Spring is here! As of March 20th, which was the spring equinox for 2014, we have been enjoying this season of new life and beauty. Of course the contrast between winter and spring is not as noticeable in our particular location since our winters are spring-like compared to the colder climates in the higher and lower latitudes. It’s all about location and angle. It’s the 23.5-degree tilt of the earth that is responsible for so many things. At the Equinox the earth transitions in its tilt in relation to the Sun from one hemisphere to another. This simple tilting of the earth is responsible for all of the complex changes that occur in weather, plant life, animal behavior, ocean currents, the length of our days and nights etc. I take this simple fundamental point of the earth’s tilt as a key to understanding so much about life on earth.
In the same way, we must understand that our relationship to God through Jesus Christ is the fundamental principal by which all of the other complexities in our life are worked out. God has determined to conform us all into his image, and is working all things together for this good purpose (Rom 8:28). As Christians we have the responsibility of keeping ourselves in the direct sunlight of his love (Jude 21). But how do we do that? Jude tells us in verse 20:
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God… (Jude 20-21a)
Is it springtime in your soul today? Are you enjoying the springtime of life and renewal in Christ’s love, or do you find yourself chilled by an unseasonable winter of the soul? Join us in reading through the Scriptures, memorizing your weekly verses, applying them to your daily life, praying spirit prompted prayers, worshipping and serving Christ together with your brothers and sisters in Christ and taking seriously the Biblical imperative of making disciples who will disciple others.
But even as you walk in these things, remember that all of the life and blessing that comes to us and flows through us, is based on the grace and merits of the Lord Jesus alone, and never on the basis of our own performance. He’s the springtime of our soul and the very life of his Church.
