Life is not a straight line…

Today will be difficult. We say goodbye to a friend who died in her sleep. No warning, too young, leaving husband and family in numbing shock as well as all who knew her. Even after two weeks, most of us have not realized the reality of what happened.

We knew her well. Her oldest lived with us while in university. The other daughter’s hubby handles financial matters for us. Their son has been on our prayer list for years. My husband and hers have breakfast together every few weeks.

To add to the pain of this loss, we just experienced the most wonderful family reunion that I cannot describe without awe for God. He graced us with His presence and even the many who are not believers still speak of the event with superlatives, not fully understanding what made it special but realizing it was a deep blessing.

And now we go to another extreme. I realize the Lord is in this too, but the feelings are not the same. Today’s reading reminds me that no height of spiritual blessing can absolve me from obedience and watchfulness. While I would like to dwell on the joy of the reunion, He wants me to share the sorrow of the bereaved. My stomach even churns with the swing from joy to overwhelming sorrow, from enjoying those deeply blessed to comforting those deeply grieving.

Yet the reading reminds me that Jesus is here in both extremes. He never stops wanting me to obey Him and never stops supplying what I need to do it:

… walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Colossians 1:10)

For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:29)

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

It is folly to think that the heights of blessing will keep the enemy from trying to topple me from that mountain top. Usually his attacks are unexpected and differ from the last time he went at me. This past few days, the distraction has been physical as well as emotional. Praying this morning helped a great deal. Also my mom’s words, “We must need it or we wouldn’t be getting it” often give motivation to simply trust God. If He wants whatever is happening, I need to accept it. If He doesn’t want it, that attack stops as He goes to bat for me.

In other words, I can fight, but it is a fight of faith not of effort, for my God fights for me, and therefore I can be at peace. The externals may not change, but again, it is the peace of God who makes this change inside of me.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

Understanding this peace may not happen, but experiencing it is a reality.

PRAY: Lord, even my devotions this morning were a turmoil and interrupted several times, but You are here with me and Your presence makes such a difference. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might glorify You today and not be absorbed today with the ups and downs of this past week. Thank You!

Not yet a perfect peach . . .

We went to the market this week and bought fruit; huge peaches, nectarines, raspberries, and grapes that crunch. Others might make pies and desserts, but we eat them as they are, fresh, ripe and incredibly delicious. Yesterday, with that perfect fruit on my mind and in my belly, I made a poster listing spiritual fruit, a reminder of my God-given purpose:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” (John 15:16–17)

This verse is also key in having prayer answered. God wants first a fruitful life, then to answer my prayers, even ‘whatever I ask in Jesus’ name.’

The Bible describes fruitfulness so we can know what our lives should display. Just as Jesus put in the above ‘purpose statement’ — the main evidence of fruitfulness is love, however there is more . . .

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22–25)

I’ve learned that only the Holy Spirit produces this fruit. If I am filled with Him, walking in obedience with Him, abiding in Christ as He commands, then my life will bear fruit. If not, then I’m filled with myself. However, being filled does not guarantee my life will be without trials or stress. Jesus also said that being fruitful means pruning will happen:

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)

I once had a large crabapple tree in my yard. It didn’t have many apples, but there were enough to make the tree valuable. After a little research, I realize it was overgrown and needed pruning. The idea was to take out old growth and shape the tree so ‘a bird could fly through it.’ I used the proper tools and tackled the job. When it was finished, it seemed there were more branches on the ground than on the tree. The next spring, no apples. I feared that I’d ruined the tree, but the year after that brought an incredible harvest.

Having God do the pruning isn’t much fun at the time. It means being open to the Holy Spirit who tackles my sin with an axe, or a knife, or a scalpel, depending on what must be cut away and how much it interferes with loving others, being joyful and at peace, showing patience, kindness and goodness, being faithful and gentle, and having that self-control that can say no to whatever is not good for me or for others. At times, I know what those impurities are and invite the pruning. At other times, He goes after something and I am slow to figure out what is happening. Nevertheless, if I cooperate in His work of making me more like Jesus, He promises there will be a harvest!

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1–3)

^^^^^^^

Jesus, I know that Your goal for me is that I “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing You and bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10) I also know that if any of that fruit is missing, then I have something to confess, something that needs pruning. Thank You for being so diligent to keep working and cutting away everything that does not look like You.