“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
I never had issues with seasonal allergies before moving to Georgia. I’m convinced that something that grows down here is trying to kill me! Growing up in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains I thought that I was immune to outdoor allergens. Lucky for me, there is a random plant in Georgia that causes me to swell up in the spring and fall.
Pollen is the way that trees and other plants fertilize plants of the same species. A healthy tree will grow and reproduce (which causes many of us the unfortunate side effect of allergies). If a tree isn’t healthy, it won’t grow or reproduce.
The Bible is filled with language that describes spiritual maturity as growth. Jesus mentions in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches. Galatians 5 mentions the Fruit of the Spirit. Even the Great Commission is an instruction to multiply believers through evangelism and discipleship.
One thing is for sure, healthy things grow. And this applies to Christians. If you aren’t growing in your faith in Jesus then there is possibly something unhealthy in your life – a relationship, sin, ideology, pride, a busy schedule, etc. – that is keeping you from abiding in Jesus.
If you detach an apple from the tree – it’s source of life – it looks the same as it did on the tree. In reality, that apple will not continue to grow once it is detached from the tree. It is slowly dying because it has been removed from it’s source of life.
We cannot manufacture or fake spiritual growth.
- Jesus is the only one who gives spiritual life.
- Jesus is the only one who gives spiritual growth.
If you aren’t growing then something might be unhealthy in your spiritual life that you are allowing to interfere with your connection to Jesus. Jesus is our source of spiritual life and spiritual growth. We must stay connected to Him through reliance on the Holy Spirit and daily spiritual disciplines to remain in Him.
Live It:
You don’t have to comment, but are you growing in your relationship with Jesus?
- Do you love the people that Jesus has created?
- Do you serve sacrificially as Jesus served?
- Do you share the gospel as Jesus did in spirit and truth?
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Chase Snyder
Writer, Pastor
