Daily Devotional for December 18, 2019
Growing Two Ways
“No fair standing on your tiptoes!” Dad teased as he measured Preston’s height and marked it on the closet door.
Preston laughed. “When Aunt Carrie comes, she’ll see a big change in me!”
“You’ve grown a lot,” Dad agreed. “You were only eight when she left.”
Preston remembered the day Aunt Carrie had left to go be a missionary in another country. It was not long after he’d trusted Jesus as his Savior. Aunt Carrie had hugged him when they saw her off at the airport. “I suppose you’ll be practically grown up by the time I come home again,” she had said. “I’ll be praying for you to grow in grace too!”
Now Aunt Carrie was due to return home. “I’m sure she’ll see that I’ve gotten much bigger,” Preston told his dad, “but when she left, she mentioned something about growing in grace. I’m not sure what that means. Do you think I’ve grown in grace?”
Dad smiled. “That’s a good question—one we should all ask ourselves. She meant she wanted to see you grow spiritually. Jesus helps us do that as we get to know Him better and learn to trust Him in every situation. Do you know Him better now than you did when she left?”
Preston nodded. “I think so. I’ve learned a lot more about Him by reading my Bible and going to church, and I know I can talk to Him about everything that’s going on in my life and trust Him to help me—even when He doesn’t answer my prayers the way I hoped He would.”
“Good,” said Dad. “Now, think about areas that have given you problems. You used to have a terrible time with your temper. How about now?”
“Well…I did get mad at Micah last week,” Preston admitted. “But I apologized later. And I’m getting better at controlling my temper.”
“I’d say that’s progress, wouldn’t you?” said Dad. “It seems you’ve made progress in sharing your faith with others too. Your friend Rami seemed to enjoy going to church with us last week.”
Preston smiled. “I like knowing I’ve grown taller as a Christian too—not just as a kid!”
Dad nodded. “I hope we’ll all keep growing taller together!” Ruth I. Jay
How about you?
Are you growing taller spiritually? Are you getting to know Jesus better and noticing His influence in your life? God is working in your heart to help you understand His love and grace more deeply. He’s teaching you to trust Him and to show His love to others. Thank Him for helping you grow in grace and become more like Jesus.
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