Waiting

My 6 yr. old sister Michaela recently drew a picture of a tree with a nest, holding an egg and a bird sitting in the nest. Above the nest at the top of the tree were music notes. While I was thinking about the picture I was thinking about how an egg is a lot like faith. There are things moving and happening inside an egg for weeks that are completely concealed from the eye. But, the bird faithfully guards, protects, and sits on the egg waiting for the perfect moment where life will spring forth. God has many eggs being created in our lives. We don't see them, yet they are there. We must wait upon God to bring forth our future and not try to force it. If the bird were to become impatient and break open or peck the egg it would be premature and destructive to the outcome. In the same way if we are not patient and wait upon God for His outcome for things in our lives, we too will have an outcome that will be premature. Rather than bring us good it will be damaging.

Also, the music notes remind me that it is important to wait in an attitude of worship and thanksgiving. It is easy when things don't happen in our timetable to become discontent and as a result, complain and grumble. We must trust God's timing and know that the things He is working inside the egg which we cannot see are better than we can imagine!

Lord, give us the patience to wait and wait with praise and thanksgiving.

Within v. Without

Luke 17:21 "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

I am afraid we redefine the presence of God with those things "without" rather than "within." Jesus said eternal life is to know Him and that knowing comes from within us not from outside of us. There is so much today to stimulate our senses. We rely on visual images, flashing lights, relevent music, dramatic audio versions of the Bible to draw near to God. While these things can be tools in our walk with God individually as well as corporately, we cannot depend on certain outward conditions to worship and spend time with God. The true test of our relationship is "when the music fades, and all is stripped away. . ." as the old worship song says. We must not replace our senses in the natural for the real manifest presence of God. Let us "be still and know that He is God" (Ps. 46:10). Lord, teach us to live "the inward life" in all we do, and like Brother Lawrence "practice the presence of God."

Avocado

I have been told that if you are not going to use the entire avacado you leave the center in it to prevent it from turning brown. I would like to think of this like keeping Jesus at the center of everything we do and say. If He is our source and life line we will be healthy spiritually and good will continue to come forth, but if we remove Him from His rightful place, there will be some rottenness coming out. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. If a branch is removed from the vine it may last a couple days on the ground, but soon it will dry up and become brittle. It is vital that we remain in Jesus or we too may end up rotten and brittle.