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Growth's Process
Jeremiah 12:2 "Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins." One of the most exciting things to watch in life is growth. On the other hand, one of the most frustrating things to wait on is fruit. Yet, in order to enjoy the fruit of your labors, there must be a time of planting and then patience during the growing stage in order to see your fruit. Several years ago, when I had been in evangelism for about ten years, I was becoming frustrated with my ministry because I couldn't see the fruit of my ministry. Don't get me wrong, I saw the LORD work on a weekly basis in every meeting, but I really wanted to see some long-standing fruit from my years of ministry. I stayed with what God called me to do, and it wasn't long before I started seeing the fruit of my ministry. Men who were called to preach were now coming to me as pastors and missionaries thanking me for my ministry. People whom I led to the LORD were contacting me to thank me for taking time to lead them to Christ. All of this happened because I had to go through the complete growth process in order to experience the fruit.
In the verse above, God explains the whole growth process that a person must go through in order to see fruit. The first step in the growth process is planting. When you start planting, you are full of dreams, but planting can also be frustrating. You must remember that repetition is very important in the planting stage. Whether you are growing a Christian or a young child, repetition of truth is very important. This is why we must avoid needing something new to give, for the greatest teacher is repetition. I have watched many pastors try to preach something new that no one else has preached only to hurt those whom he pastors. Repetition of truth is what drives home the seed of truth in the hearts of the people. When a parent is rearing a child, especially in the early stages, repetition is very important to drive home the right way to live. Growth is the second stage in this process. The growth phase is an important stage to watch because weeds will start growing as well. It is in this stage that you will have to remove the bad habits that people pick up. Correction is needed in this growth phase. Along with correction, the feeding of truth is still important. Preachers and teachers need to use correction in their preaching and teaching to remove the weeds of bad habits. Parents must use correction in order to remove the bad habits in their children. If you want to see good fruit, then you must continue to feed truth and correct bad habits. The final stage of the growing process is fruit. Reaping is hard work! In order to reap you will have to be patient and longsuffering with people so that you can see the fruit of your labors. Too many people give up before they get to the reaping stage and never see the fruit of their labors. Christian, don't give up, for you will get fruit. Parent, don't give up, for the fruit of your labors will be seen. God placed you on this Earth to reproduce. If you are going to fulfill God's purpose to bring forth fruit, then you must go through the process of planting, growing and reaping in order to see fruit. Don't try to skip any stage, and be sure to stay with it until you see the whole process through. Going through the whole growth process is how you will experience fulfillment and joy in life. |
