Good Friday morning all! It is a beautiful Spring day after a hard rain. I Love how clean and bright everything is on the morning after a Spring rain. The beauty of Spring, to me, is a representation of renewal.
Renewal - the act or process making like new, restoring to freshness, vigor or perfection.
And isn't it just like our Heavenly Father to grant us renewal? Restoration?
Colossians 1:9-10 says it like this: For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His Will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.
So, every year the Earth goes through renewal, scraping away the old and growing up the new to do what? To bring beauty and life to this amazing Living Earth we have the opportunity in which to live.
We too, have the opportunity to be renewed in Christ. We find ourselves renewed when we accept the Amazing Grace given to us at Salvation, but what about after that? How do we find renewal after this beautiful transformation?
In Colossians, Paul and Timothy were writing to God's holy people in Colossae. They were sharing how, since they heard of the Colossians acceptance of God's grace, they were continually praying for them. Asking for God's Wisdom through The Holy Spirit and that they may have a life bearing fruit all the while growing in the knowledge of God.
In consistent renewal, just as the Earth scrapes away the old, we also have to scrape away the old life which separated us from God. In prayer, we have the opportunity to relinquish that old life, let it go, peel away that layer and lay it at The Foot of the Cross. This reveals the new and fresh layer underneath. And isn't it awesome to be a part of The Body of Christ? It is such an honor to be able to pray for others who we may know formally, but through Christ we are made brothers and sisters. So, we have the opportunity not only to pray for our own renewal but also the renewal of others, which is pleasing to our Father.
The next process of renewal requires nutrition. From the earth's standpoint, sunlight, nutrients and water are primary providers of nutrition to allow for growth. It's easy to pull the weeds away to reveal new growth, but to sustain growth there has to be commitment to consistent nutrition. In our lives, The Holy Spirit is committed to provide wisdom and understanding through Prayer, through deliverance of The Word. In these things, just as we find great joy in watching a flower bloom, our Father also takes great joy in watching us grow in our Faith, our knowledge of Him, and in the relationship He so desires to have with each of us.
And finally, the earth doesn't only receive, there is giving involved to continue the life cycle provided. Flowers produce pollen, which allow for bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators to collect and transfer to allow for fertilization to occur for the life of future flowers to be created. Plants go a step further and provide food for animals and humans to consume. Trees go even further, reducing erosion, moderating our climate, providing habitats for animals and plants, providing shade, shelter, wood for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and finally removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. Without the tasks provided by the life giving blessings of our Earth, life would be difficult if not impossible to continue. All is dependent on the renewal of the other to continue living.
Just as in The renewal of Earth, we as Christians also serve to please our Father when we bear fruit in the good works He has set for us to perform. Our knowledge of His Grace and what He has blessed us to do, propel us to continue the Work started by Jesus so many years ago. When we choose to pray for one another, grow in our knowledge of His Grace and choose to serve we find renewal not only in the big things in life, but also in the small things. And as we all know, pollen may be a small speck, but combined creates a great collaboration of nutrition for future generations of flowers and plants alike. Our lives are no different, the collaboration of the small things which we do to serve one another and to serve our Great King also creates a harmony of life not only for ourselves but for future generations to also know the Saving Grace which Jesus blessed us on the Cross.
There is no task too small or too large to make great impact in The Kingdom of God. He plants us all where we are so that we can bloom where we are planted. From a smile to a stranger having a bad day, buying lunch for the person in the line behind you in the drive through, performing the tasks you are given with diligence and joy, serving the elderly, Pastoring a congregation or serving as a missionary, God has planted you where you are for a reason, that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way.
I pray that The Holy Spirit will grant us all with the wisdom to bear fruit in every good work, serving to please The Lord and grow in our knowledge of Him.
Thank You Father for Your Grace, thank You for planting us so that we can bloom and bear fruit for Your Glory.
Your Loving Daughter
