Colossians 1:9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
When we vacationed in Maine, Tim and I took a
"Lobster Tour." Our first afternoon in that beautiful state we
boarded the Lucky Catch,
on the Casco Bay in Portland. The little red boat held about fourteen tourists
ready to learn about the trade of lobstering. First, we filled mesh bags with
chubs and herring, then tied them into the traps. The captain taught us about
the traps, how the larger lobsters get caught and the little ones have an
escape hatch. The whole experience was hands-on. When we pulled in the traps
and found a female, they showed us she was a layer and threw her back. Then the
captain demonstrated which of the larger male lobsters to keep and which to
send back to the water. 
The captain grabbed the lobster and a gage. He
hooked one end of the measuring tool to the socket behind the lobster's eye,
then drew the other end straight down along the crustacean's carapace (back).
The minimum length had to be three and a quarter inches for him to keep it. Otherwise
back to the deep they went for a chance to grow.
Like those lobsters that get thrown into the sea,
God wants me to keep growing. My Father knows where I am as a believer. He
knows my heart and sees my soul. When I think of ways to grow spiritually I
call up the verses in Galatians where Paul names the Fruit of the Spirit. My
love needs to multiply. Does God draw me through the fires of life to increase
my compassion for people? I'm willing to say yes. Does he require I wait to
develop patience? Of course. How about experiencing hurt and pain to remember
to be kind and gentle. Yes! God wants me to grow in my relationship with Jesus.
He wants me to strengthen my knowledge of his word. Does he use a gage to
measure my growth? No, instead he checks my heart. Jesus knows me. He loves me
and he wants me to be filled with joy. And that takes growth—in learning his
word, in prayer, and in obedience.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
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