Box of tomatoes....a reminder to produce!

And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down'.” - Luke 13:6-9

 We were given a big box of fresh tomatoes. All sort of varieties of tomatoes were in the box. Karen used them to make stewed tomatoes and then some homemade salsa. All good eats if you ask me. With the drought this year, our garden has not produced so well. Even with my watering it, it has just been too dry. What we found is our friend has a well and uses the excess water in the well to water their garden. It reminded me of this parable and that our lives need to be tended and watered regularly in order to produce.

This is such an unusual parable. Jesus tells a short and concise story of faithfulness and a call to repent. Responding to God's call is ripe for all to hear and respond. The parable is letting us know that God is investing in his creation and their will come a time when fruit will be expected and when it is not produced there is sad results. Bradford Reeves of Texas writes:

I remember when I was given some exceptional homegrown vegetables. While thanking the people involved, I asked what made the vegetables so good. They told me that the growing temperature had been just right and rain had come at just the right time. Much of what led to their exceptional crop did not depend on them.

Unlike that vegetable crop, much of what influences our spiritual life does depend on us. We determine our attitude, our disciplines, and our willingness to grow. So I check myself from time to time. I look at my attitudes: Do I trust God? Am I seeking to stay in love with God? I look at my spiritual practices: praying, reading the Bible, attending worship, receiving Communion, doing all the good I can, avoiding all the evil I can. Do I seek out spiritual counsel? I look at my willingness to grow: Do I desire God above all things?

I agree with Mr. Reeves. It takes work to be a growing believer in Christ. The sinful nature is like weeds in a garden. If I do not tend and work toward spiritual formation, then the sinful nature will take over and my life is filled with weeds of sin. I want to bear exceptional fruit in God’s kingdom, but I know that means I cannot simply depend on what comes to me. I have my part to do.

Striving to be all the God created in me....you know I love ya, Don

Imitation or Imitator

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

This is from Ray Stedman (www.raystedman.org):

Paul puts it flatly, bluntly, openly: "Be imitators of God." That is a great declaration. The word for imitators is the Greek word that means "to mimic." Mimics are those who follow the pattern or the example of God. If you want to put it simply, you can say it this way: "Be godlike." That is the goal of Christianity. It is to produce men and women, boys and girls, who are godlike in the midst of an ungodlike world. That is what it is all about.

Notice that it does not say, "Be gods." That is the lie of the devil. He distorts the truth and makes it come out as a promise to us that if we follow our own desires, throw overboard all restrictions, cast aside the bonds of authority, and do what we want to do, we can be gods. For, after all, isn't that what God does? He does what He wants; He is sovereign; He does what He likes. But that is a lie. This is not what the Christian faith says. It says rather, "be godlike," meaning, "reflect the one true and holy God." There is only one God. There can be only one God. By definition, God is a supreme being. How many supreme beings can you have? Only one.

Therefore, the Christian message is to be like the one true God. Reflect Him in your humanity. Be a godlike man. Be a godlike woman. From this we get our English word godly. After all, this word godly, which makes many of us cringe and feel uncomfortable, is simply a shortened form of the word godlike. It originally came from the word godlikeness. Godlikeness is godliness; godliness is godlikeness.

What will you be like if you are godlike? Will you be strong? Yes, of course. There is no strength like God's strength. Will you be filled with power if you are godlike? Oh yes, but be careful. It is a different kind of power than the world desires. It is quieter, less apparent, but far mightier. Will you be happy if you are godlike? Oh yes, but a different kind of happiness than the world is seeking after. Will you be wise and kind? Of course, wiser and kinder than you have ever been before, because that is what God is.

We can sum all this up in two words. Despite all the works of God that are evident around us, both in the natural world and in the world of thought and ideas, there are really only two things that God ever does in human history: God creates and He redeems. Those are the two things. Everything in the whole universe gathers about these two. God creates and God redeems. God makes things live, and God heals that which is broken. It is because God is life and God is love. He is therefore our Maker and our Healer. And that is what you will be if you become godly. You will learn how to live to the fullest capacity of your humanity. And you will learn how to love and to heal, to restore and bring together instead of to scatter and fragment and break apart. For that is godlikeness. It is desirable, isn't it? Who does not want to be like this?

Father, this is what I have always wanted to be like. Teach me to listen that there might break out in our lonely, bewildered, confused age the wonder of godlikeness.

Working on being an imitator of God and not an imitation Christian. You know I love ya - Don