If we look carefully, we can see the garden that God is planting and tending. He places us just where we are supposed to be in our lives right now, for He is the gardener of our souls. When we remain in Him, who is the true vine, we will flourish, but if we stray, we will wither. Our hearts will be darkened and our understanding will be clouded. So how do we remain abiding in Him so that we can be "like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither" (Psalm 1:3)? The key is found in guarding our hearts and minds in Christ.
In his letter to the believers at Philippi, the Apostle Paul writes these words of instruction: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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" (Phil. 4:4-7). To unpack this, we need to look at a couple of words. When Paul tells believers to "Rejoice", he means no matter what the circumstances appear to be. Our joy, which is found in Christ, will abound from a well deep within to water our souls and sustain us from the droughts of life. One thing I do not think that some Christians fully understand is that God sends the rain on the just and unjust alike (Matt. 5:45). We tend to believe that somehow we have a supernatural shield around us when we accept Christ that prevents anything bad from ever happening to us. If we accept that, we will be disappointed. Jesus said that in this life we would have tribulation, but He also said that we should rejoice because He has over come this world. In our rejoicing in Christ, we are proclaiming a joy that no circumstance can take from us. It is a joy not dependent on the situation...it is the joy found in our redeemer.
Another word we need to consider if we are to flourish in this drought stricken world is the word "reasonableness". The Greek word used here means that we are able to rise above offenses. We are generous in heart and forebearing with others - not repaying evil for evil. This was modeled for us in the life of Jesus Christ who did not claim equality with God His Father but emptied Himself to be a servant. People notice a servant heart. They notice someone who does not strike back or who holds a grudge. This is very "earth-like" when we do these things. However, in our dealings, we are called to be Christ-like. Our vine must flower as we demonstrate a reasonableness that others do not possess.
Finally Paul tells us not to be "anxious". When we are anxious, we are not able to concentrate. Our minds and hearts are paralyzed by unknown fears. Half the things we worry about never come to pass which means we have wasted a lot of time speculating on "non-events" in life. Isn't that silly? Instead, Paul encourages us to take all our concerns to God in prayer. Carry every thought, every worry, every concern, every pain to Him. Then, leave them there and quit trying to go back and pick them up again! Either we trust God or we do not. Is He not the vinedresser and we are the vines? Then, we must allow Him to trim off our dead branches and pull up the weeds that have grown. As we pray, we are giving God the ability to work on our behalf and do just this.
How is God helping you to flourish in this dry and parched land? Please share your thoughts with me. I always enjoy hearing from you as you read.
4 comments:
Hi Barbara,
Yes, we have been on the same wavelength with the peace of God, haven't we? Probably because we've both been participating in Elizabeth's great book discussion!
You said: "Living an oasis life in Christ comes as a result of rejoicing, demonstrating reasonableness and turning over our worries to the Lord. The result is peace which this world does not understand at all. It attracts them to come and ask us what it is we have that keeps us from falling to pieces when difficulties occur."
I am not yet at the stage where I don't fall to pieces when difficulties occur, but God in His grace does come along and pick up the pieces afterwards and put them gently back together again, for which I am eternally thankful!
Bless you Barbara, and I am blessed to have come to know you through this book discussion :)
Well Dear Diana...I am not at the place where I have it all together either but compared to those in the world who have NO HOPE...I think there is a big difference. I remember when my Dad died it was a tough place to be, but God gave me such grace at the funeral that people said they could not believe it. I was comforting them. He doesn't promise He will give us the strength before we need it. But He does promise to walk with us through the circumstance. It is amazing how it works. You are a blessing dear sister in Christ. Keep writing that beautiful poetry!
Thats a challenging one indeed. We need to rise above circustances, which is sometimes difficult. But we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.
The trials we have in life produce patience. People watch us when we go through the. How we respond and not react is vital.
Blessings
Moray
Amen Moray! We are often the only Bible some people read....so we need to stay close to the Lord in order to weather the storms of life. Thank you for dropping by dear brother!
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