OUR GROWTH PATTERN

Today is Tuesday.  It has been a while since I last blogged but reading in Deuteronomy this morning, this thought came to me in Deut. 31:12.  It gives us the pattern for growth in our spiritual lives.  Notice what it says:  "Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that thy may hear, and that they learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:"  

Do you see the growth patter given?  God speaks to Moses and says the people must HEAR the Word of the LORD.  That is where it all starts.  The Bible says:  "Faith cometh by hearing..."  So we must proclaim the Word before any growth can take place.  Preach and teach the Word of God.  That is a must!  That is where it all begins.  Then LEARN.  Learning can only take place when the Word of God is given out.  Once given however, growth can take place.  We learn by hearing.  We hear and then it can become a part of us.  We must learn to advance in our Christian lives; otherwise, we are living, but not growing.  We hear and then we learn, and then we FEAR the LORD.  Here, the word "fear" means to reverence and to have total respect for.  This is how we fear God.  But we can only fear the LORD properly if we have learned to do so.  Still, it is important for all of us to learn to FEAR the LORD.  Reverence Him supremely!!  Then the final step in our growth process is to OBSERVE TO DO.  We learn for a reason... to obey.  So we hear, we learn, we fear, all for an end results:  To Observe to do all the words of the LORD!!  How are you doing in the observing area?  This is the end results of all learning.  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed..."  We learn to obey!  Well, here we have it.  Our Growth Pattern as given us in the Word of God.

Have a blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler