[PD Devotional] 19. Growing Spiritual Fruit
019. Growing Spiritual Fruit
¡°I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds¡± (John 12:24, NIV).
When you think about your walk with Jesus, some days you may wonder, ¡°Why is this so hard? I¡¯m still struggling with so many problems. When will I finally get it right?¡±
In my journey as a pastor, I¡¯ve learned spiritual growth is often like the growth we see in nature: the best fruit ripens slowly. In John 12:24, Jesus says, ¡°I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds¡± (John 12:24, NIV).
The problem is that we tend to get impatient, so we dig up the seed to check the progress of its growth, and that slows down our growth! If you¡¯re not seeing as much fruit as you¡¯d like, don¡¯t despair. Growth takes time.
In the meantime, try these steps toward spiritual growth.
Nurture growth with God¡¯s Word. I know you¡¯re already doing this, but when you read the promises of God, again and again, it helps you remember that he is at work, even when you can¡¯t see him at work: ¡°Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see¡± (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).
Cooperate with God as he prunes. Praise God for the work he¡¯s doing in your life, remembering that ¡°he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more¡± (John 15:2 NLT).
Pray through the ¡°fruit list¡± from Galatians 5:22-23. The NIV Bible lists the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask God to help you grow this fruit in your life.
============================= key expressions =============================
nurture : [nə́¢°rtʃə¢°r] ¾çÀ°(ÇÏ´Ù), ¿µ¾çºÐÀ» ÁÖ´Ù
prune : °¡ÁöÄ¡±âÇÏ´Ù, ¼¾çÀÚµÎ
=========================== today¡¯s expressions ============================
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.