Good morning. It is that time of year when the days are at their shortest, the temperatures are often at their coldest, and flowers are only available from the store. Sigh, I miss our flowers. Pam is a wonderful gardener, especially when it comes to flowers. She surrounds our home from spring through early fall with baskets of growing flowers, as well as a variety of planting areas. Our flowers share a wonderful variety of color, size, and shapes but they all serve to bring a special beauty into every day.
I think that my favorite of all our flower types is the variety of morning glory that is planted here and there around our home. Being an early riser, it is a joy for me to sit on our back deck with my first cup of coffee and admire the morning glories as they open their blooms to the sun every morning. When I check back on them in an hour or so I find that they are slowly turning to track the sun. I think that our morning glories provide something of a model for Christians as we begin our day.
The first thing that must happen as the new day begins is that we realize that we are going to bloom. There isn’t any doubt about it, for we are the beautiful flowers of God’s garden, and we are going to bloom. We won’t bloom in the dark, but we will be determined to bloom even on those cloudy days. We know that our strength comes from the light. Our source of power is the Light of the world, our Lord Jesus. We are told in John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We know that finding the power of the Lord’s light is not a one time a day sort of thing. We need to follow Him, perpetually turning to face the fullness of His light. If we think we can manage on our own for even an hour or two, we are wrong. We need to follow the light because only the light brings us life. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. John 1:4
We know that any beauty that may be ours is actually His. As we read in 1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
It is never our aim to outgrow or to be more beautiful than the bloom next to us. No, our beauty is truly recognized by our unified presence. Left by ourselves we aren’t very impressive, but when we bloom in abundance with our fellow flowers, the combined effect is remarkable. It is a splash of vibrant beauty that cannot be denied. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25
It is important that we always remember that in Christ we are we are part of a greater whole. Our beauty, our production, our protection, His glory are all seen through the whole. We may show off our individual blooms, but our roots are all together and we all emerge from the one vine. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
It will be a while before the blooms of spring show themselves. In the meantime, I will need to find my beauty for the day in other places. There is no place more beautiful, no place to search more fruitful, than where the beloved of the Lord are gathered.
Thank you for blooming for me today!
Vern