Title: Grow In The Spirit
Memorize: You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind. Jeremiah 12:2 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: Colossians 1:9-10 (Nkjv)
[9] For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
[10] that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Message:
Many people erroneously pray that God should give them the fruit of the Spirit, forgetting that the fruits are not given; rather, they grow after a period of germination and nurturing.
For example, a farmer who plants a mango seed will not fold his hands, expecting the seed to become a fully ripe mango by itself.
He must plant the seed in the right soil and expose the seedling that have germinates to the needed amount of sunlight and water.
He must also get rid of weeds around the crop frequently so that it can grow and bring forth fruits.
Likewise, the spiritual growth of a Christian is a process that begins after he or she accepts Jesus into his or her life.
Thereafter, such a fellow is expected to nurture his or her relationship with the Holy Spirit so that He can bear fruit in him or her.
The fruit of the Spirit is what distinguishes God’s children from those who are merely practising Christianity as a religion.
My dear child, to grow in the spirit, you have to study the word of God because it is a mirror that exposes your weaknesses to you.
As you work on your weaknesses, you will become better. The more you yield to the Holy Spirit, the more you will grow in the spirit and bear more fruit.
Prayer Point:
Father, please let me grow daily as I study and obey Your word.
HYMN: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS
1 Deeper, Deeper In The Love Of Jesus
Daily Let Me Go;
Higher, Higher In The School Of Wisdom,
More Of Grace To Know.
Refrain:
Oh, Deeper Yet, I Pray,
And Higher Evry Day,
And Wiser, Blessed, Lord,
In Thy Precious, Holy Word
2 Deeper, Deeper! Blessed Holy Spirit,
Take Me Deeper Still,
Till My Life Is Wholly Lost In Jesus,
And His Perfect Will.
3 Deeper, Deeper! Tho’ lt Cost Hard Trials,
Deeper Let Me Go!
Rooted In The Holy Love Of Jesus,
Let Me Fruitful Grow.
4 Deeper, Higher, Ev’ry Day In Jesus,
Till All Conflict Past,
Finds Me Conqu’ror, And In His Own Image
Perfected At Last.
Bible In One Year: 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34; Romans 9:25-10:13
Authors: Pastor E. A. Adeboye and Pastor Folu Adeboye