Lessons from a Flower

I made some flower pens for my prayer group because I wanted something to give them at the end of the semester after spending all year getting to know these girls. Well, prayer group is a time where we give a little devotional and spend time praying for each other. So I was looking for something to talk to them about that would go with the gift that I was giving them. So where did I start? Flowers, of course. I began to look up Bible verses about flowers, and boy, was I disappointed. Everything about flowers was how they die. At the end of the day, college students don't really want to hear about how short their lives are. I mean, no one really does. But God kept showing me verse after verse about how little time we really have. But then I came across this verse:

Psalm 103:15 - As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

Flourisheth. That word really stuck out to me. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, flourish means "to grow luxuriantly, thrive; to achieve success, prosper."

In Matthew Henry's Commentary, he says, "the flower of the garden is commonly more choice and valuable, and, though in its own nature withering, will last the longer for its being sheltered by the garden wall and the gardener’s care."

Yes, our lives are extremely short, but that is no time to waste! Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." In this life, we are to live our lives wisely. In the quote above, Matthew Henry is telling us to live under the shelter of the Gardener's care. This is wise living. He will take care of us. He will get rid of the bugs and weeds in our lives. He will cut and prune us so that we live a life that is holy, completely pleasing to Him.

We have to use the time that God has given us, not waste it. Follow His commandments. Serve Him and others with all your heart. Make a difference in someone's life. Leave a lasting impact. Live under the protection of our heavenly Gardener. Make the most of the time you have. So whenever you see a flower, let it remind you that your time is short, so flourish!

Unrestrained

Have you ever seen a dog desperately pulling on his chain? With great determination and willpower, that dog really believes that he can set himself free. He keeps tugging and struggling – not realizing that he’s tied to a tree. From our perspective, the dog looks fairly ridiculous. Even though he can’t see that something is holding him back, we clearly know what is restraining him from breaking loose.

Ever felt like that dog? You might be trying with all your might to break free of your restraints and live for Jesus, but at the end of the day, you’re still chained to something. What are the restraints in your life? Perhaps it is a secret sin that is controlling your mind and heart. Maybe it’s an unhealthy relationship that needs to be left in the past. Or it could even be as harmless as a hobby – such as sports, shopping, or school – but you have become so caught up in activities that God takes second place. A restraint is anything that stands between you and your loving Savior. Anything that steals your attention and adoration from the One who gave up everything just to know you and make you His.

How do we get rid of restraints? The answer is very simple. Abandon them. When something is restraining you, it is keeping you in bondage and taking control of your life. The word abandon is a “complete lack of inhibition or restraint.” That’s what God wants from us – no restraints. When we allow restraints to create a wall between us and Jesus, we are not fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. In Isaiah 43:7, I’m reminded of that purpose – “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” I have created him for my glory.

When I was a little girl, my friends and I played this game that I’m sure most of you are familiar with. A friend would double dare me to fall back into his open arms, but here’s the tricky part – no peeking. As I would start to fall backwards, my eyes darted to quickly make sure he was going to catch me. My restraint was fear. An overwhelming fear of falling. Now, imagine that Friend behind you is Jesus. Simply let go of any restraints and fall back into His arms. He will catch you every time. To step it up for Christ, we must first abandon ourselves totally to God. Nothing holding us back. Nothing getting in the way.

Today, Jesus is waiting with open arms. No matter where you come from or what you’ve done, we can all find our identity in Jesus Christ. Lost? Jesus will find you and keep you. Dirty? Let Jesus wash you clean. Scarred? Jesus knows all about scars.

The One on the throne deserves all of our glory. Instead of giving Him bits and pieces of our hearts, let's give Him all of it. Give Him everything.

Live unrestrained.

Step It Up

This year at my very first hall meeting for college our Resident Assistants (RA) told us to wear heels to hall meeting. Okay, this was interesting. We had to wear heels just down the hallway to sit in the room. I wasn't too happy because I am not a heels person. Even though I'm short, I'm pretty content with my shortness. Heels are just way too painful. Now, I know some of you love them. They're just not for me. But I wore them anyway.
All of us girls are sitting in this meeting with our heels on wondering why we had to wear them in the first place. Then our RA got up and gave us this reminder.

"Step it up."

Oh, okay. Now the heels make sense. But now what? We're stepping it up, friends, in our walk with God. It's time to make a difference. We have to stop waiting around for something, anything, to happen. Ephesians 5:16 says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." If you go and look at this passage, the verses right before that are telling us to walk carefully and be wise. Is it really wise to sit around and wait for God to show us something big to do? No! He tells us to use our time wisely. Life is short. James 4:14 states, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." You know that steam that you see above the hot pot when you're cooking on the stove top? That's how short our lives are. We only have a speck of time in the scheme of eternity. We have to use the time he has given us wisely.

So we know that we are supposed to step it up for God. But how do you do that? The simple answer to that question is to start with the little things. You know, all those small things that we know we are supposed to do. Read your Bible. Pray. Obey your parents or other authority in your life. But how many of us actually do those things? So let's take on the challenge. Let's step it up for Christ!