet...” (49:8-10). Judah does receive blessing. 

When Judah said, “She (Tamar) is more righteous than I” (ver. 26), he owned up to his sin. From that moment, Judah humbled himself and showed responsibility. That is real leadership.  Judah proved himself qualified to receive the covenant blessing. Through the line of Judah, God would continue to weave the thread of the covenant blessing and bring the lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus of Nazareth, into the world.

Husbands and fathers, what a powerful lesson we learn from such a dysfunctional family. Like Judah, do we own up to our mistakes and take full responsibility for them? As husbands and fathers who wish to be the spiritual heads of our family, do we have a contrite heart that is sensitive to our sins and easily broken when we know our sins break God’s heart? Let us own up to our wrongs, admit them and say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Such confession can go a long way in healing a broken relationship. Sometimes a man’s ego prevents him from apologizing for a wrong. He thinks it shows weakness, but it is the opposite. It takes the courage of a lion to sacrifice our egos at the feet of Jesus, just as Judah was willing to lay down his freedom for his little brother. It’s when we are on our knees that we stand the tallest. May God give us more Judahs in our families.

PENALITES FOR NOT GROWING:
There are penalties for not growing in every area of life:

Intellectually - For those who die between the ears, they lose zeal for life. Streams of knowledge and inspiration could have refreshed their lives but they have dried up and bring old age before it is time. Many, many people (maybe most?) who live long lives continue to be intellectually active. You can take some of the dullness out of life by becoming sharper.

In business - Those who are stuck in a rut - who don’t grow - are those with lesser positions. What could be potentially worse is that - like the one-talent man in Matthew 25:28 - they could lose what they have. The business world says to all who enter her realm: “Produce or be cut down like the fig tree in the Bible” - Luke 13:6-7.

Socially - Those who refuse to grow socially are those who lose the warmth of friends and the strength of fellowship. Jesus was friendly and sociable to everyone who would permit Him into their lives. Among the beautiful attributes of the early church is that they “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46).

The world is wanting to clasp the hand of friendship. Keep yours extended if you wish to have friends: “A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24).

Spiritually - As we saw in 1 Peter 2:1, those who don’t grow are hindered from laying aside sinful behaviors: “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”

If we stop growing, then we stop adding the Christian graces to our lives: “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

If we stop growing, we will stop producing fruit and the harvest is not going to be pretty: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned” (John 15:1-6).

We hear the promise of Christ in Revelation 14:13: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” On the other hand, cursed are those who are the living who die in stagnation.

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you” (Rev. 3:1-3).

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ ” (Rev 3:14–22).

A MAN:
When we see an athlete, we will often exclaim: “What a man!” But the size of the bicep is not the measure of a man. The speed he can run a 5K is not the measure of a man. But show the size of the man’s soul and his mind and we’ll know if he is a man.

Isaac Watts was only 5’ tall but when someone teased him about his height, he stated:

Were I so tall to reach the pole,
Or grasp the ocean with my span,
I must be measured by my soul;
The mind’s the standard of the man.

May each be able to say, “When I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11) because each of us have continued to grow.

Take home message: Engage in those spiritual disciplines God has given us to help us to grow spiritually: Love God supremely; serve man sacrificially. Study. Pray. Fellowship. Worship.