AS previously noted, we recently finished our study in The Principle of Position by Miles Stanford. Next up in our study is Miles’ Principles of Spiritual Growth.
HOWEVER, inclined to pause a little longer before we proceed on, here’s another meditation for consideration.
THIS may be a repeat from a previous LFTG comments, but it is worth repeating. The first is by Miles Stanford, Life’s Purpose from his None But The Hungry Heart devotional; the second by Mark Hamby- The Wonder of It All. Two musings, both lessons from the garden. Enjoy.
In the wondrous blessings of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10 Isa 30:15, Job 2:10
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LIFE’S PURPOSE
“For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
Our Lord the Vine provides all that His branches will ever need for fruit-bearing. All provision is according to our Father’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
“Christian growth is the becoming real in ourselves, of what is already true of us in the Lord Jesus. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches, He says. But the vine furnishes the branches, not only with the principle of life, but with the type of life. No pressure or molding from without is needed to shape them to the pattern of the parent stock. Every minutest peculiarity of form, and color, and taste, and fragrance is determined by the root, and developed from it. A true believer, therefore, will ask no better thing of the Lord than that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in his body (2 Corinthians 4:11). For such a manifestation will, by a necessary principle, be the unfolding within him of every needed element of joy and sorrow, of suffering and triumph.” -A.J.G.
“Straining, driving effort does not accomplish the work God gives a man to do; we must partake of Christ so fully that He more than fills the life. It will then be not overwork but overflow.”
“And ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:10).
The Wonder of It All
By Mark Hamby
The early morning mist lessens as the full moon gleams through its haze, a star not far from its side. Insects are busy with their distant clamor, and with distinct and persistent chirps, the birds announce the arrival of a brand new day. A forest surrounds me with blended trees, each boasting its own distinguishable color of green. All is a gift for my eyes to behold.
I am drawn to the yellow-coned flower, coupled with a purple Japanese maple proclaiming the beauty of contrast. The aroma of mint, lemon, and lavender soothes my soul. Ah, there is the cry, or should I say the screech, of the eagle–good morning to you, great and majestic king of birds. Your visage of crisp white and tar black keeps me in awe. The surrounding beauty is unfathomable. Yet the world would have us to believe that these treasures were brought to us through the evolution of time and chance.
My friend, when I bite into a sweet apple just picked from the tree, and see the inner design of the core and its seeds; when I observe the iridescent scales of a fish, the shell of an egg, a droplet of water, the sand of the sea, the soar of an eagle, the warmth of a kitten, the lick of a puppy, the birth of a baby, and the crowning beauty of woman–the wonder of it all paralyzes me–I can only stand in awe and believe and proclaim that there is, without question, God.
Now I understand why David wrote in the Psalms, “For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands, I sing for joy. How great are your works O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this” (Psalm 92).
