A seed does not ask permission to become a tree. It's buried in darkness, pressed by soil, yet it obeys a command written into its very DNA long before it ever sees the sun. It pushes and splits its own shell until it sprouts out. Growth was never optional; it was its nature.

Growth is not a suggestion. It is a signature of every living thing God has made.

From the smallest seed to the tallest cedar, from the newborn child to the aged, the command is the same: be fruitful and multiply. And you, minister of the gospel, are not exempt from this command. You are, in fact, licensed to grow.

Consider the child Jesus. Luke tells us plainly:

"And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." (Luke 2:40).

Every natural child grows in stature; that much is common to all humanity. But Jesus grew in something more. He waxed strong in spirit and was filled with wisdom. The grace of God was upon Him in a measure beyond what the ordinary child carried. His growth was not only physical; it was spiritual.

You were never called to plateau. You were called to increase.

The Apostle Peter does not suggest it; he commands it: "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18).

The word behind this command is the Greek auxanō, which means 'to grow', 'increase', 'enlarge', 'expand', or 'become greater'. It is not a passive word. It is an active word, pressing forward without ceasing.

Your devotion, your intimacy with God, your understanding of His Word – none of it was meant to freeze at the altar where you were called. It was meant to expand, and the mandate does not stop with you. It extends to the work in your hands.

Luke records of the early church: "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." (Acts 19:20)

The ministry entrusted to you is a living thing too, and living things grow. So take hold of this truth: you have been licensed to grow. You were licensed to grow, in grace, in wisdom, in influence, in the Word mightily at work within you.

To continue to increase in knowledge and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we urge you to enrol in the ISM Online School today and explore the various courses and teachings designed to cause you to grow unstoppably.

Visit school.christembassy-ism.org