An Apple Called to Live
Can
you believe it? Did you see what they did?
I’ve
been in this tree all of my life and I still can’t believe what they did!
Well,
let me tell you about my life. First off, before I was even formed, there was a
seed in the ground. With that seed grew new life. It took years for a trunk to
come along and then there were the branches. All of this fed with water and
nourished with soil. And oh, how warm that wonderful sun provided warmth and vitamins.
All the soil and the water were gifts
from God. Gifts given even in the very seed of formation.
Anyway,
after the trunk increased in diameter and branches formed, there came along
some blossoms. All of this cared for by someone other than me, that’s for sure.
There
was fertilization, pruning and weeding that took place. All of this happened
without any effort at all by myself. It just happened by my loving and caring creator
and owner.
My
source of life became familiar with its environment. My source of life knew
when to rest, when to produce me and when to grow a little more. Year after
year this took place. All through no effort of my own.
As my
predecessor, the flower formed, these honey bees from what seemed like another
planet came by and did something called pollination. These honey bees just
loved the sweetness and the smell of the nectar inside of my flowers.
And
this is when some magic took place. Almost like it was sent from above. And it
was, in some ways, as the honeybees swirled and buzzed around, the flower’s
pollen would stick to the hair of the honeybee and the honeybee would spread
that pollen from flower to flower all around the other trees in the field
around me. And it’s in this that I can spring to new life.
I
grow.
I
grow and become fruit. I produce without any effort of my own. It just takes
place. Somehow. And God is happy with me. God loves me and calls me his own. It’s
not anything that I have done, that makes me so sweet and wonderful to all the
world. It’s all the work of God.
You
see, my only action was to depend on what God gives me and let it happen. As I
grow, I become wonderful in the eyes of God.
The
others were wonderful in the eyes of God as well. But they decided to do
something different. They grew and were nourished and loved just as I was, but
they decided to do something different.
They
decided to try and go it on their own. They decided to separate from the love
and nourishment of God and pull away from the branch. And they dropped! Can you
believe it? Why? God gave them everything needed to live! Why?
As
they lived their lives separated from God, they sat on the ground and rot. Some
were eaten by animals and many made the animals sick in themselves.
The
rest of us? The ones that depended on God to live? We were gathered together
and taken to a great feast with God. How wonderful is that!
All
we had to do was live with God in his Kingdom. God took care of it all!
It’s
a funny way to live, but believe it! God will take care of you from start to
finish.
Matthew 25:31-46 ESV
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels
with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before
him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate
people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he
will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the
King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. For I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was
naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was
in prison and you came to me.’ Then the
righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed
you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when
did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when
did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the
King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the
least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and
his angels. For I was hungry and
you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a
stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and
in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they
also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he
will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of
the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these
will go away into eternal punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life.”
Lord, you are my life. Christ, you are my King. As I innocently do the
works you call me to do, may I always look to you and depend upon you for life.
As I kneel before you, my Maker and Savior, make me live in and for you… today…
tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen
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