Chapter 33 Day 28 Growth takes time

Day 28 Growth takes time Everything in the world has its own time and season. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV) I am convinced that the God who started this wonderful work among you Will continue this work and finish it in the day when Christ Jesus comes again. (Philippians 1:6, modern Chinese translation) There are no shortcuts to maturity. It takes years and months for us to grow to adulthood, and a whole season of life for the fruit to ripen.So it is with spiritual fruit.Building the character of Christ does not happen overnight; spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time. If we harvest the fruits early, it will only make them lose their original taste.In North America, tomatoes are often picked immature so that they don't get crushed during transport to the store.Then, before being sold, the green tomatoes are sprayed with carbon dioxide gas, which turns them red instantly.These gas-filled tomatoes are edible, but they don't have the same taste as naturally ripened tomatoes.

While we worry about the speed of our growth, God is concerned with the intensity of our growth.God sees our lives from an eternal perspective and meaning, so He is never in a hurry. Blue Adam once compared the process of spiritual growth to the strategy of the Allied forces in World War II to liberate the islands in the South Pacific.First they would "soften" the island, destroying the enemy's defenses with artillery shells from offshore ships, weakening their guards.The second is to attack with a small group of marines, establish a beachhead and become their own base; then liberate other places on the island one by one, and finally occupy the entire island. Of course, some tough battles are indispensable in the process.

Lan Ya used this metaphor: Before we repent and are occupied by the Lord, He sometimes allows some problems that we cannot handle to "soften" us.Some people may open their hearts to receive the Lord when He knocks at the door for the first time, but most people refuse to accept it firmly.Before we turn back to God, the Lord often wants to say to us, "Look, I'm going to blast the door of your heart!" When you accept the Lord into your heart, God establishes a "beachhead" in your life.Maybe you think you have surrendered completely, but in fact, you still don't fully understand your life; you can only offer to God what you understand at the time, and that's okay, because when the Lord has a stronghold in your heart , He will begin to gradually take over until your life is completely His.There will be struggles along the way, but the results are indisputable.The Lord has promised: "I am convinced that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion...."

Discipleship is a process of obedience to the Lord. The Bible says, "When we reach true maturity, the measure is to reach the perfection of Christ." Your ultimate goal is to be like the Lord, but this journey will take a lifetime . So far, the journey has involved believing (through worship), belonging (through fellowship), and transformation (through discipleship).God wants us to be more like Him every day: "You have started a new life, you are a new creation, more and more like the Lord who created you." Modern people seek speed, but gods value strength and stability.We look for quick fixes, shortcuts, and immediate results, expecting a sermon, seminar, or experience that will solve all problems, remove all temptations, and remove growing pains at once.But true maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful and moving it may be.Growth is gradual, and the Bible says, "When the Spirit of God enters our lives, we become like Him, and life becomes more glorious and more beautiful."

Why did it take so long? While God can change us instantly, He chooses to let us grow slowly.Jesus' training of his disciples was deliberate and planned; just as God allowed the Israelites to take over the Promised Land "bit by bit" so that they would not be overwhelmed.God chooses to work in our lives step by step. Why does it take so long to change and grow?There are several reasons. we are slow students We often need to repeat a homework forty or fifty times before we can really learn it.When the problem comes up again and again, we think, "Again! I've learned it!" But God knows better than you.The history of the Israelites clearly shows us how easily people forget God's teachings and quickly relapse, so we need to learn repeatedly.

we gotta get rid of the old me Many people go to a counselor with years of accumulated personal or relationship problems and say, "I need you to solve my problem, but I only have one hour." Deep-rooted problems can be resolved instantly.Since most of our problems and all our bad habits are not developed overnight, it is simply not practical to get rid of them immediately.No panacea, prayer or theory will instantly repair the damage done over the years.This requires laborious eradication and replacement.The Bible calls it: "put off the old man" and "put on the new man".The moment you repent, God has given you a new life, but you still have old habits, old patterns and methods that need to be removed and replaced.

We are afraid to humbly face our truth As I have said, knowing the truth often sets us free, but it brings distress first.When we are honest about our personal flaws, we are afraid to face the truth, so we prefer to live in a prison of denial.Only by allowing God to shine a light on our mistakes, failures, and obsessions with truth can we begin to deal with them.This is why we need to be humble and teachable in order to grow. Growing up often comes with pain and fear There must be changes on the road of growth, and there must be fear and loss in the process of change, and there must be pain in the process of loss.With every change, something is lost: you have to let go of old ways to try new things.We're all afraid of losing, even when the old ways knock us down; because like the old shoes we're used to, at least they're comfortable and familiar.

People often base their identities on their weaknesses.We say, "It's like I am..." and "This is what I am." Subconsciously we worry: Who am I if I let go of my old habits, scars, or obsessions?This fear undoubtedly delays your growth. Habits take time to develop Remember, your character is the sum of all your habits.You can't claim to be kind unless you're habitually kind, which means being kind without thinking about it.You can't claim to be upright unless honesty is your habit; and if a husband is only faithful to his wife most of the time, he isn't faithful at all!Your habits define your character.

There is only one way to develop habits of Christlike character: you have to do it—and it takes time!There are no immediate habits.Paul urges Timothy: "Practice these things and dedicate your life to them, so that everyone may see your progress." Anything that is practiced for a long time will become handy, and repeated practice will develop character and skill.These character-building habits are often called "spiritual discipline."There are dozens of good books on how to do this, see Appendix 2 for a list of books for spiritual growth. don't rush There are several ways we can cooperate with God as we move toward spiritual maturity.

Believe God is at work in your life even if you don’t feel it Sometimes spiritual growth is tedious work, one small step at a time.Progress can only be expected gradually.The Bible says, "Everything in this world has its own time and season." Likewise, your spiritual life has seasons, sometimes a short and vigorous growing season (spring) followed by a period of stability and testing (fall and winter). day. And what about those problems, habits, and scars that you want to magically get rid of?You can pray for a miracle to happen, but don't be disappointed if the answer requires a slow transformation.Time allows the creek to wear down the hard boulders into pebbles, and time allows the young shoots to grow into redwood trees three hundred and fifty feet high.

write down lessons learned This note is not a schedule, but a record of your studies.Recording God's teachings on you, life, relationships, and all other events can be used as your reflection and memory in the future, and passed on to the next generation.Because of forgetfulness, we are constantly relearning; reviewing devotional notes regularly will save a lot of unnecessary pain and trouble.The Bible says: "It is very important to hold fast to the truth we have learned, so that we will not drift away from it". Be patient with God and yourself One of the frustrating things about life is that God's timetable is often different from ours. We are often in a hurry and God is not.As discouraging as it may be to see your progress slow, remember this: God is never in a hurry, He is always on time; He wants you to spend a lifetime preparing for your eternal role. The Bible is full of examples of how God uses lengthy processes to build character, especially training leaders.He spent 80 years preparing Moses, 40 of which were in the wilderness; 14,600 days, Moses kept waiting and wondering, "Has the time come yet?" But God still said, "Not yet." Contrary to the titles of many best-selling books, there is no such thing as a shortcut to growth or a recipe for instant holiness.God will plant a huge oak tree in a hundred years, but make mushrooms grow in only one day.It takes struggles, storms, and tribulations to develop great minds; so just be patient and wait.James once said, "Don't give up on something prematurely, let it work out gradually so that you can grow and be complete." don't get discouraged When the prophet Habakkuk felt that God had not started the work as scheduled and felt depressed, God said this: "...the time for its fulfillment has not yet come. But the time is coming, and what I have shown you will soon pass. Realize. You may think it is too slow, but wait, it will happen without delay." Delay is not God's denial. Remember where you have come in your spiritual growth, and don't just dwell on what you haven't done; maybe you haven't reached your goal, but in fact, you are no longer where you are.Many years ago, it was popular to write PBPGINFWMY on the brooch, which means: "Please Be Patient, God Is Not Finished With Me Yet." So please keep moving forward.Even a snail, as long as he has perseverance, he can walk into the ark!