Are you trying to reproduce the attributes of Christ in your life by human effort? Remember, Jesus said, "An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit" (Mat 7:18). And all human nature is innately evil (as opposed to divine nature).

Jesus said, "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not, and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Luke 12:27).

The character traits of the lily are imprinted in the seed and when that seed is planted in a proper life environment it sprouts and blossoms.

When the lily awakes to the early morning sun and shakes the dew from its petals, it doesn't say, "Today I must try very hard to be a good lily. I will strain and struggle to be a beautiful flower."

No, the God-energized flow of life within the lily produces the fragrance and color. The plant itself does not "toil or spin." It only absorbs the life God offers.

Christ reproduces Himself in our hearts through the life of His word. We cannot possibly reproduce His nature by external obedience to religious precepts. All that He is and all that He has for us is imprinted in the sacred seed. When this potential is released, we begin to understand the meaning of the words, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).

My answer is "Oh? Then you are not hearing His word. You have ears to hear but do not hear?'" (Mark 8:18). The fruits of His word are peace, joy, hope and faith. His word cannot produce fear, guilt, emptiness and frustration any more than a lily could produce thorns.

Is it possible that you might have blocked out spiritual truth because you have accepted the letter of the word, thinking you were receiving His truth and hearing His voice?

A plant rooted in truth is able to produce fruit, and Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8).

The appearance of fruit is not glorifying to God. Because the plant rooted in the letter of the word can only show the appearance of fruit.

Anyone rooted in the life of the word will bear fruit (faith, hope, love, joy, etc.). And that fruit is the result of the word reproducing the nature of Christ. There is no effort on the part of the "plant" (the believer). The word does the work. That is why true spiritual fruit glorifies God. It is His handiwork.

The letter of the word cannot do this work because it has no life. So, in order to appear fruitful and spiritual, the one rooted in the letter attaches synthetic fruit to his life. He does this by personal effort. He tries to be good, he tries to be happy, he tries to be obedient, he tries to be loving, he tries to be forgiving...the result is an outward show, causing men to say, "My, isn't that person a wonderful Christian?" or "Doesn't she have great faith?"

How does this look from God's vantage point? Scripture says, "Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).

If you can hear God's voice, then He will teach you. If you cannot hear God's voice, then it is pointless for any man to try to teach you. Outside of personally hearing His voice and experiencing His thoughts, there is no enlightenment--only indoctrination, stereotyping, and fruitless mental gymnastics that swell the ego and starve the spirit.

God uses teachers. But teachers who place themselves in the position of interpreting God for others are not teachers from His school. Teachers who take you under their wing and are defensive and protective of you at first appear to be compassionate and loving. But soon you realize they consider you to be one of "their people," and they begin to dictate what you should read, what preachers you should hear, what Christian groups are "in error," where you should go to church, and even what you should think or believe.

He has given you a sacred individuality. There is no one on earth like you! When God's Word is working freely in the development of your personality and reproducing the nature of Christ within your heart, you will reflect a facet of His glory no other human being on this globe is capable of revealing.

The Burpee Seed Company has acres of flowers covered with tightly woven netting. This is their method of creating look-alike hybrids. The netting is to prevent natural pollination by bees. To develop a seed that will produce flowers of exactly the same shading, color, and shape, careful attention must be given to prevent any cross-pollination. If cross-pollination does occur in a few cases, that flower is called a "rogue" and is quickly discarded.

Many teachers embrace the "Burpee Seed Company" technique. They endeavor to create "Christian hybrids" who talk alike, think alike, and give the impression of believing alike in all matters.

The Apostle John spoke about a man like this. His name was Diotrephes, a leader in an early church Christian Group. In a letter to a man named Gaius (the Third Epistle of John), we read, "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loved to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not" (vs. 9).

Diotrephes was trying to create his own little "flower garden." He took great care that no outside thought would "cross-pollinate" his hybrids. When representatives came from the Apostles, he spoke against them and warned people about being deceived. Those who did receive other teachers were thrown out of the local church. John said, "Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbideth them that would, and casteth them out of the church" (vs. 10).

Set your sights on one goal, "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Eph. 1:17), and you will reach a new and delightful dimension in your walk with God.

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