A Lesson from the Leaves

It's that time of the year once again, the seasons are changing and so are the colors of the leaves. If you happen to live in an area where like me, you can enjoy the stroke of the Creator’s paintbrush upon the landscape, you will find that it’s near impossible to ignore the beauty.  I wonder how many see this awesome display but still miss the miracle as our loving Heavenly Father seeks to draw our attention to  Himself.  Even if you can’t see this beautiful array of colors, the change in seasons alone is yet again another reminder that we must take into account what the Lord of creation wants to convey to us and how we can learn some very important lessons.  We witness many amazing attributes of our mighty God through nature and we are told in the Word of God that we are without excuse when the end of our days arrive; For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky.

"Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."  (Romans 1:20, NLT)

With that in mind, if creation alone bears testimony to His power, sovereignty, and might, how much more can He use it to teach those of us who already know Him and are walking with the Savior? Let’s take a look at what we can learn from the changing seasons. Changes occur all of the time.  Some changes affect our lives significantly while other changes we may barely notice, but none the less, things are always changing whether we want them to or not. 

Some changes are comfortable, in fact some are welcomed with open arms!  But what about those changes that are closely related to trials and they bring many uncomfortable circumstances.  Take the simple shot in the arm from the doctors office.  As unpleasant as many of us find shots, we know that for the most part it will produce positive results in the end. For the Christian, those who are walking daily with Christ, changes can take us by surprise and we can sometimes be shaken, but when we are firmly rooted and grounded in Christ, we are never moved from upon the rock. We see that our Lord will allow these changes (or again, trials if you will), in order to grow us up and perfect our faith in Him. 

In this present installment of the “Just Heavenly” column, I want to present to you some gems from the Word of God that will serve to encourage us when you and I alike experience changes that are not brought on through any fault or sin of our own. For as the title of this column implies, “Just Heavenly, that’s all it’s really about, isn’t it? With our spiritual compass pointing to heaven, we must always keep our prize of true worth in full sight.  The things and evils of this present earth will soon pass away.  We will take nothing from the earth with us in that great and glorious day when we finally meet Him face to face.  Let me repeat, we will take NOTHING, nothing that is except those most precious souls that we have  been given the privilege to share the gospel with during this lifetime, those who accept the the most precious gift of salvation.

It doesn’t take too long to figure out that we have a mortal enemy whose only goal is to steal from us, to kill us and to destroy us, it’s that old devil. We can at times sense his evil schemes unfolding around us as this present darkness seeks to take our eyes off of the real goal. As we invest our lives in others and make these heavenly deposits, the devil attempts to thwart our efforts and steal the gospel from those who are becoming saved through our efforts to be obedient.

"The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved." (Luke 8:12, NLT)

I’m becoming more aware of these sinister attempts from the enemy to steal the message from many precious ones who are beginning to know Christ.  As the devil attacks them he will also try to discourage us from working as a vessel of God for their good.  Maybe you have noticed this too in your own lives.  We have those loved ones who do not know Christ intimately and we long to be with them in heaven one day.  We pray and we plant seeds in hearts as we await the Lord to water them.  We long to reap that treasure in heaven.

Keep in mind, even though the devil desires that we throw in the towel, the Lord has a purpose when He allows us to encounter these kinds of trials including many others tests.  Let’s take a look at James;

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.  James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Consider our troubles an opportunity for joy!  How? Obviously this letter was sent to believers as James addresses “my brothers”.  The testing of our faith will produce endurance or steadfastness. 

From Webster’s 1828 dictionary online:  http://www.1828-dictionary.com/

STEADFASTNESS, STEDFASTNESS, n.
1. Firmness of standing; fixedness in place.
2. Firmness of mind or purpose; fixedness in principle; constancy; resolution; as the stedfastness of faith. He adhered to his opinions with steadfastness.

It goes without saying why we MUST build endurance and remain steadfast.  The outcome is obvious.  We do not want to cave in and fall away.  The joy comes when we arrive on the other side of the trial to find we have remained steadfast in our faith. The joy also comes in knowing that when we witness and remain obedient, our mighty Lord and Savior is continuing to work in the midst on our behalf and on behalf of those close to us that the trial also affects. There is a sense of accomplishment and peace in addition to the joy.  We have held fast and were not moved in our faith.  No amount of money can buy these treasures. 

Almost every trial arrives unannounced and they are also varied and diverse.  Warren Wiersbe once said, "The trials of life are not all alike; they are like variegated yarn that the weaver uses to make a beautiful rug. God arranges and mixes the colors and experiences of life. The final product is a beautiful thing for His glory”

And so like the colors in the leaves and the many changes we face, one day like a beautiful tapestry they will blend to form what no human hand can paint on a canvas. We will reap a harvest and we can look forward with confidence to an eternity in heaven with our loved ones.  Pray without ceasing and don’t ever lose heart.  The riches of heaven are upon His own.  Remember what James said, we will be perfect and complete and in need of nothing.  In those times when we know not where to turn, He will truly meet our every need.  Allow me to close with a portion of a verse from James that will drive home what I long to convey to you in this article;

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NLT)

May we long for His blessings this day.  May we look forward with hope to the crown of life.