WE continue in on study in Principles of Spiritual Growth in chapter 15, looking at the principle of REST, seeing the necessity to labor at resting in our Position, place, promises and provisions of our God as a principle of growth.
Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; so he who waits on his master will be honored. Prov. 27:18
I Recall sitting under the inviting shade of my backyard fig tree, looking up at the rather large and sweet ripening figs hanging from the expanding branches as this Proverb came to mind. I considered how little influence I have over the process. I simply planted the tree, and yes, prune it annually. But it can actually be overwatered to its detriment, and it must go through its cycle of winter death, spring reviving and growth before the summer fruit will come. And it is only until the warm, even hot summer sun and breezes activate the inner workings that the ripe fruit really pushes forth. There are so many analogies here; no matter how much I want to speed up the process, slow it down, or freeze it in time, knowing that the season of fruit will end for a time at the commencement of fall… I can’t. All I can do is wait, and enjoy the sweet and bitter process as it happens. But there is one important lesson that our author will allude to in today’s consideration that resides at the root of the matter (pun intended).
THE secret in the fruit is that it only comes from new growth, thus pruning away the seasonal old growth insures an abundant new growth for fruit bearing in the new season. And here’s the secret, not matter how far it is pruned back, the tree will always grow back to the size and stature matching its root structure. That’s why each year, no matter how far back it is trimmed, its final new growth is always larger than the previous season; that is if the root structure is healthy and continued to grow beneath the ground. Therein lies the analogy that the most import part of the tree resides in its roots that are out of sight. How deep, established and healthy they are will determine all that goes on above ground. Also, it is important to protect and nurture the roots, knowing that that which does not grow contracts – another “Lesson from the Garden.”
WELL, enough of my musings. Let us go to today’s consideration and see how this analogy might apply to Principles of Spiritual Growth.
With regards in Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10, Isa 30:15, Jas 1:2
****************************
Chapter 15—Rest Continued….
It cannot be too strongly stated that unless the believer is firmly established in the steps of Romans 1–5, he cannot truly enter and rest on the truths of Romans 6–8, no matter how many special meetings and conferences he attends or so-called revivals he becomes involved in.
“Dr. James of Albany, who was used to bring hundreds into the deeper truths, declared that he usually found that ‘failure in the higher stages of the Christian life was due to imperfect understanding and acceptance of the gospel of salvation in its fundamental principles.’ It is a rare thing to be able to sit down and teach, because in most settings today one is limited to dealing with ‘the first principles of the oracles of God,’ and can go little further than the basic facts of the new birth. You cannot deepen spiritual life that is not there! You will only build askew if the foundations are not properly laid! A lack of appreciation of the wonder of a full salvation in Christ opens the door to every kind of overbalance and spells continual frustration and failure” (J.C.M.).
Often believers manage to trust God for truths they need, only to slip from grace over into the legal realm in seeking to produce the particular truth in their life or service. Once in possession of a truth, we are to rest—He will produce.
“In actual experience, when we have apprehended our deliverance through death with Christ, the self-life often appears more alive than ever! Just here God would have us stand firm (rest) upon His written Word. The increasing revelation proves the surrender to the cross to be real, because the Holy Spirit takes us at our word and reveals all that He has seen lying underneath—reveals it that it may be dealt with at the cross. Our part is to yield our wills, and take God’s side against ourselves, whilst the Holy Spirit applies the death of the cross to all that is contrary to Him, that it may be really true that we who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Gal. 5:24).
“The faith that receives from the hand of the Father is in two stages, and we are not to give up just because the struggle-and-labor phase does not produce the prize. ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’
…to be continued
