CHRISTIAN LIFE & GROWTH

Light to Grow

By Laurel J. Davis
See Laurel's blog at The Reluctant First Lady

Ever notice how a plant seems to deliberately reach out toward its best source of light, and the part that grows the best is the part that's been shined on the most?

The appeal of Chia Pets is that they're a unique and fun way to grow a plant. Their specialized pots come in a variety of pre-set shapes — a miniature tree, a turtle, a man's head, Bugs Bunny, even Scooby Doo. Of course, with these various special shapes, even though the instructions are easy, they still have to be followed properly. Your Chia Pet won't grow full, plush, even and healthy unless it is planted and watered just right and gets plenty of nourishing light.

Now, while the Christian life means infinitely more than the life of a Chia Pet, the basic principle is the same. To grow into a strong, spiritually healthy and fruitful Christian, every Christian must be rooted and built up in Christ (Colossians 2:7), who is the Word of God (John 1:1, 14) and the true light of the world (John 1:9; 3:19; 9:5). Indeed, Jesus Himself said, "I am the light of the world; he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).

As the light of the sun is life to a Chia Pet, so the light of the Son is life to the Christian.

Now, unlike a Chia Pet — they only grow up to two inches and die within a month — even the most seemingly "mature" Christian will always have room to grow. Read what the Apostle Paul said about himself at Romans 7:15-25. Growth in the light of Christ is a continual process for all believers. No one ever fully matures (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). But a follower of Jesus will never grow if they never start the process, and they certainly won't mature unless they stay in the light (John 12:25).

Therefore, let's bask in Him. Not only should we be properly planted and rooted in Christ (Ephesians 3:17; Luke 8:5-15), but we should also keep reaching out for His nourishing light (James 4:8).

We do that by putting in time, regularly and consistently, to reading and studying the Bible, which is His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and then, with His help, by yielding ourselves to what it says (James 1:22-25). The more we reach out toward the nourishing light of God, the more brightly His light can shine on us (2 Corinthians 4:4-6; 1 John 1:5-7). The more brightly His light shines on us, the more growth and maturity we'll see in our lives. That is, more grace, hope, joy, humility, discernment, good works, fruitfulness, etc.

And that's not all, for we may also see growth in people around us, in our individual spheres of influence. That's because, not only is Jesus Christ the light of the world, but as His ambassadors, so are we. Of course, Jesus alone is the Son of God; and each person is ultimately accountable for their own spiritual thriving. But even just a little light pierces the deepest darkness and illuminates the pathway for growth. Others' growth as well as our own.

We say "the light went on" when someone who was "in the dark" finally recognizes or comprehends something he hadn't seen before. Once someone has helped "shed some light on it," that person can move on from there. Similarly, the Bible uses the exposing effects of physical light over darkness to symbolize how spiritual "light" — goodness, truth, righteousness, holiness, love — sheds light on spiritual darkness (evil, deception, envy, sin; Ephesians 5:13).

Read in Matthew 5:14-16 and Ephesians 5:8-17 what kind of light you can be to others as you yourself do your own "basking in the Son." "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven" (verse 16).

Image Credit: Rachel James; "Gracefl Purple Clematis Flower Reaching Toward the Sun"; Creative Commons

Tags: Biblical-Truth | Christian-Life