The rest of the story

The Rest of the Story


For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;   we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

 There is a lot of malarkey on TV these days. One offender is the series Survivor. So they are on a deserted island, huh? I looked up the series on the internet and it turns out there is a 300 person crew, including cameramen and set builders, 2 doctors and 3 nurses. Many of these stay in air-conditioned inflatable cabins. Contestants are probably not in as desperate a situation as they would have us believe.

TV is not the only place we are missing pieces of the puzzle, though.  Our picture of life can be distorted as well. When I was about 12 or 13, I went to the thriving metropolis of Spearman, TX to spend a week with my aunt and uncle. One night as I was lying in bed, I heard a quiet jingling sound. I figured it was Bandit, their border collie. I called him, expecting 25 pounds of black and white fluff.  The missing piece of information was that the jingling sound was not coming from Bandit. I realized my mistake when seconds after I called him I was confronted with 200 pounds of Hoss, the Saint Bernard who was usually outside. He managed to pin my shoulders and knees with his massive paws and was grinning down at me and drooling. Jackie soon encouraged him to get back outside, but my going to sleep was postponed that night.

Many times our spiritual and emotional life suffers due to missing information. When I was talking to my sister a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about how I had always felt inferior to her because in so many areas she was the star. She said, “I wish I had the power to go back and reframe that for you.” God showed me that what I needed in that situation was to literally re-frame that memory, using a wider camera angle. I was able to understand for the first time that there was a lot of pressure in always being the star and that she was having struggles I couldn’t see.  After way too many years, a barrier is gone between us.

Move the camera out again and look at other area in our life, such as our marriages. I asked God the other night why marriage was so difficult. He reframed that image for me too. Yes marriage is difficult in the best of circumstances. The rest of the story is that we are in a battle. If you are trying to follow Jesus, the enemy is not happy. One of his names is “the accuser of the brethren”. He will accuse us, but he will also accuse our spouse, tempting us to focus on their shortcomings and the things that annoy us. We can choose to change our focus to notice the things that they do right. By attacking our marriages, the enemy can destroy one of our greatest assets. Let’s don’t stop there though. The camera moves back further and we can see heavenly hosts fighting for us.

 In 1 Kings 6 there is a story where Elisha and his servant find themselves surrounded by the Syrians. The servant is afraid, but Elisha tells him "Do not fear, for those that are with us are greater than those who are against us. ' He prays that God will open the servants eyes. When he does, the servant sees a vast army of angels with chariots and horses of fire. The Syrians are struck blind and completely routed.
The apostle Paul puts things in perspective in 2 Corinthians 4:18.
 
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;   we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.


This should give us real hope in dealing with our struggles.
Finally, speaking of hope, this is resurrection week and we need to remember the most important truth that Jesus defeated death and hell by his death and resurrection. While we are in a battle, the war has already been won. Happy Easter.

Fruit


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23


Walking into the room, I felt awed. Everything was shiny and well put together. I was actually a little intimidated. I could work for hours and still not achieve this kind of perfection.  In the center of the room was the table which looked as perfect as the rest of the room. No spots on the dishes marred the scene. Colored napkins fanned out elegantly and treats were spread on sparkling silver. Looking at the other people in the room I noticed that most of them were daintily nibbling crackers, without spilling any crumbs on their dresses. I really wanted on of the decadent looking chocolate bites, but didn’t want to be judged by people I didn’t know. Instead I reached for the bowl of fruit, convincing myself that what I really wanted was a nice juicy orange. I just hoped the juice didn’t squirt on my blouse. I chose an orange that was perfect in color and texture and picked it up. Then I realized with a surprise that it was plastic. In aggravation I picked up the chocolate after all.

Plastic fruit may look pretty but it doesn’t satisfy. There is no good juicy flavor and no refreshment. It can’t provide any nutrients or any benefits that real fruit provides.  It doesn’t have any of the flaws that real fruit can but except for looks, no one would choose it over a good tasting nutritious piece of the real thing.

The Bible uses things that are familiar to teach us things that are unfamiliar. Paul was trying to teach the believers about the Holy Spirit. He had told them that we were born of the Spirit. Then he explained that there are fruits of the spirit. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) I want all of these things. Some of them are fairly easy for me. It is not too hard for me to be gentle, because that is my personality.  Some of them are harder. Peace is not in my list of things that is easy. I find it much easier to be anxious, and while I strive for peace, my toes are curled up inside my shoes and my teeth are clenched.  I don’t feel loving a lot of days, especially when things are not going my way. Here is my problem. I can decide that I am going to be joyful and smile till my teeth hurt, praise Jesus. I am very likely to decide I am going to have self-control. For a while I can do it, but then something trips my trigger and I want to run for coffee, chocolate or a tantrum. Maybe a good cry.  My results look good but they are plastic fruit.
So what doe we know about fruit? It grows on a plant, not out by itself. In John 15:5, Jesus told his disciples, I am the vine and you are the branches. If you abide in me and my words abide in you will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing.
Plants need water to bloom and produce fruit.  Psalms 1 says this.
  Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.
Our nourishment is the word of God.


Finally, the soil must be good. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), Jesus described a farmer sowing seed in different types of soil, including shallow, rocky, thorny and good soil. The rocky soil did not provide depth for the roots and the plants withered quickly. The thorny soil choked the plants and the seed in the good soil grew and produced fruit. I had always thought of this parable as talking about salvation, which is a logical thing. It also applies to believers who are bearing fruit. No matter what the conditions, the fruit of the Spirit is from the spirit. It is a natural outpouring of his power and his work, not ours. This week let's try to abide in Jesus. It is not easy but it is worth it.