2 Peter 1:2, New Living Translation

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God in Jesus our Lord.”

I believe it is super important for us to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ! When we do this, we will have a deeper understanding of our Savior’s heart. We will trust Him more, and because we trust Him more, our love for Him will grow. It will grow because we recognize all the ways He is there for us, and we will know that He cares about us, that His love for us is real and true! Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:2 (NLT), “May God giving more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge God in Jesus our Lord.”

I look back on my own experiences and see where there were times when I was scared or unsure of the situation. What was the right thing to do? I didn’t know. Fast-forward to the current day but different challenges in life and continued growth in my faith. I can see that because of my willingness to allow the Lord to do a work in my heart, because I am reading His word and learning more and more of who He is and who He wants me to be that my knowledge of Him is growing, and I am receiving more grace and peace. When a challenge arises, I am becoming stronger in the Lord and walking in His Spirit! I know more how to handle a situation in a way that pleases God. This will be different for each of us because we go through different things and the Lord speaks to us differently. Please let your heart be open to what God wants to do. 

I believe that we all have selfish tendencies. When I say this, I am speaking to myself as well. This may be because we subconsciously think about ourselves, and we don’t really realize it until God moves in. This is why we go into defense mode, or we build walls to protect ourselves and say things like, “Never again…” Our hearts begin to harden, and we become stubborn, and we aren’t doing what God has called us to do. That was me. I had been hurt so much and my heart had hardened. I thought I could “Fake it until I made it.” but God showed me the truth! Pretending is not good enough! Pretending will not get me to heaven. Pretending won’t help or minister to the people in my life that I care about!

Isaiah 64:8 (NLT) says, “And yet, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” Are we submitting to our Lord? Are we allowing Him to form us with His hand? When we do, something beautiful happens! “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart, and give you a tender responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decree and be careful to obey my regulations.” (Ezekiel el36:26-27, NLT) My brothers and sisters, this is what God has done in me, and this is what He wants to do in you!

God pricked my heart with truth, He opened my eyes, He gave me His Spirit and a tender, responsive heart! And now, I desire to do what I felt like I couldn’t do before! Why? Because His love empowers me! His Spirit empowers me! Because I realize now that those challenges in my past were part of my refinement for my future. “These Trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests, and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.” (1 Peter 1:7, NLT) These Trials you are facing our refinement for your future!

What God is doing in me, He wants to do in you!  It comes from a Father‘s heart of love towards His children! He sees every tear and He hear every word we cry out! It’s the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord that we grow in that gives us grace and peace for each moment of our lives! What beauty comes from this! When God does this work and you recognize it, you see not just the changes within, but the changes in the people around you! This comes from your relationship with God, from being in His word and knowing and trusting who He is. 

Love is a call to spiritual growth! Love is a ministry! When we let His perfect love fill us, His perfect love flows from us. When we fill ourselves with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, it flows out of us to those around us. It happens almost second nature. It flows from being secure in His love in the knowledge of who He is and trusting every word He speaks. There is no disappointment in Him! He fills the longing of our hearts and completes the work in us. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

The joy of the Lord is my strength! It overflows in my heart that He’s showing me the work He’s doing in me and the beginning fruit coming from it! I pray you will be filled with the same joy and strength as you experience the Potter at work in you and your life!