We
have two apple trees in our yard. Some years we get many apples and some years
hardly any. Some years both trees produce and some years only one. This year
only one produced apples, and it was a bumper crop. The other day I spent a
couple of hours picking as many apples as I could. I started on the ground,
picking everything that I could reach. Then I got out the step ladder and went
around the tree again. Finally, I pulled out the extension ladder and climbed
even higher to get more apples. When I was done, I had eight grocery bags full
of apples, and there were still more on the tree that I could not reach.
While
I was picking the apples, I noticed something that I had never seen before. I
reached for an apple that had a small leaf draped over it. Where the leaf had
rested, the apple was green. Where the apple was exposed to the sun, the apple
was red. I examined the tree more
closely and discovered that the apples that were exposed to the sun were red on
the side the sun hit. The apples that were shaded from the sun were more green,
with only minor traces of red.
This
got me thinking about our walk with Christ. We are like those apples. We are
the fruit of the Gospel. When we put our faith in Christ, we blossom and begin
to be transformed into something new. But our development doesn’t just happen.
It is dependent upon how much we are exposed to the Son. The more exposure we
have to Jesus, the more mature we become. The less we are exposed to Jesus, our
growth is slowed down.
The
Disciples are a prime example of this. There were many who spent a little time
with Jesus. For some of them, this was a profound experience. For many of them
it was a temporary thrill. But the disciples walked with Jesus every day. Over
time, as they were exposed to Jesus more and more, their lives were
transformed. After the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they
became fully formed fruit for the Kingdom of God. These were ordinary, common
men, yet their exposure to Jesus made them powerhouses for change. Early in the
life of the Church, Peter and John were arrested by the Jewish religious
leaders. They were put in jail for preaching about Jesus. When they were
brought before the Sanhedrin, they gave a bold defense of their faith. The religious leaders were astounded by the
boldness of Peter and John. When they saw the courage of Peter and John
and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and
they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 These men
had been with Jesus!
Our
maturity as followers of Christ is in direct proportion to how much time we
spend with Jesus. There are many ways that we can spend time with Jesus.
We can let his light shine on us
through His Word, the Bible. As we read and meditate on the Bible, we grow in
our understanding of and love for Jesus. All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
We can spent time with Jesus
through prayer. Prayer is far more than saying grace before a meal or reciting
a laundry list of requests before God. Prayer that transforms us includes
honest confession, praise and humble listening. Prayer is allowing Jesus to take
our thoughts and reorder them according to His will.
We are exposed to Christ through
times of corporate worship. Jesus promised that whenever we meet in His name,
he will be with us. Spiritual power is enhanced when Christians gather together
to celebrate what Christ has done for us. If we want to grow and become mature
in our faith, corporate worship is an essential. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
The apples that became the most
mature on my apple tree were the apples that received the most exposure to the
sun. The followers of Christ who mature the most in life are those who
experience the most exposure to the Son.
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