John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." I have these breath taking little violets. They are just about my favorite flower to have in the house. I have one of just about each color. My mom gets these little gifts for me which I treasure. As they begin to bloom I just get giddy. I love watching them blossom, and it is not an over night process, it takes time. Just the other day as I was watering them I noticed a little bud, and right then a smile came across my face. I usually don't get to keep house plants too long, as my husband will tell you, I try to love them to death and yes, it usually happens. He brought me back a cactus from the desert once after a trip, I even read the directions, and I still killed that poor thing. I learned with my violets to be patient, to take time caring for them, and to watch them and they will tell me just what they need. Why do I love these little flowers so much, to be honest, I can see Jesus in them. I can see His little creations and just how big they really are. Even being so small, they are so intricate, with each little blossom holds many different shades of color, just like our lives. As these little blooms begin to wilt I pick them off, for when I do, more grow, and the blossoms are brighter. Just as I prune my little glorious flowers God prunes us too. Without that pruning, without Him the fruit in my life has no meaning. Nothing I do for myself will survive, only with God is there lasting blossoms for His glory and for the legacy of life. When we choose to live our own way, we choose to walk away from Him. We need our Creator's care and love even when we think we don't. Just as my little violets would die without water, air and food, so would we, but we can live when we choose to live in Christ. When we do, He gives us all we need to blossom, to produce, and to keep growing for His kingdom. Without Christ living in us, without His presence in our lives, nothing we do without Him will ever have lasting value. In John 15:2 is says; "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." For God to prune us, we must be humble before Him. There is great beauty in pruning, just as there is in being humble. I don't think God just placed all His beauty and creation here just for His enjoyment. I believe we can learn from everything around us, from the tallest trees to the smallest insects, God has purpose in all. We just need to open our minds to all He has for us, open our eyes to all He wants us to see, and open our ears to all He has for us to hear. I know its not me keeping my little violets alive, its God, its always God doing all around us. But I can take joy in caring for them, in watching them blossom, just as God takes joy in watching His children blossom. When something in our lives begins to make us wilt, make a part of us die, it needs to be removed quickly so we can grow again, so we can live again in such a way that Christ wants us to. Is there something in your life today that you need to let go of? Pruning is something good, it means that the One who loves us so much, who cares for all we do just wants to see His creation blossom and shine in ways that can only happen with Him~
Thursday, December 3, 2009
breathtaking blossoms
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." I have these breath taking little violets. They are just about my favorite flower to have in the house. I have one of just about each color. My mom gets these little gifts for me which I treasure. As they begin to bloom I just get giddy. I love watching them blossom, and it is not an over night process, it takes time. Just the other day as I was watering them I noticed a little bud, and right then a smile came across my face. I usually don't get to keep house plants too long, as my husband will tell you, I try to love them to death and yes, it usually happens. He brought me back a cactus from the desert once after a trip, I even read the directions, and I still killed that poor thing. I learned with my violets to be patient, to take time caring for them, and to watch them and they will tell me just what they need. Why do I love these little flowers so much, to be honest, I can see Jesus in them. I can see His little creations and just how big they really are. Even being so small, they are so intricate, with each little blossom holds many different shades of color, just like our lives. As these little blooms begin to wilt I pick them off, for when I do, more grow, and the blossoms are brighter. Just as I prune my little glorious flowers God prunes us too. Without that pruning, without Him the fruit in my life has no meaning. Nothing I do for myself will survive, only with God is there lasting blossoms for His glory and for the legacy of life. When we choose to live our own way, we choose to walk away from Him. We need our Creator's care and love even when we think we don't. Just as my little violets would die without water, air and food, so would we, but we can live when we choose to live in Christ. When we do, He gives us all we need to blossom, to produce, and to keep growing for His kingdom. Without Christ living in us, without His presence in our lives, nothing we do without Him will ever have lasting value. In John 15:2 is says; "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." For God to prune us, we must be humble before Him. There is great beauty in pruning, just as there is in being humble. I don't think God just placed all His beauty and creation here just for His enjoyment. I believe we can learn from everything around us, from the tallest trees to the smallest insects, God has purpose in all. We just need to open our minds to all He has for us, open our eyes to all He wants us to see, and open our ears to all He has for us to hear. I know its not me keeping my little violets alive, its God, its always God doing all around us. But I can take joy in caring for them, in watching them blossom, just as God takes joy in watching His children blossom. When something in our lives begins to make us wilt, make a part of us die, it needs to be removed quickly so we can grow again, so we can live again in such a way that Christ wants us to. Is there something in your life today that you need to let go of? Pruning is something good, it means that the One who loves us so much, who cares for all we do just wants to see His creation blossom and shine in ways that can only happen with Him~
