The Pruning

John 15:1-8 (NLT)

¹“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  ⁵“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

As I read these verses out of John 15, a word picture began to develop. Earlier this week I noticed that my peace lily was looking really bad. It had a lot of leaves that were either dead or beginning to die. I knew that I needed to prune it to keep the entire plant from dying. We have had this plant so long that it is like one of our babies.

This is not just some ordinary peace lily that I purchased to liven up our home. We got this peace lily from my husband’s grandfather’s funeral seventeen or eighteen years ago. There have been many times over the years that I just knew it was on its last leg and we would have to lay it to rest; but every time it looked like that, I took care to prune it back. This involves cutting off every leaf with even the slightest discoloration on it. Of course I cut off all of the leaves that are obviously dead, but I also cut off any leaf that is half-brown. I don’t stop there. If the leaf looks a little yellow, I cut it off. If it looks like the tip is getting brown, I cut it off.

By the time I finish pruning the peace lily, there are usually only about ten to fifteen good leaves left. The pot looks huge compared to the size of the plant, but it’s not what I can see on the outside that really matters. What matters is the well-established root system. You see, the roots are strong enough that when I cut off the dead leaves, the roots can produce new tender shoots that spring up into a beautiful plant. Every time I have pruned the plant back like this, it always ends up looking beautiful. But alas, life happens, we forget to water the plant, forget to prune the sucker leaves, forget the plant exists, and we end up with the sickly plant that I was faced with this week.

Wednesday I decided to prune the plant. I carefully removed every bad leaf that I could. This left us with a tiny plant in a huge pot. The most amazing thing happened, though. When my hubby arrived home from work that night, he sat down on the couch, looked over at the plant and exclaimed, “Oh, wow, you trimmed the plant. That really looks much better.” You see, even though it looked pitiful in size, it already looked healthier. Amazingly, I looked at the plant this morning, and there are already six new tender shoots. I also noticed two leaves that were starting to turn brown, and the stalk that they are attached to have not produced any new leaves.

You see, this experience with the plant is a perfect picture of John 15. Verse 2 reminds us that He cuts off the branches in us that do not bear fruit, but this principal doesn’t stop there. Verses 4-5 remind us that once we are pruned, we must remain in Christ in order to produce fruit just as I must continue to care for the plant daily. I have to check to make sure all of the leaves are healthy so I can cut out anything that has any unhealthy area. When I do so, the rest of the leaves will thrive. When I don’t take care of the unhealthy leaves, they will choke out the healthy leaves that remain.

Without Him, we cannot accomplish anything. When we do not live for Him, verse 6 tells us that we are as useless as the branch that has been cut off to wither, gather into a pile and burn. Remember the leaves I removed from the peace lily? I threw them away. If I were to look at them now, they would certainly be withered. If there were enough of the dead leaves, it would be a worthwhile endeavor to pile them all up and burn them.

Another amazing principle found in John 15 is that when we allow Him to prune us as we truly follow Him daily, especially when we have been wandering out on our own, He begins to clean us up! Just like our peace lily that showed a marked, physical improvement as noted by my hubby after the severe pruning job, God makes our external lives look better when we follow Him and allow Him to prune our lives. Sure we may not have all of the fruit in our lives just as our peace lily now looks smaller, but His fruit will begin to grow and shine in our lives as we follow Christ. Let’s walk with Him today!

In His Grace!

Power Under the Hood

Sometimes I just get to thinking, and that is not always dangerous as one might think. Well, this morning was one of those times, and I have to say that my thoughts were none too spiritual, if you get my drift. What I mean is I was thinking about cars. Okay, this blog may appeal more to my brothers than my sisters in Christ, but they need encouragement, too, right? Yes, I’d say we all need encouragement in our daily walk.

So, I was thinking about my car, as I do from time to time because it is just an awesome car! I was thinking about pulling up to my younger children’s school last week to pick them up and saw a kid standing there on the sidewalk with his mouth open wide in awe. This reminded me about the fact that this has been a common occurrence when picking my children up. My kids’ friends and classmates stand with their mouths open wide when I pull up in this car. The kids are used to the question that comes next, “Why’s your Mom driving your Dad’s car?” They always chuckle as they reply, “She’s not. That’s her car,” with the impending response, “Whoa! Your mom drives a Charger?”

As I thought about the kid standing on the sidewalk open-mouthed in shock, I pondered the fact that I don’t drive the typical “Mommy car”. Now there is nothing wrong with the mini-van or even the more recently popular SUV, but they are just not the type of car I prefer to drive. I used to drive a Suburban way back when, and I loved it! Why is that, you might ask? Well, the reason I liked it so much is because it is built on a truck chassis and had a V-8 under the hood. So my determination is that I like a heavy vehicle, but even more than that, I like the sheer power behind a V-8. My current car is a 2007 Dodge Charger R/T with a 5.7-L Hemi V-8 under the hood (yea, I may be a woman, but I actually understand that terminology better than you might think)! When I look under the hood of my car, I am in awe at the power I am staring at. When I drive my car, it feels good to know the power driving my vehicle.

So as I pondered this I was reminded of a patient I had when I worked as a chiropractic assistant. He was shocked when he found out that the Charger was my car. He thought it belonged to one of the doctors and asked me which one of the docs drove it. I told him neither doctor because it’s my car. He was shocked that I had something in common with his wife because she also likes cars. I’m not just talking any ole car, but cars with power! One day he came in and said, “Yep, Christa, it’s all about the power, isn’t it?” I said, “Yep, you know it! It’s all about the power!” He would regularly tease me saying that it is all about the power! Interestingly enough, he is right. For me, it is all about the power.

And this is where my not-so-spiritual thoughts became spiritual. If life is all about the power, what is the power source under our hoods? Is our power found in trying harder or eating better or avoiding those traps in our life that always seem to suck us dry? Nope! Our source of power should be Christ alone. Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’” (NLT)

We cannot conjure up or buy this power. Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 offered money to buy the power of the Holy Spirit to heal people by laying his hands on them. Peter rebuked him, telling him, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

Let’s not forget that this was the very same Peter who had denied Jesus three times on the night He was crucified. The most encouraging part is that the power of God was at work in Peter even after his own failings. God’s power doesn’t rely on our abilities but simply on our faith to trust in His power in our lives.

Have you failed in some area of your life? Maybe you have given in to temptation. Maybe the fact that you gave in to temptation is taking you away from serving the Lord. Maybe you struggle with cursing. Maybe you drink a little too much alcohol. Maybe you struggle with pornography. Maybe you’ve had an extra-marital affair. Maybe you yelled at your kids. Maybe you had a spat with your coworker and said some things you shouldn’t have. Maybe you had pre-marital sex. Maybe you had a child out-of-wedlock. Maybe you’ve doubted your faith. Maybe you overeat only to tell yourself that you’ll do better next time and not overeat only to overeat again. It doesn’t matter what sin you have committed. God still loves you and can use you when you repent! Remember that to repent simply means to turn. Turn away from that sin, and if you still struggle with temptation and fall back into that sin, repent again and thank God for His grace!

As a person who has fallen hard in life with failures too great to mention, let me encourage you to look to the Power Source, the One who can pull you out and use you to bring others back to Him! When I fell off the wagon, I didn’t think God could ever use me again. Now that I know His power is the driving force under the hood of my life, I stand in awe with mouth open wide, just like the boy at my kids’ school, as I look at what He is doing in my life! I don’t deserve His grace, but neither does anyone else. We have all sinned. Even if you fall off the wagon again, know that He loves you enough to use you so you can repent again. He’ll use you even in your broken state, because He knows that you know where your power comes from, and He knows that you understand His grace, that you stand in awe of His grace! What is the source of the power under your hood? Walk in His Grace and Power today!

In His Grace!

Give It Away!

Our pastor has been preaching a series called, “God’s Amazing Grace: Have You Seen Grace?” It seems that over the past few months, God has been speaking grace into my life in ways I never could have imagined. He is bringing me into an understanding I have never known, and this understanding is driving my desire to dish out God’s grace to others in ways I never thought I could have.

Last night, my son was supposed to be finishing his vacuuming. Now a little background information is in order here. He is a ten year old boy who is easily distracted, and it is not uncommon for us to have to remind him to keep vacuuming as we often hear the vacuum cleaner shut off more than we hear it running. We will be doing things around the house and suddenly realize that the vacuum is not running. A little inquiry usually reveals a boy who has been distracted by something awesome that seemed more important to him at the moment than finishing his chores.

Last night my hubby was getting a little bit irritated (understatement) by this constant battle so when I realized the vacuum cleaner was not running, I figured I should go find my son. I expected he had found some action figure to play with, some book to read or a pencil and paper that took him into the world of his very old-fashioned, low-tech game that he said people played before computers. Instead, I found my son sitting in a chair in the breezeway with his head bowed. He had been sick the day before so I immediately thought his head was hurting or he was feeling sick again so I approached him and asked if he was okay.

My boy, sweet as he can be, looked up at me and said, “Yea, mama, I’m okay. I was just praying for Mittens to be healed and for that other cat to find a family to take care of him because I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. I don’t want any of God’s creatures to be hurt.” Mittens, the cat that we seemed to have inherited when we bought our house, had been injured badly in a cat fight, and my hubby, my daughter and I have all expressed that we’d like to hurt that cat just enough to keep it away if we could get close enough to it. As soon as my son made his statement, I put my arm around him and told him that was so sweet, but as I did so, God reminded me that His grace toward us is even sweeter than my son wanting no harm to befall a cat who badly injured his own cat!

In the church service yesterday, our pastor mentioned some scriptures out of Ephesians 2, so I read verses 1-10 this morning. God made something so clear to me, and I only hope that I can convey that message here so I can share what He is showing me.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (NLT)

 ¹Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ²You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. ⁴But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. ⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Notice in verses 1-3 that every one of us used to live in disobedience to God. We obeyed the devil as we fulfilled the desires our sinful nature. Verse 2 states that the spirit of the devil is at work in the hearts of the disobedient, and that included us before we were saved by God’s grace. Now, this thought may not be very encouraging, but as I read further and came to verse 9 that says, “salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done”, I remembered another scripture Pastor Rich mentioned so I went there to see what it had to say.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)

 ¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Obedience is not just important when someone is watching you or is with you, but as verse 12 says, obedience is more important when you are alone! Some versions state that you should work out your salvation, but I love the way the New Living Translation states this. It basically states that obeying God out of reverence and fear is the way that our lives show that we are saved. It is not saying that we only have salvation if we work hard. Remember Ephesians 2:5 says, “It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!” and Ephesians 2:9 says, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” When we work hard to obey God, He allows the results to show in our lives. The awesome part of this is that the Word of God doesn’t stop with verse 12, but it goes on to say that God’s spirit, rather than the spirit of the devil, is working in you after you are saved! God is the One who gives us the desire to do what pleases Him, but He doesn’t stop there. He also gives us the power to fulfill that desire to please Him.

I love what Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

He wants us to do His work on this earth, and His work is to bring salvation to every living soul. Salvation only comes through His grace. I’d like to close with something my pastor said yesterday because it is such a powerful statement to filter this message through.

“Until you give it away, you haven’t fully understood God’s grace.” Pastor Rich Fennelle

In His Grace!

The Writing on the Wall!

As I read my Bible yesterday, I found myself in the book of Daniel. I don’t normally read Old Testament scriptures for encouragement because for me the Old Testament is more of a historical resource to understand the New Testament; however, I opened up my Bible and decided to read Daniel 5. As I finished reading the entire chapter, God spoke encouragement to me, and I just had to share it with you today!

It had been a while since I had actually read this chapter in which King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles and called for the gold and silver goblets from the temple to be brought so that he, his nobles, his wives and his concubines could drink wine from them. In this chapter, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote an inscription on the wall, which could not be interpreted by King Belshazzar or any of his wise men.

I’d like to take a moment to point out the reason this inscription was written on the wall. Daniel 5:4 says, “While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” (NLT) It was bad enough that they drank from the goblets that his father, King Nebuchadnezzar, had removed from the temple, but look where their loyalties landed as they drank from those goblets. They were praising gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone rather than the One true God of heaven who created those items.

God created us to fellowship with Him, to love Him, to honor Him. The important thing to note, as found in verses 18-21, is that while God had given all ruling authority and power to Belshazzar’s predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, God then brought down Nebuchadnezzar and stripped him of his glory when his heart and mind became puffed up with arrogance (v. 20). The message was inscribed on the wall as a result of the fact that Belshazzar knew all of this and yet he proudly defied the Lord (v. 22-23). The last portion of v. 23 states, “But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!” (NLT)

As I continued to read chapter 5 in Daniel, I got to the inscription and the interpretation that God gave to Daniel.

Daniel 5:25-31 (NLT) ²⁵“This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. ²⁶This is what these words mean:

   Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
 ²⁷Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.
 ²⁸Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

 ²⁹Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

 ³⁰ That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.

 ³¹And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

As I read this portion of the scripture, I was taken back to verse 17 in which Daniel replied to the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.” (NLT) Do you see that those items promised to Daniel by Belshazzar would mean prominence on the earth, but Daniel didn’t care about being great on this earth? All that mattered to Daniel was being obedient to God. Sure, he received an earthly reward when he finished giving the interpretation, but that was not the reason Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall.

My prayer for you today is that you will hear the message written on the wall! God has given you the choice to make today. Where will your loyalties land? Ask yourself that every morning, and as your loyalty lands with God and God alone, please know that my prayer for you is that you will dwell in Christ! As a matter of fact, my prayer for you is that of Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus found in Ephesians 3:14-21. As you read these verses, go in the power and strength of God our Father!

 ¹⁴When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 ²⁰Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ²¹Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

In His Grace!