“I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33 NIV
Is your level of discipleship equal to your current challenge? What about the challenge coming next week? Next month?
There are plenty of eternally significant reasons to prioritize your own spiritual growth. We know that the first reason we should desire to be like Christ is because we love him and see him as altogether good and glorious. But one practical reason we should be concerned to grow spiritually is this: "in this world you will have trouble." Facing hardship, suffering, and trial is much easier when you are walking closely with Jesus. In a word, you need to grow spiritually . . . for your own good.
Proverbs speaks of the wisdom that comes with knowing God. Those who value growth in Him display this by having a new scorecard. Suddenly, other values take a backseat while wisdom and understanding become incredibly important. “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver” (Prov. 16:16). The wisdom of God is contrasted in the Bible from the wisdom of the world: “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness.’” (1 Cor. 3:19). So there is a wisdom – a means of navigating this world and all its challenges – that comes only from knowing God in a close and vibrant way.
Today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our mortal lives, the world will squeeze us. Trials will arise. Loss, disappointment, stress, and sorrow will attend our way in some form and at some level. And our ability to navigate this life in a way that’s faithful to God will be determined by how closely we are walking with Christ and how fully we’ve submitted our wisdom to his better wisdom. “There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death” (Prov 14:12). Furthermore, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered” (Prov. 28:26).
There is great danger in negotiating the events of our lives with only the wisdom that comes natural to us. Indeed, this is the way of the unbeliever! If the way you handled your last trial could have been handled the same way by an atheist, that’s a problem. God expects us to grow in our sanctification in order to meet the challenges that are coming. He will judge us based on how we respond to them. Will we meet them with a Godward vision and wisdom? Or will we simply apply the wisdom that seems right to us? Will we survey our trials with an eternal perspective? Or will we act as though this world is all there is? In short, when the world squeezes you, do you respond as a functional atheist or as a consistent Christian?
Seek the wisdom of God. He has promised to grant it to all who ask (Jas. 1:5). Prioritize your sanctification. Make a sacrifice. Find a mentor. Do whatever it takes to grow, because a storm is coming for each of us and God desires that we’re walking closely to him when the winds begin to howl.
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