(a chapter from the section, The Growth Paradigm, of my book, Heaven on Earth)
What I call natural growth is, I suppose, what we can see. It is our growth in years and physical appearance. The following Bible scripture speaks to me:
The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
First, we have natural growth, and then, we have spiritual growth. From a child, we grow into a youth. From a youth, we grow into a young adult. A young adult then grows into an adult.
While natural growth is automatic, by contrast, spiritual growth is not automatic. Our number of years in age does not proportionately determine our spiritual age or spiritual maturity. Some people could be more advanced in years but spiritually immature, but some other people could be young in years but spiritually very advanced.
In performance-focused cultures that are high profit and high risk, one’s performance is highly rewarded. Growth in profit margins and one’s intellectual growth are rewarded exclusively, and emotional growth is not. Therefore, frequently, there is a great disparity between a person’s intellectual growth and emotional growth. This is a form of human dysfunction particularly acute in times of prosperity and in dysfunctional financially-focused cultures. As a result of this, whole generations of children and youth are nurtured with these set of ideals inculcated into their belief systems. I am not knocking success or prosperity; nor am I idolizing a poverty ideal. Success and prosperity are not restricted to a narrow definition determined by how much money we might have in the bank account. There are many aspects to success and prosperity that we often miss when we chase dollars and maximization of profits exclusively.
The initial premise of the Christian belief is that God receives us as we are, as imperfect vessels, initially, whenever we are ready; and we are brought into wholeness and made complete through a process or journey called salvation. The fruits of salvation are manifest in both the seen world and the unseen world, in this life and in eternity.
May the grace and peace of Abba Father the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
Word Sabre, scribe for Abba Father, LORD GOD, Lord Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.