Scriptures: The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah 51:3)
A few months ago, one house in our community went into foreclosure. The residents soon moved out. The house was left vacant and the yards were left unattended. The water company and the electricity company both shut off the power and water.
Very soon, the lawn turned brown and the weed came out. The house looks just like a forsaken place. Having seen the desolate condition of the property, the home owner association of this community, for fear of the negative impact of such rundown property may have on other houses in the community, decided to step in. They decided to pay for the water and electricity, only to pay for what’s needed to water and lawn to keep them green.
The effect was amazing. In a matter of a couple of weeks, the lawn turned green. I think they might even ask the gardeners of the community to trim the lawn, too, for the height of the grass on the lawn looked pretty good. The house is still vacant. But it doesn’t look so out of place. The color and the liveliness of the lawn have made the house attractive once more. More than that, it made the whole community appears complete and presentable.
In many ways, I think our lives are the same. They were desolate before we came to know our Lord, empty inside with weeds all over the place. Not only was it not appealing to others, we were not at all satisfied with our own lives. That is, until we met our Lord who changed all these.
We no longer merely exist for He brought liveliness into our life; He cleansed us from all unrighteousness and brought light into our being; love and warmth came with His presence in us and hope became our outlook in life. He’s pouring unfathomable heavenly riches into our life.
If our life is like a house, then He desires more than cleaning, filling and decorating our lives. He desires, more than anything, to bolt our lives down on a firm and unshakeable foundation so that when “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:25)
Rains, flood and storms are all sure things in life. Our question is not whether or not we can avoid them. Our question is what we can do to continue standing firm and to continue radiating with the liveliness and the light and warmth of Christ in spite of all these rains, flood and storms.
God has promised that “He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the gardens of the Lord.” (Isaiah 51:3) He is faithful and will surely deliver what He promised. All we need to do is to acknowledge our true condition and surrender to Him so He can water, cleanse, trim and bolt our lives firmly in His love and truth. That’s it! Praise the Lord!
Prayer Requests:
For those who feel empty and meaningless in life
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for loving us enough to care for us and to work in our lives to make us better children of You. Please help us to cling to You for cleansing of our acts, thoughts and decisions so our lives may be worthy of the gospel and the calling You have for us. In the name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment