Spring in Indiana
Posted by Chad 03 17th, 2009
I love Springtime. The warm sunny weather accompanied with frequent showers, the budding trees, the blooming flowers, the birds that begin to sing…all are reminders to me of God’s unchanging faithfulness. These thoughts of Spring bring Isaiah 55 to mind.
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: is shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” ~ Verses 10-11
Just as the rain waters the earth that it may bring forth fruit, so God’s Word will accomplish that which He desires in a person’s life…to bring forth fruit. And this is the desire of our family.
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).
The result of a fruitful life will be joy and an abiding peace, as seen in verse 12 of Isaiah 55. “For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace…” As well as in John 15, verse 11. As I was thinking about the truths that are interwoven throughout this passage in Isaiah, I realized that there is vital requirement to bearing fruit. This requirement is mentioned in principle in the prior verses of the chapter, but Jesus laid it out simply yet so profoundly in John 12:24.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
A denial and death of our will is required to bear fruit that remains and glorifies the Father. We must make the daily choice to say “No” to our wills and choose to obey the Lord’s perfect will. If we live our lives like this, we will experience a true joy and peace that only comes from Him. This promise is so clear, yet why do I still choose my own way over God’s? O that I would only do the will of the Heavenly Father as Christ Jesus did.
As you see the grass beginning to grow this Spring, and the trees start to bud. And you enjoy fruit that was produced by a tree, remember…that it took the death of a seed in order produce that fruit. Be encouarged when God calls you die to something. He only desires fruit that may abound in our lives…that will result in peace and joy, no matter the circumstance. He loves us so much…
Great pictures! And what a thought-provoking reminder in the message of the text. John 12:24 is one of my dad’s favorite verses. May we all be willing to die, that we may bring forth fruit and thereby glorify our Father.
I always love springtime-the new life all around seems to awaken a new excitement within me! A new joy for life and the simple and wonderful things he has placed around me. It is sometimes easy to forget the death that had to come before the life. The “deaths” that God brings in our lives are often forgotten in the joy that he brings when we obey him and choose His way. Unfortunately, I don’t always remember this when given the opportunity to “die”.
We have had a “death” of this sort, only a few days ago. This post has made me think of it completely differently. Thanks