Sunday, July 26, 2009

Spiritually Dwarfed?

I'm reading through the Epistles right now. Somtimes I like to reference the Amplified Bible, which is bulky to read but adds a lot of insight since it uses more adjectives, synonyms, etc. that flesh out difficult-to-translate ideas. This week I was reading 1 and 2 Timothy, taking my time to mull things over. One day I came across these verses:

"For among them [I think this is talking about false teachers] are those who worm their way into homes and captivate silly and weak-natured and spiritually dwarfed women, loaded down with the burden of their sins and easily swayed and led away by various evil desires and seductive impulses. These weak women will listen to anybody who will teach them; they are forever inquiring and getting information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge of the Truth." (2 Timothy 3:6:7 AMP)

While there are several things in the description of these easily deceived women that don't really apply to me (i.e. I'd like to think that I have arrived at a place of recognition of Truth), I would be foolish to ignore the ease with which one can fall into silly foolishness. I was especially troubled with the description of these women being spiritually dwarfed, which indicates that they had some sort of spiritual life to begin with.

As I mulled it over, praying for wisdom and protection that I not fall into this spiritually dwarfed category, God brought the following verses to mind:

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:1-7)

Clearly the secret to becoming a vibrant, wise, growing woman who is the opposite of spiritually dwarfed is to abide in Christ. I can't grow without Him, and thankfully He is accessible and wants to "grow" me as I abide (isn't that a restful word?). I am exhilarated, encouraged, and motivated as I dwell on this. May God help me to constantly abide in Him.