Dear Child,
Through everyday life I am teaching you!
Living, breathing, and responding to everyday life produces maturity that will bear fruit!
Through maturity you are BECOMING!
Through fruit bearing you are producing seed!
but
Through gifting you are DOING!
You have to grow from everyday life to have the maturity to use the gifting.
I need the balance of fruit and gifting.
I need the balance of BECOMING and DOING.
Without the tests of living, your gifting would lack the flame of passion and conviction, which only comes from character building as your life ripens to the fruit of the spirit.
The seeds you are sowing through your gifting are from the fruit and maturity of your life which is the BECOMING
The using of your gifts is the sowing of those seeds which is the DOING.
Do you see, child, the balance!
Both are needed. I do not want only the gifting, I want the gifting used through your living, the defeats, victories, joys, sorrows, up and downs, testings, questions of life, and the wisdom gained through your time spent with Me.
Thus saith Papa
God commanded that the edge of the robe of the High Priest of Israel would be embroidered with pomegranates. In between the pomegranates were to be sown gold bells. This serves as a typology lesson for us:
The pomegranates speak of the fruit of the spirit which is the BECOMING.
The golden bells speak of the gifts of the spirits which is the DOING.
The placement speaks to us of balance between the fruit and the gifts.
Both were needed but not without balance. Each bell was separated by a pomegranate. What a clanging noise the bells would have made if not separated by the pomegranates. Does not this remind us of Paul’s exhortation in : 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
In other words, because the gifts can be misused, abused or even faked, they are not a sign of spiritual maturity. Only the fruit of the spirit is evidence of maturity of character. That is why Jesus warns in Matthew 7:20-23 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore gifts are not a sign of maturity! If we desire to grow up in the faith, our character must ripen to the maturity of the fruit of the spirit.
If we are to hear Matthew 25:21 Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord., we must be consistently growing in the character of righteousness, that we may faithfully use our gifting in authenticity and integrity for His Kingdom.
CHALLENGE: Is your spiritual life all outward show with no inner substance?
Is it all DOING and no BECOMING?
Invest in the BECOMING and the DOING will glorify God.
Excerpt from “Developing a Secret History with God” for further study see pages 35-36
Book and Study Guide available on Amazon/ Barnes&Noble/ Lulu/ itunes/ Kindle/ Nook/http wwwclfrance.com/ Rhema Publication or a bookstore near you.
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