Spring Rains

Post date: Apr 12, 2014 1:47:57 AM

A few days ago I was giving some advice to a neighbor about the deteriorating condition of his lawn since I had experienced a similar problem the year before. The annual spring rains which we had just experienced deceivingly helped my lawn to thrive but as soon as they had ended my lush green lawn quickly dried out, turn to a golden straw-like color and to my dismay the dreaded brown patch plague that I thought I had conquered reappeared. My wife suggested that the patches on the lawn were the result of another bug infestation but I was too proud to admit that my earlier efforts had been unsuccessful. This hesitation allowed the bug to advance and to cause its unsightly devastation to go beyond the point of no return.

1 Peter 1: 24…For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

A root is designed to provide life giving nourishment to the plant. A blade of grass has a very shallow root system which causes it to be vulnerable to threats from heat, pests and disease. After the rain ceased the soil close to the surface dried out and the plants’ shallow root system couldn't supply enough food for it to thrive. My lawn woes started because of my ignorance of this plant’s root system and my inconsistent summer watering habit. Believe it or not the scripture 1 Peter 1:24 provided the practical insight that I needed to effectively care for my lawn.

Isaiah 61:3 "…They will be called oaks of righteousness the planting of the Lord, to display His glory."

Gods’ desire for His children is for them to grow in the spiritual knowledge of His kingdom and not to be like grass but instead to be more like an oak tree. An oak trees’ root system reaches beyond its outstretched branches while penetrating deep into the soil searching for ground water nutrients. This characteristic stabilizes the tree and as it makes it less vulnerable to drought and disease.

Hosea 4: 6 "…My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because thou hast rejected knowledge." 

One of the names of Jesus’s is “Healer of the broken hearted” which remained a mystery to me until just recently when I learned that a more descriptive translation is “healer of broken emotions”. This is a term that best described my character prior to my salvation and it is one that I had ignorantly adopted after experiencing the horrible events that had claimed my grandmother’s life. These events broke my emotions, distorted my thought process and held me captive within its prison for years. One feeling that I especially wanted to be free of was a strange stabbing like sensation that occurred in my stomach every time I faced a new challenge. It was impossible for me to escape this and other feelings, so, in order to cope I learned to hide behind an imaginary wall that I had created in my mind. This method slowly etched itself deep within my character so that by the time I had reached adulthood I no longer recognized it as an escape mechanism. This seemingly unmovable behavior remained a part of my character until Christ entered my heart at salvation and His spiritual seed began to grow in me producing an unquenchable thirst to discover the spiritual knowledge of Christ’s Kingdom that can only be found in the living Word of God.

Jon 10: 10 "…I am come that they might have life and they might have it more abundantly.”

Jesus during His earthly ministry used parables to help communicate His message. On one occasion in Mark 4:30 He compared the Kingdom of God to that of a mustard seed by explaining that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds but by maturity it has developed into a massive tree. In comparison the seed of faith that was planted into my heart at conversion is still growing in me and is producing the confidence and freedom that I now enjoy. My healing began when I decided to stop hiding from my fears opting instead to commit each fear to Christ by faith in prayer. I can testify to you today that The Kingdom of God is alive in me and is still growing.

Luke 4: 16-18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

This was Christ’s mandate from God the Father. Our mandate as the children of God comes with equal power and authority from Christ. (Mark 16: 15-18). Remember, “freely you have received freely give”. (Matthew 10:8)