Think about the last bouquet of flowers you either gave or received. They were beautiful to look at and maybe even filled the room with sweet fragrance. But looks and smells are deceiving. Those flowers are dead. They have been cut from their stem (vine). They look alive for a while, but in time they wither away. You find petals on the floor.

Now read John 15:1-6. Jesus makes the point that once we become Christ-followers, we become His branches. Fruit is produced as His life flows through us; a Spirit-filled life (Ephesians 5:18) that produces fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

The word Jesus uses is abide (“meno” in the Greek), defined as “to stay.” We are called to remain united to Jesus, one with Him in heart, mind, and will. We are designed to be branches, and we are only fruitful for the long haul by “abiding” in Him. Otherwise, we are nothing more than that bouquet of flowers.

Jesus came not just to redeem us (Psalm 107:2, John 3:16) but also to give us life; an abiding life, fruitful life, abundant life (John 10:10)!

Are you just a bouquet of dead flowers or are you looking to Jesus to give you life-giving nutrients?

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Who doesn’t like a warm and freshly baked blueberry muffin? Spread a small amount of butter onto these warm goodies, and oh so good! To make these delicious muffins from scratch you need the basics – flour, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk, blueberries, maybe some vanilla extract, and a small amount of another very important ingredient, baking powder. Without the baking powder to act as a leavening agent, which produces carbon dioxide gas during baking, trapping the bubbles in the batter and causing it to rise, the muffins will be dense and not the delicious treat you had hoped for.

Do you know the difference between baking powder and baking soda? Both are leavening agents with the primary difference being baking powder already contains the acid needed to create the carbon dioxide whereas baking soda needs another acidic ingredient (commonly vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, yogurt, buttermilk, honey) to create the rising reaction.

You can argue as to which ingredient is most important. But, in reality, all of these ingredients are of equal importance, forgetting one of them, or adding the wrong amount, leaves the muffins more suited for feeding the ducks than for enjoying them a good cup of coffee with a nice dessert wine, say a vintage Port or Sherry or Muscat (Moscato). Personally, I prefer wine over the coffee, the sweetness of the wine will pairs very nicely with the acidic blueberries!

Meaningful relationships, on the other hand, while also having several key ingredients, are firmly based upon one primary ingredient – love. Yes, in a relationship you need among other things such as respect, honesty, trust, and communication, but without love being first and foremost, none of those ingredients work too well, if at all.

I deeply value the importance of relationships and truly believe that love covers over any and all differences we have with other people. The Bible agrees; check out Proverbs 10:12 or 1 Peter 4:8. In the church my wife and I planted when we lived in North Carolina, we wanted to be known for who we are for and not for what we are against. We wanted to be known for who we loved, which was hopefully everyone, even our “enemies.” I believe that those relationships can best be nurtured and developed using the acronym LACE, with “L” representing Love. Love is the foundation upon which the other three letters stand. And in case you are wondering, the other three are Accountability, Challenge, Encourage.

You are probably very familiar with the “Love Passage” from 1 Corinthians 13, often read at weddings. This is so much more than just good advice for a bride and groom; it is great life wisdom! Even if you have heard it a thousand times, I encourage you to take a few minutes and read it again, 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. It begins with “Love is patient, love is kind” and ends with this endless truth, “And now these three things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Planted smack dab in the middle of these bookends is this – “Love never fails.”

So, unlike baking blueberry muffins, where the proper amount of each ingredient is needed in order to ensure it is edible, in relationships you can never add too much love. Just imagine how much better this world would be if we filled it with more love and less hatred. I will end with this anecdote that I read in a farmer’s almanac – A wise physician once said, “The best medicine for humans is love.” His patient asked, “What if it doesn’t work?” The doc smiled and replied, “Increase the dose.”

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At some point in your life, you have probably had the health of your heart tested to help doctors detect potential cardiac problems. Electrocardiography is the process that records the heart’s electrical pattern of depolarizing and repolarizing during each heartbeat by placing electrodes on the patient’s limbs and chest. The record of this pattern is called an EKG or ECG and it shows the series of waves that relate to the electrical impulses which occur during each beat of the heart.

Life is often that way. In the course of a single day, we can see our emotions bounce all over the place. If we hooked our daily “emotion meter” up to an EKG machine, it would very likely show a similar wave pattern as the pattern of our heartbeat; a never-ending series up highs and lows, peaks and valleys. We tend to be “high” when times are good and “low” when things are not so good. This pattern can leave us exhausted, worn down, and stretched to the point of breaking.  

While we tend to change minute by minute, God, in His three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. You’ve probably heard the saying that the only constant is change. While that is true of us and all the things around us, the opposite is true of God – He is consistent; always good, always loving, always all-powerful.

Scripture is full of verses that tell us of God’s unchanging and unchangeable nature. Here are just a few: In Malachi 3:6, the Lord says this of himself – “I the LORD do not change.” We read these words in James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” And Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

So, no matter what your EKG printout looks like, no matter how uncertain your life is, or how changing the world can be, you can always trust in God’s never-changing and never-ending love and faithfulness.

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How we shop sure has changed over the years. General Stores, carrying a broad selection of merchandise, were commonplace in this country in the 18th and 19th century, most often because mobility was limited. While these general merchandise stores have pretty much disappeared, where I live, they do still actually exist. By the early to mid-20th century, due primarily to urban sprawl and the ever-increasing ease of transportation, retailers began to specialize in specific types of merchandise, meaning you had to shop at many different stores in order to buy all the various items you needed. You went to the grocery store for food and drink, the drug store for medications, the department store for clothes, the hardware store to buy a lawn mower, the appliance store for a new refrigerator, and the toy store for that Barbie dollhouse with a trillion tiny decals.

Those types of stores do still exist, but these days, with the growth of the big box retail stores, you can pretty much load up on all of life’s necessities and luxuries at one place. You can buy everything from groceries to underwear to new tires all under one roof. While you shop you quite possibly can have a mechanic at that store put a new set of tires on your car. And if you are hungry or thirsty, never fear, there is probably a food and beverage kiosk over in the corner. Before heading home, you stop outside and fill up the car with gas, maybe even catching up on the latest news via the television screen on the gas pump. Those retailers that used to specialize in a few types of products and services have been forced to expand their offerings, just to stay in business.

Editorial commentary – I encourage you, whenever possible, to shop and eat local, supporting those small businesses in your community.

Not only have brick and mortar retailers changed how we shop, now with the explosion of the Internet, we don’t even need to get up off the couch to purchase goods and services any longer. Pretty much these days, you can find most everything you need (or want) via e-commerce: online shopping. If you can’t find it on Amazon, you can most certainly find it on a specific retailer’s website. Not only can you shop online, but with subscriptions such as Amazon Prime, what you buy today can often show up on your doorstep as early as tomorrow. The Internet has to some degree made “one-stop” shopping as easy as a click here and a click there.      

We also have a God who is a “one-stop” shop; a place to go for all that we need. And just to be clear, “need” is different than “want.” In Genesis 3:21 we read, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and His wife and clothed them.” God has been providing for His people since the very beginning of time and He promises to meet your needs today.

The well-known 23rd Psalm begins like this, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (translated: I will not be in need).

And we are told in Psalm 34:9-10, “Fear the LORD, you holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” Fear in this context means a healthy respect and reverence.

So, do you trust God to supply all your needs? Do You One-Stop Shop? Or do you sometimes run from “store to store” trying to locate what you can’t seem to find?

Dear Father, grant us all the gift of ever-increasing faith so that we can trust You, and always look to You, for all our needs. Thank you for being our one-stop shop and for holding no good thing back from us. Amen

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Right now, as you look ahead, do you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? I simply want to say that in the moments when you feel as if life is pressing tight in on you, and you feel as if there is no relief in sight, you can rest assured that God is right there ready to exchange your anxiety for His peace. We often employ many stress relievers to lessen that weight we feel. But’s let’s be honest, none of them work too well. For a few minutes, a few hours, many even a few days, we feel better, but soon, that weight is back on our shoulders. That anxiety once again keeps you awake at night.

Let me offer what I believe is a better solution, one that promises a better result. It first requires you to put your trust in Jesus, giving Him control in your life.

It then requires you giving Jesus access to every aspect of your life, unrestricted entry into every room. Oh my, you say. Yes, every aspect. And trust me, that takes practice and more practice and even more practice. I am still working this out in my own life. God has much to say about this subject. Let’s dig in.   

“Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8a). And, in v.10 we read – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

So, we are called to trust (submit) ourselves to God, turn from the world – this does not mean isolation or living in a bubble – and, in return, God draws close to us.

Let’s keep digging. 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

When you see a verse begin with “therefore,” you need to ask, “what is it there for?” It requires reading the previous verse(s) to get the context. In this case, v.5 ends like this… “Clothe yourself, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”  

Now let’s dig even deeper. “Clothe yourself.” It is an infrequently used word that refers to a slave putting on an apron before serving his or her master. What I see being inferred here is that we are to imitate Jesus, who humbled himself by putting on an apron before washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:1-17). And why humility? Because, throughout scripture we are told that God’s provision of grace is to the submissive (humble) and His opposition is toward the proud. We read in Proverbs 3:34 – “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.”

It is also important to understand what “casting” means. The Greek word used in v.7 referenced above means “to throw upon or to place upon.” The implication of that is a game changer. We are to cast our burdens, place our burdens, throw our burdens, upon Jesus, and NOT take them back. It implies a permanent exchange!

So, right now, load up your hook with your anxiety, your weighty burdens, admit your need for Jesus to be in control of your life, and cast your line into the water, giving that anxiety, those burdens, to Him. s we often are, we are prompted to ask why. Maybe let these two passages be your answer –

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).

And, also, right now, Jesus is whispering these hopeful words in your ear – “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

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Our lives are filled with surprises; some we are thankful for, others we could do without. A surprise birthday party, surprise bouquet of flowers, or surprise call from a long-lost friend, those warm our hearts. However, that broken window you came home to after a weekend away, the oil spot on the garage floor under your car, the unexpected “we need to talk” from your spouse, that uh-oh you hear from the team trainer as they tend to your injured shoulder, those are surprises you could have done without. Many years ago, one of our daughters inadvertently dialed 9-1-1 before quickly hanging up, and soon thereafter, we got a surprise visit from the local police department, who, just for the record, were not amused.

Not only do people and things surprise us, but God also often shows up in unexpectedly or in unexpected ways. As followers of Jesus, we are instructed to seek God’s guidance through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We most often find God’s guidance through prayer, “alone time” with Him, and the reading of Scripture. God sometimes speaks to us in other ways too, but prayer, reading and meditating upon His Word, and quiet times with the Lord should be part of our everyday rhythm, whether for daily guidance or wisdom for a difficult situation or decision.  

Sometimes we are looking for God and He shows up in ways we expect, while other times He comes unexpectedly or in a way that catches us off guard. Often, because of how our minds work, we tend to put God in a box and when He acts outside that box, we fail to recognize that it is God. I recall a time when I had a particularly difficult decision to make and one night, in the middle of a rare good night’s sleep, God unexpectedly woke me and surprisingly spoke clearly to me, giving me my answer. I accepted His answer, truthfully, somewhat reluctantly, and while I did not know it at the time, it was a watershed moment in moving us into a life of ministry and church planting.

After Adam and Eve rebelled by eating the forbidden fruit, God showed up and walked with them in the Garden (Genesis 3:8). Moses was minding his own business, tending his sheep like he had done for forty years, when God showed up and spoke to Him in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). God showed up to Jacob in a wrestling match (Genesis 32:22-32). Daniel was protected in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-28). Gideon experienced God in wool fleece (Judges 6:36-40). In 1 Kings 19:11-13, God revealed Himself to the prophet Elijah in an unexpected way. Not through powerful forces, but rather, through a low whisper, literally, a gentle blowing. The Christmas Story is one unexpected event after another, culminating in God showing up in a most unexpected way – as a little baby.

God has been making surprise visits since the first pages of the Bible, and He continues to come in unexpected and often surprising ways. When God visits, it is for a purpose. So, today, keep an open heart and open mind, an attentive ear, an observing eye; you just never know when or where He will show up! 

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