Daily Reflections on Col. 2:9-12 (Presence)

In the year 2000, I got to visit Israel. It's a trip that really affected my life and moved me. Everywhere our group went was full of history. My imagination began to run wild. I pictured scene after scene of Bible stories playing out before me. I'll never forget watching two fisherman early one Sunday morning rinsing and checking their throw nets from a small boat just off shore on the Sea of Galilee. Immediately I could see Peter and Andrew finishing up from an empty night of fishing. The crowds were gathering along the shore to view the fishermen's catch.

As I walked the paths Jesus walked, visited the villages Jesus visited, prayed in the garden where Jesus prayed, I, and the others with me, were seized with the presence of Jesus. When we gathered in the upper room, it was as if Jesus was passing the broken bread and cup to me. It was as if I could have reached out and touched Him. My envy for those who experienced the physical presence of Jesus overwhelmed me. How great it would have been to have touched, been touched or felt the embrace of Jesus. God in the the flesh. Wow. That would have been awesome.

But just as amazing are the words of the Apostle Paul in these verses. Jesus was the fullness of God in bodily form. He also says that we who have entered into a faith relationship with God through Jesus, have the same fullness of Christ in us. The image Paul paints is of a spiritual operation and/or transformation that empties, removes a darkness or a cancer within our heart and being and replaces it with all the fullness of Christ. As we are lowered into the grave of baptismal waters, God buries our old self there. We're dead; to sin that is. As we are raised from our watery tomb, the freshness of God fills us. In our first breath we draw in the spirit of God. We're alive, this time in Him. New life. New power. New start. I'm not just living in Christ. Christ is now in me.

God, sometimes I forget that I'm not just in your family, but you actually live in me in all your fullness. I have a habit of mentally coming to visit your family, share in Sunday dinner and then go my own way. Sometimes I totally ignore that you're in me, your presence, your being is in me. Lord, I know that I'm spiritually schizophrenic. The reality is that you're with me wherever I am because you're not just next to me, you're inside me. Awaken my spirit to acknowledge that I'm alive in you and you're alive in me.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 13:6-9 (Getting Rid of the Deadwood)

This past winter and spring were devastating to some of the newly planted shrubs and plants around my house. I'm a sucker for flowering shrubs. Our house had nothing but dying vegetation throughout the yard when we moved in a couple years ago. It was a lot of back breaking working to pull the old deadwood shrubs out, prepare the beds and plant new ones. In southwest Missouri one has to mine before one can plant. You don't dig a hole and drop in a bush. You chisel a hole with a pick ax, jack hammer, or back hoe. Talk about manual labor.

Between the worse ice storm in 30 years and an extremely late killer frost this spring just as many trees and bushes were preparing to bloom, it did a big time number on my azaleas, roses, butterfly bushes, sand cherry, Altheas (Rose of Sharon), crepe myrtle, rhododendrons, Bradford pears, Dogwoods and nandinas. It even nearly killed my dwarf evergreens. I was heart broken. Everything looked dead.

Like many others, I went to the plant nursery to find out what to do. Since we've never had a late killer frost like that, no one knew what to do. I was ready to dig it all out and start over. But the advice a of master gardener encouraged me to wait. "They more than likely won't bloom this year, but give it time and the plants should make it," she pronounced. I followed her advice. It took some time and some special care, but nearly all of the plants have survived and some of them even bloomed, albeit late. There's no doubt signs of stress in several of the bushes, but I only lost one Rose of Sharon.

Giving them time and attention helped them to make it and produce. Had I just gone on appearance last spring, I would have angrily ripped about 30 plants from the ground and started over. As it turned out, my patience and care saved me tons of time and cash. Looks like now I'll only be replacing one shrub.

At some point, God will dig up the deadwood and get rid of it. In the meantime, He gives us every chance to respond to Him and grow in Him. He may have to do a radical pruning to force us back from the roots, but He's desire is to see us bloom and grow.

God, gentle pruning is hard enough to take. Radical pruning is downright painful. Lord, you know what I need when I need it. I know you'll do what you have to keep me growing into the image of your Son. I confess I enjoy the fertilizing and watering more than the pruning. Go ahead do what you must so that I can produce the kind of fruit that gives you glory. Show me as a leader, when to break out the pruning shears and when to apply the fertilizer and water. Lord, also help me know who/what still has potential and who/what is deadwood.