Economic Growth (2)
…but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3.18
Pressing on day by day
The writer of the book of Hebrews warned his readers not to neglect the great salvation, that Kingdom economy into which God had conveyed them through Jesus Christ. They must be careful, he explained, lest, failing to pay more earnest heed to our great salvation, they begin to drift away from it.
In Hebrews 2.5-8 the writer appeals to Psalm 8 to insist that God intends redeemed human beings to bring His divine order of blessing and goodness to all the creation. Here we can see that the original dominion mandate, first stated in Genesis 1, then restated in Psalm 8, continues in effect in our day, in which God’s great salvation, His Kingdom economy, is advancing on earth as it is in heaven.
The writer of Hebrews is emphatic in saying that God has “left nothing” outside the control of those who know Him. The divine economy is designed for expansion, until all that falls within our spheres is redeemed and restored. We who exist under the Lord are called to put all things under our feet, under Him. The disciples of Jesus Christ must press on, day by day, each in his or her own sphere of influence, to bring the unseen Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit to visible reality in all the relationships, roles, and responsibilities, all our possessions and work, all our time.
What God spoke to Adam and David understood as incumbent upon him, is that same dominion charge to which the writer of Hebrews calls us.
Begin here
Then our writer adds, “But now we do not yet see all things put under him.” Of course not. Our writer was in the first generation of the followers of Christ, and they’d hardly had time to do much more than establish a beachhead of Kingdom penetration into the Roman world. There was still a lot of hard work to be done in leading others to know Christ and helping them to become the kind of disciples who are determined to advance the divine economy into every nook and cranny of life.
We’re in something of the same situation today. Much remains to be done in bringing the “all things” of our lives and world under the feet of King Jesus. Each of us is charged with exercising stewardship of this high and holy calling within our own spheres of existence, in all the time of our lives and by all the work we’ve been given to do.
How do we do that?
We must begin with ourselves. We must be diligent in the matter of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. We will not have the vision, motivation, or strength to work out our salvation into every area of life if we do not sustain a vital and vibrant, daily and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eternal life consists precisely in this: knowing God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent (Jn. 17.3). The “knowledge” of which Jesus spoke, and which Peter commands us to pursue, is both intellectual and experiential. It re-orients our minds and retools and transforms our lives. It enlarges our soul and our vision of life. And it spurs us on to realize more of the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Growing two ways
We are attending to this aspect of our great salvation when in two ways we engage the Presence and learn to rely on the provision of our Lord Jesus Christ.
First, we must establish and jealously guard regular daily time with Jesus, in His Word and prayer, every day of our lives. Job wrote that the LORD visits us every morning (Job 7.17, 18). He’s there, as we straggle into the new day, waiting to refresh our soul, renew our vision, and revitalize our every task. We must not neglect to keep our end of this appointment.
It’s good to start the day with the Lord, and to end it in prayerful reflection as well.
But because He is our hope, our all in all, our greatest joy and pleasure, we would do well, in the second place, to meet with Him periodically throughout the day. Setting aside a few minutes, several times a day, to reflect on our morning reading or the events of the day thus far, to give thanks and praise for the Lord’s goodness and provision, and to seek His help for what remains ahead in the day—such times of brief retiring into the Lord can help to refocus our vision of Him, cultivate our love for Him, and strengthen our ability to know His Presence with us through all the moments and activities of our lives.
Growing in Jesus doesn’t just happen. It happens as we apply ourselves to it. And as it happens, and as we become more like Him, He will refract through us more of His divine economy and blessings to our world.
A privilege and a challenge
Knowing Jesus Christ is an ongoing privilege and challenge. The privilege is that we can think His thoughts after Him, know His power at work within us, and further His grace and truth purposes in everything we do. Having such a privilege, why would we not do everything within our power to enjoy it?
The challenge is to make sure, every day, that we are consciously and faithfully seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only as Jesus is formed more completely in us will we be able to fulfill our stewardship in advancing the Kingdom economy of God.
For reflection or discussion
1. Why do we say that knowing Christ is a great privilege and challenge?
2. How would you describe your approach to growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord at this time? What evidence have you seen that this is the best approach for you?
3. In what sense is “knowing God and Jesus Christ” the sum and substance of eternal life?
Next steps—Transformation: Meditate on 2 Corinthians 3.12-18. In what specific ways can you say that you are presently being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ? Where do you need to grow?
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast pushes on through our readings from Joy to Your World!. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues its brief series on the early 6th-century Irish saint, Coemgen. In our daily Scriptorium column, we are working our way through Matthew’s gospel, studying the coming of the Kingdom of God. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
