Brandon and I smile and laugh, when we
replay camcorder footage of our little girl.
At the point where our latest “Home DVD” begins, she couldn’t even sit
up by herself, yet. She hadn’t learned
to crawl forward. She was just getting
the hang of eating pureed baby food. Now her 1-year birthday is only four weeks
away! She has grown, and developed, and changed SO MUCH since that night we
first held her in our arms! As I think about this, I have to ask myself, how much
growing have I done, as a woman, during
that same amount of time? Am I any stronger spiritually, wiser mentally, or
happier emotionally, for having lived this past year? Are you?
Having a weekly “goal chart” has helped me IMMENSELY, this year! I’m
getting to feel as though I’m DOING SOMETHING with my life! Nevertheless, despite
a lot of checkmarks in a lot of boxes, I know that I cannot do any TRUE growing
AT ALL without the LORD’S help! Not any
spiritual growing, and not any personal growing, either!
The year 2012 is already nearly half
over. Are you seeking to grow in ALL
areas of your life? Are you, perhaps, trying to exercise, prepare healthy
meals, read good books, or share the Bible with others, more? In Colossians 1:10, Paul declares that one of
his prayers for the believers in Colosse was that they, “ . . . might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work,
and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
God wants us to grow in EVERY GOOD WAY! As
Christians, we should constantly be moving FORWARD!
Does growth of any kind just happen
overnight? No! It occurs over TIME! One hour at a time, one day at a time, one
month at a time. I have SO enjoyed being
able to do some gardening, this past week! In addition to some pretty flowerbox
blooms, we ended up using a few packets of seeds near the back porch, as well. Those seeds just went in the ground a day or
two ago, but I’m already finding myself impatiently looking out the window,
waiting for signs of little sprouts! It’s
going to take some time! The Bible often refers to our growth as Christians, in
terms of plants. Psalm 92:12-13 tells us
that, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish
in the courts of our God.” If you plant yourself in God’s house, hearing the
preaching of God’s Word, you can grow, spiritually! But that isn’t the end! In Mark 4:20,
Jesus says, “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the
word, and receive it, and bring forth
fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” They DO something with what they have
received! They hear God’s Word, receive
it, and then BRING FORTH FRUIT! Can they do all this growing on their own? In John
15:4-5, the Son of God declares, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are
the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Has 2012 marked a year of “growing” for
you, thus far? Spiritual growing is
definitely more important than any personal growing we may do, but we must
realize, Ladies, that NO GROWING occurs without the LORD’S HELP! II Corinthians 10:17 “But he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord.” You cannot
read your Bible every day without God’s help! You cannot improve your marriage
without God’s help! You cannot find good bargains and save money on groceries,
unless the Lord enables you to do so! If
you do any growing in good things, it is all to the glory of God!
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