We woke up this morning to the beginning of an enchanting Winter Wonderland. Tree branches frosted with white powder, streets dusted with clean fresh snow, taking salted roads to our destination rather than the quiet country roads on which we usually drive, grass quickly turning from green to white caps, and snow crunching under our feet.
A delightful change of events while we are getting used to the “valley of dry bones” that comes every fall. Our verdant greenery transitions almost overnight to bare limbs and a lack of color. However, snowy white is a welcomed site as it blankets the usual blacks and browns of the limbs during the winter season.
There is one saving grace during the winter months in the Heartland - evergreen trees. I realized this year that some Juniper species of our evergreens actually turn a mahogany color and shed all their needles. Our yards are full of feathery, rust-colored fronds that protect the grass roots from the harsh temperatures of winter.
Of course, I have also been told that herbicides, such as those that are dropped by planes and helicopters on the surrounding fields of corn and soybeans, may cause the leaf loss and even death to the tree trunk of some evergreen species.
This reminds me of what sin does to the life of a professing Christian. We have an outer façade that is tenuous and ingenuine. The least bit of temptation can throw us into premature soul-sickness or even into the perplexity of spiritual death. Our roots are planted in shallow, rocky, or parched ground (Matthew 13:1-23).
Originally, we only make a surface repentance created by a conviction of sin. We pray for salvation that did not affect our life at all because we just responded to the emotion of the moment. This prayer and superficial decision to change our lifestyle was not life changing because we did not entirely surrender to God and His will for us.
However, we can enter the depth of true repentance and transformation when we transition to true conversion from our bondage to Satan and sins of our fleshly character. As God’s Spirit sanctifies us over our years of relationship with the Trinity of God, Christ becomes our whole life at home, work, church, neighborhood, and community.
Prayer:
Father God, remind us that only through Your Spirit’s sanctifying work in us, that Christ becomes our everything, and He is the very center of our constant focus (Colossians 3:3-4). Teach us that when we set our mind on spiritual growth rather than on the fulfillment of the desires of our flesh, we grow from one stage of spiritual maturity to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We do not want to rely on our good works, our church attendance and service, or on a glib prayer recited after a brief conviction by Your Spirit. We want to enter a place of true conversion as one of Your adopted children and as a co-heir with Jesus of Your entire Kingdom. We so appreciate the local church in which You planted us, and we thank You that their vision for missions both internationally and locally is a monthly focus and driving force for all our endeavors during our ministry here.
Thoughts for the Day:
When our roots deeply plant into the rich, fertile soil provided by an intimate union with God, His Spirit, and His Word, our spirit is revived and reconciled to God and our soul starts to change and our spirit is regenerated, grows, and matures. This begins our amazing journey through the transitions of a life guarded and guided by our loving Heavenly Father, sanctified by His Spirit, and accompanied by our brother, Jesus, who currently sits at the right hand of our Father God as He intercedes for us and abides by His Spirit within us.
- Mark 4:1-20
