One-Two Punch~

A late afternoon greeting to all!

I had an exciting morning today.  A Miami-Dade detective visited my home and brought me six pictures of possible suspects from my “dent and run” experience on January 30.  I successfully pointed out the perp, circled the image with a pen as required by law, initialed and dated the document, and voila! two hours later I had his name, address, driver’s license details, and insurance info sent to me via email.  And in case you’re wondering, yes, there is a verse for this:

Proverbs 21:15  “When justice is done, a righteous person is delighted, but troublemakers are terrified.”  Amen!

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Here’s a review of yesterday’s verse from another version of the Bible.

1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.  Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.  Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!

It’s all about making a clean sweep, and it’s a powerful one-two punch.  It’s not enough to read the Bible and it’s not enough to get rid of bad behavior.  We have to do both together.  And the reason it’s important is because it will bring growth. 

Is growth important?  Think about this time last year.  Is your faith stronger now?  Does your hope run deeper?  Do you have more peace? Do you love better? Do you find it easier to trust the Lord? 

The answer to all those questions above is hopefully a hearty yes.  Growth brings blessings.  Growth helps us avoid stupid decisions and helps us make wise ones.  Growth helps us stay calm in the storm because we know that if He brought us out before, He will bring us out again.  Who among us wants to work at the same job without ever getting a raise or promotion? And not one of us who has kids wants them to stay stuck at the age they are now.  We want them to grow.  It pains me to admit that I drank out of a baby bottle until I was practically in high school.  By the time I quit I had all my permanent teeth.  (My Cuban grandmother is partly to blame for this outrageous behavior!)  But there’s nothing cute about it, really, and there’s nothing cute about being stunted in one’s growth—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. 

Growing in our salvation should be priority one because as we grow through purging the bad, prayer, and Bible reading we will have strength for this life.  Glory!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that as we pray right this moment we are growing.   Every moment spent in prayer builds our muscles and strengthens us for life.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~