Monday 28 May 2012

Monday Reading: Matthew 12:33-37

Key Verse: Matthew 12:37
37  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Devotion:
When I was much younger and lived in Zimbabwe we had various fruit trees in our garden; each tree would bring forth its own fruit and they, strangely enough, would never get mixed up about what fruit they were going to bare! Even fruit trees of the same type would have fruit that was distinctive to that single tree rather than a blend of generic fruit, be it apples, lemons, oranges, bananas or whatever. It also depended on where in the garden they were as to whether they would flourish or not – those trees on the edge of the lawned area getting a bit more water when the lawn was under sprinklers for instance.

If any of the trees get infested with insects or too dry because of the lack of rain then they would not bare as much fruit as they would when in ideal conditions. It was also amazing to see that good weather had a lasting effect on the trees because they would become strong and give more for longer.

So if I was going to make a lemonade I would not go to the lemon tree that had small lemons that were great to eat, but instead to the tree which I knew would make a whole lemonade from a single fruit. I certainly would not try looking at the banana plants for lemons. So if we wanted to ‘grow up’ as a tree that could be used for making lemonade, we should not aim to be the best banana plant! But how can we pick what we want to be?

Well, God has given each one of us a choice in our lives as to what we want to be. It does not mean that we will always make the right choices, but if we are willing to listen to God to find out where He wants us to be, then we are going to at least know in which direction we should be headed. We may well take a few years to get going in that direction and to change our ways to line up with God’s ways, but so long as we are willing to listen and be moulded by Him, we will have the best chance possible! We are born to this world as sinners and as such are pretty useless to God; but by allowing Him to shape us like a potter shapes clay we will be able to grow into something that is of use to Him. Being careful about how we act and speak will help us to grow in His ways rather than in the ways of the world; being careless of our ways and speech will only lead to self-destruction.

Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are a ‘good lemon’?

Are you willing to be squeezed by God?