Wednesday, February 2, 2011

He Knows - IBC Indiana Bible College

What Is It Going to Take for U to Stand??... I Expect U to Thrive

So, talking to one of my plants that have been with me the longest...1993 or 1994 to be exact. I said, "What is it going to take for you to stand?" As I walked away it almost seemed like an epiphany or spiritual experience but I kept moving. While thinking I needed a longer pot to put her in, I went back over to her and used the stakes that was already in her pot to help her to stand. It just required a little repositioning. I took out another dead stalk. As I went to the other plants to water and take off the dead leaves, I handled one of my medium mature plants to tough and one of her strong stalks broke off. I heard in my spirit to put it in the oldest plant's pot. I would not normally do this. I usually would put it directly into water to wait to see roots, but I have never had to do anything like this with this plant. So, I've now made the older plants stalks stand, put new greenery in her pot, even one that had gained some roots in water and then one of her newer stalks broke off, I put her in the water that I had taken the other rooted plant from that's been added to her pot. When I was done, I looked at the oldest plant and said, "Now, I expect you to thrive."

It occurred to me that this is, many times, what happens in churches. They automatically expect their oldest and older parishioners to thrive just because they have been their the longest. While all the while, they are the ones that need the most tender loving care. They need to be refreshed and repositioned with new greenery put in their pots. They then begin to stand stronger and taller than they have ever been. So, my question to you today, what kind of plant are you? What I failed to say...when I began caring for the oldest plant,(i.e., watering and stuff), it seemed the other plants were saying, "We knew if we got her to care for her, we would all get refreshing!" And they were right, they all got watered & trimmed of any dead leaves...I will go by to check the moisture of their dirt to make sure I didn't forget not even one. As you can see, this is really not about "plants" at all, its really about love, it just so happens God gave it to me while caring for my plants.