The Weekly Diner

Hello Weekly Readers! May God’s rest and peace be with you all!

The below letter shares with us the importance and the fact that we all will, should, and must, continue to grow in Christ Jesus our Lord!

May God grant you a wonderful week!


GROWING IN CHRIST

Growing in Christ means to grow in grace and to diminish in oneself. First of all, read in Ezekiel 47:1-6 how the man who had the line in his hand measured the water:

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house;
and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the
house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward
the east, and the waters came down from under from the right
side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought
he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about
the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh
eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth
eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me
through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he
measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward
he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could
not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a
river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son
of man, hast thou seen this?
T hese four times depict four periods of time in a Christian's
life. First, in childhood, he understands very little
about Jesus or Christianity; then a little more in youth, and
much more in manhood.

When the water is to the loins, he
understands the redemptive work of Jesus and lives accordingly,
but he still has his feet on the bottom, trusting a little on
his own works, though he may not realize this within himself.

When he reaches the fourth period of life, comparable to
the measure of the fourth one thousand cubits, he finds the
hidden roots of sin in himself, such as jealousy, greed, pride
and vainglory, which affect even his holiest endeavors. He must
say, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? (Romans 7:24) He finds as the apostle Paul
did, For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I
would not, that I do. (Romans 7:19)

Now he can see that he has nothing of his own to stand on; his feet must be loosened from
the bottom of his own works. He must cast himself to swim in
the sea of grace, saying, “I am what I am through the grace of
God, and that grace has not been in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

A servant of the Lord, Juuso Runtti, wondered what fault
lay in him that he could not enjoy the happy feelings of grace.
He heard a voice saying, “Juuso, you are foolish to search for
one fault in yourself; don't you know you are one big fault with
God?” His heart was warmed when he realized this; he rejoiced
to hear God's Word when he felt so sinful and unworthy.

It is an eternal truth that whenever a person grows in Christ
he diminishes in himself, and grace abounds more and more.
As we begin to see the wretchedness within ourselves and then
see how God has cast all our sins and sinfulness upon His Son,
as we read in Isaiah 53, Jesus becomes our all in all. Now is the
vessel cleansed from within so that the outward life becomes
upright and a glory to God.

When we grow in Christ all else becomes as dross and to
know more of Him becomes most important to us. Our salvation
is not based on changeable feelings, but on the knowledge
of Jesus, whom God has made to be unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). In
this knowledge there is much room in which to grow; that is, to
know the Jesus of the Bible who is the Savior of sinners.

Sometimes a child of God must believe himself righteous
even though he feels that he is filled with demons, and again his
feelings of grace are so overwhelming that the vessel of clay
nearly bursts with joy. We understand that we are saved by
grace, whether downcast with temptations or in the heights of
joy.

When we grow in grace in this way, we are growing unto
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians
4:13) Such a Christian is not easily swayed by winds of doctrine
and can judge all matters by the Scriptures.
Jesus says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. (John 10:27-28)

the late Janne Marttiini