More and More
With a pencil in hand, I began to read Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. As I invisibly traced each line with the lead tip of my pencil, I came to a verse that stood out:
"Finally brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you recieved from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more...For this is the will of God: your sanctification." 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3
I read it again, stopping at the "more and more" part to double underline it.
A few verses later, I found it again:
"Now concerning brotherly love...that indeed is what you are doing. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more."
Following Christ is an ever-moving, always-growing adventure that lasts our whole lives and even into eternity. It is never stagnant, but rather always pushing towards something greater, something deeper, something even more breath-taking and awe-inspiring. There is always "more and more".
For example, just when we think we have a nicely framed picture of who God is, we discover that He is more than we could have ever imagined. The frame is blown, the picture is bigger, and our view of God is expanded. More and more...
Just when we think we have a grasp of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, we continue to learn how to please Him, how to live for Him, and how to reflect Him to the world around us. More and more...
The quest for "more and more" is not a bad thing. It is not like reaching for the unreachable standard. It is not like running as hard as you can toward the finish only to have the line moved a few feet forward each time you get close. It is not a constant striving to reach perfection, but rather a constant growing. It is not like exhausting yourself in trying to meet an expectation, but rather training yourself to get stronger and stronger. Along the way, you realize that each step forward takes you to a place that is even better than the last.
And really, when we think about the deepest longings of our hearts, do we really want stagnation and complacency? Boring, unchanging lives? Don't we all desire to be grow and change and dig deeper? We were created to crave adventure, to discover more and more of who God is while finding out more and more of how to live for Him.
In this way, spiritual growth is not a chore, but a lifelong adventure. It is not something to feel guilty about, but rather something to be joyful about. It is not something that we have to do in order to earn God's favor, but rather something that we do in response to God's love for us. It is not something we do to get to God, but rather something that we do with God. Even as we seek Him, He is always by our side, helping us, cheering us, and even carrying us all along the way.
That's what I think Paul meant when he urged the believers to "walk and to please God" and to "love" more and more.
So I have begun to use Paul's phrase in my own prayers recently, and I encourage you to do the same. I am challenged to pray for "more and more" God, let me know you more and more. Let me see you more and more. Let me serve you more and more. Let me love others more and more.
At the same time that our hearts seek God more and more, they also rest completely satisfied in Him. God is enough - even more than enough - to satisfy every longing and ache and hunger of our hearts.
That's the amazing and wild thing about knowing Christ: Jesus Himself is completely satisfying, yet He always leaves you wanting more and more of Him.
"Finally brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you recieved from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more...For this is the will of God: your sanctification." 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3
I read it again, stopping at the "more and more" part to double underline it.
A few verses later, I found it again:
"Now concerning brotherly love...that indeed is what you are doing. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more."
Following Christ is an ever-moving, always-growing adventure that lasts our whole lives and even into eternity. It is never stagnant, but rather always pushing towards something greater, something deeper, something even more breath-taking and awe-inspiring. There is always "more and more".
For example, just when we think we have a nicely framed picture of who God is, we discover that He is more than we could have ever imagined. The frame is blown, the picture is bigger, and our view of God is expanded. More and more...
Just when we think we have a grasp of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, we continue to learn how to please Him, how to live for Him, and how to reflect Him to the world around us. More and more...
The quest for "more and more" is not a bad thing. It is not like reaching for the unreachable standard. It is not like running as hard as you can toward the finish only to have the line moved a few feet forward each time you get close. It is not a constant striving to reach perfection, but rather a constant growing. It is not like exhausting yourself in trying to meet an expectation, but rather training yourself to get stronger and stronger. Along the way, you realize that each step forward takes you to a place that is even better than the last.
And really, when we think about the deepest longings of our hearts, do we really want stagnation and complacency? Boring, unchanging lives? Don't we all desire to be grow and change and dig deeper? We were created to crave adventure, to discover more and more of who God is while finding out more and more of how to live for Him.
In this way, spiritual growth is not a chore, but a lifelong adventure. It is not something to feel guilty about, but rather something to be joyful about. It is not something that we have to do in order to earn God's favor, but rather something that we do in response to God's love for us. It is not something we do to get to God, but rather something that we do with God. Even as we seek Him, He is always by our side, helping us, cheering us, and even carrying us all along the way.
That's what I think Paul meant when he urged the believers to "walk and to please God" and to "love" more and more.
So I have begun to use Paul's phrase in my own prayers recently, and I encourage you to do the same. I am challenged to pray for "more and more" God, let me know you more and more. Let me see you more and more. Let me serve you more and more. Let me love others more and more.
At the same time that our hearts seek God more and more, they also rest completely satisfied in Him. God is enough - even more than enough - to satisfy every longing and ache and hunger of our hearts.
That's the amazing and wild thing about knowing Christ: Jesus Himself is completely satisfying, yet He always leaves you wanting more and more of Him.
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