Escapades Through My Life

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Chris Melvin Haryanto

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Secrets of Growth

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 @12:00 PM

Shireen blogged some nice entries and I asked her where she got all those verses from Pastor Phil Pringle. She said she subscribe to Leadership Files with Phil Pringle ministries. So I went and take a look at Christian City Church’s website to subscribe. As I was browsing the site, I came across a link to Pst. Phil’s podcast feed of all his preaching. I downloaded all that is available from iTunes.

I had an interview with Recruit Express and so took the opportunity to listen to one of Pst. Phil’s message about Secrets to Growth. He opened his message with this verse:

"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue,
to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to
perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who
lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he
was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to
make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never
stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." – 2 Peter 1:5-11

Pst. Phil shared that on top of our salvation, we must add diligence, virtue (moral excellence), knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love. Only then can we grow in the inside. He went to mention about our current lives here on earth that our world is leading irresponsibly, blaming others of their shortcomings and how things turn out in their lives. But as long as we lead these values in our lives, we will see our lives prospering.
He took job as an example. We all know how tragedy struck him. Notice that the devil challenged God that Job would curse God when all the blessings from God are taken away from him, proving that he served God for His blessings. But Job passed the test in the end. But take a moment to think about the ordeals he had to face. He lost his children in a day, lost his property and assets in a day, struck by sickness, tension with his wife over calamities that happen and friends judging him that he had hidden sin in his life. Most of us would already walk away from God when his blessings are taken away.

I’m convicted by what I heard. All of us want our dream life but do not want to pay the price. Not willing to come before God in surrender and have confidence that His plans are higher than our plans. As we read on, Peter wrote this as a reminder to the church. That means this applies to all of us young or mature in the faith.

“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:9

It is a promise that as long as we live out these values, we'll lead fruitful lives!