Laced With Grace

When I think of love, I not only think of God, Who is love, but I think about the love we have for family and friends.  This brings to mind the story of Ruth and Naomi.  They were two women from two very different cultures who became in-laws first, then loving and faithful friends. 

After their husbands died, Naomi told her daughters –in- law to go back to their homeland and families.  We see where one did obey Naomi and tearfully said her goodbyes.   Ruth on the other hand had built a relationship with Naomi.  She saw something in Naomi that she desired more than anything and in probably one of the most touching passages of Scripture, Ruth pleads with her mother-in-law to allow her to go back with Naomi to her homeland:

  “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” (Ruth 1:16, 17). 

When I think of the love Ruth had towards Naomi, it makes me think about how special Naomi must have been.  I believe Naomi’s life was open book.  She lived her faith out loud; she loved unconditionally and deeply; she spoke from her heart; and family meant the world to her.  These are qualities that I desire in my life as well. 

A few months ago I was shopping with my daughter Heather.  We were standing in the deli department at Wal-Mart.  A funny thought came to my mind, and I shared it with Heather.  We were both in hysterics and couldn’t stop laughing.  The lady behind the deli counter said out loud, “I want what she’s having!”  Everyone in hearing distance burst into laughter.  Later this made me think, yes, this was a funny moment and we all needed a good laugh, but I wondered to myself; Do I live my life in such a way that people would say, “I want what she has?” 

Naomi shared her life with Ruth.  She allowed Ruth to see, hear, and feel all the joy and anguish of her relationship with God.  Do you share your inner most thoughts and questions about God with your spouse, family members and close friends? Sharing openly about our relationship with God can bring depth and intimacy to our relationships with others.  It can even bring them to know their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Through Naomi’s openness to share her relationship with God, Ruth was willing to accept that faith as well, and in so doing became the great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus.

Let us not be afraid to share our life openly with others.  We don’t need to sugar coat our relationship with God…  The Christian life is full of ups and downs; but the key to our witness is how we live our lives in front of others; willing to share trials, problems and discouragements along with the wonderful blessings.  One day I hope to hear someone say again, “I want what she’s having”, because they see something or Someone in me that they truly desire and need…. Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father, my life is an open book, when others “read” this book, may they see You and Your handiwork throughout and may they desire to have what I have…. YOU!  In Jesus name, Amen. 

http://michele-risingabove.blogspot.com

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in Me and My words remain in You, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be My disciples.

Have you ever thought about this verse?  I love that God’s Word gives us examples from our daily lives that help teach spiritual Truth.  When we ponder and visualize the verses, asking God for a spirit of wisdom and understanding, the scriptures come alive, truly teaching us! 

I’m reminded of what my kids wondered when I took our “real” Christmas tree to the curb on recycling day.  They asked why we didn’t just plant the beautiful tree in the back yard.  I explained that although the tree still looked green and pretty, it was dead.  It had been cut away from “the vine”- or it’s roots- where it gets its nutrients.  I explained that the tree wouldn’t grow anymore, no matter how rich the soil was.  It was only good to be “picked up, thrown into the fire and burned,” or in our case, mulched.  The tree needs to remain in the vine to have life.

We need to remain in our Vine (Jesus) to have life.  If we are abiding in our intimate relationship with Him, we will bear much fruit.  To be fruitful, flowering, vibrant, ALIVE, we must be connected to the Source of Life….Jesus.  We must be drawing on Him to sustain us, to nourish us, to make us flourish.  When we don’t, we will wither.

I can’t rely on myself.  I can’t do things in “Tracy strength.”  I must depend on Him.  I must abide in Him.

When I don’t, I wither.

I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my birthday that looked something like this.

Beautiful.

But, they weren’t connected to the vine.  They were cut away.  And, still they remained vibrant, lovely, pleasing…..

Not one week.

Not two weeks.

Not three weeks.

But, SIX weeks they remained gorgeous.

But, eventually, they looked like this. 

Eventually, they withered.  I had to throw them away. 

 Our relationship with Jesus is the same way.  When I don’t remain in Him, when I don’t seek after Him with all my heart, when I am depending on myself instead of Him, when my RELATIONSHIP with Him is not healthy, I will wither.

Like the flowers, I may stay beautiful for a while.  I may be “OK” for a week….or six weeks….or a year.  But, eventually, I will wither.  Jesus said in verse 4, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.”  I can’t bear fruit on my own.  I must stay connected to Him.  He is my source.

Lord, help me to always turn to You as my Source.  I want to remain, abide, flow in You and I know then that Your Life flows into me, allowing me to bear fruit.  I know when I am disconnected from You I wither.  Fill my heart with desire for You, O God!

Abiding in Him,

Tracy

Please visit me at my personal blog,

I love the scene in the old Indiana Jones movie where he is required  to step out in faith onto an invisible bridge over a deep chasm.  He discovers rather quickly that a little dirt on the path will show the way and confirm his suspicions of an unseen bridge.  It’s such a great illustration of walking by faith.  We can’t see what’s ahead, but we have to believe that God has made a way and that He will show it to us.

When I think of walking by faith, I imagine great missionaries stepping out into difficult, life-changing experiences or the faith of Abraham, who left his home to go where God led.  But, God wants us to live and walk by faith everyday, wherever we are, so it isn’t always about making drastic choices, but it is always about venturing into the unseen world.

We live day to day in a visual world, in a world of dirty dishes, cheerios on the floor, cars that need gas, unpaid bills, icy sidewalks and unfinished work.  We live in a world of unkind people, busyness, bad news, repeated failures and discouragement.  The good news is that this isn’t the deepest reality.  Life goes more than skin deep.

Walking by faith means living like there’s more to life than the eye can see.  A life of faith recognizes that what we can’t see is more real, more true and more powerful than what we can see with our own two eyes. 

The problem is that we use our physical eyes to judge situations and to assess ourselves.  We’re not used to opening our spiritual eyes and seeing with faith, so we need to focus to keep our eyes in the right place.  Here’s what I’m talking about:

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  2 Corinthians 5:16-17

God’s Word tells us that we are new creations and if you open your Bible up, you’ll find promise after promise about what God has given us right now (not just in eternity) and we need to learn to live like we really believe those promises.  Do you believe you are a new creation?  Do you live like God has changed your life? 

God tells us that when we trust in Him, we don’t need to have fear, so why do we allow it to creep into our thoughts?  His Word is clear that when we lean on Him, we don’t need to have burdens, so why are we feeling so burdened down?  God tells us that this new life with Him is filled with peace, joy, and self-control because He has given us the Spirit, which transforms us from the inside out, so why is there a lack of peace or joy? 

If we really have faith that what God says is true, then we need to start living like it.  If I believe that God has made me a new person, then I will not just see that as words on a page, but as transforming truth.  I will live today like a new person and when I feel less than joyful or a lack of peace starts to sneak in, I will remember not to see things from a worldly point of view.  It may seem like I’m not a new person, but God’s Word says I am, so I will live by faith.

By His grace,

Heather Cox