“If We Don't Feed It, It Won't Grow”
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles Tags: Bible Lessons on Spiritual GrowthFrom the Scriptures, we know that spiritual growth is a necessity for the Christian. The principle is that proper spiritual feeding will produce proper spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2; cf. Hebrews 5:13-14; 2 Timothy 2:1-2). However when we consider evil and evil influences in our lives, the reverse of this growth principle should be employed, not allowing evil to take root and grow. For a few moments of time, let us illustrate this reverse principle using the following five scenarios:
1) A man selects a site on his property for a garden but he does not till the soil. No fertilizer is placed with the seed; no watering is done. He just scatters the seed and walks away. However, the man still expects a large crop of vegetables. Let’s ask ourselves, is this man being realistic in his expectation? The answer of course is “No” — the principle being: “If we don’t feed it, it won’t grow.”
2) A young man hears about a party his friends are having. He accepts an invitation and shows up, only to find that it is a poker party. Since celebrities are playing poker and it is on so many TV channels, it must a cool way to have fun and make “easy” money. The young man, however, knows that it is gambling, and is well aware of the tragic consequences of gambling addiction. He walks away from the party, resolving not to gamble, even if it means his friends will be disappointed. He believes the risk of addiction is too great — “If we don’t feed it, it won’t grow.”
3) A man has been married for several years. He loves his wife and believes their marriage is good, but he is a little bored. At work, he spends a lot of time around a single young woman. She is physically attractive and personable. Most of their contact is work-related and so far he has kept it that way.
However, he knows that she would associate with him outside of work, if he would but ask. After thinking it over, he resolves to work on his relationship with his wife, to be more attentive, and to liven up their marriage with better communication and more romance. He resists the urge to build a deeper relationship with the woman at work (cf. Genesis 39:7-12; James 4:7-8) — “If we don’t feed it, it won’t grow.”
4) A young man and woman in their early twenties have dated for several months and believe they are “serious” about each other. There’s a real possibility that they will get married.
They say they “love” each other, expressing those terms in verbal and non-verbal ways. However, they are Christians and have resolved to avoid fornication and save themselves sexually for marriage.
Thus, they have set definite limits on their physical displays of affection. They could give in to lust, like so many have chosen to do (2 Samuel 11:1-4; cf. James 1:14-15), but they don’t — “If we don’t feed it, it won’t grow.”
5) A man is offended by a lifelong friend. He thinks about the situation, but decides to act in good faith and talk to his friend about the problem (Matthew 18:15; Matthew 18:21 cf. Luke 17:3; Leviticus 19:17). The friend completely understands, and he too wants to do what is right. Resentment, though contemplated, does not begin — “If we don’t feed it, it won’t grow.”
Brethren and friends, is there something we are presently feeding that shouldn’t be fed?
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- Feeding The Wolf!