Frozen

 

Last week, the weather was beyond cold!  My outdoor fountain was frozen over and the ground was frozen solid.  My wife had left one of her plant pots outside, which was filled with water and had frozen.  And as the water froze, it froze on the top first.  But as the night continued to grow colder, the water in the middle of the clay pot froze (and expanded).  But since the top was already frozen solid, the freezing/expanding middle had no place to go, and the freezing/expanding ice split the pot, ruining it.  Freezing water is powerful!  I am glad that I unhooked the water hose that goes to my water fountain.  The freezing hose water would have split the brass hydrant where it was connected to the hose!  Hey, the dear Lord made water unique!  Most liquids shrink as they cool and freeze into their solid state, but not water.  Water expands as it freezes into a solid.  In His infinite wisdom, God protects fish, frogs, otters, seals, and muskrats with ice frozen on the top of lakes and rivers.  Ice floats on the top.  It doesn’t freeze on the bottom first or in the middle first, it freezes and floats on the top.  Psalm 18:30, “As for God, his way is perfect …”

Light

 

Two weeks ago, I noticed that my eyes had been getting weaker.  I tried to use a magnifying glass to help, and it did, but it was a pain to deal with.  And then I noticed that two of the four light bulbs in my bedroom light fixture had burned out!  The LED light bulbs (that were supposed to last forever) were the problem, not my eyes!  Oh, don’t let me mislead you, my eyes are getting weaker, but not as bad as the poor lighting would have me to believe.  Hey, without light, I can’t see!  How about you?  You undoubtedly have younger eyes than I do, but without proper lighting, even younger eyes will fail.  The same is true with spiritual vision.  Folk go about their day doing the best that they can.  They work a job, love their kids, and pay their taxes … never knowing that they are in danger of eternal damnation.  As Christians, it is our responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with a lost world.  But there are two sides to the salvation coin: repent and believe.  Preaching the goodness of God is not enough.  Everyone is trying to be good in their own way.  Repentance must be preached!  And as you turn from your sin, you are turning to God.  Hey, it’s our responsibility is to preach the whole gospel.  Jesus commanded His followers in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  Let your light shine in an increasingly dark world.  Glorify the Lord and rescue a sinner.  A win-win move!

Roots

 

Prairie grass can have roots from eight to fourteen feet deep!  Most trees have a root ball underground that is the size of the crown that is above ground.  So, what do roots do?  First of all, they store nutrients.  Have you heard of carrots and radishes?  Secondly, they anchor the plant to keep it stable.  And last, but not least, they carry water and nutrients up to the leaves.  The lowly root system of plants is, therefore, not that lowly after all.  Although unseen, roots are vital to the plant.  Hey, it’s the same way in church.  We see the pastor stand in the pulpit and preach, but there are other folk with important jobs behind-the-scenes.  I am glad that the nursery workers are taking care of the crying babies.  And kudos to the sound man in the booth that helps me to hear the pastor.  And where would we be at church without the custodian who quietly cleans the building on Saturday.  Each member of the body of Christ supplies important parts - many unseen - just like the roots of a plant.  Paul said in I Corinthians 12:12, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”  Don’t be mistaken; each job in the church is important.  You are needed!  So, whatever your contribution, do your best.  Even if no one sees what you do, God does.  And He will reward you some day.