Numerous scriptures show the bad effects of impatience committed by ancient Israel, while the patriarchs, Jesus Christ, and the Father set examples of true patience.

If we are intent on bearing fruit, we can do some things to make sure that we are not inhibiting the process. We find them in one of the fig tree parables.

The Parable of the Growing Seed is unique to the book of Mark, the most basic of the gospels, perhaps due to it being so simple and its point self-evident.

Like its physical counterpart, spiritual growth happens slowly. A newly baptized Christian will not produce the fruit of the spirit as easily as a mature one.

Some in Antioch believed the preaching of the persecuted Christians, and they not only agreed with the teaching but also changed or transformed their lives.

Spiritual growth mimics our physical growth to maturity. If we continue in the process, we will 'grow into' our potential as God's children.

What is perfection? Does God require perfection of us? The Bible defines perfection in a surprising way, and tells to what standard God holds us accountable.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows the Passover. In it we see how hard it is to overcome and rid our lives of sin.

Magic is always used as some kind of weapon, but not to build or develop moral strength or character. God chooses a life-long process of sanctification.

God's law—the unleavened bread of righteousness—needs to be ingested into our minds as we purge sin, resulting in righteous thoughts, words, and deeds.

Like Joseph, we need to realize that God—not ourselves—is the Creator, engineering events that form us into what He wants us to become.

The seven Sabbaths in the count to Pentecost represent the process of the firstfruits becoming spiritually complete, that is, perfect and blameless.

Protestantism unthinkingly presents grace as "free." However, Scripture shows that God expects a great deal of effort from us once we receive it—it is costly.

God calls Israel a seed of highest quality, but she turned into a degenerate vine, bearing bitter fruit, rejecting God and relying on her own resources.

There must be something to prove we are one with Christ and in union with the Father and the Son. That something is the manner in which we conduct our life.

The spirit of the law does not do away with the letter of the law; without the letter, there is no spirit because there is no foundation. Examples show God's will.

At the time of the end, sin will be so pervasive and so compelling that our only resource for enduring its influence will be our relationship with God.

God is putting His children through a demanding educational program designed to teach godly values and impart spiritual maturity. Learning is hard work.

Knowledge of God's truth is useless unless it is acted on. God will only accept children who follow Christ's example and conduct their lives by His high standards.

The World Tomorrow is not going to happen because of an instantaneous miracle. God takes His time to produce both physical and spiritual changes.

God helps us to overcome our problems in an unraveling process, sometimes taking us back through the consequences of the bad habits we have accumulated.