I attended a small group meeting yesterday evening. In attendance were some Theological school students as well as people like myself who don't know too much theology. The topic of discussion was Sanctification, basically the process by which God makes us more like Himself and the scripture reference was 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12. It was quite interesting to note the confidence with which the members of the group spoke and shared what they had in mind. I am used to people adding the words ''maybe'' and ''in my opinion'' when contributing to Biblical discussions, but those words were conspicuously absent yesterday.
God does indeed take us through various processes in order to remove some undesirable qualities from us and replace them with character traits that are a better reflection of Himself. He does this through His Holy Spirit. God is not limited to one method in this process. For some of us, God may choose to strip us of our 'riches' so that we may learn to depend on Him. For others, God may overload us with 'riches' so that we realize just how empty life can be when we have everything we think we need, and yet lack God. Sometimes we may feel lonely in a crowd and in that very moment realize just how much we need real friendship.
As someone rightly said, a gift is an immediate thing, received and used as desired by the receiver. Fruit, on the other hand, takes time to be nurtured into growth. So although we desire to see the fruit of the Lord's work in our lives, we should take care to be patient with ourselves. In due season, we shall produce fruit. The important thing is to stay connected to the vine. Remain in Jesus, He is our source of nourishment and sustenance. Do not despair because of your lack of fruitfulness, stay rooted in Him and anticipate a harvest. John 15
God does indeed take us through various processes in order to remove some undesirable qualities from us and replace them with character traits that are a better reflection of Himself. He does this through His Holy Spirit. God is not limited to one method in this process. For some of us, God may choose to strip us of our 'riches' so that we may learn to depend on Him. For others, God may overload us with 'riches' so that we realize just how empty life can be when we have everything we think we need, and yet lack God. Sometimes we may feel lonely in a crowd and in that very moment realize just how much we need real friendship.
As someone rightly said, a gift is an immediate thing, received and used as desired by the receiver. Fruit, on the other hand, takes time to be nurtured into growth. So although we desire to see the fruit of the Lord's work in our lives, we should take care to be patient with ourselves. In due season, we shall produce fruit. The important thing is to stay connected to the vine. Remain in Jesus, He is our source of nourishment and sustenance. Do not despair because of your lack of fruitfulness, stay rooted in Him and anticipate a harvest. John 15
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