+DEV+ A Spiritual Life Takes Time

Date: October 17, 2013 11:17 PM
Topic: +DEV+  A Spiritual Life Takes Time

A Spiritual Life Takes Time

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

Scripture Focus: Luke 8:11-15

When you plant a fruit tree, you don't expect to see fruit right away. You have to wait. We know that fruit develops at the proper time. What is obvious with physical fruit is often ignored when it comes to spiritual fruit. Many people read about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 ("love, joy, peace, patience..."), but don't allow for the effort and time that it takes to develop them. They give up because they don't see the fruit of the Spirit immediately.

But God, the Master Gardener of our lives, takes the long view. Just as He designed a tree to grow deep roots and strong branches before bearing fruit, He knows that our spiritual life takes time. Becoming a Christ follower may take an instant, but learning to be like Him will fill the rest of our lives.

Certainly we can exhibit love and other fruit of the Spirit today, but for a consistent, increasing, abundant crop, we must plan to follow Christ, the very one who bears each and every fruit of the Spirit for us even when our own harvest is slim.

Insight: Expecting love, joy, peace, and patience to develop in a hurry is being...impatient! let God cultivate the fruit no matter how long it takes.




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