Growth - Good and Bad

As I began my quiet time with the Lord today I decided to do a study on the concept of growth so I looked up verses that had to do with growth or increase. It was interesting to realize that I can grow in a positive way as well as a negative way (letting things take root in my life that should not be there). I was overwhelmed with the number of passages dealing with growth, building up or increasing. I didn't even finish looking at all the passages but I was impacted again by the importance of growing and not just being stagnant. I, as a parent, would not be happy if my children got older but never matured and I'm sure that the Lord expects the same from me. There were passages that were commands about growing and there were passages about the Lord causing the growth but all seemed directed towards my responsibility towards this growth. If I do not spend time in the Word, gaining wisdom, or if I do not get to know God and His promises to me I can never grow in my faith or in my fruitfulness. So, today, my prayer for myself and for my friends is that of Paul's in Col. 1:9-11.
"...asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and INCREASING in the knowledge of God; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."
Enjoy the Lord today!