I really am not sure what's come over me to make me decide to make a blog. I hate blogs. I make fun of bloggers. Blogs are a dime a dozen, full of posts that would sometimes take over an hour to read, and as the meme goes, "ain't nobody got time for that!"
But here I am, and here's why. I love my God. He inspires me, and that's something worth keeping, worth writing about. It doesn't need to be for others to see and read and comment "Hey, great post!" This is here for me. For me to see, read, and remember what He's done in my life. And if it inspires someone else, great.
Speaking of inspiring others, I should mention one of my friends, a missionary who recently got back from a major mission trip. I find myself inspired by, and admittedly, sometimes jealous of her relationship with God. On her blog (one of the few I DO read), she tells about her prayer life among other things. Two-way conversations with God, interacting with Him in a way that too few ever experience. I've wanted that. Today, I think I experienced a bit of that as the Lord showed me things He wants me to know, and I want more of that. And I know He has so much more for me.
During church this morning, our pastor spoke of Jesus being the True Vine. He explained what seemed to be an incorrect translation of John 15:2.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
The first part of this verse sounds pretty foreboding. Cut off? Is this talking about losing salvation, or not being a true believer? No. The same word used here, which has been translated "cut off" or "take away," is used in several other places in Scripture and translated as "take UP," such as "take up My yoke" or "take up your cross and follow Me." It refers to taking up an unhealthy vine in winemaking, a process by which an unhealthy, non-producing vine is restored, cleansed, and made to bear fruit.
That's when it happened, clear as a bell.
Close your eyes.
Wait, what? But I'm running the screens here!
Yes, they're fine. Close your eyes.
I didn't argue again. I closed my eyes.
Immediately, I saw with my eyes closed a vine, laying on the ground. It was...living, but barren. Plain, and unremarkable. No grapes in sight. A hand reached down and picked it up, exposing its underside. I wanted to vomit. It looked like an infestation. It was infected and thousands of tiny bugs crawled all over it.
It's like a wound. It can be healed, but disinfecting it will sting. It will hurt. And, the healing will take time. But don't give up. Now, open your eyes.
This time, I didn't need to be told again. I know nobody's perfect, but this made me sick. I wanted to DO something! Then, an interesting point came up in the message. The pastor explained that we often think of obedience to God as a passive thing. I hadn't thought about that before, but it makes sense. Too often, we equate obedience with a bunch of "don'ts." A bunch of rules. After all, that's how we obeyed our parents as kids, right? By NOT doing what we wanted. But obedience to God isn't passive, it's active. We obey God by doing what He wants, not just by avoiding the things He doesn't want us to do.
So, what's the plan then, God? What do You want me doing?
Trust Me.
I do trust You.
Trust Me.
I glanced in the direction where my missionary friend was seated, remembering some posts of hers.
Alright, God... As she would say... Let's do this.
I want Him to lead me into what He has for me. Knowing Him, that would likely be something way outside of my comfort zone. But the truth (hard and scary as it may be) is, that's the only way life should be lived. In your comfort zone, you don't need to rely on Him -- or I should say, you get lured into a false sense of security, thinking you don't need to rely on Him. But outside of it, He's all you have. And that's when you realize, more than at any other time, that He's all you need.
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