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 – the Kingdom economy – that had been entrusted to them. 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 work to establish His divine order of blessing and goodness over 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. 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 of our lives.

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 needs to exercise stewardship over 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.

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 need to establish and jealously guard regular time with Jesus, in His Word and prayer, every day of our lives.

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 focus 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.

A privilege and a challenge
Knowing Jesus Christ is an ongoing privilege and challenge. The privilege is that we are able to think His thoughts after Him, know His power at work within us, and further His grace and truth purposes in everything we do.

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? Talk with a Christian friend about this question.

T. M. Moore

This week’s ReVision study is the final installment of a 10-part series, “The Kingdom Economy.” You can download “Kingdom Growth” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here. For a background study of Kingdom economics, order the book, The Kingdom Turn,  from our online store, and learn what it means to enter the Kingdom, not just talk about it.

Start your day in the Word of God. Study with T. M. in our daily Scriptorium newsletter, as he walks us through the ongoing work of Christ in the book of Acts. You can subscribe to receive Scriptorium each day at 5:00 am Eastern, or go to the website to download each week’s study in a free PDF.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.