Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)

Abounding In Christ

Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” This principle is found in the scriptures for the disciples of Christ to abound more and more in their walk with God. There is never a time when Christians should become stale in their love for truth. Growing in Christ is a daily exercise of excelling more and more to know more, understand more clearly, plumb the depths of spiritual knowledge, and grow closer to the Lord. This takes commitment to excel in being the best person in Christ possible.

Walking in the Lord is a learned experience. Many things make that walk difficult because of the temptations of the world. Life brings its challenges to bear upon the faith of God’s people. If there is no active growth in the Christian walk, the walk will crawl to a stop. If no action is taken, the inactivity will kill the spirit of the Christian’s walk of life. When a parent notices their child not growing in proportion to their age, doctors are consulted with concerns about illness. Walking in Christ is a growth process demanding action on the part of the individual to find deeper meaning in the word of God.

The quality of the Christian life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence. The apostle Paul wanted the saints in Thessalonica to excel still more or to abound more and more in their faith. Being committed to excellence will hone the skill of searching for knowledge in the word of God to grow thereby. Through this process of growth, the babe in Christ matures, and they are able to take on stronger matters of faith. Babies begin receiving milk for sustenance because their bodies are adept for that. As the body grows, solid foods are introduced, and soon, the child is able to eat a stronger diet of food.

In the Christian life, everyone begins as a babe who receives the word of God like milk. In time, with much study and a commitment to excellence, the individual grows in their knowledge to handle aright the word of God with a greater degree of maturity and wisdom. The unique character of the Bible is that ten lifetimes could never begin to exhaust the knowledge of the word of God. There is always room for growth. The Bible is not a difficult book to understand. Why would God give the world something no one could read and understand? Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word.

The level of knowledge desired is a choice. To have greater knowledge, greater effort must be put forth. A commitment to excellence will grow the faith of the Christian into a deeper relationship with the Divine. From this knowledge comes greater blessings. Excel still more. Abound more and more. Grow. Seek. Knock. Ask. The heart that hungers and thirsts for righteousness will be filled.