Digging Through the Dirt

Scripture makes it clear that we must dig through dirt that gets between us and God. Jesus illustrated that with a builder who “dug, and dug deep” to lay the foundation of his house. Luke 6:48 (New Jerusalem Bible). Jeremiah communicated it by describing a tree that “thrusts its roots” through the soil to reach God’s life giving water. Jeremiah 17:8 (New Jerusalem Bible). What can we learn from that?

Different Kinds of Dirt

One thing is that not all dirt is the same. Some is easy to burrow through, like sand or loose topsoil. Other dirt is tightly packed and difficult to remove.We see that pattern in our lives.

Some of the things between us and God are easy to get through. We recognize how they hinder us and, with His help, can remove them without too much difficulty. Sure, it takes some effort, but they’re relatively easy to get out of the way.

Others are more difficult. Like soil compacted by repeated footsteps, we each have settled behavioral patterns that are very difficult to break. These can only be overcome with great help from God and great effort on our part. The good news is that “with God, all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.

Not all dirt is “dirty”

Another lesson is that some of the things between us and God are not inherently bad. Just as a person building a house must sometimes remove rich topsoil to put down solid footers, each of us must sometimes get rid of things that are not intrinsically bad, and that can be very beneficial in other believers’ lives, if they interfere with what God wants from us. The point is that we have to look at things in terms of how they serve God’s individual purposes for us, and be willing to remove them if they get in the way, even if they are not objectively bad.



(Other images about eliminating things that distract us from God and His purposes were posted on September 18, October 3 and 14, November 21, and December 8, 2004 and February 28 and August 3, 2005.

Other soil/gardening related images were posted on October 3, November 21, December 8, 2004 and June 11, June 13 and June 24, 2005.)

Like Father, Like Son

Sometime in the late 1990’s I, then a 40ish married man, visited my parents for a week at their home. I spent a lot of time with them, and came back acting a lot more like my dad, with his mannerisms (that had always been there to some extent) more pronounced in me. That was not the result of conscious effort, it just happened. But, as time passed, and I became immersed in my normal life, those mannerisms receded.

The same dynamic occurs between us and our Heavenly Father. The more time we spend with Him, the more we will see His nature in our behavior. Conversely, the more we are focused on our own affairs, the more our own nature takes precedence over His.

(Images addressing what we can learn about God from being parents were posted September 17b, 17b, and 17c; November 13, 15, and 24; December 2, 2004 and January 2, February 18, April 25, August 9 and October 3 2005.

Images about conforming/yielding to God were posted September 12a, 18a, 18b, 18d, and 23; October 3 and 3a, November 6; and 21, December 8, 12, and 15, 2004 and January 10d, February 18, May 11, June 18 and 27; August 21 and 27; and October 3, 2005.)

Building Models as a Metaphor for the Fruitful Christian Life: Introduction

Living a fruitful Christian life is a lot like putting together the model cars, planes, boats, etc. many of us built as kids. As explained in the next several posts, God gives all we need for a very good outcome, but we must get started and stay on task, and follow His instructions, to put together what He wants.

(A series of images dealing with building models was posted January 10, 2005 here, here, here, and here.)

Building Models as a Metaphor for the Fruitful Christian Life: We Are Given All We Need

The manufactuer of a model provides everything needed to create a pleasing result: a design, all the parts, and instructions on how to assemble it.

God likewise provides all we need for a fruitful Christian life. He has a plan for each of us, a result that will be very pleasing, both to Him and us, if we carry it through to completion. Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 29:11. He gives us all we need to get it done: our interests and natural talents, John 3:27; I Corinthians 4:7, the spiritual gifts he gives us upon salvation, Romans 12:6-13; I Corinthians. 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7, 11-13, and the fruits of the Spirit we develop as we walk with him. Galatians 5:22. He also gives us, through scripture, instructions on how to put all those things together, Psalm119:6, 9, 14-16, 97-99, 105; Proverbs 4:4-13, 20-22, 20-22; II Timothy 3:15-17 , and supplements that with special help through prayer, James 1:5, good teaching, and counsel from our fellow believers.

It’s all there, but we must make the effort to put it together.

(A series of images dealing with building models was posted January 10, 2005 here, here, here, and here.

Images about God providing things we need, but can’t provide for ourselves, were posted September 12a, 17a, and 18c, October 3a, 3b November 6, 10, 21 and 27, 2004 and January 2, 10b, and 10c, June 13 and 27, 2005.)

Building Models as a Metaphor for the Fruitful Christian Life: Getting Started and Keeping At It.

Another way that leading a fruitful Christian life is like building a model is that we have to start, and keep, working at it.

Many of us had the experience as kids of buying a really neat looking model, taking it home, but being overwhelmed by its complexity once we opened the box. Or maybe something else—a ball game, a TV show, our buddies—distracted us from getting past the initial steps of assembling it. We put the model aside, delaying, or perhaps completely abandoning, the joy of competing it.

The same thing happens in our Christian lives. God gives us a glimpse of His plans and we eagerly buy into them. But once we get started, it becomes apparent that they’re much harder to execute than we anticipated and we are sorely tempted to set them aside. That's aggravated by the many other things competing for our time. The result is the same: we don’t get the joy of doing God’s will.

The good news is that help is available. Just as our parents were usually eager to help if we asked (indeed, some enjoyed the process more than we did), our Heavenly Father is more than happy to help us implement His plans. He created the parts and wrote the instructions, so He knows just what we need. Like a good parent, He won’t jump in unless we ask for His help (although he may nudge us to get back at it), but He eagerly awaits our request and is happy to help us put things together.

That doesn’t mean that we don't have serious work to do, but it does mean that we can get it done, and done right, with His help. All we have to do is ask.

(A series of images dealing with building models was posted January 10, 2005 here, here, here, and here.

Images about diligence/perseverance in doing God’s will were posted on October 1, 3a, 8, and 17 and November 7, 2004 and January 10c, June 11, 13, and 18; July 15 and August 27, 2005.

Images about God providing things we need, but can’t provide for ourselves, were posted September 12a, 17a, and 18c, October 3a, 3b November 6, 10, 21 and 27, 2004 and January 2, 10b, and 10c, June 13 and 27, 2005.)

Building Models as a Metaphor for the Fruitful Christian Life: Following the Instructions

There is another dynamic common to building models and living a fruitful Christian life: the results of following instructions.

Some models turn out better than others

The end quality of a model is directly related to how closely one follows the instructions.

One child eye balls it, putting the model together without looking at the instructions. That results in something that resembles the picture on the box, but only in a general way. Although the end product will definitely be identifiable as replica of the model’s subject, a lot of the details are absent, some parts don’t line up, and it can’t do all the things that it could have if it was built per the instructions.

Another reads and more or less follows the instructions, but skips some difficult steps. The end product is noticeably better, but still not all there. It looks more like the picture than the first child’s product, and is able to do more, but the skipped steps prevent it from being all it was designed to be.

A third child takes the time to really understand the instructions; he reads them, rereads them, and thinks about them until he understands them. He asks for help to make sure he really “gets it.” He does his best to follow those instructions, even the challenging parts, asking others for special help with them. His model will turn out closest to the ideal. It’s the most like it's supposed to be and comes closest to being able to do all the things the designer intended.

Some lives are more fruitful than others

We see the same pattern in the church.

Some folks don’t spend much time in God’s word. They basically wing it. Through the gifts of the Spirit, their lives do indeed resemble Jesus’, but in a rough kind of way. They are missing some things, other parts of their lives don’t quite line up, and they don't do nearly as much as God made them capable of doing.

Others do spend time in the Word, God’s instructions, and do try to live by it most of the time. But some things seem too hard and parts of their lives are not fully submitted to God. They look more like the ideal, but the ways they deviate from the instructions definitely degrades their performance.

Finally, there are those who spend enough time in the Word, and in prayer, to realize what needs done. They ask God, and their fellow believers, to help them live out God’s will, particularly the tough parts. They make the most of what God gives them and come closest to what God has in mind.

Now we all know that none of us will perfectly implement God’s instructions, just as no one (at least no one I knew) ever perfectly assembled a model. But there’s no denying that the quality of our walk is directly related to how closely we follow God’s instructions.

(A series of images dealing with building models was posted January 10, 2005 here, here, here, and here.

Images about conforming/yielding to God were posted September 12a, 18a, 18b, 18d, and 23; October 3 and 3a, November 6; and 21, December 8, 12, and 15, 2004 and January 10d, February 18, May 11, June 18 and 27; August 21 and 27; and October 3, 2005.

Images about the importance of exercising the spiritual disciplines were posted September 17a, 18a, and 18d, and October 3a, and 8, 2004 and January 10d and August 27, 2005.)

What We Can Learn about God from Being Parents: The Father Can Handle It With Ease, Regardless of How Difficult it Looks to Us.

Just as things that seem impossible to a toddler can be effortlessly achieved by her parent, things that look impossible to adults are no problem for our Heavenly Father.

(Other images comparing our relationship with God with our relationship to our children can be found at What We Can Learn About God From Being Parents.

Images about God providing things we need, but can’t provide for ourselves, were posted September 12a, 17a, and 18c, October 3a, 3b November 6, 10, 21 and 27, 2004 and January 2, 10b, and 10c, June 13 and 27, 2005.)

The Ultimate Christmas Present

“In Him, in bodily form, lives divinity in all its fullness, and in Him you too find your own fulfillment, in the one who is the head of every sovereignty and ruling force.”

Colossians 2:9-10 (New Jerusalem Bible)

Shrink Wrapped to God: Philippians 2:5-7

We’ve all seen shrink wrapping. The wrap is made to conform to an object by creating a vacuum between it and the object. Sometimes the result is near perfect, other times there are wrinkles, but either way the wrap adheres to the object wrapped, giving the wrap a shape, purpose, and foundation it would otherwise lack.

God call us to be shrink wrapped to Him. Philippians 2:5-7 tells us that we should follow Jesus’ example; He “emptied himself” by completely conforming to the Father’s will (New Jerusalem Bible). There was a perfect vacuum between Jesus and the Father becuase Jesus did nothing apart from the Father. See John 5:19, 30, 8:28-29, 10:30. Indeed, Jesus was so closely conformed to the Father that He could truthfully say that we see the Father when we see Him. John 14:8-10.

Following that instruction is difficult but essential. Nature abhors a vacuum and human nature abhors giving up “rights” to conform to God’s general precepts and specific plans. And unlike Jesus, we will not be able to perfectly conform to those precepts and plans. But we will come closer to God if we ask for His help and that is always better than the alternative—being a thin membrane attached to nothing of consequence.

(Images about conforming/yielding to God were posted September 12a, 18a, 18b, 18d, and 23; October 3 and 3a, November 6; and 21, December 8, 12, and 15, 2004 and January 10d, February 18, May 11, June 18 and 27; August 21 and 27; and October 3, 2005.)

Prayer Request

I am entering a very demanding period in my work and family life that is likely to last several months. I would be very grateful for your prayers, including, especially, prayers that I and the others involved in those situations respond in the spirit of Philippians 2:3-5:

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…"

Thank You.

Effective Christians are Like Good Snowballs

Effective Christians share two characteristics with good snowballs.

First, they have to be shaped. You can’t throw a handful of snow very far or very accurately. Instead, you must shape it into some semblance of a ball to have any prospects of reaching the target.

The same is true with us. God has to the scrape off things in our lives that make us unstable projectiles and form us into new shapes to put us on target. We have to yield to His shaping to get where He wants us to go; otherwise we fall short of the mark.

Second, good snowballs must be squeezed. A loosely formed snowball has little impact because it’s mostly air. But when pressure is applied, that air is removed and the same amount of snow will make a much greater impression. That increased impact can only come through pressure.

Once again, the same is true of us. God has to let us go through some tough situations to squeeze the fluff from our lives. It’s not easy, but it must be done if we are to have the impact He wants.

(Images dealing with winter related themes were posted September 12a, November 27 and December 12, 2004.

Images about conforming/yielding to God were posted September 12a, 18a, 18b, 18d, and 23; October 3 and 3a, November 6; and 21, December 8, 12, and 15, 2004 and January 10d, February 18, May 11, June 18 and 27; August 21 and 27; and October 3, 2005.)

A Gardener's Prayer

(God, through scripture, repeatedly analogizes His people to a garden or plant He hopes will produce pleasing fruit. See e.g. Isaiah 5:1-2; Matthew 21:33-34; John 15:1-8 and the notes thereto. The following is a prayer inspired by those analogies and a lot of time in vegetable gardens.)

Father, conform me to Your garden plan so that I am used to the fullest, with no wasted space, to produce what You want. Your plan is perfect; help me to remember and accept that, even when I don’t understand the details.

Give me all I need to produce the crops You want and help me to use those things to the fullest, with no waste.

Help me to yield exactly the crop You want, precisely the quality and quantity You are looking for. Help me generate fruit so pleasing that You can't help but smile.

Protect me from anything that would interfere with that result; keep those things away from me, but if I must be exposed to them, cleanse and heal me from their adverse effects.

Give me patience to get through the times when You want me to develop roots, stems, or leaves instead of fruit, and through the times I must lay fallow.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Images about gardening or soil related themes were posted October 3c, November 21, December 8, 2004 and February 28, June 11, 13 and 24, 2005.

Images about conforming/yielding to God were posted September 12a, 18a, 18b, 18d, and 23; October 3 and 3a, November 6; and 21, December 8, 12, and 15, 2004 and January 10d, February 18, May 11, June 18 and 27; August 21 and 27; and October 3, 2005.

Images about patience/waiting on God were posted October 1, November 21, December 8, 2004 and June 11, 18, and 24, 2005.

Images about the benefits of eliminating things that distract us from God/His purposes for us were posted September 18d, October 3a and 14, November 21, December 8, 2004 and February 28 and August 3, 2005.)

What We Can Learn About God From Being Parents: Seeing Our Behavior Through the Father’s Eyes

Children’s attitudes towards their parents can fall various places on a continuum, causing differing responses. Sometimes they are disobedient, triggering concern and annoyance. Other times they are obedient, but otherwise oblivious to them. But sometimes they are loving, showing affection with hugs, kisses, and words. Parents know how much joy that gives.

God, our heavenly Father, likely views and responds to our behavior in similar ways.

At times we are disobedient. We violate God’s general rules or disregard His instructions about particular situations. That must irritate and concern Him, just as our kids’ misconduct bothers us. But He doesn’t stop loving and caring for us, just as we don’t stop loving our kids when they mess up, even intentionally so. He just corrects us and, if we accept it the correction, we’re both happier.

Other times we are obedient but otherwise indifferent to God. We stay within the limits laid out in His word and go about doing what He’s called us to, but don’t give Him much thought. That’s probably less distressing than disobedience, but is probably emotionally neutral for God, just as our kids’ self absorbed, but otherwise appropriate, behavior is for us.

But those times we let God know how much love Him must be very pleasing to Him, just as our children’s outpourings of affection are to us. That’s called worship. It can take various forms: living in continual and grateful communication with Him, doing things specifically to please Him, offering loving words in prayer, heartfelt liturgical and musical praise. That's what we should strive for.

(Other images comparing our relationship with God with our relationship to our children can be found at What We Can Learn About God From Being Parents.

Images about forgiveness were posted on November 27 and December 2, 2004.

Images about the importance of exercising the spiritual disciplines were posted September 17a, 18a, and 18d, and October 3a, and 8, 2004 and January 10d and August 27, 2005.)