Grafted In

When I was young, I was fascinated with science.  Hey, I am still fascinated with science!  When I read about grafting in Miss Highdecker’s eighth grade science class, I was determined to graft a peach bud collected from our front yard onto a maple tree in our back yard.  But what I didn’t understand was that I had to graft a peach bud onto a peach tree or a maple bud onto a maple tree.  As found in Genesis 1, trees and animals reproduce “after their own kind.”  Actually, “after their own kind” is mentioned ten times in Genesis 1.  So, unfortunately, my grafting didn’t work.  But hey, the good Lord tells us that we can be grafted into God’s forever family (Romans 11:11-24).  Although we are not of the nation of Israel, we can be grafted into God’s spiritual family.  Hey, have you trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  If you have, you have also been grafted into God’s forever family.  Welcome into the family, brother, welcome to the family.

 

Reflection

When Beth was little, she was afraid to go to bed upstairs.  So I would take her upstairs, tuck her into bed, and place a glow-in-the-dark key fob in the overhead light to “charge up”.  Then I would look in the closet and announce, “Nothing in here.”  Then I would look under the bed and announce, “Nope, nothing under here either.  Finally, I would take down the “charged up” glowing key fob and give it to her.  She would promptly take it under her covers as she covered up her head, and she would go to sleep, feeling safe.  Hey, just as that key fob glowed from the light of the light bulb, we should reflect the light of Jesus Christ with our lives.  Paul said in I Corinthians 6:19&20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”  Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, we should reflect the glory of God as we show others our Christian testimony.  Hey, do people see a reflection of Jesus Christ in your life?  I hope so.  If not, why not behave like a real Christian today?

 

Silver Toenails

My daughter went to Hilton Head for a week of relaxation at the seashore.  On her way, she stopped by our house for a visit.  As she sat in our living room Friday evening, she said, “I need to change the color of my toenail polish.”  I asked her why, and she said, “My polish is silver - just about the color of little minnows.”  Good thinking, Becky, good thinking.  And that reminded me of when Peter and Jesus had to pay their taxes.  Jesus told Peter to throw a fishing line into the water.  And just a moment before, I can imagine a fish gobbling up a shiny coin off the sea floor - about the color of Becky’s toenails - and then taking Peter’s bait and being hauled on board Peter’s fishing boat.  Jesus told Peter in Matthew 17:27 to “… go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”  I’m sure Peter was surprised.  And if Becky hadn’t changed her toenail polish, I’m sure that she would have been surprised too as she swam in the ocean.  But then again, Jesus knew all about Peter and fish and coins and Becky and … well, you get the picture.  Just trust Jesus.  He knows everything.  Today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  Really.