There is neither nobility nor merit nor security in keeping things just as they are. More often than not, it is just overpowering evidence of lazy minds and an obscene desire not to be made uncomfortable. The nature of life is change. Growing can never mean staying the same. Living without growing and changing is dying by degrees. In death there is sameness until disintegration. We see this eloquently illustrated in nature and every human relationship. Nothing stays the same unless it is dead or dying.

This principle obtains without exception in the church of our Lord. Her Chief Cornerstone and the faith once-delivered remain unchanged and unchanging, but as her living stones allow those powerful truths to have their way more and more in their lives, the building grows and changes. It is not a mere suggestion that we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is as surely a command as any other in Scripture. His promises, His love, and the gospel never change -- but we must, as we accommodate more and more to what He calls us to be. He may accept temporary plateaus of growth, but an "arrived," no-growth policy is at variance with the Bible picture. A member of the body is growing and changing, or he is static and dying. And the mission of the church will be accomplished in exact ratio to the number of living, growing, dynamic members that make up the body. Dead members do not effectively dispense or illustrate the manifold wisdom of God to a dying world.

It is so easy to get caught in a trap of sameness -- a rut that becomes a grave. It must be one of the devil's best tools. Only open hearts searching the Scriptures daily, constant communion with God through prayer, and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit can keep us alive and growing and excited in our walk with the Master. And only then will others want to walk with us. So long as life shall last, let us choose to grow and live according to His will. Death comes soon enough.

Aline Edson