And again I say PROCESS!!!!!!! The ‘older’ I get the more I realize/am fully convinced that all learning is a continual building process. I’m not certain that there is any spiritual issue that is ever ‘one and done’… we are always ‘in process’. It doesn’t mean that we wait to act on/ apply our learning until we know everything. Firstly, how, if it is always an ongoing process, can we ever learn it all? And secondly, application is a form of confirmation/’approving what we know’ and taking the next step into further understanding.
Especially for the new believer, I sometimes think we may unintentionally mislead them because no one is an instantly mature Christian. It takes time and especially it takes a commitment to study, to grow. Simply because one is a Christian doesn’t mean that you don’t make mistakes, errors in judgment – all this is in a state of continual growing – it’s a process. Personally, despite scrapped knees and elbows and an occasional wounded pride, I enjoy this.
One of the first things we do at the beginning of our growth is to begin to renew our minds – which is also unending but when you look at it as an adventure, a journey… totally different mindset. We renew through studying the Bible and reading, and reading, checking different translations/versions. The Bible is our manual for learning and growing. It really is imperative that we don’t think that one reading is sufficient. I believe we never outgrowing ‘line upon line, precept upon precept. For me, one of the delights is discovering something ‘more’ or ‘new’ in the scripture I have read countless times. It’s not that it wasn’t there in the beginning… it’s that I hadn’t grown sufficiently to see and grow in what is being taught. Just like school. We learn our A,B,C’s before we know HOW to read. Same principle.
Besides prayer and study, starting the process of learning and being and doing… we have the blessing of other believers. Isaiah talks about iron sharpening iron. That the times we share what we’ve discovered and listen to what others have gleaned and discovered. Never see this time as insignificant or unimportant – I would argue that fellowship is crucial to our growing and growing is crucial to our becoming the Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) necessary to touch this world, each of our worlds we live in. Ephesians (2:10) talks about us being His workman. Do take the time to read, many times, Ephesians 2 to see what the Lord’s done FOR us and how He can use us.
The point in all this is that when we accept Jesus as our Lord, we enter into a never ending opportunity [process] to grow and become all that He sees in us. Remember, He’s not done with us yet. We shouldn’t either.
