Many of the tomatoes you eat are picked unripened so they won't bruise during shipping. Then before they're sold they're sprayed with CO² gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are OK, but they're no match for vine-ripened ones that are allowed to mature slowly. We worry about how fast we grow; God's more concerned with how strong!

 

The moment you open your life to Christ He establishes a 'beachhead.' You may think you've surrendered all, but there are areas you're not even aware of yet. You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment! But that's OK. Once He's given a beachhead, Christ begins a campaign to take over more and more territory until your life is completely His. Sure there'll be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in doubt. Listen: "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" (Php 1: 6).

 

Today we're obsessed with speed, but God's more interested in stability. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar or an experience that'll instantly resolve our problems, remove our temptations, and release us from growing pains. Get real! Maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Healthy growth is gradual growth. The Bible says, "Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters... and we become like Him" (2Co 3:18).