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In His Season
Psalm 1:3
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Every part of life has seasons. The seasons of the year are spring, summer, fall and winter. Each of these seasons are important for the next season to fulfill its purpose to its fullest. Without a spring, the summer would have no fruit. Without a summer, the fall would have no harvest. Without a fall, the winter would destroy the harvest. Without a winter, the spring could not bring new life. Every season is important to each other.
When I was twelve years of age, I was very eager to get into the youth department. Because I grew up in a smaller church, it was not uncommon for the youth to meet at our house for a youth activity. I can remember times when I so badly wanted to go on the youth activity that I would beg my parents to let me go, but they were consistent in telling me that youth activities were for teenagers, and that I would not be a teenager until I was thirteen. There were times when some of the teenagers would ask my parents if I could go on the activity with them, but again my parents were consistent with making me wait until my thirteenth birthday. They were teaching me the importance of not rushing my seasons of life. They understood that I would not enjoy my teenage years as much if they allowed me to go to the next season before my time.
God said that when He blesses someone, that their fruit will bring "...forth fruit in his season;..." In other words, God wanted everything to stay in its season. He was teaching in this verse that everyone needs to let the fruit ripen at its own pace without rushing the season. The whole purpose of not rushing the season is so that we can prosper to our fullest potential in each season of life.
Notice that everybody has their own unique fruit. The verse above says, "...that bringeth forth his fruit..." Christian, be careful about comparing your fruit to someone elses. Everybody has their own unique fruit, and you cannot expect yours to be like someone elses. Just like an orange tree has different fruit than an apple tree, so each person will have their own unique fruit in life. God made each of us to bear our own fruit, so stop trying to compare your success to someone else's fruit.
Furthermore, be careful about staying in your seasons. You will never bear the fruit that God intended for you to bear without staying in your seasons. Parent, don't be quick to rush your children through their seasons of life. Let them stay in their season, for when you rush the seasons, you will hurt the next. As an adult, be careful about rushing your seasons. When you are a young adult, don't try to enjoy the seasons of the middle-aged adults. When you are middle aged, don't try to rush yourself to enjoy the season of the senior years. Stay in your seasons.
Likewise, a church must be careful about rushing the seasons of Christians. In our attempt to build our churches, let's be careful about letting people grow in each season of their Christian life. Let's be careful about pushing someone into the next season of their Christian life before they are ready. Many young Christians have become disillusioned with the Christian life because they were given too much before they were ready. If a church will grow itself and those Christians in their own season, then a church will be stable and productive.
Remember that the purpose of bearing the fruit of the season you are in is to prosper to your own potential. If you rush the seasons, then you will never reach the potential of your prosperity that God wants you to reach. Be patient, and don't rush your seasons.