We were on the way home from a trip and stopped at a motel for the night. The next morning we ate the free breakfast served in the mini cafeteria connected to the lobby. As we walked back to our rooms just off the parking lot, I noticed one of the bushes in the landscape.
It stood at the end of the hedgerow and was slightly taller than the others. I noticed it because it was perfectly pruned in the shape of a Christmas tree. Even in the middle of springtime it appealed to me.
I stopped to admire it. The shape was flawlessly symmetrical, so whoever had pruned it was quite skilled. It was some kind of evergreen, but the leaves were not sharp and prickly like some evergreens are. They were actually quite soft and flexible in my hand.
Suddenly, a little bird flew from the midst of the bush and very close to my face. Naturally, I was startled and jumped - crying out "Oh" as I did so. My parents were behind me on the sidewalk and Dad got a good laugh from this scene. I have no idea where the little bird went; but I'm sure it was somewhere close by waiting to take up its residence once we had gone.
Of course when I first admired the bush -- (a beautiful living thing -- a creation of God) -- I had no idea that a bird was living / abiding in it. But that living creature very quickly made itself known. One life was living inside of another life and it only took a few seconds for the bird to make itself known.
This made me think of Christ and those of us who are His followers. Christ told us in John 14:6 "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. The only way to the Father is through me." (NCV) Think about this for a moment.
WE are living beings -- created by God - but does THE LIFE abide in us. Is there another life living within us? That little bird let him/herself be known almost immediately. When we meet someone new, how long does it take to let them know Jesus - "the Life" is alive in us?
This is not something magical, mystical or supernatural. It is not some elusive thing to which only a few folks have access. Remember who "the Life" is. Our Savior Jesus Christ is the Life and He is totally attainable to everyone. It is a sound scriptural promise given to us by Christ Himself.
Consider John 14:23 - Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (NKJV) What a wonderful promise this is! Love Jesus - keep (obey - follow) His word and both Jesus and the Father will be with us.
After giving the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus promised that He would always be with His apostles as they continued to teach others about Him. He will be with us today as long as we follow Him. We must be careful not to pick and choose what parts of Christ's Words we want to "keep." We must keep all His commandments.
We can't rationalize that one teaching is good for us to keep while others just may not be for us. But perhaps that's another lesson for another time. We just need to realize that all of Christ's teachings apply to all of us. And if we want to be with the Father -- then Jesus is the ONLY way.
In John 15:1-6 Jesus tells us He is the True Vine and that we must abide in Him to bear fruit for Him - for without Him we can do nothing. To bear good fruit for Him we must cling to Him as a branch clings to a vine. Do we allow Jesus to abide in us?
John 15:10 says: "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love." This is how Christ and the Father come to us -- but we have to come to them first - with loving obedient hearts.
The apostle John speaks of the Lord's abiding love and presence in our lives several times in 1 and 2 John. Perhaps those passages can be shared in another post. They are beautiful verses teaching that our Christ can truly dwell within us - if we love Him enough to obey Him -- if we love Him enough to show that love to others.
So, the challenge for us is to live so that "the Life" lives within us ... and then to make known we have that wonderful Life - that is Jesus - living there. We must learn to let our light shine ... let our life be soon as beautiful .. like that shrub I saw ... and then when folks come to take a closer look ... make sure we let them see the Life - the Spirit of Christ dwelling there.
Christ above all things,
Robin Whitley
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