Homepage message: June 2010

At the end of May, I set the tomatoes out in the garden. I started them from seed, and they were to be planted in a couple of days. At about 10-12 inches tall, they were very healthy and green. And it was the first time they have been in direct sun. At about 2:00 in the afternoon I checked on them and saw that they had a bad case of the wilts in the 85 degree heat! There was no disease, no attacks from insects or bacteria. The soil was rich with roots growing out of the bottom of the containers. However, the sun that is necessary for plants to manufacture chlorophyll was too hot while most of the moisture had been sapped from the soil. Without water soon serious damage could have ensued and possible death if ignored.

I immediately turned on the hose and gave them cool water that literally saved their lives. I thought, how quickly a robust and healthy plant can become sick and near death from too much sun and too little water. Yet both are needed for life and growth.

How similar it is in the Christian life. We need the life-giving water of God’s inerrant word to survive spiritually and responsibility to take it in. Jude tells us to build yourselves up in your most holy faith as you wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ to bring you to salvation.

We not only need the water of God’s word, but we need the sun to test our faith, thus providing strong character and trust in our Lord. However, the trials of life, its temptations and worries can be too much to handle if our heart is dry from the lack of serious Bible study and prayer.

If you are struggling with personal issues or economic problems or even temptation, relinquish it all into God’s hands and allow Him to work it all out. In the meantime try reading and/or praying the Psalms which covers the whole gamut of human emotions.

Have you met the source of living water?