Life is meant to be lived in a steady stream of maturing from beginning to end. The giant sequoia is a great illustration of this truth. Sprouting from a tiny seed, stored DNA triggers the upward growth of this future behemoth. Its Creator designed it that way.

2 Peter 1:5 KJV – “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;”

Likewise, encoded within every Christian is this same prompting toward maturity. When God took your first seed of faith, “O Lord Jesus, save me,” and planted you into His kingdom, an explosion of data from your spiritual DNA awakened to begin growing into a living relationship in Christ. Challenging? Yes. Requiring diligence? Absolutely. But it’s hard to imagine being a believer without this inner desire. It would be like a sequoia deciding to stay a twig.

Those ancient trees testify of the necessity of maturing; deep growth gives them the ability to withstand storm and fire and still remain strong. When a believer dedicates himself to adding virtue to faith’s foundation, tenacity develops and produces moral courage. Faced with fiery opposition, this believer will remain single-minded, unwavering. As he drinks the knowledge of God, he can be assured of a fortifying sense of His presence. He’ll experience the Lord moving in his life because of his intimate relationship with Jesus.

This process starts at the moment of salvation and will be carried on until we meet the Lord face to face. This is His growth plan. Is it yours? Is there active change going on in your life? Is there a dedicated effort of your whole person as you cooperate with Him? I believe every Christian has a Holy Spirit imprinted DNA code and from that little seed you and I continue to grow.

– Pastor Jack