Inspiration from a Rose

A score and two years ago, I brought forth upon my backyard a plant that turned out to be one of the most pervasively invasive plants in America, Multiflora [see http://westboroughlandtrust.org/nn/nn77.php ]. [And it wasn't born here—it was brought here from Asia]. In the past few weeks I have been relentlessly reaping what I have sown. Thankfully a crew of men came through and cleaned out the foliage under the power-line that runs behind my house, exposing the roots of my pernicious plant; otherwise my endeavor would have been impossible as the roots were engulfed in the plant's stems covered with thorns the size of Bobcat teeth and just as likely to bite. So for days now, with shovel and machete, I have been digging, hacking, pulling; digging hacking, pulling, in the stinking, rain-soaked, mosquito-infested Louisiana mire. I have been encouraging myself with words that sound like they may have come from our forefathers and great military leaders:

“We shall never, never, never give up. We must persevere with great diligence against this dastardly plant that has invaded our land. The only defeat is surrender: and we shall never surrender. We will most assuredly gain the victory if we persevere in faith and hope. By the sweat of my brow I will til the land that has been infested, since the Curse, with thorns and briers. This land is mine; God gave this land to me. God is on our side. Those coming after me who will live upon this hallowed land will not remember what I have done here, but my immediate family can never forget how dirty, sweaty, tired, and, yes, irritable [God forgive me] I have been in the days of my warfare; and how many pairs of mud-soaked pants, shirts and socks have been dropped into the washing machine between a thumb and finger, head turned away in disgust.”

And then I sing a few bars of “We Shall Overcome”.

“Onward Christian Soldiers” has helped also.

Just like sin in my character, I know that there are still some roots out there that will crop up and try to take over my yard again. I know the war is not over. But just for now, as I survey the grounds, I see none of those insidious little green heads with tiny, baby stems, destined to become greedy tentacles grasping with piercing thorns for more and more of my yard.

This battle is won!

Let us join hands and sing:

“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...”

Christians are the Happiest People on Earth

Christians are the Happiest People on Earth

I think Christians are the happiest people on earth. Every week we get together and sing songs and study the Word which is called the “Gospel”, which means “good news”. We have come to believe that we exist because we have been given life by the God of the universe Who is a God of Love; and Who loves us like a parent loves his children—a “Heavenly Father”. Our God has demonstrated His Love for us in a manner that the human mind can conceive as ultimately supreme: the sacrificing of an only child. There is no higher means that we could conceive by which one could demonstrate his love. We have come to know that our sins [failures, weaknesses, shortcomings, etc.] are forgiven and removed from us as far as the “east from the west,” and that God does not even remember them. We have been given the wonderful example of a Perfect Life, [Christ]; and He has made it abundantly clear that His Life was given as an atonement for our sins; and that, when we place our faith in Him, the God Who created us imparts His [Jesus'] perfect righteousness to us, and that, even though we continue to stumble along the pathway of life, we are now, beyond any doubt, heaven bound. We have come to know that, even though we will have tribulation in this world [He told us that we would] we can be of good cheer, because He has overcome the “world” [all the tribulations of this world]. And He is “in” us; and we are “in” Him. And He will be with us always, “even to the end of the world”. We have come to know that, in Christ, death is our final victory. That all the tribulations of this earthly life are but a drop in the ocean of eternity. And Christ has brought us into an awareness that we are already living in eternity. We have come to know that we are here to be a manifestation of His Love in the world. And as we devote ourselves to being obedient to Him in this way, we discover that joy and peace begin to arise within us like mercury in a thermometer on a warm Spring morning. Now we know why we are here. Now we know where we are going. Now we know the Pathway of Life. We have been brought from darkness into light. As we awaken from this darkness into the Light of the Love of Christ, we find many brothers and sisters who have also been awakening. We find a true family: the Family of God. One of our songs is “I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood...”. Another is “We are one in the bond of love...”. And yet another: [The family of God is born from above, a special bond drawn together by love; knowing and caring, feeling and sharing, living together in the family of God.] We sing songs that celebrate our awakening into Christ. Here's one from our hymnal: “Oh what a wonderful wonderful day, day I will never forget; after I'd wandered in darkness a way, Jesus my Savior I met....Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, when on the Cross the Savior made me whole.”

Here's another one, entitled “Since Jesus Came Into My Heart”: What a wonderful change in my heart has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. I have light in my soul for which long I had sought, since Jesus came into my heart.... When we look deeply into these songs, we realize they were not written by someone who was bored one day and decided to sit down and write a poem. We realize that these words came from the overflow of a grateful, joyful heart. And as we sing the songs, we celebrate that joy and thankfulness for the gift that Jesus has brought to us. We even sing happy songs about death: “I shall go there to dwell in that city I know, since Jesus came into my heart. And I'm happy, so happy as onward I go, since Jesus came into my heart.”

We sing songs of hope for peace in our world [Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled], peace in our hearts, [It is well with my soul] . We sing songs of joy, hope and faith [Trusting Jesus]. We sing songs that encourage us to work for the good of the human family. We try to think of ways to help others come into the joy and peace we have found in Christ. We recognize evil in the world, and we are grieved by its destructive effect in so many lives. But we do not fear evil; we simply live in Christ's victory over it. And we continually invite others to enter into this victory. We realize that God loves those who do not know Christ as much as He loves us, so we are not condescending or self-righteous. In fact, the closer we draw to God through Christ, the more we realize how blessed we are to be forgiven, because we see more and more clearly how selfish and self-centered we have been. We have been forgiven for so much, we dare not look down on anyone. We celebrate the “Amazing Grace.... that saved a wretch like me.”

The more immersed we become in the Word, the freer we become from the worries and cares of the world that Jesus warns us about. Then there is room in our soul for joy, peace, and abundant life—all the things Jesus promised us.

We are the happiest people on earth!