The Flower Fades
So often Father we are set on controlling our own course. And the thing is, many times we are unable to even hear what You would have us do because we are screaming so loudly about what we want. Enable us to shut our mouths and listen – truly listen – for a change. Amen.
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I took the above picture in the spring of 2019 for a blog post entitled Beauty in the Rough (<<click to read it). This was my opening paragraph.
Shortly after my elementary route began this morning, I crossed a small bridge on a county road. Under the bridge was a small stream and all around this particular area was hilly, wooded terrain. There were absolutely no signs that anyone had ever lived in this spot or would ever choose to. But…as I crossed the bridge, and from the height advantage of my bus, I spotted a small cluster of blooming daffodils in all their splendor! There they sat gloriously amongst the decaying leaves, fallen branches…beauty in the rough!
This spring I have unsuccessfully searched for them. I don’t know where they went! Where they were looks just like the area surrounding them from before…decaying leaves and fallen branches.
The Scriptures are surely not silent concerning the flowers of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass. Isaiah 40:7 AMP
The Apostle Peter used Isaiah’s passage in his first epistle.
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 NLT
An unknown psalmist understood this truth as well.
My days are like an evening shadow that lengthens and vanishes [with the sun];
And as for me, I wither away like grass. Psalm 102:11 AMP
Not a single one of us has any idea how long we will be here on this dusty globe. Some of us, much to the heartbrokenness of anticipating parents, never see the light of day. Others of us have our lives snuffed out far too early in any number of tragedies. And there are even some of us, like my parents, who, despite the burden that comes with age, continue to wake up each morning and ask, “So what are we going to do today?” But they too will someday give their last kiss, share their final embrace, breathe their last breath.
And at the end of it all, when our last day is counted, what will we have to show for the time allotted us by our Creator?
More than we may like to acknowledge, we are like the daffodils. We have no idea what tomorrow holds – will we be here or not? – but we can choose what to do with today. We can make it count. And most importantly, we can make it count for the Kingdom.
We know not the day, but the Apostle Paul shines a beacon on the result of our choices.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. Galatians 6:7 AMP
We can choose to love. We can choose to give, not just of our material resources but our lives. We can invest what we have been given to impact those around us in ways that would please our Father.
When we stand before our Judge on that final day – for eternity will not be marked by time! – how will our actions be accounted for?
Matthew 25:31-46 records Jesus as saying,
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nation will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” NLT
Apr 13th, 2021, Tues, 7:33 pm
Intentionally Diverse
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
….He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
….for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:23-24 NLT
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One of the tell-tale signs of spring’s arrival, at least in our area, is the arrival of the Red-winged Blackbirds. I have seen them for a few weeks now and in fact, saw one on the remains of a cattail this morning.
Intrigued, I did a little research and the thing that amazed me most was, like many birds, they are sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females have very different appearances. The picture above shows both together. Night and day! In their colorization at least, they look nothing alike! I’ve probably seen many females but never knew what they were.
I find it interesting that after people find out that I am a pastor that they assume that I am closer to God than they could possibly be. Just because I spend time preparing for each week’s service, and then get up and present a message that God has laid upon my heart, makes me no more spiritual than anyone else.
The body of Christ – the Church – is intentionally diverse.
The Apostle Paul hit the nail on the head when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:14-19,
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
We all have important roles to play. A pastor may sometimes wear different hats – play different roles – but for the Church to have the greatest impact in the world around us, we each must seek out what God would have us do…each of us.
Without male and female Red-winged Blackbirds there would be no more of them at all! And not just for procreation! They each play a part in the whole cycle of life.
We in turn must do what God calls us to do. And to be most effective at it, we must draw close to God by speaking with Him regularly, reading the word He has so graciously given us, and then interacting with fellow believers to be encouraged and inspired on our faith journey. Lord, may it be so!
Apr 12th, 2021, Mon, 7:59 pm
The Choice Is Ours!
A full day, Father, but after church, Karen and I got to spend the whole day together. I am surely blessed! I would pray that You would give her rest this night of body, spirit, and mind. All praise to You, Almighty God, for Your wonderful gift!
John 3:16 (<<click here to read the passage)
The devil perverts everything with which he comes in contact. Things of beauty, things of honor, things of peace, and many others have been twisted to bring his will to fruition. Jesus’ words in the first part of John 10:10 readily apply to him.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. AMP
That is his sole goal. He hates what God loves with an insatiable hate. His ultimate goal is to decimate God’s beloved creation – you…and me.
We hear so many horror stories of when the devil controls the lives of people. We were talking the other day about a man who after an adulterous affair decided not just to divorce his expecting wife but instead, he took her life. And that’s not all! He then also murdered his two young daughters! It was awful! Those kinds of mindsets, those kinds of acts arise from the great deceiver himself!
Jesus’ words in John 8:44 apply not only to the Pharisees but also to those who like them reject Him and follow their own heart’s desires.
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. NLT
But…the devil’s days are numbered…and he knows it! He is already defeated yet today, as every day throughout history, his goal is to take as many of us down with him as possible to an everlasting death – the ultimate condemnation!
But I know – and many of you do, as well – that we are most definitely not without hope!
Today’s verse is well known for it proclaims the truth of our salvation!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV
Where the devil comes to steal and kill and destroy, Jesus came that [we] may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. John 10:10b
Because of Jesus’ great sacrifice in our stead, we escape the condemnation of eternal death and instead are blessed with eternal life. The Apostle Paul gives expression to how truly awesome this is!
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT
All we have to do is to accept His generous gift. He has already paid the price. All we must do is believe! The choice is ours!
Now thanks be to God for His indescribable gift [which is precious beyond words]! 2 Corinthians 9:15 AMP
Apr 11th, 2021, Sun, 7:51 pm
Snakes!
Father, who but You will love us right where we are? Of course, we can not stay there, we must grow and move on to be what You made us to be. But I am grateful that I am accepted for who I am. I don’t have to reach some level of expectation before Your love is given – and that in abundance. There is such comfort in a relationship with You. May I do better in emulating that love toward others. Amen.
John 3:14-15 (<<click here to read the passage)
I am not terrified of snakes, but I am also not a huge fan of them. If I see one around our yard or maybe on a hike, they definitely give me a start, but I wouldn’t run away screaming. I might even choose to follow them to see where they slither off. Maybe because of this, I’ve always been intrigued by today’s passage of scripture.
The devil perverts God’s creation for his own devious reasons but I believe that God rules all. And snakes – or serpents as they are often referred to in Scripture – are one of those things.
At the very beginning, Eve, then Adam, were lured from God’s explicit directive when they yielded to the enticements set forth by the devil in the guise of a shrewd serpent (Genesis 3:1ff).
Then in Numbers 21:4-9 serpents take a key role. In their desert wanderings (due to their rebellion against the Lord) …the people of Israel…grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” vs4b-5
Patient as He was, it was time for the Israelites to learn to respect all the Lord had done and continued to do for them. Due to their insolence, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. v6
In pain and agony, they pleaded with Moses to intercede on their behalf before the Lord and the result was that He said to Moses, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” v8
I find it interesting that in Rabbinic literature it is held that God said: “Let the serpent who was the first to offend by ‘evil tongue’ inflict punishment on those who were guilty of the same sin and did not profit by the serpent’s example”.
The devil may have perverted a creature of God’s making for his own intent and purposes but God used it to bring healing to the Israelites in Numbers. Unfortunately, the bronze serpent of antiquity became an idol for later generations of Israelites (2 Kings 18:1-4) but Jesus affiliated it with His ultimate purpose in coming to live amongst us.
In today’s passage, He said,
“Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].” John 3:14-15AMP
Something that our enemy the devil perverted became a symbol of our ultimate salvation! But more on that in my next post!
Apr 8th, 2021, Thurs, 8:12 pm
Knowledge: Important but Not MOST Important
Father, even in the middle of all the insanity You bring sanity, calmness, and a wonderful sense of security and peace. My problem is not that You are not by my side but that far too often I forget that You are there. May I not wander from Your side but stay close enough to hear You whisper in my ear. Amen.
John 3:9-15 (<<click here to read the passage)
There is a woman, whom I would call a friend, who through this past Lenten season accepted a challenge to give up something. She emailed me to tell me that she decided to give up screen time (and other times) to read the Bible. She had read through the Bible cover-to-cover a few times in the past, but she had not done so in quite some time. She decided it would be a good time to start reading from the beginning once again.
When she shared her decision with me, she had already read from Genesis and was over three-quarters of the way through Jeremiah in just a couple of months!
One thing that I want to stress is that, yes, she is a well-educated person. She has a wealth of knowledge and even taught young children for many years as her chosen vocation. But knowledge only gets you so far. Experience and wisdom all factor into who we are and what we become.
Now that is all great for this earthly life but all of her knowledge, even adding in her dedication to faithfully reading God’s word would be as filthy rags in God’s sight if she did not know Him personally.
The first part of Isaiah 64:6 makes it very clear.
We are all infected and impure with sin.
….When we display our righteous deeds,
….they are nothing but filthy rags. NLT
My study Bible* says this regarding Nicodemus,
This Jewish teacher of the Bible knew the Old Testament thoroughly, but he didn’t understand what it said about the Messiah. Knowledge is not salvation. You should know the Bible, but even more important, you should understand the God whom the Bible reveals and the salvation that God offers.
I am grateful that my friend has knowledge. I am also grateful that she has taken up the challenge to read her Bible from beginning to end, for many things can be gleaned from such an endeavor. But most importantly, I am grateful that she knows Jesus as her Lord and Savior and strives daily to live out that relationship! May the Lord help us all to be as diligent in following Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength! Amen!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Apr 7th, 2021, Wed, 7:18 pm