Growth

The plant grows from a partnership / relationship between the inherent properties of the seed and the conditions around the seed: the right amounts of water, sun, pest control, weeding, pruning and time.

The properties of the ‘seed’ of Christ are perfect. Under optimal conditions, His seed would produce Himself through you (the soil). That is why, through the process of growth, you become more and more perfect, as He becomes more and more apparent as the controlling force in your life.

Growth in your relationship with Christ involves Bible study, worship, prayer, and obedience. Each of these is vital to the health of your relationship with Christ. Just as a plant cannot grow with sun but no water, your relationship with Christ will not grow as it is supposed to with Bible study and no prayer, or prayer but no worship, etc.

With true ‘planting’ of Christ, based on true humility and repentance, you will thirst to know Him. You can know Him through Bible study (going to Church once per week is not enough), worship, and prayer. As you get to know Christ, you will naturally become more like Him. The Bible calls this process Sanctification.

Obedience is the process of weeding the influence of the world from your life. You will not likely be able to avoid the weeds entirely, so Christ is your strength to recognize the weeds for what they are, so that you may pluck them out. Obedience starts with loving God enough to hate sin enough to consistently repent of it. You won’t be perfect, but God truly sees your heart and will bless true repentance. Obedience then grows into trusting God enough to ask Him what His will is for your life – and then actually listening and obeying. Obeying is a strong word – think of it as following the guidance of the wisest person you will ever know (He knows past, present, and future), and that person loves you more than any other person can love any other person (He created you to have relationship with Him, and He had His son die on a wooden cross to make it possible despite your consistent disrespect and disregard for Him before you were truly saved).

Do not be afraid of pruning – it is actually the key to a better yield of fruit. The Father will prune you, you can be sure of that. How you respond to that pruning, and the timing of your response, will determine how quickly you go from pruning back to growth. A plant does not look at a pruned branch and give up – it seeks to grow in new and more productive ways. You can trust that our Heavenly Father knows exactly when and how to prune you specifically to foster growth – and it’s all in the interest of a better relationship with Him, bearing fruit (glorifying Him), and fostering others relationship with Him and their fruit.

The best way to learn something is to write down your experience and re-read your notes from time to time. This process is seeking His face, it’s about learning who you really are meant to be.