MARK 8:22-25 – And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.  And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”

THEME OF THE DAY: IT’S NOT ALWAYS FAST.  The Apostle Peter exhorts us. . . Putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (1 Peter 2:1-2).  Spiritual growth is the goal.  What Peter does not do is tell us the pace of spiritual growth. When it does come to the pace of our spiritual growth, this rests in the Lord.  Oh, we are not passive in the process as Peter lays out our responsibilities – put aside works of the flesh (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander) and long for, desire intensely, the means of spiritual growth, the Word. But the actual growth, the timing, pace, maturing in the Lord by His Word through His Spirit, is entirely of Him.

In today’s scripture, we see the principle with the blind man given sight.  Jesus has come to Bethsaida.  A blind man, perhaps well-loved in the town, was brought to the Lord in hope of healing.  In an unorthodox way, the Lord spit on his eyes, and laid hands on him. There was no immediate healing like we see in other miracles of Jesus. There was healing but slowly.  The man proclaims “I see people, but they look like trees walking.”  He basically has blurred vision. Healed but not healed.

We, too, sometimes get “blurred vision” spiritually.  For instance, we are exposed to the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We know this is the character of the Lord Jesus and the development of these in our lives is God working out our salvation.  Yet, we find ourselves falling so short and grow impatient at the pace this Fruit is taking hold in our lives.  We forget Fruit takes time. It takes cultivation and even trials to blossom.  We see “people like trees walking” until the necessary time the Lord shows us more clearly, or the Fruit becomes more who we are.

Yes, spiritual growth or maturity. We want it.  And we want it now!  Though the desire is good, the process isn’t immediate. May the Lord help us to be submissive, patient, and understand spiritual growth is certain, and the timing of its reality in our lives is the Lord’s not ours.

PRAYER: “Father, help me not to be impatient over Your work in me.”

QUOTE: “Spiritual growth is all of the Lord including its pace.”

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Jim