Tonight we looked at the things which we all need to grow spiritually (just as a plant needs these things to grow physically) and how a lack of any of these things can be an obstacle to our growth.
1. Nutrients
Just as a plant needs nutrients to grow, so we need to be fed from God’s Word if we are to grow spiritually. We start with milk (1 Pet 2:2-3) and progress to solid food (Heb 5:12/ 1 Cor 3:2). God’s Word is like honey (Ps 119:103) and needs to be eaten (Jer 15:16, Ezek 3:2-3); Jesus described Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and reminded us that we need to live on every word that comes from God’s mouth (Matt 4:4). We need to meditate on God’s Word, read it through, study it and memorise it, but above all, we need to remember that it is a living and active word which works in our lives (Heb 4:12.) We are not reading simply to learn academic truth, but to be transformed by that truth: ‘The intent in reading Scripture, among people of faith, is to extend the range of our listening to the God who reveals Himself in word, to become acquainted with the ways in which He has spoken in various times and places, along with the ways in which people respond when he speaks. The Christian conviction is that God speaks reality into being – creation into shape, salvation into action.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Working the Angles’, P 89) We are not simply reading the Bible to find out what God says about certain things, for example; we are listening for what God is saying to us as we read about those things and how they will affect our daily lives.
2. Water
Plants use water to carry moisture and nutrients from the roots to the leaves and food from the leaves back down to the roots. A plant that is not watered will have a weak stem and dried up leaves and will eventually die. We need to drink from the living water if we are to have our thirst quenched (see John 4:10, 14 & John 7:37-39). If we are to experience the river of God (Ezek 47), we need to acknowledge our thirst and understand only God can slake that thirst. The psalmists frequently spoke of this (eg Ps 42:1-2) and it is only as we realise our thirst that we will come to the Living Water.
3. Light
Plants need sunlight in order to grow, and we need to dwell in the light. Jesus is the Light of the World (John 1:5, John 8:12, John 9:5) and from His light, we gain light and life. Only by coming into the light can we find the freedom and growth we need: ‘Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.’ (John 3:20-21) Sometimes we don’t want to do this, because the light reveals the dirt and the things that need changing and we would prefer to hide away in the dark, but while ever we hide in the dark, we are not growing spiritually. We need light to grow.
4. Warmth
A seed will not produce a plant at all if it is kept too cold. The seed needs warmth to germinate (that is, to develop from a seed into a plant) and to start to grow into a healthy plant. So, too, we need warmth if we are to grow spiritually. This comes from fellowship with God and with others. (1 John 1:6) We need to understand that we are not meant to ‘go it alone’ but need the encouragement and acceptance from other Christians. (Heb 10:24-5, Ps 133:1) Paul urges us to ‘make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (Eph 4:3), for when there is unity, there will be that warm, loving atmosphere which fosters growth.
5. Space
Plants need space to grow, and so do we! People need the freedom to try new things and to experiment; they need the encouragement that comes from knowing they are accepted and loved. Everyone is valued and important, having a role to play in God’s family, but unity is not the same as uniformity. Instead, there is diversity and variety within the church, with us all bringing different temperaments and talents to the table and all being equally valued and loved by God. As we are accepted by Him and by each other (Rom 15:7), we have the freedom to grow spiritually, putting down roots into good soil.