Isaiah 55

Several months ago I met a brother, Gordon Fallwell in Wytheville Virgina that sent me a wonderful writing on Isaiah 55. Because we are in Washington, DC with our kids awaiting the arrival of a new grandbaby, I wanted to post his writing for you today. It is a call for maturity to the Christian Church!
Isaiah 55:10

The Word of God and the Spirit of God have been actively working on this earth since the dawn of creation in a process of fruitful replenishment of sons and daughters of God. It is the entire work of God to redeem mankind in this manner.

The Spirit and the Word have watered the souls of the earth in an effort to bring mankind back to the loving arms of God. The Word of God lodged successfully in the ears and hearts of the believing will act as a seed that will grow with the watering of the water by the word and unction of the Spirit. It is the desire of the Lord to create growth within His creation as an ongoing effort for them to become mature, fruit bearing children so long as the hearer of the Word will maintain the desire to grow from it.

The Lord continues to water the earth, He is watering US with His word and His Spirit in an effort to provide us with the food we need in order to cause us to grow further on to maturity. The Lord is patiently waiting for the fruit of the earth.

Oh the Joy He has over one sinner that repents. All of heaven rejoices and the angels sing. Remember how wonderful it was when you first came to the saving Grace of Jesus Christ? … having once received the wonderful word of God through a seed sown by someone or perhaps from the very Word Himself. And then felt the wonderful saving grace flood our souls. Remember how hungry you were for more and more. The desire you had to grow could not be quenched it seemed.

But unfortunately for many, something eventually happens. We continue on until life catches up with us. We are safely and securely captured in the arms of God. By faith, having escaped the flames of hell and looking forward to continuing our eternal life in Heaven one day. However, It is possible for some to remain in the faith for many, many years, feeling comfortable in their salvation, secure in their position and where they are, confident in their knowledge and understanding to feel they are grounded sufficiently while not ever arriving at maturity. The number given to my thought about this was 70. It is possible to be 70 years old or perhaps even been saved for 70 years and been faithful for all those years and still not yet allowed ourselves to arrive at the maturity God desires or had for us to reach and expects of us. But having missed it somewhere along the way, we reside in our status quo until the 70th year in this state. What could God have done with us many years ago had we maintained that drive to go on to perfection / maturity. What joy, experience and revelation have we missed in our relationship with Him over the passage of those years?

It is critical for us to arrive at maturity. It is critical. It is critical for ourselves and for others! For we will never produce the fruitful outcome God is looking for unless we reach the maturity that He has designed and planned for us to reach. Yet, all too often, we only grow so far and then we reach a place to where we are comfortable and satisfied with our level of growth and we discontinue the growth cycle. We somehow lose the desire to grow further into what God has for us.

Have we ever witnessed or seen a plant that only grows so far and then stops, not ever growing further or maturing on to flower or bear fruit? Jesus saw a tree in this condition and cursed it, causing it to die.

In verse 10, the Lord says that the watering of the earth is so that it will "bring forth and bud" and then continues next to say, "that it may give seed to the sower" and "bread to the eater"

A plant must mature in order to produce seed. Usually, it flowers, "buds" or it "brings forth" that being, fruit. Either of which contains the seeds. In either regard, a plant will not produce a flower or a piece of fruit until it has reached maturity.

(All the while, the Lord is patiently waiting for the fruit of the earth.)

Here is a critical, and overlooked, part of the whole message of this (I believe). Seeds for the sower… who are the sowers of the seeds? Who will sow seed into the earth or more appropriately, who will sow seeds into the hearts of men? This is the work of the Lord and of the Holy Spirit, to save the lost. But He uses the matured to do this in many instances.

Only those who have continued to grow and who have reached maturity can bear the buds and produce the fruit that bears the seeds to sow into the hearts of men. Only the mature can produce seeds.

It is our job to sow seeds of the word into the waiting hearts of men and women, boys and girls. Bread to the hungry… there will always be hungry hearts and souls to be ministered to. Unfortunately, many will likely die hungry for salvation, having never received the seed / word of God.

For too long, we have not seen growth in our midst. We have failed to see the new birth of our friends, families and neighbors and visitors of the church. Failed to see the lost come to a saving knowledge of the Grace of God in Jesus Christ. There has been no growth in our churches. And more importantly, we have only a limited amount of growth in our own lives. Why?

It is not because there are no fertile grounds or hearts out there awaiting the seed of the word of God. It is because there are no sowers with seeds to sow. No sowers because there are no seeds. No seeds because there is no fruit to bear the seed. No fruit because there are no mature plants to bear the fruit. No mature plants because somehow the growth cycle has been hindered or inhibited both willingly and unwillingly in the plants that were once healthy, hungry for more of what God had to offer.

Have we seen growth in our hearts and lives? Ministry, church etc.? Fruit and seeds are a sign of maturity. There are fathomless depths in God that we've yet to imagine, yet to reach or attain to that if we allow ourselves to be taken there, will produce a maturity level within us as our spiritual man evolves in Him, that will cause us to become that instrument that He will use to sow seeds, that the earth may bring forth the Harvest that God is wanting to receive. And oh what a transformation in our lives it will bring just to know Him, experience Him more.

What is the answer? God says that the water is coming down from heaven to water the earth. He also said that it does not return to heaven. The water has not been withdrawn from us but it continues as He is trying to water us with His word and with His Spirit’s working in our lives. Yet, we have lost our appetite for personal growth and desire for maturity in Christ. It is not enough to be saved and satisfied. We may make it to heaven that way, but will we be totally pleasing to God by not going on to maturity to become what He desires for us to become? That we bear much fruit…for Jesus said that in this way we would be pleasing to the Father.

Verse 11 says "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." There will be results if we make the effort.

Or we can just simply stay where we are, by ourselves in our place/ state of contentment, security and isolation from what God really wants to do out there in the world and in our lives. The choice is ours.
Gordon Falewell
Wytheville, Virginia