I have some bulbs sitting in a box in my bedroom. The
purpose of these bulbs was to plant them in the yard so they could grow and
flower. They’re not doing much good sitting over there in a box rather than
having been planted—over a year ago! Oh, well, I can make excuses. I have
plenty of “good” reasons why I didn’t get around to it, but that doesn’t change
the fact that there they sit, not being allowed to fulfill their purpose.
Several years ago, I used an illustration of an ice cube for
a children’s message. If I tried to save the ice cube in my pocket, it would
just melt and be of no use to me at all. And even if I tried to save it in the
freezer, it would eventually dwindle away, and be no use. The only way to
fulfill its purpose would be to use it to cool my drink.
I have been thinking about this in terms of the church. We
have resources that we tend carefully. We are good stewards of these resources.
Or are we? How are we called to move out in what may feel like risky ways in
order to bear fruit? We really need to think about this, and pray about this.
God is calling us to bear fruit. How best can we do that?
John 12.24:
Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat
falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies,
it bears much fruit.
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