THINGS TO REMEMBER

PART TWO

     Spring time is here. Praise the Lord for all the wonderful blooms and smells of Spring!!! There are some great verses in the Bible that will remind and encourage us to be thankful for what God has physically provided us as well as the spiritual nourishment we receive in times of great need. Meditate on these verses and you will be blessed.

Isaiah 58:8: " Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward."

Isaiah 61:11: "For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

     If you read verse 7 of Isaiah 58, you will see that God will bless us when we bless others. There are people who are in greater need than we are. Showing compassion as Jesus did will cause our spiritual, physical, and mental health to spring forth speedily and Christ's righteousness that is in us will go before us giving all the glory to the LORD. Why? Because Christ's righteousness will be expressed in our deed instead of our own righteousness which is filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6) This is only accomplished by yielding our will to the Holy Spirit's will which results in glory to God alone. (Read Matthew 5:16; John 16:13-15) Jesus is our prime example in how to love people not only in word but also in deed. 
     Now as we meditate on Isaiah 61:11, take a good ten minutes or more to walk around your yard and look at the buds on the trees, flowers, roses, and gardens, etc. Think about what the bud represents and all it gives. So I decided that I would check the rose of sharon tree that my son and his friend helped me transplant last weekend. The first thing I noticed was the tiny little leaves coming out of the bud. It reminds me of the newness of life. Oh, the newness of life coming back in such a freshness that only the good Lord can provide! Then when it dies off in the end, it seems that all hope is lost. But be encouraged, my brothers and sisters, it will come back fresh and new in the Lord's time. We, Christians, are just like trees that lie dormant for a season. Just pray and wait on the Lord. (Read Isaiah 42:9; 43:19; 44:4)

     Then I went to look at the azalea bushes and I noted something perculiarly different about the buds. Instead of leaves coming out of the buds like the rose of sharon tree or fig trees, flowers were beginning to bloom. It reminds me of what is so fragile but lasts only for a very short while. The good Lord has much to give in this shortness of time but too often we overlook it and take it for granted. We can easily miss out on what the purpose is (as for the azalea bush is to show forth the Lord's beauty in creation). 

     Now for the last passage to meditate on. Ezekiel 17:8-10: "

It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

     This passage has more of a negative connotation in relation to spring but we must take heed and learn from its admonitions for the betterment of our wellbeing. We note from this verse that the leaves of her spring wither in its season. Why is this? Because of the supernatural judgment of God on nature. Just as judgement on nations and rulers are wrought by God so is mothernature so called subject to His hand. Here we see God's curse instead of His blessing. This is the only place I found "spring" mentioned in the Bible. We see here the sovereign hand of God controlling as He wills without any say so on our part. God is God and the leaves of our spring can wither away before coming to full maturation if we're not obeying as we should. You can plant a tree in good soil  but it will not prosper unless the Lord's blessing is upon it. Man can plant anything but only God can make it prosper. This is a great truth we should never forget as we seek to enjoy this spring in its full beauty to the very end and take care that our spiritual life of spring be not too early withered before it gives God all the glory He so eanestly deserves from such unworthy creatures as us. 

Written by Brother Matthew C. Altman