2 Peter 3:18 “‘But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

DAILY READING; John 11:28-57; 2 Chronicles 12-13; Psalm 76

Many global News Headlines carried the story of the bomb blast that rocked Nashville, Tennessee on Friday December 25th, 2020.
On that Christmas morning, sounds of gunshots had awoken residents of downtown Nashville.
The police was called in, and when they arrived they traced the gunshots to a suspicious looking van parked along the street. Things became eerie when suddenly a recording began to play from this van, saying there was a bomb in the vehicle and that anyone nearby should evacuate.
The officers called in for immediate re-enforcement and also the bomb squad was called.
One of the police officers at the scene was Officer James Wells, who is a Christian.
After they had evacuated the residents from the immediate vicinity, officer Wells decided to go back to take a look at the van. However, as he began walking towards the van, he said he suddenly heard the voice of God telling him to turn back. He immediately obeyed and turned back. That move was what saved his life.
Just as he took a few steps away, the van erupted in a massive explosion. Officer Wells was knocked off his feet but managed to get up and run to safety.
The explosion destroyed many houses and the blast was so severe that it caused widespread communications outages and grounded flights at the city’s airport. Miraculously no one was killed in the blast.
Later, these police officers who had acted promptly to evacuate the area were celebrated as heroes. During the Press Conference, officer Wells publicly credited God for saving his life. He said ‘This might not be politically correct but this is my truth. I literally heard God tell me to turn around…, I’m a spiritual person, and so I truly believe that when I do this job, I’m led by that voice, that’s what guides me,”
A video release from a police Body Cam showed how indeed officer Wells was walking towards the van but suddenly turned around just before the explosion. Had he gone any further he would have possibly been killed by the massive blast.

Although destruction awaited officer James Wells that Christmas morning, mercy said ‘No’ and grace pulled him back.
As believers, our security and protection lies in the grace and mercy of God. .
The truth is that we live in a dangerous world, full of perils and lurking dangers.

The grace of God is a vital mystery for surviving and thriving on the earth.
Protection and advancement does not lie in hard work or mental smartness, rather it is God’s grace that makes the difference.

As believers, grace is the tangible and undeniable hand of God in our lives and in our affairs.
And the closer we are to God, the more His grace grows in our lives.

In the illustration, that police officer said he was a spiritual man. This was why he could hear the voice of God and experience the grace of deliverance.
Through the knowledge of God, grace grows in our lives.

2 Peter 3:18 says ‘But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

Jesus is the dispenser of grace and the more of Him in our lives, the more grace we experience..
At new birth, we received a measure of grace just like we receive a measure of faith [Ephesians 2:8-9].
However, that measure of grace needs to be multiplied through spiritual knowledge.

2 Peter 1:2 says ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.’

We therefore need to engage in laboring in the Word and prayers so as to see greater grace at work in our lives.
Through spiritual labour we receive the value of grace into our lives.Without labour, grace will be in vain.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10 ‘But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’

Laboring in prayers and study of the word are fundamental spiritual principles that enhance the multiplication of grace.

Indeed the place of grace has no substitute in our race in life. Grace makes the difference between life and death, success and failure, growth and redundancy.
Indeed it is grace that makes great.
Let us therefore today accept the responsibility to grow spiritually so as to see greater grace and experience more of God’s wonders.

PRAYER: Lord, I am thankful for Your grace that is available to me. Please help me to grow in Knowledge of Your Word so that grace can be multiplied in my life to see Your greater wonders in Jesus’ Name.
QUOTE
It is only when you can see God in the light of who He truly is that you can begin to walk in the overflow of His blessings. – WORDBITE 222