God Directs Our Growth To Produce Fruit That Remains
Patience is the fruit that we are reaching for today. Reach high and hard like you are picking the best looking apple on the tree that is at the highest limb!
Have you ever thought about how plants are an anomaly? We are so accustomed to seeing things grow upward that we forget about the effects of gravity that apply to everything on earth.
Plants utilize gravity as a guide for their upward growth but that seems backwards doesn't it?
Gravitropism is a gravity directed growth process that dictates upward reaching shoots to ensure proper positioning of leaves for photosynthesis.
This process affords plants the opportunity to grow in such a way as to reach for the sun's energy. However, there are 2 parts to the process of gravitropism that are working in tension with one another.
In order for a plant to grow it needs not only the energy from the sun but water and minerals that are imperative for photosynthesis. Gravitropism provides the process needed for the plant's roots to grow down deep into the soil.
Thankfully God is the author of our gravitropism.
In order for our lives to produce any fruit our roots must go down deep into HIM.
Colossians 2:6-7
Without the process of both delving deep into His word and walking before the Son, our lives would be fruitless and undesirable in the sight of God.
Growth and fruit production are dependent upon our connection to Jesus. How can we possibly become patient if we are not connected to the vine?
Our faith is established by grace alone it is a free gift of God and it is the driving force of our growth. It is what grounds us in Christ.
Like the anomaly of gravitropism so the process of growing in patience requires the tension of being tested and tried over and over again. This process causes us to realize our sin and the Lord's long-suffering for us in our depravity.
When we are not patient with others or even ourselves, we are relying on our flesh and not the Spirit of God. As our lives manifest the fruit of patience people are drawn to Christ.
It is the Lord's rich kindness and forbearance and patience that leads us to repentance. It is when we realize that He is so patient with us when we don't deserve it at all that we begin to see His love for us.
While we were yet sinners Christ died for us!
This reality can affect our hearts in a way that we realize what great love and patience that God has extended toward us and when we are shown much patient love how can we not extend it to others?
The tension here is that we first must realize the depth of our sin and depravity to see the heights of His mercy, grace, love and patience toward us.
How can we then grow in patience except when we are faced with the repetitive opportunities that afford us the opportunity to walk in patience.
James 1:2-4
Lord, thank you that You are the process by which we reach high and hard but also to grow down deep into your grace and mercy and patience so that we will be led to see our own depravity and in seeing we will in turn see Your great love and walk in patience as we endure until the end.
Your ways are an anomaly to us Lord but trust You today with our hearts and ask that you would expose the depth of our sin so we can see Your great Love and walk in the Spirit not doing what we want but what you want.
Have you ever thought about how plants are an anomaly? We are so accustomed to seeing things grow upward that we forget about the effects of gravity that apply to everything on earth.Plants utilize gravity as a guide for their upward growth but that seems backwards doesn't it?
Gravitropism is a gravity directed growth process that dictates upward reaching shoots to ensure proper positioning of leaves for photosynthesis.
This process affords plants the opportunity to grow in such a way as to reach for the sun's energy. However, there are 2 parts to the process of gravitropism that are working in tension with one another.
In order for a plant to grow it needs not only the energy from the sun but water and minerals that are imperative for photosynthesis. Gravitropism provides the process needed for the plant's roots to grow down deep into the soil.
Thankfully God is the author of our gravitropism.
In order for our lives to produce any fruit our roots must go down deep into HIM.
Colossians 2:6-7
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk in him, rooted and built us in him
and established in the faith, just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving.
Without the process of both delving deep into His word and walking before the Son, our lives would be fruitless and undesirable in the sight of God.
Growth and fruit production are dependent upon our connection to Jesus. How can we possibly become patient if we are not connected to the vine?
Our faith is established by grace alone it is a free gift of God and it is the driving force of our growth. It is what grounds us in Christ.
Like the anomaly of gravitropism so the process of growing in patience requires the tension of being tested and tried over and over again. This process causes us to realize our sin and the Lord's long-suffering for us in our depravity.
When we are not patient with others or even ourselves, we are relying on our flesh and not the Spirit of God. As our lives manifest the fruit of patience people are drawn to Christ.
It is the Lord's rich kindness and forbearance and patience that leads us to repentance. It is when we realize that He is so patient with us when we don't deserve it at all that we begin to see His love for us.
While we were yet sinners Christ died for us!
This reality can affect our hearts in a way that we realize what great love and patience that God has extended toward us and when we are shown much patient love how can we not extend it to others?
The tension here is that we first must realize the depth of our sin and depravity to see the heights of His mercy, grace, love and patience toward us.
How can we then grow in patience except when we are faced with the repetitive opportunities that afford us the opportunity to walk in patience.
James 1:2-4
Count is all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Lord, thank you that You are the process by which we reach high and hard but also to grow down deep into your grace and mercy and patience so that we will be led to see our own depravity and in seeing we will in turn see Your great love and walk in patience as we endure until the end.
Your ways are an anomaly to us Lord but trust You today with our hearts and ask that you would expose the depth of our sin so we can see Your great Love and walk in the Spirit not doing what we want but what you want.
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