Today has been a painful day for me in many ways. It started out when I woke up this morning in great pain. I have been hurting in my right abdomenal area and now in my lower back. What next? Physically, I think my body has just about taken all of the stress that it can take and is starting to let me know about it. So, it was a slow and difficult morning.
I've also experienced pains in our church family today that are difficult to shake in some ways. I have trouble grasping the fact that that people will come and people will go. However, it is difficult to let them go when you've been ministering to them for the past three to four years, been at the hospital with them, preached their families funerals, cried with them, and laughed with them. Not to mention the many times that you have prayed with and for them. It's just plain hard.
So, I begin to ask God why and what He wants me to learn from all of this. He simply led me to John 15:2 where Jesus talks about pruning the grapevine. The pruning includes two different types:
1. Seperation - of those who claim to be Christ followers, but whose lives have never resembled the life of Christ or they have turned their backs on Christ and have become a stumbling block to God's people or His Church. They will be cut off as dead and burnt.
2. Cutting Back - this is for those Christ followers who are producing fruit, but have stalled in their production for a while. Christ simply cuts things out of our lives so that we will produce more fruit for Him.
I remember as a child going to my grandparents' home in Athens. My mamaw Faye had a beautiful and huge rose bush beside the house. Every now and then, she would go out and prune that rose bush. When she did, I thought it looked horrible and was ready to be done away with. Then she explained that she was cutting off the dead stems so that the bush could begin to flourish again. Shortly thereafter, the rose bush was more beautiful than I had ever seen it before.
God does this same process in the lives of believers who are truly His. It's a painful process at the time, but allows us to flourish for Him in time. The same is true for the church.
I now believe that this is exactly what is happening in our church. He is removing those who have stopped producing fruit in order for the church to flourish again for His glory. We just have to be patient while He does the pruning in our lives and church. Beautiful days are ahead!
On a praise note:
Natalie and I visited with Ms. Wilma Blair tonight at Stones River Hospital in Woodbury. She is doing well after the surgery, just a little groggy. Okay, alot groggy! LOL! And we spoke with Mrs. Joann Turner and Aubrey is doing well. He has been talking, sitting on the side of the bed, and begging for something to eat. That's all in response to God's people praying. Keep it up! It's working.
To close the night out, Natalie and I are reading "Sticky Church" by Larry Osborne. WOW! What a great and challenging read! I love reading books that challenge my thinking and strategy of fulfilling our mission.
That's it for tonight. Tomorrow is another day.
P.S. - Don't forget about the Trash to Treasure Yard Sale for Missions at Bridges of Hope Fellowship this Friday and Saturday. It is from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. The church is located at 220 Snow Hollow Lane in McMinnville. All funds raised will go to support our Appalachian Mission trip in July. Also, if you have anything you'd like to donate to the sale, call the church office at 931-815-8870 or Jennifer Cook at 931-934-3663.
This teaching encourages me greatly. One thing I thought about the pruning process is that if the plant is not pruned it may die or at the least never grow as beautiful as it could be if it is pruned. The pruning forces the plant to grow new leaves and branches and in the same way sometimes God creates an atmosphere that encourages growth in our lives and in our churches. One thing about a gardener they can look at that stubby ole dead looking rose bush and visualize what beautiful flowers will be there some day...so we have to keep our eyes ont he vision of what God can and will do with us some day.
ReplyDeleteThis is very encouraging to me. One thing I thought about pruning is that if you don't prune the plant it will never be what it could be if it endures the pruning process. Pruning forces the plant to grow new more beautiful branches and in the same way God sometimes allows situations in our lives that will "prune" us or our churches. Also a good gardener looks at the stubby looking pruned plant and envisions how beautiful or fruitful it will be some day...we too should always keep before us the dream that God gave us and what we can be some day. Be encouraged!!!!
ReplyDelete