eMeditation on the Bible
 
Question: What is the nature of the spiritual life that comes from a relationship with God?
 
Story (Luke 13:18-21)
After Jesus told people that separation from God brings spiritual death but that a relationship with God brings never-ending spiritual life, he told a couple of short stories to explain the nature of spiritual life:
 
“What is the spiritual life that we receive from God like? What can I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a garden. It grew and became a tree. The birds sat in its branches.”

“To what can I compare spiritual life from God? It is like yeast that a woman used. She mixed it into a large amount of flour. The yeast permeated (spread) through all the dough.”
 
Interpretations
In the first story, the mustard seed represents the small beginning of our relationship with God when we entrust our life to God and follow Jesus as God’s authority over our life. The birds coming and resting in the branches teach us that as we mature spiritually, we become a source of help and protection for other people.
 
In the second story, the yeast permeating the dough and causing it to expand teaches us that when we are in a relationship with God we grow spiritually by God’s love (symbolized by the yeast) transforming every part of our lives (symbolized by the dough): our thoughts, attitudes, behavior and relationships with other people. Our relationship with God not only impacts one or two parts of our life but all aspects of who we are.

General Principles
Both stories teach us that, in a relationship with God, spiritual growth and the transformation of our hearts and lives are a gradual process that takes place throughout our lifespan. But the difference between who we are spiritually at the beginning and who we become when we reach spiritual maturity is amazing! It is the result of God’s power transforming us through our deep connection with God by God’s Spirit living within us.

Personal Application
Both stories teach us that spiritual life is a developmental process that begins very small but grows over time and matures to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives.  
(1) We do not begin our relationship with God fully developed spiritually.  
(2) Spiritual life involves spiritual growth in the direction of becoming stronger in our ability to honor and please God with our thoughts, attitudes, actions and character.  
(3) Spiritual growth enables us to increasingly overcome self-centeredness and the tendency to prioritize our own desires and success above the needs of the people around us. Instead, we grow in our capacity to love and serve others, especially the needy.