November 1st
Growing Vines on Your Spirit Man
More than once when my wife, Nancy's mom has visited us from St Louis, Mo.,USA she would often say, "My how everything grow so profusely out here.!!" She was referring to the vines around our house, the shrubs, etc. And, how true she was!!
I have been contemplating the analogy with our own life - how "profusely" the vines of the world grow on and around us. Sometimes we promote the growth; sometimes the world "grows" on us.
Once I was visiting a rancher who was out cleaning off the grape vines growing around his house. When asked what he was doing, he replied that because of the rains we have been having, the vines are overgrown with branches and leaves. It was important, he informed me, to cut away this growth so that the sun could shine on the grapes. What he was doing was "pruning" the growth!
So, I say to myself, "Neal, are there vines growing on your spiritual life?"Then I ran across these words:
"Even so does our loving heavenly Father prune off superfluous foliage from His children. Sometimes He takes away temporal blessings and earthly comforts that they may bring forth the life-enriching fruit of the Spirit: 'love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.' (Gal. 5:22,23) He does this in love - never hastily or capriciously."
The scripture is Lam 3:33:
"HE DOES NOT AFFLICT WILLINGLY"Then I always like to add (for myself and mine) - Heb. 12:6, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens."
Perhaps you might be experiencing such a "cutting" or "pruning" right now. If so, it is so the SON LIGHT of His love can penetrate to you very being. Please, accept this by faith, in the name of Jesus.
May I pray for you?
Lord, we do detest the undergrowth and the foliage that grows on our spiritual man. Grant serenity to this beautiful individual in the cutting that you will do. There is, indeed, VICTORY in Jesus.
Amen