"Reaching For the Unreachable"

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

One thing I have reflected upon lately, is the art of striving. Now, we all know that perfection will never be acquired by that of a human being. Only God is perfect. So why then would we work hard to become a better person? Why would we work to reach perfection, even when we know we will never reach it?

Let's look at a relatable example in an attempt to answer such a provacative question.

My mother loves to decorate (and she's extremely good at it!). She is constantly restoring furniture, painting walls, or finding little knicknacks in order to spruce up her home. Her home mind you was fine before such additions; did her house really need that restored footstool or that new bed coverlet she put together herself? Not really (although she would argue otherwise naturally =D). But that of course, isn't the point.

My mother does these things because she loves to. She strives to make her house more presentable because she likes how it looks that way, she has loads of fun doing it, and others also enjoy the benefits of her hard labor. Will she ever get it so perfect that she could honestly stop trying to make it better? No, because her perspective and attitude, the way of the world, and the things she finds to add to her home are constantly changing. And she has chosen to grow along with them. This reflects who she is as a person.

She has a self-rewarding experience at the completion of her projects--she herself is stronger, more confident, happy, (and no doubt many other emotions). When she strives to work hard at these projects of hers, she completes them to the best of her ability. Could she do more to them? No doubt, but for now at least, she can feel content, and satisfied at such striding lengths.

We all have our types of projects. We all strive to be better at something. But why do we do them? Is there a physical reward at the end if we finish? Sometimes. Though usually it is a self-reward, (an emotion), such as feeling proud you did your best to accomplish whatever it was.

So then, what about striving to be perfect in our spiritual lives? Just like with my mother's home, things are constantly changing in our lives. We can either accept that change, and grow with it, or attempt not to. (Bear in mind there is bad change as well as good change, and change that's well, neutral. Whatever change it is though, also realize it could be changed!) =)

Consider a constantly growing tree, or a stagnant swamp...Now look at the Church of the Laodiceans who were "lukewarm"; neither cold nor hot. We all have a choice in this life, and I pray that we choose wisely.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:15-20

God encourages us to grow, for He wants us to know truth and to be holy men and women of God. In fact,

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:1-9

God also encourages us to strive because He loves us, and hopes that we love Him in return. When you are in love with someone, you pursue them with everything you have in order to win them over right? God is wooing you in a way. He loves you even when you mess up, and as we saw in the previous daily bread, He is always there for you even when the going gets tough. He is offering us so much: love, truth, hope, comfort, encouragement... How could we not strive to know more of a God full of those things we long for everyday?

Wouldn't it be better then to stand before God and admit from your heart saying, "Yes God, I messed up a lot, but I strove to do the best that I could with every aspect of my life to glorify you".

So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. Acts 24:16

Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will glorify the Son in Himself, and will glorify Him at once". John 13:31-32

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:5-7

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:15-16

So wherever you are in your life, know this. You already have a beautiful purpose, and that is to put forth your best effort at whatever you do in order to glorify our Father in Heaven. God loves you. And the more you strive with Him, the more beautiful you feel on the inside.*

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:38

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

Striving to grow in all aspects of my life,

Whitney

"Eat Your Vegetables Dear"

Remember when our parents used to tell us to "eat our vegetables"? Most of us probably hated vegetables, and would do anything in our power to not even so much as touch them. Maybe some of us came up with the ingenious ideas of making it seem like we ate them, but instead hide them, or discard them somewhere else. But once we got older, we finally realized why our parents often forced us to eat our vegetables, because despite our feelings for them then and even now, they were and still are beneficiary for our bodies.

In Daniel Chapter 1 a bunch of young men were appointed to serve the King. They were told to be fed wine and the choicest victuals of the palace. But when Daniel heard what they were to be fed, he asked the guard to give them vegetables instead. That is not a misprint.

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. Daniel 1:11-16

As Christians it is important for us each to "eat our vegetables". If we do not, then we will not grow in our faith. Daniel knew that the palace food would not help them look better or feel better. The same goes with the sins and pleasures of the world. We think they look good, taste good, and feel good to us, but in the end we become malnourished and sloth-like, hooked on the things most deadly to our souls. In the end, when it is all too late, we realize our souls were never satisfied like we thought they were; we feel empty and alone; lost, forever.

So instead of shoving the good stuff out of the way, we need to acknowledge the fact that we now need those things more than ever. And in order to get it, we will have to take that first step of guiding the forks to our mouths. By the end of the day you will feel more energetic and stronger. You will even be thankful that you did the right thing, for you will feel much better than if you were to have skipped to that chocolate bar you had been eyeballing instead...

Our parents knew that vegetables were good for us. They weren't trying to punish us, but wanted what was best for us. God as our Heavenly Father would also like for us to eat our vegetables because He loves us and wishes that we would grow in our faith.

Sometimes it is difficult to follow God in a world where God is not very welcome. But if we continue to eat our vegetables, then our faith will strengthen, and God will help us to be strong for His name in this world. So pray, talk with Him, fellowship with other believers, go to Church, Bible study, sing songs to Him, read His Word, make your relationship with Him real in your life. Do not do these things thinking as a Christian that is something you have to do. Do them because you want to strengthen your personal relationship with your Heavenly Father. Do them because you know that you will grow in your faith. Do them because you do not wish to be brought down by the darkness of this world. If you do them with that attitude, you will be a light to the world, and give hope to the lost and hopeless. And change your own life for the better as well.*

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:15-17

Eating my vegetables,
Whitney

"True Fruitfulness" 12-9-08

This message will be based on a parable that many of us are probably familiar with: The Fig Tree That Withers. (Quite an original name, wouldn't you say?)

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again..."

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, "Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mark 11:12-14, 20-25 NIV)

Pretty neat parable, huh! Jesus took an ordinary occurrence and turned it around to a lesson on faith and prayer. However, there is a deeper message embedded within this passage that I would like us to look at as well. I would like us to focus on how this fig tree can represent our own spiritual fruitfulness.

Picture the scene. At a distance, hungry Jesus sees a fig tree in full leaf (keeping in mind that fig trees, when they are in full leaf, have produced their fruit - so seeing a fig tree full of leaves indicates that fruit will be found). He approaches this tree, and upon reaching it, finds that it hadn't produced any fruit at all. (For, you see, this all took place somewhere around March/April, the time of the Passover - which was too early for figs, meaning this tree had produced leaves prematurely.) So in response, he curses it, and in a matter of days, the fig tree withers from the roots upward.

"He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near." (Luke 21:29-30 NIV)

When you see a fig tree in full leaf, you can expect two things, practically speaking: for summer to be near, and for fruit to have been produced. So what does this mean for us? Let's compare this fig tree with our own souls, and look at a fascinating parallel. Sometimes, at a distance, we may appear to have produced fruit; we may have lush, green leaves on all of our branches. But when you draw near, when you get close to what is truly inside our hearts, all of that was a mask, a deception, and there is no TRUE fruit in our lives. We appear to be fruitful and prosperous on the outside, but on the inside, our souls are dry and fruitless. What happens to trees who don't produce any fruit? I think you know:

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches will be picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (John 15:2, 5-9 NIV)

Such is the fate of all who feign Godliness, who fake righteousness, and who deceive others into believing they are righteous when in reality their hearts are as barren as the fig tree spoken of by Jesus above. Don't settle for mock righteousness; don't settle for only appearing to be fruitful on the outside, while being truly dead and unfruitful on the inside. Seek to remain in Jesus Christ and His love, and seek God for the fruit of His Spirit to be made manifest in your life so that, unlike this fig tree, when Jesus comes around examining fruits, He will not find us barren, but will find us producing fruit for His Kingdom; fruit that will not spoil or rot, but that will last throughout all eternity.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:22-26 NIV)

Notice as a final observation that this fruit is not having an enormous youth ministry, a packed church service, or a well-oiled and refined worship team that plays flawlessly every week. This fruit is fruit of the heart. This is the fruit that begins at home when we kneel down in prayer, and may not be seen for miles and miles as if it were a fig tree in leaf. But let me encourage us all today: don't settle for less. Don't just be content to LOOK righteous from a distance; allow Jesus to work in your heart, and BE righteous where it really counts, so that when people come near to get a closer look, they don't see a tree barren of fruit; they see a tree full of life and fruit of the Spirit, one grounded in the Word, sustained by the Living Water, and nurtured by the Gardener of our Souls.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does he prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV)

Blessings in Christ All,
Andrew