THE GROWTH LIFE EQUATION (Present Better Than Past).
This is the equation that defines a life whose present is better than its past. It is the equation of a life that is making progress as year progresses. The growth Equation describe a growing life as against the backward or stagnant life.
To grow means to become larger, greater, or bigger; it means to expand or gain. Growth also means a progression from simpler to more complex form; a person is becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important. Growth speaks of maturity, development and increase. A life that conforms to the growth equation stands in sharp contrast to the backward or stagnant life; it is a life of ever increasing grace and glory. It is the life that increases with time. The older it grows the better it become in faith, character, grace, marriage, ministry and every other area of life.
The growth equation in the equation that equally defines the life of those who are following God, The growth equation is the equation which God expects every life in the kingdom to conform to. Anything different from this is an aberration to the norm. Any other deviation from the growth equation is a contradiction to the true life of the kingdom of Christ. The Scripture describes this life in different ways:
Shining More Brighter
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day’’ Proverbs 4:18
‘’The ways of right-living people grow with height, the longer they live, the brighter they shine.’’ MSG
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and until full day’’ ESV.
“But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared]. AMP.
This is mind bulging! There is no room for retrogression, backwardness or stagnancy; it is an onward life of ever-increasing glory. It is not a life that depreciates or decreases with time; rather it appreciates with time. “The longer they live, the better they become.” The longer they live, the stronger, wiser, and greater they become. Hallelujah! The growth equation life is a life of “knowing Christ Jesus the Lord and of progressive becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly].”And though the older the world grows the darker it will become; but the saints in Christ, who are also called the lights of the earth, will continue to shine brighter as the world gets darker. It is a life of better communion, deeper life of Bible Study, more refined character ,clearer way of hearing God; sharper utterance, better love life.
From Glory To Glory
Paul the apostle in his own words describes the growth equation life as a life of continuous change from glory to glory.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even, as by the spirit of the Lord” 2 Cor. 3:18 KJV
“All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shinning with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” MSG
“And all of us, as with unveiled face (because we) continued to behold (in the word of God) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into his very own image in ever-increasing splendour and from one degree of glory to another, (for thin comes) from the Lord (who in) the spirit” AMP
That is a comprehensive way of describing the growth equation life of the believers in Christ. All of us… that mean nobody is excluded. The growth equation life is not the exclusive right of some “special” people like Paul the apostle and contemporary exemplary leaders whose lives over the years have demonstrated to us clearly the possibly and reality of the ever-increasing grace and privilege of every member of Christ family-all of us! What a glorious heritage we have. It is my right and privilege to start, though in a little beginning and end gloriously, it is my heritage to start and finish strong.This honour have they all who are born of the spirit with life from above: the honour of an ever-increasing grace and glory. Hallelujah!
From Strength To Strength
“They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God” (Ps.84:7 KJV).
There are various rendering of the words, but all of them contain the idea of progress: “They go from strength to strength” implies they grow stronger and stronger. Usually, if we are walking as natural human beings, we normally would go from strength to weakness; by the law of nature, the longer the distance, the wearier and weaker we become; we usually start on a fresh note and in a good order for our journey, but by-and-by by the reason of the rough and hectic road, we grow weaker by the day. But this is not the same with the spiritual journey. While it is true that the body of our earthly tabernacle must grow to its fullest and be shed in death as reptiles would their worn-out skins; our spiritual walk and exploits however, shows the projectile path of an ever increasing grace, strength and glory. And if we may need to travel more slowly by reason of physical strength, it will be far more surely and steady. Some grey-haired fathers of faith like W.F Kumuyi, E.A Adeboye, Gbile Akanni and a host of others have demonstrated clearly to us that the expected Growth Equation Life of a Christian is a reality. These exemplary men of God have been as firm and even better in their grasp of truth, passion and zeal in living and rightly dividing the Word now as they were in their younger days. Theirs is a “fire that says, it is not enough.” The older they grow, the better and brighter they shine in their walk and work with God.
“They grow from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion” (NIV). “They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem” (NLT).I pray for you, may your Christian life be as the path of the just that shines more and more until the perfect day. The longer you grow, the better and brighter may you shine in the precious name of Jesus!
The scripture is replete with case studies of people whose lives conformed and demonstrated the growth equation life. One good example in the Old Testament is Ruth of Moab. Ruth was a young widow of Moab. There was almost nothing worse than being a widow in the ancient world. Widows were taken advantage of an ignored. They were almost always poverty stricken. Before she came into the land of Israel, Ruth could best be described as “…..being alien from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hopes, and without God in the world”. Her beginning was rough and bleak. She had lost husband, she had no children, no job, no money and above all, she was a heathen foreigner! She belongs to a race often despised by Israel. Much less a Moabites! Family relations with the Moabites were discouraged. And Ruth was a Moabites widow!
But the moment Ruth decided to follow the God of Israel, the story of her life changed! She moved from bleak to bliss. Though her beginning was poor and bleak, she rose progressively in the path of greatness unto greatness until she who was “no people” became a mighty nation. She moved from grace to grace; from grass to glory. She started small but ended big. She started with nothing but ended with many things. All that she needed was progressively added to her life, and she grew until she became very great. Ruth became the mother of Obed. “Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David…” And I do hope that you remember very well, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole world, came from the loins of David! What a life of ever-increasing glory and grace!
1pet 2:9, 10
Another good example of the growth equation is Paul the apostle. “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious….” Paul before he met Christ was a worst sinner. In fact; he called himself ‘chief of sinners’. He had scoffed at the teachings of Jesus (a blasphemer) hunting down and murdering God’s people (a persecutor and an injurious) before coming to faith in Christ. He also started at zero level. He entered the kingdom of Christ like any other Christian. But he did not turn back. From the point of a new born taken up by Ananias- the disciple at Damascus-Paul rose to become the greatest New Testament apostle. He became a renowned world missionary-evangelist. Paul became the apostle to the gentiles; he wrote majority of the New Testament epistles. He walked in the realm of unusual supernatural dimensions. He grew until he became very great in the Lord. His life, more than any other describes the growth equation beyond any shadow of doubts. He grew in grace, he grew in glory. He experienced grace, more grace, more and more grace; great grace; sufficient grace…. he grew from one degree of grace to another.
He started little but he finished very great. At the end of his life he could say. “I have fought a good fight of faith, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”
And lest anybody should think this life was an exclusive reserve of selected few, Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:16 “How be it for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth… a pattern to them which should here after believe on him to life everlasting (1Tim1:16).
So then, this growth equation life is a possibility for all. In the kingdom of God, the older you grow, the better you should be. But is that your experience? This should also affect every aspect of your life. Are you growing as you grow? Are you increasing in strength? Are you moving forward or backward? Are you advancing or stagnant? Growth is the only reasonable thing that should be your experience, any other thing is an aberration.
May the Lord compensate your life with increase as you age!
Watch out for part four…