Good Morning Friends,
Growing up in Florida in the summers we would go swamp stomping. But my favorite activity was to take a Sunfish and sail for hours out in the Gulf of Mexico. But even then, I was not alone. The birds would visit me, flying fish would jump into the boat, and the dolphins would sometimes come alongside the boat giving me encouragement and sometimes a bit of a challenge as if to say you have had too much sun and enough fun. Get back to doing the work that only you can do. We always had assignments as kids and so too for our role as Christians now that we are adults. We grew in the summer and witnessed spectacular sunsets. Now I have a family and a garden, a yard filled with hundreds of pine and palm trees, and oh yes, fruit trees and Chaya and Moringa Forest with a focus on how things can grow together. But the last month has been a drought that stress the plants. Friends, if nature can be used by God in partnership to prompt something good, the possibilities of His Church in unity presents a vast harvest potential. Maybe we all need a little more growth. I am looking forward to Summer and rain and the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year. So, Are You Ready To Grow A Little Greener?
Scripture: Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)
As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
John 17:18 (NRSV)
Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NRSV)
The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Psalm 92:12-15 (NRSV)
Message: The color of the paraments over the next three weeks will turn from white to red, and then to green. In just a few weeks we will be in the ordinary time of the liturgical year. It is a time for growth and healing. And for those of us who grew up in the swamp and remember the words of Kermit the Frog, we understand “It is not easy being green.” Work really is work, but it can really be amazing if we get serious about honoring the partnership we have as Christians with the divine. Summertime is a great time to work on having a healthy Body of believers. Here every obstacle we face can help to strengthen us. Here every encouragement can nudge us. Here we can and must learn to get along with our sisters and brothers in other denominations if we are ever to accomplish the task set before us as Christians. Here as members of the Body of Christ we learn to work together. Here we learn that our purpose is to become in partnership with the source of our being. The very breath of life is to be in relationship with our physical being and God’s actions. All these relationships combine to form who I am and who you are. Here we sense what it means to be one. Friends, the community …the world is waiting for us to join together to carry out our assignments.
And So, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God has given you a mission in this world. You are not here to just take up space; you are not here to just strive after your own personal goals. You have an assignment from God himself, called and equipped, and this assignment includes your spiritual growth and the growth of others. Once you are in the family, your life changes. You have a new reason for living. God created us to grow and bear fruit. Life is not made up of special days alone. It may have some extraordinary days sprinkled throughout the year, but life is filled with ordinary days. The problem is that we can begin to live for the special days when the real issue in life is staying faithful and healthy and growing in the day by day. Appropriately the liturgical year is largely made up of what is called ordinary time. Friends in the ordinary we discover; it is not about you; It is not about me. It is about God. And yes, it is to be special, but also very ordinary. So enjoy the season of growth.
Pray we are moved by God to experience God’s blessings. Pray we do not wither and dry up and be of no use to anyone. Pray we trust in God and be well watered, giving fruit and shade to others. Pray we stir one another up to do good deeds. Pray we get inspired to work together for God’s glory. Pray we believe, as is reflected in the life of evergreen palm trees, that the best is yet to be. Pray our stewardship fuels our spiritual growth and development. Pray we learn that growth is more important than comfort. Pray we are encouraged to desire a spiritual growth that takes place in everyday living. Pray we realize that God is connecting it all together, giving the growth, providing the foundation for all that is needed. Pray we take on the assignments given with sincere commitment… a commitment to the Lord, a commitment to personal growth, a commitment to a local fellowship of relationships, a commitment to share the faith. Pray as the seasons change that we do not forget to grow. Pray we realize that when we share in our abundance that our blessings will grow as well.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 