We’ve all seen it - a perfectly formed pear, hanging on a tree. As the days go by, it becomes more juicy, ripe and colorful. One can just picture it’s usefulness…soon.
We’ve also seen fruit which drops to the ground, never to mature, never to be used.
One pear is plucked, ready to eat or to make into a pie, cobbler or sauce. The other is not even good enough, mature enough, to be of any use, ever.
Let’s look at our own pear-lives. Are we maturing in the Lord nicely for His special purposes? Or are we just barely hanging on, stuck in immaturity, dangling precariously, ready to tumble to the ground?
What will make a difference in our lives between going on to maturity in the Lord or becoming stuck in immaturity?
Just as the tree provides the pear with all it needs to continue to grow into a healthy fruit, so does God provide all we need. Yet, unlike the pear which benefits from just hanging in there, we humans are expected to DO something to keep God’s Life activated in us. To mature us.
For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self control, and self control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful…. II Peter 1:5-8
We have our work cut out for us, don’t we? God does His part - we must do our part.
The result? Mature lives (beautiful fruit) in the sight of God.
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing all I need to grow unto maturity. Please give me the courage and stamina to go on…. To maturity in You. In Jesus name. Amen.
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