◄ Time and Time Again - Grace Thru Faith- study [9] ►

Grace Thru Faith - STUDY

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6

It Takes Time

There is no quick way to grow in grace and become spiritually mature. Spiritual maturity embraces pain and joy, suffering and happiness. Sanctification means death as well as life.. the cross before the throne. Growing in grace requires failure as well as success, inactivity as well as service. How vital that we understand and accept that God takes His time in our training. How wonderful to know that God will finish His work in the life of each believer. And it will take that long! God is working in each life for eternity, and we must grasp hold of the scriptural fact that maturing in the faith takes time.

It Takes Faith

There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth. It’s a lifetime of learning to trust God. Sanctification is a process which starts at rebirth and terminates at His appearing. One dear saint encourages all who desire to live godly, by telling us that: “Spiritual renewal is a gradual process. All growth is progressive and the finer the organism, the longer the process. It is from measure to measure: thirty-fold, sixty-fold, an hundred-fold. It is from stage to stage: first the blade, then the ear, and after that, the full corn in the ear. And it is from day to day. How varied these are!”

It Takes Patience

There are great days, days of decisive battles, days of crises in spiritual history, days of triumph in Christian service, days of the right hand of God upon us. But there are also idle days, days apparently useless, when even prayer and holy service seem a burden. Are we, in any sense, renewed in these days? Yes! for any experience which makes us more aware of our need of God must contribute to spiritual progress, unless we deny the Lord Who bought us. There are no shortcuts to sanctification, which is a lifetime growth in trusting God. Blessed is the saint that recognises this godly principle, which He applies to our lives.

It is For All

For whether it takes 20 years… or 95 years like Jacob to understand God’s process, you can be sure that He who started a good work in you will be faithful. He will complete the work He began in you. And like many saints before you – you will press towards the mark, in unity with the Spirit. One saint, who understood God’s principle of time, gave this edifying comment:- “We might consider some familiar names of believers whom God obviously brought to maturity and used for His glory – such as Pierson, Chapman, Tauler, Moody, Goforth, Mueller, Taylor, Watt, Trumbull, Meyer, Murray, Havergal, Guyon, Mabie, Gordon, Hyde, Mantle, McCheyne, McConkey, Deck, Paxson, Stoney, Saphir, Carmichael, and Hopkins.

It’s a Process

Then he explained that…. “The average for these was 15 years after they entered their life work.. before they began to know the Lord Jesus as their life and ceased trying to work for Him and began allowing Him to be their all in all, and to do His work through them. This is not to discourage us in any way but to help us to settle down with our spiritual sights on eternity, by faith.. apprehending that for which also we are apprehended of Christ Jesus. Pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:12

Remember…

There is no quick way to grow in grace and become spiritually mature. There are no shortcuts to sanctification, which is a lifelong process in trusting God.