PROCESS 101:IT'S GROWING TIME

When my daughter was younger, she wanted to be a cheerleader badly. She couldn't wait for the little league football season to begin. She soon realized, however,that she didn't like practicing. When the other girls were stretching, she would be looking off across the field. If the team was jogging, she would be walking as slowly as she possibly could. When it came time to actually cheer at a game, she found that she didn't like that either. All of the other girls would smile brightly and were enthusiastic, not my daughter. She was always frowning and a few moves behind. She really didn't like anything about cheer leading other than the uniform. She absolutely loved wearing the Inkster Raiders uniform. It finally dawned on my husband and I that our daughter just wanted the uniform with no strings attached. She wanted the uniform without enduring the process to get it. I'm sure many Christians can relate to my daughter's situation. Because at one time or another in our lives, we too wanted something that we did not earn. We've seen Christians with the results of their harvests... cars, careers, jobs, husbands, health, houses, faith, or relationships with the Lord that we wanted and became angry, because we didn't have them. We had the nerve to want what they had (their harvests), even though we didn't do what they did (process) to get those things. In order to get those harvests, we have to put God first all the time, even when its not convenient. We shouldn't put him first to just to get things, but to get to know him. What better way to get to know him then by spending time with him praying and reading his word? Mark 6:33 clearly states, "But seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Some of us were seeking things when we should have been seeking God. When we put Him first, he gives us his very best harvest. The Lord revealed to me that the Kingdom of God is a process that must be endured. There is no such thing as a short cut in God. This process is stated in Mark 4:26-29, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, the the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." These verses in Mark describe the process of the kingdom of God in us. It starts small as a seed but grows to full maturity as a full kernel of grain that is ready to be harvested. If you want to go to the next level in God, you must go through a similar growing process. The seed went through stages of distinct growth. It all starts with the seed. The seed has to be planted. The stalk first appears, then the head, and the kernel. Notice, this growing period doesn't happen over night. It happens over time. This process was probably more than a little uncomfortable too. Imagine, that first sprout attempting to make its way through the hard soil. That sprout patiently displaces the soil that is directly in front of it a little at a time so that it can inch its way to the surface. The entire time growth is taking place although it is not obvious to the eye. Once close enough to the surface, the tiny sprout bursts through. That part of the process is probably shocking, maybe even stressful to the sprout's system, however the process isn't over yet. That sprout has to grow into a tall wheat stalk that has a head that contains a full kernel of grain. Wheat is measured in stages from 1 (sprout) to 11 (fully mature stalk of wheat). So, the growth process of the sprout must continue until it reaches full maturity as a stalk of wheat at 11. This is the very same process that Christians must endure if we want to grow up in God. Growing up in God happens gradually in stages. I heard Pastor Michael Freeman say it best, "The Kingdom of God is a process not an event." Do not despise the process. I know...I know the process isn't easy. But, what some of us are doing isn't easy either. It's just familiar. Really, I was tired of being in the same place for so long, and I was wondering when the Lord was going to move me to another level. All the while he was showing me what to do, but I wasn't listening. He was waiting for me to make a move in him. When I did, he began to reveal to me what I needed to do. Many times we want God to do the very things that we should be doing. Was this process easy? No. I can't lie to you. It was quite uncomfortable, but well worth it. I can't believe how much my perspective on life has changed. I always wanted to be a writer, but I couldn't seem to find any time to write. The Lord revealed to me that I had as much time as everyone else. I just had to use it properly. That meant becoming an early riser. Before, I never made it out of the bed before about 10:00 am. Now I'm up by 7:00 am, sometimes even earlier. Before, I ran late all the time. Now, I plan to be early. Before, I read the Bible a few times a week. Now, I study it daily. The process called for me to trash some of my old ways, because they were preventing me from doing the very things that I wanted to do. Do you want a harvest? If you answered yes, get ready to grow. Ask the Lord to reveal to you how his kingdom works. Then, ask him to work his kingdom principles in your life.