pring is one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing people getting outside to walk, run and bike. I love being outside as the weather turns warm. I enjoy giving my attention to the growing plants—cleaning up around them, transplanting overgrown ones or trimming them back, knowing they will flourish better once the work is done. I know that as I put the work into my garden, it’s worth the effort and time, as I see the plants growing and blooming.

Our church gives us places to grow as well. Unlike the gardener, who decides where a plant should go, we ourselves make the decision about how and where we will grow in our knowledge of our Savior Jesus. II Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Serving is one way to grow in grace, we learn to show grace and also to receive grace. When we learn about Jesus through serving as he did, we grow in knowledge about Jesus and grow in grace by giving grace to others. When we focus on Jesus in a small group, we grow in grace, enabling us to serving those around us. As we worship together focusing on Christ’s love, grace, forgiveness and service, we grow in knowledge and serving should be an extension of our worship. Serving in worship grows us in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus because Jesus came to serve not be served. Jesus showed that when he healed the sick, raised the dead, washed the disciples’ feet and died on the cross. We cannot say we know Jesus and then not serve others. We cannot grow in grace without serving those who God puts in our path. It’s a circle of focusing, learning, growing, serving and worshipping the One who was our example and who fills us with grace to do the circle again and again.

Growing isn’t alway easy. Growing can mean getting out of our comfort zone and doing something that is uncomfortable for a short time. But when we do, God’s grace grows in us, the knowledge of him who served us first, grows within us. We have many ways of growing in our church. Try something you have never done before—usher, read, serve communion, help teach Sunday school or VBS, be a coffee server or join a small group and begin growing.