Day Eight- Reaping A Harvest of Maturity

“You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it and it took root and filled the land.”- Psalm 80:9
 
During the first year of our marriage, my husband and I planted some fruits and vegetables in our garden. We bought the supplies, tilled the soil and prepared it for growth. Since the garden inhabited half of our backyard, we planted enough seeds to occupy every inch. Soon we had hundreds of luscious cucumbers, mouth-watering tomatoes and brilliant looking squash. It took some hard work pulling weeds, watering the soil and planting the seeds, but in no time we reaped the benefits of our labor.
 
Since we were inexperienced in the area of gardening, we never realized putting seeds in every inch of the garden would yield such a huge crop! We had a nine-month supply of produce. By the time we could get through the crop, most of it had rotted, rendering it useless.
 
It is the same in our walk with the Lord. We cannot expect to become mature Christians without lots of hard work. Daily watering the seeds in our hearts with the reading of the word, constant communication with our father, and pausing to listen to what He is whispering to our hearts are just a couple of ways we prepare our soil for growth. If we commit to the practice of spiritual formation, we will soon reap a harvest that pleases our Father. However, if we don’t do the hard work required to becoming a disciple, we will waste the God given talents and gifts, rendering us ineffective to give God the glory He is due.
 
Lord, help us to do the hard work that reaps a harvest of maturity and commitment to you.