The Coming Season

2 Timothy 4:2

Winter is coming.  Just a few more turns of the earth; a miniscule tilt of its axis causing the sun to ride lower in the heavens.

The trees are preparing for their slumber as the sap that gives them life slows in the cooling air.  They have changed their dress.  Green leaves that once adorned their skirts turn to vibrant hues of yellow, orange, and red.  Soon they will stand bare in the crisp fall air, awaiting the blanket of heavy snow that will cover their nakedness.

The wild meadow grasses that grow beneath the forest’s feet have dropped their seeds to the earth below.  Their once verdant crowns, burdened and leaning with life, now stand brittle and stripped.  They will lie down on the wintry earth that encases their tender roots and patiently wait for life’s renewal.

The squirrels are busily gathering.  The fox is donning his heavy winter coat and fat bushy tail to wrap around his nose and protect it from winter’s frost.  And the birds have been teaching their fledglings the heavenly patterns of migration in the brilliant autumn sky.  Calling back and forth to each other, their voices echo between the mountains.  Those that stay behind are feeding to fatten themselves on the fruits of summer for the harsh mountain winter that lies ahead.

All of life is preparing for the coming change of season.  There is a mechanism installed in each of God’s creatures to prepare as one season passes to another.  Man is no different than the lesser creatures.  He has been given the ability to recognize when to toil, when to sow, when to tend, and when to reap.  If he is awake, he will look to the Sun and the life that surrounds him. His storehouses will be bursting with the fruit he has gathered.  His coat will protect him from the bite of winter frost.   As he keeps diligent watch over the habits of God’s creation, he will be prepared for the season that is coming.

When the long, bright days of summer wane into the darkness of winter, man will sleep.  But like the grains that wait slumbering in the earth, and the sap that is stilled and lies resting in tree’s veins, he, too, will awaken from his repose to a renewal of life.  There is a new season awaiting him; a season that will remain.  The Sun will shine once again upon his face, but more brilliantly than before.  The final harvest will be gathered and stored.  The trees will bear fruit year round.  And with all of God’s creation, he will forever rest from his labor…and winter will come no more.

The Sea and Its Boundary

Job 38:8-11

Unlike the sea that rages and bellows but knows its boundaries and goes no farther, the waves of my discontent rise and swell.  The tides of my complaints attempt to breach the bulwarks and flood the shorelines of contentment that have been established for me.  My “proud waves” reach stupendous heights that crash down upon the budding seed of faith, intent upon drowning it in a murky sea of sin.

The tumult of my rebellious youth roars loudly in my ears like the bellowing sea.  I was but a grain of sand burdened by the weight of the great sea of sin.  Tossed about and carried by the raging waves, helpless and unable to free myself from its terrible grip, it carried me deeper and deeper into the vast abyss waiting below.  Falling away from the light above, the dark sea began to swallow me as I struggled against its force.

But as the sea of depravity threatened to drown me forever in its depths, the Lord heard my cry, “Save me!”  His ancient eye saw me as I impotently fought against the powerful and dreadful pull that was hurling me away from Him.  And with a loud voice He commanded, “No farther!”

As the sea has a boundary established by its Creator, there was also one set for me.  Among the myriad grains of sand hurtling through the raging torrent, God stretched out His arm and plucked me from amongst them.  He had set the limit to which He would allow me to sink before He would intervene.  And when the time came, He pulled me out of the sea of sin, set my feet firmly upon His Rock, and surrounded me with a impenetrable wall of protection against the pounding waves of the world.

The stormy tempest of tribulations and trials will come often.  They will assault the harbor of safety in which my ship is moored.  I will be tossed about on waves of indecision and buffeted by the winds of doubt.  The tides of despair may even threaten to drown me.  But even these have a limit prescribed by God.

The Lord has set another boundary for me which cannot be breached by the storms of this life and the world that woos me toward its briny deep.  I have tasted the sweetness of the water from the bottomless well of His grace, and my soul has been washed clean of the brackish and bitter water of sin.  Like the travailing winds that fill the ship's sails and steer them to safe harbors, I have felt His soft breath upon my cheek as He carries me into the safety of His.  And I have felt His powerful hand of divine protection pull me away from the desiring currents of sin and anchor me firm and fast to His Rock.

Never again will the raging sea of sin threaten to carry me into the dark abyss below, for the ship upon which I sail is captained by the Lord, and the sea knows its boundary.

The Servant

 John 14:6

There once was a servant whose Master had shown  him the Way.  His love for His Master and others was so great that he traveled from place to place to share the Good News, hoping that the others would see the love and concern he had for them and also desire to know it.

As he journeyed through villages, towns, and cities that bustled with people rushing to and fro on their own pathway, he thought to himself, “I will approach them and point them to the Better Path, and they will see how much my Master and I love them.”

While he watched the crowd scurry about, he spotted a man he knew well who was struggling to pull a heavily loaded cart through the mass of people in the street.  In his attempt to move the over-burdened cart, he would gain a few feet, then be driven back by the bodies pushing against him.

Seeing an opportunity, the servant approached his friend and said, “My friend, I see your cart is overloaded and you are unable to move freely.  Perhaps if you lightened the load by  removing some of the burden, your progress would be easier.”

“What kind of advice is that?” his friend growled.  “I have worked hard to acquire the things in my cart, and you are telling me I should throw them in the street?  They will be taken by others and then I will have nothing!  If you truly love me, you will help me pull the cart!”

Not to be discouraged, the servant said, “But, my friend, I can show you a Better Treasure, one far beyond the value of anything in your cart.”

Suspicious, his friend peered at him.  “Why would you want to share a priceless treasure with others?  Why not keep it for yourself?”

“Because it is a free Treasure that is available to all who would accept it.  The cost to my Master was great.  But He has given it to me, and now I freely offer it with great love to you.”

“Nothing is free!” scowled his friend.  “I have spent everything I have on my possessions! If this treasure is free, it must have no value in it!  There is always a cost for true treasures!”

“The only cost is unburdening yourself of the items in your cart and allowing me to show you my Master's Way to acquiring this Treasure,” the servant replied.

“You are a thief and a liar and so is your Master!” the friend roared.  “I want nothing of this Treasure you imagine!”  In anger, the servant's friend turned back to his cart and inched his way down the street.

Because of the servant's great love for others to learn of the Way, he moved on in search for willing ears to hear of it.  As his eyes scanned the busy street, he spotted a woman sitting on the corner.  Her eyes were fixed on her hands that lay limply in her lap.  But as he approached her, she lifted her eyes, revealing in them despair and sorrow.

“I have seen you before,” she muttered, averting her feverish gaze.  “What is it you want?”

“I saw you sitting here in the gutter and my Master's love for you drew me to you,” said the servant.

“If you love me, you will give me what I need,” she replied.

“But the need you desire is not what is best for you.  There is another Way that is better, a Way that will free you from your despair,” he offered.

“Take it to someone else.  I have pleasures that serve me well and I have no desire to give them up.”  Rising from the gutter, the woman wandered away from him and blended into the rushing masses on the street.

Saddened that the two people he had approached refused his gesture of love, the servant looked up to see a small crowd that had gathered on the corner.  They appeared to be deep in conversation with each other.  Standing, he slowly moved toward them, curious over their lively discussion.

As the servant got closer, he overheard a well-dressed man exclaim, “The conference was enlightening!  There were representatives from all the ways, each proclaiming the deception of only one Way!  I went away from it, awakened and encouraged!”

“I was there, too!” a woman said with excitement.  “It opened my mind to the reality that we can all share our many ways and attain the same goal!”

"That is so wonderful!” another said.  “A true break-through!” another gushed.  “Their teaching has certainly answered a lot of questions,” said still another.

“It is a lie,” the servant quietly said to them.

All eyes turned to him in anger, and the first man asked, “Who are you to say their way is not truth?”

“Because there is only one Way to point to Truth,” the servant answered.  “And there is only one Truth that will give you Life.  My Master has shown me this Way.”

Outraged, the crowd all began to speak at once.

“These were men and women educated in truth!”...“Who are you to say they lie?  You  and your Master are the liars!”...“You are being hateful for those who have a different way!”...“How dare you judge another way!”...“You need to open your mind and be accepting of other ways!”

The servant stood silently among them until the furor died down.  Looking at them with compassion, he said to them, “If you knew me, you would know that I bring you this Truth with a tremendous love for you.  And my Master, Who has shown me the Way, has sent me to tell you He loves you more than I.”

“What kind of love is that!” one man sneered.  “You are bringing us a lie and your Master falsely condemns others who follow a different way!  Be gone from us!  We have no use for His intolerant and exclusive Way!  There are many truths!  Take His to another!”

And they all turned their backs to him.

Moving away from the angry crowd, the servant felt sorrow in his heart.  “Is there no one willing to hear me as I speak of my Master's love for them?”  The man wandered down the street, his heart heavy and downcast within him that none wanted to know the Way to Truth and Life.

“Hey, mister?” a voice called out to him.

Lifting his eyes, the man saw a dirty and bedraggled child standing alone in the town square.

“I have been following you and listening to the things you have told others,“ the child said.  “I would like to hear more of your Master and His Way.  Would you be interested in telling me?”

Love and hope once again over-powered the servant’s heart.  As the sun set on the busy street and the people rushed to and fro, he began to tell the child of His Master's Way to Truth and Life.

When the servant had finished, with excitement the child said to him, “It is true!  Come!  There is not much time!  We must go and tell others about our Master's Way!”

Rising to their feet and taking each others hand, they moved with great love and boldness into the bustle of the crowded street, searching for those with a willing ear and an open heart to learn of their Master and the Way that had set them free.

The Only Absolute

Acts 17:22-28

There is an old saying that the only absolutes in life are death and taxes.  That paints a pretty grim outlook on our short lives here on earth, and it certainly offers no joy in the anticipation of living them out.   But in reality, the only absolute we have is in God Whom we have never seen.  Think about it for a moment.

Because we are human and sinful, we only want to believe in the things we can see, touch, smell, taste, or hear.  They become our realities on which we rely to survive in this world.  Our senses are tuned in to respond to physical stimuli and tangible objects, sending currents of electricity speeding along the vast and complicated organism of nerves that wind through our bodies to our brain, and back to the object.  The pen I hold in my hand becomes a reality to me with such speed that, unless I focus my entire attention upon it and consider the magnitude with which my nervous system responds, the pen is taken for granted.  I can see the pen in my hand, I can feel it resting there, and I can watch it as the words flow from my mind onto the paper.  But as I do so, the paper then becomes another absolute because of its own physical existence, the table the paper is resting upon becomes another reality, and the list goes on and on as we live out our lives in commonplace ways.

But what if you were suddenly deprived of all the senses you so heavily rely upon?  If, all at once, you were unable to see, to smell, to feel, to taste, or to hear what you consider to be your absolutes, would you continue to believe in their existence?  The answer to these questions depends solely upon what you base your own existence.  If you believe, as many do, that your physical life here and now is all that you will have and that you will just cease to exist when it ends, then your answer would be “no”.  But if you believe that there is a greater unseen Absolute - the One Who created all your realities and gave you the ability to experience them - your answer would be very different.  You would know with undying certainty that there is only one Absolute, one continual and eternal reality that can never be taken from you.

It is no wonder that unbelieving men build idols of wood, stone, money, possessions, and even other people.  They are objects they can physically hold and see.  But like all the elements in our universe, they also have no value and rot and decay over time.  It is the spiritual realm, that men so often fail or refuse to believe in, where the sole Absolute of all creation dwells.  Because unbelieving men can not see God, can not touch Him, or hear Him, He does not exist for them.  They continue to cling to what they consider to be the only absolutes, those that are physical and tangible and genuine to their perception of reality.  By remaining in their unbelief, they may one day find themselves deprived of all their senses.  Except one.  Thought.  As they are separated from God for all eternity, they will realize that their failure was great, that there is only One Absolute, and they will mourn throughout eternity for refusing to acknowledge Him.

I do not need to see my God to believe He exists.  Although He is currently invisible to our sinful eyes, He has made Himself plainly known in all of creation (Psalms 19:1-6) and revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14).  Our Creator continues to hold the balance of all things in His capable hands (Psalms 50:1), knowing that we are in need of certain worldly absolutes in order to survive.  He dwells in a place He is preparing for those of us who believe that He is the only Absolute in which we can find salvation, peace, and eternal life.  And He will one day fulfill all the things He promised long ago that will bring us the joy we could not find here.

Of this, we have His absolute guarantee.

Suggested reading:

• Numbers 24:17
• Job 42:5
• Psalms 8:1-9
• Psalms 29:1-11
• Psalms 33:6-8

The Rich Man's Camel

 Luke 18:18-30

If Jesus asked you to give up all your money, your possessions, even your family, to follow Him, would you?

We continually announce our undying love and devotion to Jesus but, for now, the majority of us live in relative comfort with all of life’s necessities surrounding us.  We are used to having certain comforts in our lives and, often, take them for granted.  Our priority is to succeed in establishing a good life for ourselves; a well-paying job, a home, a family, and eventually, a secure retirement.

We live in a nation that has afforded us the ability to climb the ladder of success and achieve great things.  The mantle of success in America is determined by how much wealth, power, and prestige a person has amassed in his lifetime.  The property he possesses and the name  he has made for himself are viewed as great accomplishments for the one who conquered all odds.  But how willing, regardless of our station in life, would any of us be to give it all up to follow Jesus Christ?  Or would we hang our heads and walk away as this young man did?

The answer Jesus gave to the rich young man was not directed at his purse strings.  It was aimed at his heart.  Our Lord knew what dwelt there as the man approached Him.  Although the young man had been educated in the law and felt he was blameless because of his adherence to it, Jesus could see what he truly prized the most: his wealth, his possessions, and the life of ease he had created for himself.  He mistakenly thought he could continue to maintain his position and wealth and, at the same time, gain heaven through his struggle to follow the Law of Moses.

Jesus response threatened the very basis of this man’s security and identity.  It threw him into a tailspin over the possible loss of his material wealth and the fear of being thrown into poverty.  The man’s original zeal was two-fold.  He wanted to retain his stature in the community, and wanted to add to it by being called one of Jesus’ disciples.  But Jesus was telling him he could not have both in the way he desired them.  Although the man seemingly possessed every bit of life’s comforts and rewards, Jesus pointed out to him that he was placing all of those things above the most important treasure he could possess.  Forcing him to make a choice, Jesus revealed within the nature of the man an unwillingness to give up his temporal possessions because, to him, they had more value than what Jesus was offering.  The young man walked away, dejected over the answer he had received.

The rich young man had burdened his camel with what the world could give him.  Going to the heart of the matter, Jesus pronounced the difficulty of securing eternal life for those of us who value our current lives and current successes over the One Who is able to give us eternal life (v 24, 25).  Most of us would be no different than the rich man who was saddened over the prospect of giving it all up.  Whether we belong to the Fortune 500 Club, owning a caravan of camels, or are as poor as a church mouse, we view our possessions as a necessity with which we are not willing to part.

The thing the young man lacked was the understanding that a greater treasure awaited him in heaven.  By trying to load his camel with all the worldly possessions he could amass was not going to gain him anything.

Jesus concluded his conversation of conviction by declaring that if we would unload the camel in this life, much more would be given us in the next.  By forsaking what the entire world has to offer and making Jesus Christ our most prized possession then, perhaps, that camel might make it through the eye of the needle.

Suggested reading:

• Matthew 6:19

John 20:10-18

Is your faith in Jesus Christ as simple as was Mary Magdala's? 

Mary, an eyewitness to and a recipient of the miraculous healing of our Lord, selflessly followed Him as He traveled through Judea proclaiming His gospel.  Through her own means, she tended to His needs.  In the quiet twilight hours of evening, she sat at His feet like a child as Jesus taught His disciples.  Mary absorbed His words and adored being in His presence.  By her actions, she was a disciple in her own right.

When Jesus was crucified, Mary followed His steps to the cross, remaining there until His precious body was taken down.  Trailing after Joseph and Nicodemus, she watched as they prepared His battered, broken, and pierced body with myrrh, aloes, and spices, and wrapped it in a burial cloth.  As they laid His body in the tomb and rolled the massive stone across the entrance, the apparent finality of her walk with her Lord brought unimaginable grief.  So great was her sorrow that she returned to the tomb on the third day to demonstrate her tremendous respect for the man who had freed her from her terrible burden.  Jesus had treated her with dignity in a culture that demanded otherwise, and she honored Him for that.  And for her childlike devotion, Mary was rewarded by being the first to see our risen Lord.

Mary's faith was not complicated.  Doctrine held less importance than simply walking with Jesus.  She had a willingness to believe in Him.  She faithfully obeyed the words Jesus spoke.  Mary had an eagerness to serve Him, even to His death.  Her joy was in merely being in His presence; so much so that she waited until He breathed His last upon the cross.  The loyalty and love she conveyed upon Him drove her twice to the tomb where His body lay.  Just by being there, she found comfort.  It is no wonder that when He appeared to her, she wanted to cling tightly to Him.  Mary realized with ecstatic joy that her Lord and Savior lived and obediently rushed to tell the others the astounding news. 

We should all desire the simple, childlike faith Mary had for Jesus Christ.  She is an example of gratitude for all that He did for her.  Not just in the miraculous way He healed her of seven demons, but for the fulfillment of the promise He had made to redeem her and all mankind.  Her faith was as simple as being the recipient of His grace and believing He would accomplish all He set out to do.

The strongest faith is the simplest faith; childlike belief of healing, mercy, and grace.  We must begin there.  And if our faith ever falters, we must return to where it began.  As Jesus did for Mary, He will do for us.  If we find ourselves sitting before His tomb and grieving for what we think we have lost, He will again appear and renew us.  With the simple faith of Mary, we will then be strengthened so that we can rush to tell others that our Lord, our God, is risen - just as He said He would.

If You Can

Mark 9:14-29

The words spoken in verse 22 of our text by the distraught father of the demon-possessed child must have felt like a knife piercing our Lord’s heart.  Jesus had just fed a multitude of people with seven loaves of bread.  He had healed the deaf, the blind, and the lame.  He had walked atop the stormy seas and fed another multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish.  Just by being in His presence, or touching the hem of His cloak, the people who thronged around Him were healed.  Yet, doubt still lingered, even among His own disciples.

Even in the light of our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we often find ourselves full of unbelief.  We approach Him filled with doubt that He is capable of meeting our request.  We know He is all-powerful.  He created the universe.  We believe He is omniscient; aware of all our needs.  We cling to His sovereign ability to save us from spiritual death.  But there are times when we miserably fail the test of true belief, and we utter the same words, "...if You can.”

I want to be like the Roman centurion whose faith was so strong that he asked the Lord to “just say the word.”  (Matt 8:5-13)  Although this man was a Roman, a gentile by birth and probably despised by those present, he had obviously heard of the miraculous wonders being performed by Jesus.  Faith had reached his heart from a great distance, carried to him by the breath of others' words.  It was not necessary for him to actually witness the miracles he was hearing about.  His faith and trust drove him to go to the Great Healer and ask Him to “just say the word” that would heal his servant.

The greatest lesson we can learn from the centurion’s actions is not in the healing itself.  It is not even the fact that Jesus performed the miracle without being in the presence of the dying servant.  No, the greatest lesson is that the centurion believed with all certainty, doubt never entering his mind, that the Lord could and would fulfill his request. He demonstrated to the pious and doubting crowd of Jews such great faith that Jesus was “astonished” that a gentile recognized Him for Whom He was, yet His own people refused and rejected Him.  It was because of this man’s tremendous faith that Jesus said to him, “Go!  It will be done just as you believed it would.”

Jesus once told His disciples, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  (Matt 21:21-22)  He was not presenting us with a blank check in order to receive worldly possessions, fame, and fortune.  What He was demonstrating was that as long as our request came from an honest heart filled with faith and trust, and one that was in harmony with God’s will and principles, it would be assured.

We must never come to Jesus with a doubting heart, one that says “if You can.”  Rather, we should boldly, yet humbly, come as the Roman centurion did, laying our requests before Him, trusting that if He will “just say the word,” our prayer will be answered - “just as [we] believed it would.”

Two Hiding Places

Psalm 91:1-2

As the world spins around us, we find there is no shortage of troubles.  They bring with them burdens to bear and trials to overcome.  Some can be trivial and easily fixed, but others can overwhelm us and cause us to wish there was a quiet and peaceful place to run to and hide where all the worries that surround us would disappear.

Elijah felt this type of panic as he ran from Jezebel and sat down under a broom tree, hoping to die (1Kings 19:1-5).  Even after begin re-strengthened by the bread and water prepared by God’s angel, Elijah responded by hiding in a cave, still in dread and hopelessness (1Kings 19:9).  He sought out a place to hide from Jezebel’s army, a place he felt at least offered a tiny bit of solace before he was killed.

The Apostles did the same thing when they ran and hid in their chambers following the Lord’s crucifixion (John 20:19).  Fear propelled them to seek a place of safety behind locked doors, thinking they would also die at the hands of the angry Jewish leaders who had just brutally murdered Jesus.

When tribulation comes upon us, we all want to run and hide our faces from it.  However, the problem we have is the same Elijah and the disciples had.  We choose the wrong hiding place.  Although we fail to remember this during a time of trouble, there are two options.  We can choose as they did to hide where it is not safe, or we can run into the arms of our God.  It is only under His wings that genuine peace and safety can be found (Psalm 17:8).  His desire is to gather all His children “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” when trouble assails us (Luke 13:34).  The problem is revealed in the conclusion of our Lord’s lament:  “but [we are] not willing”.

Our first instinct is to flee from danger and it is usually in the opposite direction from the only One Who is able to offer us protection.  We force God to pursue us until He is able to make it clear to us that there is a better place to hide: with Him.  It is there in the “shadow of the Almighty” where true “refuge” awaits.  He is a mighty, impenetrable “fortress” of safety.  And once we choose Him as our hiding place, absolutely nothing can touch or harm us.

If we will trust God and eat and drink from the Bread He has prepared and the Water He has poured out upon us, our strength will be renewed.  Peace from all that the world is able to bring will be restored, and we will know we have chosen the best of the two hiding places - “in the shelter of the Most High.”

Suggested reading:

• Psalm 23
• Psalm 27
• All of Psalm 91

Grafted Into the Branch

 Romans 11:11-24

“Grafting” is a term most commonly used by a horticulturist, whereby cuttings are taken from the branch of one tree, vine, or flower and surgically attached to the branch of another.  The result can be a culmination of interesting varieties of fruit, leaves, and flowers, all growing form a single trunk.  The practice is widely used among farmers to produce better, more flavorful fruit, or larger, more fragrant flowers, especially roses.

Although I have never attempted to graft a grape vine or a rose branch from one to another, my past gardens have produced some interesting results, either from cross-pollination or some other mystery I can not explain.  One year, long ago, I planted cucumbers and melons next to each other.  As some of the cucumbers flowered and grew, the fruit began to take on the shape of the melon, growing large and round.  They maintained the knobby green appearance of the cucumber and its flavor, but adopted the size and shape of the melon. 

I am now unable to grow a full garden in our harsh mountain climate and short summers, but  I still have the desire to try.  Individual containers have now replaced a garden plot and each year, along with pots of flowers, I fill one with some type of garden plant.  This year, I decided to have a pot with herbs.  Two varieties of basil, a couple of dill weed, and a single curly parsley adorned a pot with hopes of cuttings to dry and store for the winter.

With the exception of one Thai basil plant that was unable to endure a late frost, the remaining plants have not failed me.  A small jar is slowly being filled with dried dill weed carefully cut from the stalks.  Something interesting is happening, though.  As I trim the upper small branches from one of the dill, the nutrients are forced back to the root and the lower branches, causing it to bush out and force new growth at the top.  This does not surprise me.  What does cause intriguing wonder is that the new branches growing from the main stalk look, smell, and taste like the curly parsley growing next door.  I know there is an explanation for what is happening - probably because they are planted too tightly together - but I am a little disappointed that my jar of dried dill will not be as full as I had hoped.  My dill plant is slowly, but surely, transforming into a curly parsley, leaving only the stalk as evidence of what it was before.

The term “grafting” is not exclusive to farming practices.  There is another meaning behind it that is rarely considered, but should be common knowledge among Christians.  At one point in time, God chose a specific vine in order that He could cultivate a perfect vineyard.  However, it grew wild, disobeying the order God had established for it.  It cross-pollinated with other branches not of its kind, took on the form of neighboring vines, and produced tasteless fruit not pleasing to His palate.  The vine stretched far from its main Root, where its strength could be drawn to sustain its life.  And it began to die.

God was not unaware of what was occurring.  His eye remained vigilant and, like a vineyard owner who desires to preserve old stock that produces fine wines, God began to cut the unproductive, wild branches from His vines and graft them back into the supporting Root.  As He did so, He also began grafting in wild olive shoots to draw “nourishing sap” from the Main Vine.  There was never any fear of failure in God’s planned vineyard.  He knew that there would always be a Branch from which the best vines would grow, and from which the best fruit would be harvested.

Because He is the Master Gardener, God knows which vine will produce the best fruit, the fruit that will last.  By faithfully re-grafting the wild, unruly vine back into its beginning Source, there is assurance the old stock and its grafted vines will never die.  Unlike my bewildering dill plant and its transformation into what it was not created to be, the vine will return to the perfection for which it was intended.

The best part remains to be discovered as God harvests the fruit and produces the wine.   It will look, smell, and taste of perfection.  As we drink from the cup  of the vine that He has poured for us, there will be none sweeter on our lips.

Suggested reading:

• Isaiah 4:2; 5:1-6; 11:1-3; 27:2-3
• Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15
• John 15:1-17

Ground-Up Restoration

My husband and I are what could be called “fixers.”  Throughout our lifetime together, there were many times we tackled projects others saw as hopeless and beyond repair.  Many classic automobiles found their way to us, their rusted bodies dented and missing parts.  But my husband could always see hidden value in them.  His eye would overlook their current condition and his mind would visualize their possibilities.

Other projects included a 100-year old farmhouse that was falling apart from neglect and abuse.  It took twenty years of hard work to see it transform into a marketable piece of real estate.  We sold it before the work was complete, but realized a nice profit.  And the latest endeavor, as some of you know, was the boat we purchased last fall.  Steve spent the harsh mountain winter with the boat under a tarp and a space heater for warmth, bringing it back to life.

Although we are at the age where “projects”, as I call them, are not appealing to me anymore, valuable lessons were learned on those of the past.  The most important lesson is in assessing how much work needs done to the item.  Sometimes it would appear that a little elbow grease, a coat of paint, perhaps new upholstery or some other cosmetic application was necessary.  But somewhere down the road, other unseen problems would make their presence known.  The old adage that certain things can “nickel and dime you to death” is so true in situations like that and usually requires ridding yourself of the problem.

There is a term used in the automobile body repair world called “ground-up restoration.”  It requires completely disassembling the car, repairing or replacing every piece and part, and then reassembling it back to its original factory condition.  Only then is one able to receive assurance and satisfaction that, when rebuilt, no problems will arise later on.  The end result can be very rewarding, but the overall cost can also be staggering.

It occurred to me this morning that man is much like the old rust bucket, dented parts, and boxes of nuts and bolts lying in the weeds behind the barn.  After years of abuse and neglecting maintenance, he parks himself there, thinking that one day he would pull himself inside and fix what was ailing him.  But as time rolls on, he forgets he is there.  Each season’s elements assault him and add to his disrepair until, eventually, he needs more than what he can do to restore himself.  Digging into his pockets, he discovers he lacks the funds necessary to bring the old heap back to life.  He lets the thorny vines and the earth overtake him.

Like my husband’s ability to see worth in an old heap of junk half-covered by briers, God sees value in man.  He sees worthiness in rolling up His sleeves to tackle “projects.”  The extraordinary effort with which He restores man from his rusted-out state defies our own reasoning.  The cost is great to Him, but He knows the reward of performing a “ground-up restoration” is even greater. 

As God disassembles us, He does not simply fix old parts or cover us up with a new coat of paint.  He lovingly replaces all our worn-out parts with new ones that are machined by His hand, insuring us and Himself that the new life He is giving us will last.  Once the restoration is complete, there will never be a possibility of breaking down alongside the road.  There will also never be the fear of ending up back behind the barn, neglected and forgotten.

If you are in need of a Master Mechanic or Body Repairman, I have His number. He comes highly recommended and He guarantees His work for eternity.  Give Him a try.  He is waiting for your call to give life back to your old bucket of bolts and turn it into a work of art.

Suggested Reading:

• Psalm 23:3
• Nahum 2:2
• Ephesians 2:3-10
• 1Corinthians 15:22
• 2Corinthians 5:17
• 1Peter 5:10