Based on “Living and Dying for What?” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 7/10-11/10,
Message # 6054; Daily Devotional #3 - “Hermit in the Garage”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): For me to live is to bear Godly fruit, and fruit needs nourishment. “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness”, 1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT). Everyone who has been saved and lifted from a world of darkness and hopelessness should understand why the Apostle Paul had a heart to bear fruit for the Lord. He might rather have desired to leave this earth and be with his Lord; yet he loved God and people and felt it better to stay here and bear fruit (Philippians 1:20-25).
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Quite a few years ago I was shopping at a Christian bookstore and came upon an unusual clay pot, a washed out green color with beautiful large flower petals protruding around the rim and cascading down the sides like vines would do. It caught my eye because of its distressed appearance. Loving old looking pottery, I picked it up. It had a sale price on it, and that always gets my attention. My first thought was, “Wonderful! I’ve got to have it.” Then, after more careful observation, I noticed the words etched around the front, “Hope is a Tree of Life”. Turning it around I saw, to my disappointment, a large chip missing from the outer layer of the clay, but the rim of the pot was undisturbed and so was the inside. In very small print under the chip was the word, hope. Well, I thought, I really like this little pot, but I would always have to keep the chipped side away from view. Then, I began to think that maybe it just made it all the more precious, since the little pot that was beaten up on the outside remained perfect for the purpose for which it was made. It just screamed, “JOY, I am still useful!” I bought the pot and filled it with good soil and a small plant. I took it to work where it remained a few years until I left that job. Somehow, after that, it was placed in the garage and left there for years, until yesterday. I found it again and cleaned it up and appreciated it even more, therefore, it now has a place of honor on a new bookshelf by a sunny window. This chipped/broken pot is serving a purpose, for which it was created. People don’t notice our outward appearance as much as our attitude. We are all chipped, cracked, or broken, but we can have hope, and therefore, purpose, as cleaned up pots for God. But, we will never serve our Lord if we remain hermits sitting in our garages (sheltered from view and not connecting with people). We must bear spiritual fruit and spread the gospel, (Romans 1:13-16).
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Life has beaten up many of us, but with Christ, we have hope; hope the world doesn’t know about and desperately needs. We are called to love others (John 15:12-17) and fulfill our purpose. If you have been a hermit in the garage, allow the Lord to show you how to connect with people and share with them the hope that is within you. It is also necessary to fellowship with other believers, for, together we form a shield and formidable force against the enemy. It is the Holy Spirit within us and the prayers of fellow believers that deliver us from hopelessness and empower us to carry on living life right for our Lord (Philippians 1:19-26). My little flower pot was stuck in the dark garage by no fault of its own; rendering it temporarily useless. Let us not be hermits by choice; let us go out: “And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say,"How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”* Romans 10:15, (NLT). When we fellowship with God and other believers, we have a reason for living, and the world hears and sees the gospel through our lives.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): James 5:13-16, 1 John 1:5-7
bam
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New Living Translation = NLT.