I woke up this morning, once again
amazed that I do not have to worry, and fret and try to "figger out" God...that
when He is ready, HE will be the one to GIVE you answers.
God has repeatedly told us, and
continually shows us--that He gave us the natural things of this life...this
world...to be an example for us, and to teach us. The goal of the
Lord is that He should "bring many sons" into the likeness of Christ...that
we should all attain the same level of wisdom, maturity, strength, love,
character, etc. manifested by Him. This "bringing us up", or "raising"
of us is accomplished by GROWING, and is a PROCESS that takes time...not
"instant" anything. The process starts like being married, and having intercourse.
Mary being "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit was a TYPE AND A SHADOW of how, as Christians, that we should "receive" into the "womb" (of our hearts) that SEED which is Christ. Having an intimate relationship with our spouses is how we wind up with babies that are part of us...like us. When we say that we have been "born again", we may well be saying that the "seed of Christ" is planted in us, (perhaps "CONCEIVED AGAIN" is a better term) for NO baby is ever just "instantly" a baby. It follows a pattern....ALWAYS. No baby has ever just "appeared", fully a baby, without having gone through the fertilization process, and the growth in the privacy of the womb, and the birth process. And just as much, little babies have to go through the process of babyhood, toddlerhood, litlle child, older child, teen, young man, father. There is not one father alive on this earth that was not first a baby...NOT ONE!!! Even Christ had to go through the growth process.
Now...everything that a grown man would be....everything he needs to reach the "man stage" was already in him...the SEED was complete, lacking nothing that had to be added later...but the PROCESS OF GROWTH...his maturing...takes time, and the EXTERNAL experiences and all of those things in his life that will form him into what he is GOING to be. God doesn't have to pour into us, or insert something else besides the Spirit of Christ (which is that SEED). The growth process is internal, and deeply mysterious, but that outter growth (flesh) which is visible is mostly shaped by external forces, once we have been 'birthed out". The inner growth (spirit) is largely unseen for may years, and is the LIFE that is in us, working it out to the visible realm.
Because I saw the "ark of the covenant" in this message, we can use another analogy...a biblical one, and just this last February God had me to write about "trees" (remember)? the Ark of the covenant was made of WOOD, COVERED INSIDE AND OUT WITH GOLD. God had the ark made of wood because He has consistently used "trees" as types of "man"(flesh). All through His written word this has been the case. Christ was a "man", but PURE, and when God ordered the ark of the Covenant to be made of wood, but covered in gold (Divine purity and truth) inside and out. Inside that ark were only to be 3 things...the tablets of stone (which is God's law INSIDE of us, and NOT an outward "keeping" of those laws), Aaron's rod (the rod of the PREIST, in which was supernatural power), and a container of MANNA (heavenly "food"....the spiritual word of God brought down from heaven to sustain us--also notice this "manna" was preserved, and did not rot or breed worms when kept like that the Hebrews had tried to store up). Christ as our "ark" had all of these things INSIDE HIM..and we are to be like Him...to follow Him. The Pattern of Christ's life is to be an example of what we will go through, and grow into the image of Him.
Inside a peach SEED is the FULLNESS of not only another peach, but first, a PEACH TREE that must bear fruit. God insists that every tree ever planted will go through the growth process, shaped by external forces that HE ALONE controls ( wind, sun, rain, cold, heat, fertilization, pruning, etc.). Those circumstances, people, situations, etc. that shape our lives, are under the complete control of God, and HE ALONE will bring us into the maturity. And further, we will NOT "bear fruit" until we, as trees, have GROWN UP, and matured and grown strong. I think I made mention of this fact in my last article about the trees...that little bitty, immature trees, cannot bear fruit. It's BRANCHES must be strong enough to bear the weight of the fruit that will surely come in it's own season, appointed by God, because there is life within that demands that it come forth. Remember, Jesus said, I AM the VINE (the root of Jesse, from Isaiah 11:10), and YOU ARE THE BRANCHES... apart from ME, you can do NOTHING.(John, chapter 15) Oil( Holy Spirit) has to PENETRATE the flesh,(wood), in a gradual way (Mt.13:33).
Everything that we need to be the sons of God is ALREADY in us, completely and totally intact, just waiting for the growth to be complete and the fruit to come forth. We don't bring the fruit forth...we just bear it on our BRANCHES. The fruit is a miracle wrought of the Lord. At this point of time I cannot find one thing that God has given for our teaching, our example, that would indicate any other way by which we will come to the fullness of Christ in US, the hope of Glory (I Cor 2:14). Can you?
Love Ya, Debra