Forgiven, Part 12: Growth

I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, and he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon. 'I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.' But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.

Hosea 14:5, John 15:5, Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 1:10, 2 Peter 3:18

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The wonder of a seed is that it produces life after it has been planted in the ground and dies. The message of the Gospel is that life has come out of death. Jesus died that we might live. He was buried and rose from the dead that we might be raised to newness of life. When we come to Jesus Christ by faith, turn from our personal darkness of sin, and receive His grace and forgiveness, He cleanses us and comes to live within our hearts. We are born again of His Spirit.

The resurrection life of Jesus Christ enters us and we are changed. He plants within us the seeds of His kingdom, and through our faith and obedience the new life begins to grow. The Christian life is not produced by studying how Jesus lived and then trying to copy Him. It is not a script we study and attempt to act out. It is not like taking plastic fruit and attaching it to our garments to make us look like fruit trees. It is a real life...a whole life...a meaningful life...it is His life lived out through us. It is His beauty that others see, it is His fragrance that others are drawn to, it is His fruit that others will partake of and be fed. He is your life. He is all there is...all that is worth knowing...and all that really matters.
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Lord,
Thank You for the good work that You have begun in me. Thank You that I am alive in You because of the life of the Holy Spirit within me. I want to rest in Your love and abide in Your presence. I want to grow in faith and see Your life formed in me. Feed me through Your word and water the seeds planted in my heart. Make me a fruitful branch that can feed others and daily glorify You. 
Amen

Written by Roy Lessin. ©2002, 2019 DaySpring. Used with permission. All rights reserved.