dennis j adams

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7 ESV)

Spiritual growth is to be considered one of the most applicable effects on the soul and will of mankind. The Word goes forth and is sown into the heart of the hearer and faith is birthed. The seed by which the Word came was through faith and the person receives that faith in hope of spiritual renewal. The Lord uses sowers to sow the seed of His Word into the hearts of people everyday. Knowing that each one that hears will be able to have the Word implanted into the heart where the fallow ground has been broken up. The hardness of a heart can be changed, softened and renewed by the power of God’s Word through His Holy Spirit. It is not man’s wisdom that will change a person but through the influence of a Word sown into a heart prepared by God to receive. As the sower sows there is a hope in the prospect of one coming along and watering what has been sown. Not a hope that the Word sown will be dug up or not fertilized by grace and mercy. His will for our lives is to be fully perfected in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 4:11-17) The wonders of God’s Word never cease to amaze as a person grows spiritually and matures into a vibrant personality with the characteristics of integrity, morality and holiness.  As one eats food daily to be sustained in this physical life there must be a balance of spiritual food processed through the heart and soul so that a spiritual life will healthy also.

We consider men to be super-giants of faith and make demigods of their personalities which in the short run of things takes us away from the production God has for our lives. The fact to consider is that no matter who the sower is or the one who waters they are not anything compared to the One who permits growth and spiritual depth to the soul of man. The kindness of God to permit mankind to carry His Word into the earth with power is a depth of grace that is rarely mentioned. His willingness to embrace the distant sinner with His Word knowing that faith instilled will bring a heart to its fullest. What matters is that the Lord brings growth and through that growth the maturity brings the fullness of Christ into each life.

Through Christ Jesus we find hope in an Eternal Father that desires the shallow part of humanity which is so deeply carnal to be able to sip on milk and grow into being a spiritual warrior that can be sustained by the meat of the Word of God. As growth prepares the heart for more of His love and knowledge of His purpose for your life, know that He will always cause growth in a heart that is open to His love.

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.