Let Salvation Spring Up

Yesterday as I was strolling past my flower gardens, enjoying the warmth and sunshine of another lovely spring day, I was excited to see sprouts springing forth out of the soil.

This verse immediately came to mind:

"You heavens above,

rain down righteousness;

let the clouds shower it down.

Let the earth open wide,

let salvation spring up,

let righteousness grow with it;

I, the Lord, have created it."

Isaiah 45:8 (NIV)

This is the prayer of all Christians past and present: that God would rain down His righteousness from the heavens above so that the earth would open wide and salvation would spring up and righteousness would grow with it.

How wonderful it is to see the natural signs of spring upon the earth. But how much more wonderful it would be to see the spiritual signs of spring upon the earth!

Our Hearts Burned Within Us

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny, warm day. It felt absolutely wonderful! It was so nice to feel the warmth of the sun's rays on my cheeks and feel the slight breeze caressing my skin. If I had my way, I would have spent the whole day outside. The cold winters here keep people indoors far too long.

When God speaks to us through His Word, and as we begin to understand the magnitude of His love and care for us, it warms our cold hearts like the sun's rays on a spring day after a long cold winter.

"They said to each other,

'Didn't our hearts burn within us

as he talked with us on the road

and explained the Scriptures to us?'"

Luke 24:32 (NLT)

The good news is that we don't have to wait until spring and summer to feel the warmth of God's love. We can feel His love every day of the year if we remain in His Word.

God Is Our Mechanic

Today, I will be taking Chris's car to the Mazda dealership. A few days ago, the car started making squeaking and clunking noises that has Chris concerned. Chris will be taking Tim's car to work and I will be driving Tim and Matthew to university in my car.

Taking Chris's car to a professional mechanic because of an unfamiliar noise reminds me how all of us need to bring ourselves to our Mechanic, God the Father, when we start acting or talking in ways that are not Christ-like. And these are the warning lights: when we lose our tempers easily, become rude and sarcastic to others, lie, try to manipulate or control people, think of ourselves more than others, and neglect spending time with God. When we need God to cleanse and prioritize our lives, these warning lights will flash persistently until we heed the Holy Spirit's promptings to go before God in prayer, submission, Bible reading, and meditation.

The Bible says that when we come to God with a contrite heart, He will purify the contents of our heart, making it new. At the same time, God will give us a new spirit to activate our new heart, replacing our thoughts and desires with His thoughts and desires. Then our stony, stubborn heart becomes a tender, responsive heart that is able to love God, ourselves, and all others.

"And I will give you a new heart, 

and I will put a new spirit in you. 

I will take out your stony, stubborn heart 

and give you a tender, responsive heart."

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)

As Large As A Mustard Tree

Spring is approaching. I can't wait because this year I want to put in a large vegetable garden. I love gardening! I love watching tiny seeds grow into productive plants as they are nurtured and cared for.

Jesus stated in the Bible that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which is the tiniest of all seeds. But as the mustard seed grows it becomes a large shrub, approximately twenty feet high and almost the same in width.

"He told them another parable:
'The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed,
which a man took and planted in his field.
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows,
it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree,
so that the birds come and perch in its branches.'"

Matthew 13:31-32 (NIV)

The mustard tree has many uses. The fruit of a mustard tree is round, plump, purple, sweet, and full of nutrients. The seeds are ground up to make the popular condiment that we all love to put on our hot dogs and hamburgers. The small branches and roots of a mustard tree resist bacteria and plaque. In fact, in some places of the world, they are used to make toothbrushes. One can even chew on the small branches and roots to ease tooth aches and prevent tooth decay. The leaves are edible as well, and the ashes from the tree can be used as a salt to flavour foods. Finally, the mustard tree provides shade for animals and a protective home for birds that come and perch on its branches.

Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed because the Kingdom started off small, but by the time Jesus returns, the Kingdom of Heaven will be filled with a large number of people, as the Gospel of Christ spreads throughout the world.

The ministries that we have are the same. Our ministries may seem small and insignificant, but by the time we enter God's Kingdom, the amount of lives we will have touched will be much larger than we can really imagine. Our goal as Christians is to remain faithful to God and be willing to do whatever He asks us to do.

Who Says Christians Don't Have Fun?

My sons and I have been asked to lead worship for another Children's Retreat, this time in August. The theme is Mission Possible. My son, Matthew, already has ideas for our costumes — we will all be spies for this special event. It should be a lot of fun! We are very serious about our commitment to God and ministering His Word, but we also have a sense of humour, and a great deal of energy and creativity. We enjoy doing God's work!

In the Bible, King David was so excited when the Ark of the Lord was finally brought up that he danced before the Lord with all his might, humbly wearing only a simple garment instead of his kingly robes. Everyone around him began shouting and playing their trumpets as well. They were all having fun doing God's will, knowing that their Heavenly Father was pleased.

"David, wearing a linen ephod,

danced before the Lord with all his might,

while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord

 with shouts and the sound of trumpets."

2 Samuel 6:14-16

David was in no way immodest or shameful. He chose to dance in a garment that was symbolic of being a servant of the Lord. A linen ephod was the attire that priests wore who served God in the Temple. In his excitement, David danced before God, enjoying doing God's work and being in His presence.

Serving God is fun and exciting! When it stops becoming fun and exciting, then we must redirect our thoughts toward God and who He is.

For We Can Certainly Do It

In the Old Testament, Moses sent out twelve spies — one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel — to explore the land of Canaan. The spies all came back safely and reported to Moses that the land was very fruitful.

"We went into the land to which you sent us,

and it does flow with milk and honey!

Here is its fruit."

Numbers 13:27b (NIV)

Unfortunately, they also reported that the people were powerful, and the cities large and fortified.

Despite this apparent opposition, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, were not scared to take action and possess the land for their own. They knew that God's power would be with them — a power greater than all the armies in the world put together.

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said,

'We should go up and take possession of the land,

 for we can certainly do it.'"

Numbers 13:30 (NIV)

But the other ten spies were terribly frightened of the Canaanites. They were unable to put their trust in God. They spread amongst the people of Israel a bad report. As a result, fear overtook the hearts and minds of the all the Israelites.

"They said, 'The land we explored devours those living in it.

All the people we saw there are of great size.

We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim).

We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes,

and we looked the same to them.'"

Numbers 13:32b-33 (NIV)

The people of Israel then refused to obey God's command for them to take control of the productive land of Canaan. As a consequence of their disobedience and lack of faith, God punished the Israelites by making them wander in the desert for forty years, one year for every day the twelve spies took to spy out the land of Canaan. Out of all the Israelite, males and females who were over twenty years of age at the time, and only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the land of Canaan once the forty years had passed.

God has a purpose or plan for every Christian who surrenders his/her life to Him. However, it may take several years for God to prepare someone before his/her calling is fulfilled.

Many times when a door opens and we hear God's voice commanding us to move forward, fear and negative thoughts begin to bombard our minds and hearts. We become so paralyzed with fear that we are afraid to cross over into the Promised Land. But we must follow the examples of Joshua and Caleb. We must put our trust fully in God, move forward into battle with God on our side, and fulfil God's mission for our lives with complete obedience to Him, putting all fears and anxieties to rest.

Everything We Say, And Do

Yesterday, at the Children's Spring Retreat, we had a group picture taken of us:

Left to right: Matthew, Chris, Sandra (me), Tim, and Daniel.

Here are some more pictures:

I strongly believe that every time Christians have an opportunity to be with a group of children, especially in a church, they should take full advantage of the time to teach the children the Word of God, whether it be through songs, stories, puppets, dramas, games, physical activities, or entertainment. The Word of God should be incorporated in everything we say and do. Never should time be wasted on just entertaining the children without the Spirit-driven desire to develop spiritual maturity in the children.

The Bible instructs us to train up children in the way they should go, so that when they become adults, they will not turn from God and all His ways.

"Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)

Today, children are being constantly entertained by television, books, music, movies, video games, and social networking, and nearly all of these are filling their hearts and minds with philosophies and moral beliefs that are contrary to God's Word, which will eventually destroy their lives. We need to do everything we can to, instead, fill their hearts and minds with God's Word.

Unfortunately, I see too many children's ministries that are not taking advantage of every opportunity to do this. Then churches wonder why the children who grew up in their children's ministries, going to all the children's retreats and children's summer camps, eventually stop serving and thinking about God when they became teenagers or adults.

Let's make every effort as Christian parents, grandparents, or children's church ministry leaders to teach and train children in the ways and understandings of God, so that children will continue to serve Him all the days of their lives.