Accelerated Fruit

A quote from my Pastor, Jeff Johns, last Sunday, "Wise people have no problem spending 50 years of their life preparing for the last 5."  Think of Moses.  He spent 40 years of preparation in the royal palace of Egypt.  His 2nd phase of preparation, again 40 years, was spent in the wilderness tending sheep. He was then ready to lead the Israelite's out of Egyptian bondage, at age 80. This is encouraging to those of us who are older in life. All the things we have experienced to date have been a part of our preparation- EVERYTHING!  This includes the good times and the bad times. The times we were obedient and the times we were disobedient. Nothing is ever wasted. God can use anything and everything we have encountered to quickly bring explosive growth to the fruit He has desired to bear through us, if we press on.  If you feel you have fallen short in reaching your potential in God, realize that you have been and are still being prepared to do so.  God has not forgotten why He placed you here and He can bring His will to pass quickly.  Don't give up.  This truth will also help our young people who are students. Have you ever said, "Why am I being forced to take this class?  It won't help me after I graduate."  Don't be too sure.  We never know what God will use. He loves to use the most unsuspecting things to reach people. So be patient, do your best in every class and let God prepare you for His purposes.