I've heard farmers say, “We can’t make the seed grow, we can only be sure the soil is ready for the seed. God is the only one who can make the seed grow.” Those farmers are sharp sometimes. In 1 Corinthians we are reminded that spiritual growth is a process. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul calls believers God’s children, God’s field, and God’s building.
We are God’s children, claimed so in the waters of our baptism. Our faith walk is a process. Sometimes we think that we have completed our journey We feel that we have gone as far as we can. We sometimes feel that after confirmation, we have completed our walk, but just as babies need the right environments to grow physically, people need the right environment to grow spiritually. That’s where the church can come in.
We are God’s field. Fields do not bear fruit or crops on command. Trust me, I'm trying to grow tomatoes. They blossom in process, and to do so properly, they need the right environment and nutrients. This can happen for us in church.
We are God’s building, God’s spiritual house if you will. God first built us. Then God redeemed us with his own blood. Next, God moved in. That’s right, God took up residence, God filled up every drawer. And guess what? God isn’t done! God continually works on us. God is constantly rearranging the furniture, challenging our ideas, thoughts, and opinions. We never do arrive. This continual work is inevitable. It is a lifelong process.
