Plants In Need Of Watering

When you want a flower to grow, it turns out, simply planting the seed isn't enough. Sure, it has to be done.

It helps if you plant it in good soil -- even more if that soil is stocked with nutrients and growth formulas and other new sciency things designed to help flowers grow. But unless you water the thing, all you have is a fairly expensive pot of dirt.

And it's not just a one-time thing, either. Turns out, the darn things need to be watered all the time. Even once they've started to grow, they still require water for survival. Fail to water, and your lovely flower wilts. Continue to forget, and it dies.

It's true for plants, for pets, and even for people. We need water -- a consistent supply of it! -- in order to survive.

As water is for our physical beings, prayer and learning are for our spiritual -- our real -- selves. It's telling, I think, that Jesus didn't tell us, before being taken back to the Father's side, to make converts, but to make disciples. It's one thing to plant a seed, but we must also encourage our fellow believer to grow stronger and become more like Christ. This is a process, and one that won't end until we end our lives here and come into our inheritance at His side.

Paul tells the church, in Hebrews 2:12-14,

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

His encouragement here is to edify one another, and to keep one another on the right path. We do this through constant prayer. We do this by constantly seeking to know more about God and His will.  This is why Christ called believers to make disciples. It's one thing to plant the seed; but once somebody comes to the faith, it is up to us to help cultivate it.

This is one of the reasons the church is so important. The church is a good soil in which this seed of faith can find what it needs for growth. But, more importantly, the fellow believers help sustain the life of this new faith by a constant stream of encouragement, prayer, and teaching.

Teenagers!

I'll admit: I don't often have much patience for teenagers. In a rare moment of clarity, however, I can see that this lack of patience isn't their problem, but my own. It's easy to forget being a teen myself. Easy to forget that, between all those social stresses and all the drama, these developing adults are actually growing in wisdom -- and may even have something worthwhile to contribute.

Such was certainly the case with young Timothy, mentored by Paul. While probably not a teenager, Timothy was a leader among a group of Christians -- and deemed by some as far too young for the task. That's why Paul told him in his first letter to him (Chapter 4, verse 12), "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." 

Timothy, if you read this letter, clearly had a lot to offer. He was a servant, a teacher, and a leader. And Paul put a lot on his young shoulders. But before that could happen, Paul was first a mentor. Young Timothy had to be nurtured in the faith, trained in the ways and wisdom of Christ, before he could become the man and leader God needed him to be. 

My lack of patience for the young is a personal failing -- and one that leads to greater failings. As one more mature (in theory) in the faith, is it not my job to instruct those younger? Is it not incumbent upon me to make disciples -- that is, to lead them in their learning about Christ? We aren't done teaching when somebody gets saved. When we're doing it right, this is when the real work begins. 

Today's teenagers -- like generations of teens before them -- are weird. They're dramatic, and worried about all the wrong things. They're awkward and uneducated. And so was I. And so were you. Thank God somebody had the faith and patience to see through all that, and to find my potential. Thank God somebody saw I, too, had something to offer -- and was willing to show me that I did! Truth is, as a kid, I didn't know what I had to offer. Teenagers need be told -- shown! -- that they are worthwhile; that they are unique, and special, and important.

I pray daily that God will soften my own heart so I, too, can see the potential in the young people in my life.

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day. Traditionally, this is a day the Church would dedicate to those who came before them. In that same tradition, I'd like to make a suggestion: that we remember those who have shown us the way to Christ, and those who have discipled us. We could spend the day remembering saints of old: the famous people who changed the church, or who were known for charity and piety. Certainly, we can thank God for their lasting influence!

But what about the people in your own life? People whose names will never be in the newspapers, or in a book about the church, but whose impact on you has been profound simply because they chose to serve God by ministering to you?

I thank God for the people in my life who have impacted my walk with God. My own Dad and Mom. My Father-in-law. A former pastor, Tom Blackford. All men (and woman) who God used to impact me and so many others. There are so many others too, some whose names I don't even remember, who God has brought into my life to help bring me closer to Him.

These individuals serve as a reminder, too, that we are also called to make disciples. Not to merely make converts, but to really train people and help them to develop their relationships with God. To teach them Scripture, and to have a lasting impact. This is our highest calling here on Earth, and you and I can thank God because people before us took it seriously.