Living With Purpose

Appreciating nature and working with it has always appealed to me. My Mom and both Grandmothers liked to work in their yards and flower beds too. All three of them knew how to cultivate the soil and give the plants what they needed. Not only in the spring time, but even in the winter, there were always flowers in bloom because of their “flower-labor”. I favored a few particular bushes as I was around them and as I got older I was curious to what they were called. I had seen these flowers in all three of their yards. So, as a young adult, I discovered that my favorite flower was the Camellia. The blooms arrive in early fall and last all the way through the winter months depending on the weather. I never realized just how many varieties of this flower are grown in yards each year. There are at least 100, and some sources say there’s over 200 different species of Camellias!
My wife and I live on a small acreage that has many floral bushes and small trees. A couple of the larger trees have been there for almost 100 years. But what’s even more thrilling for me is that we have over 60 healthy, bloom-producing Camellia trees! It’s a wonderland of beautiful blooms at certain times of the year. As much as I enjoy seeing each individual tree bust-out with blooms, I know they won’t last forever. Once again we find nature giving us simple truths found in the Bible. 1 Peter 1:24 says, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.” Sooner, rather than later Camellia blooms will fall and their beauty will fade away.
It’s unfortunate, but most people fall short of their potential in life. God wants the best for His children. We have to make the most of our time while we have the opportunity. You won’t live forever and you’re not promised good health tomorrow. Still, God wants us to experience a fullness of life. He says, “For it pleases the Father that in Him shall all fullness dwell” (Colossians 1:19).
As a productive Christian, we must put all our hope in the salvation that comes with Christ. The Bible tells us not to slip back into our old ways of living to satisfy ourselves. God tells us that He has “paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors” (1 Peter 1:18).
There’s an old saying: “Bloom where you’re planted.” And there’s specific instructions given to us by God to make good use of the life He has granted to us. “Life is like a vapor; here today and gone tomorrow.” To live a fulfilled life we have the following four things we can count on to help us:
• Faith in Christ. Salvation is received by faith in Christ. If we repent of our sins and believe, we can receive forgiveness. It takes a total commitment of our will to God’s will. When we do, we’re posed to live life to its fullest through the work of God’s Spirit that’s alive in us. When we’re alive in Christ we shine the brightest and bloom the best.
• Freedom through Christ. A fulfilled life that blooms and displays it beauty is one that recognizes its freedom to be. Don’t fail to live a fulfilled life! It’s possible to no longer be in bondage to sin, guilt, worry, hate and resentments. There’s no reason to fear death and the judgment, for we’re all promised a home in Heaven and eternal life with God. Every new fall season brings numerous new blooms on the Camellias in my yard and I’m reminded that when we renew our commitment to God, He says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life has gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Fellowship with Christ. A Christian has no business being unfulfilled in life. Prayer, reading God’s Word, and attending church is the way to be fulfilled and have fellowship with God. It’s natural to fellowship with friends and we should make the most of our time together, because the seasons of time are fleeting. 1 Peter 1:22 says, “You must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart”.
• Fervency for Christ. A Camellia branch will never produce it’s bloom if it’s blocked from the nutrients needed to live. Many people want the best blessings that God gives, but they fail to work for Him and cut themselves off. Some are busy with trivialities or an inferiority complex. Jesus said in John 15:4-8 says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
My Mom and Grandmothers had to take time to nurture their plants and cultivate what they needed to help them grow. Their reward was beautiful flowers. We must make time for God. It’s only what we do for Him in this life that will count eternally. Our reward will be eternal life forever with Him.