In today’s well connected digital world, one of the buzz words is the number of “G”s describing the connection speed. Times have moved so fast that the earlier “G”s have become obsolete. In Singapore, the 2G network ceased operations on 1st April 2017. Today, 5G is all the rage, and Singtel, one of Singapore’s largest telecommunications companies, reported that it had achieved over 95% standalone 5G nationwide coverage since July 2022. This comes more than 3 years ahead of the regulatory target of end-2025, effectively making Singapore the first country in the world to be fully covered by standalone 5G*.
Technology has certainly grown by leaps and bounds. Yet the bible talks about a growth that is far more important, and regrettably, often not nearly as fast, or even worse, neglected - our spiritual growth. Jesus talked about spiritual growth on multiple occasions and one of the parables of the mustard seed, speaks of such an exponential growth (Luke 13:18,19). So how can we grow as a mustard seed? How can we grow as we should? Let us take a 5G look at the humble growth of a plant, as we learn from the bible.
Garden
In the very beginning, God in all His wisdom created the perfect environment for His creation. He even went the second mile to create the perfect surroundings for the pinnacle of His creation, man, in the form of the garden of Eden. Here, man could dwell in safety, and had all that he needed provided for! In the same way, we need to place ourselves in an ideal environment, in order to maximise our growth potential. How does one do that? By making bible-informed decisions with regards to the people we mix with, the kind of work we engage in, the activities we engage in, the places we find information/entertainment, etc. We may not be able to always control the environment we interact with/in, nor is it biblical to isolate ourselves (cf. 1Co 5:9, 10), but we can certainly take steps to create a wholesome environment for ourselves, for the family and for the church. We remember the price Lot paid when he chose worldly benefits over spiritual when he decided to live in Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Gen 13:10; 18:20; 19:1-29)
Ground
The ground is where it all begins! Where the seed is sown and where growth starts. It is from the ground that the plant gets water and nutrients, that the plant gets stability. The parable of the sower shows us that different types of grounds will give different outcomes! Spiritually speaking, our growth heavily hinges upon the ground that we grow from. The most important ground of all is the foundation upon God’s Word. Everything that we do spiritually, if it is not based on God’s Word, is useless and pointless and in fact detrimental to our well-being! Observe what Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:21-23 - “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 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.” Immediately following this statement, Jesus further provided the illustration of the well-known Sunday School example of the wise man versus the foolish man who built their houses upon rock and sand, respectively. Without the solid foundation that is the Word of God, we are doomed to ultimate failure and indeed eternal damnation.
Green
It is no coincidence that the colour green is associated with plants! God has determined that the green pigment in plants, the substance called chlorophyll, is that vital factor that enables plants to capture sunlight and make use of it to make food. This is virtually unique to plants. Only green leaves can make food! Yellowing leaves and obviously dry and brown ones are useless in the food production process. Thus it is vital that we maintain a “live” and proactive attitude, as opposed to a jaded, cynical outlook. The former leads to growth, while the latter is a sign of impending death! From another angle, it is as what brother Eddy often says – “When you are green, you grow; when you are ripe, you rot!” This points to the humble and teachable attitude that we need to maintain and develop if we are to have continual growth. When one thinks he has “arrived”, that is when the decline starts.
Groom
Anyone who has had some experience in taking care of plants would realise this is actually an important aspect that is vital to the healthy growth of a plant. In fact, it is the same analogy that Jesus used in John 15: 2b “…and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”. We need to spend the effort to take spiritual stock. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5 - “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” We need to continually see how we measure up against the Word of God, to ensure we are not turning to the left hand or to the right, but maintain the strait and narrow (cf. Mat 7:13,14). Only by taking pains to remove the wasted and dying from our lives can we bear fruit for the Lord. The consequence otherwise is a messy tangle of vine and weeds that is not only unprofitable, but indeed ready to be cut off and thrown into fire (cf. John 15:2a; 6)!
Give
Finally, we often love plants because of what they give us! Be it for food or for raw materials, plants and their products are such an important and integral part of our lives. The impetus to growth is often fuelled by what we give to others. To the young Christians, don’t underestimate your potential to positively influence! As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:12 - “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”. To the mature, especially those in the position to teach, your gifts of encouragement and edification through presenting the Word of God are so vital in nurturing the generations after you. To the senior brethren, the wealth of life and godly experience you have accumulated over the years is such a valuable resource and can only benefit others if shared! It is also often through such sharing and mentoring that will keep us active in the Lord and keep us growing, even in the sunset years.
Let us therefore continue to encourage and spur one another on, even as we strive to grow as the mustard seed, that in time to come, we can be that shelter to others (cf. Luk 13:19), and on that Day, be received up into the pleasure and glory of the Lord.