I spent a couple hours this morning digging in the backyard. With spring rapidly approaching (and today it felt like it had arrived full-force!), it was time to start preparing the plot for a small vegetable garden. We aim to plant different varieties of chiles, beetroot, tomatoes, and lettuce to start. As I cleared an area overgrown with grass and weeds by the fence, I found myself having to contend with roots from our neighbor's trees. Several of his trees near the fence apparently have found an abundance of water in my yard. Whenever I found one, I dug up as much as I could and cut it off.
I don't know why, but God often teaches me things as I work in the yard. Lately the lessons have a common thread: the proper use of my time. I consider the roots of my neighbors trees as thieves, intruders on my property. They rob the plants I am trying to cultivate of water and nutrients. They choke out my plants and impede my ability to properly turn the soil and irrigate. They destroy the fence and lift up brick pavers. Under the surface, they deftly grow strong and deep. I have declared war on those thieving roots, and I am not sympathetic to a single one.
Imagine your life as a Christian like a fenced yard. Inside your life, within the boundaries of your relationship with God, the Holy Spirit is cultivating spiritual fruit to bring glory to God. Your thoughts and actions are to be wholly governed by God. But there influences outside the walls of your heart: hobbies, cares, and concerns which vie for our attention. It could be a preoccupation about watching a football game, who was eliminated last night on Survivor, browsing on Facebook, or playing Angry Birds. It could be absolutely anything, and likely nothing in itself that is sin. But these roots are a real threat to our relationship with God. Notice I did not say "can be" a threat. Every one of those roots ARE threats to take our mind off of Christ and onto things of this world.
In my backyard, I have no sympathy for those thieving roots. But God is showing me that in my spiritual life I harbour sympathy for particular time thieves. For example, time at the movies, playing games, and watching sport can rob God of time He desires to spend with me and I should spend with Him. But wait just a moment, you might say. Am I saying there is something wrong with hobbies and recreational activities? Not in themselves. The problem is within us because we are always unbalanced. God and the world are not to be weighed on scales with the false balance of cultural Christianity. I doubt anyone would dispute we give too much thought and time to things we shouldn't. Next to life in Christ, time is one of the great gifts God has given us. Time is easier wasted on the world than invested in godly things.
I am slowly, ever so slowly, coming to grips with how hardcore the lifestyle of a Christian is intended to be. It is evident what I have seen and experienced of Christianity has been more influenced by western culture than it should be. How much time did Jesus spend extolling the virtues of hobbies and recreational activities? How often did He justify anything done solely for personal gratification? I can't think of a single instance! Jesus always went straight for the heart of the matter, the purpose and motivation behind what we do and why we do it. Two men can play rugby: one can play it motivated by pride, because he wants to crush people and win, while the other plays so he might have an opportunity to glorify Jesus Christ through his example. Same activity, different motivation and outcome.
Christ is supposed to be my all in all, but I sorrow to think He has been reduced to some. That is just not good enough. He deserves better. I encourage you to consider this question: what do you spend a lot of your time thinking about? What commands your attention apart from Christ? That is the thing which has roots creeping under the fence, threatening to sap you of spiritual strength and power. One by one as those roots come to your attention, do battle on them. Everything has its place, but we should not be sympathetic towards anything which robs God of time with us and us with Him. Your spiritual walk will be better and stronger for it.
I don't know why, but God often teaches me things as I work in the yard. Lately the lessons have a common thread: the proper use of my time. I consider the roots of my neighbors trees as thieves, intruders on my property. They rob the plants I am trying to cultivate of water and nutrients. They choke out my plants and impede my ability to properly turn the soil and irrigate. They destroy the fence and lift up brick pavers. Under the surface, they deftly grow strong and deep. I have declared war on those thieving roots, and I am not sympathetic to a single one.
Imagine your life as a Christian like a fenced yard. Inside your life, within the boundaries of your relationship with God, the Holy Spirit is cultivating spiritual fruit to bring glory to God. Your thoughts and actions are to be wholly governed by God. But there influences outside the walls of your heart: hobbies, cares, and concerns which vie for our attention. It could be a preoccupation about watching a football game, who was eliminated last night on Survivor, browsing on Facebook, or playing Angry Birds. It could be absolutely anything, and likely nothing in itself that is sin. But these roots are a real threat to our relationship with God. Notice I did not say "can be" a threat. Every one of those roots ARE threats to take our mind off of Christ and onto things of this world.
In my backyard, I have no sympathy for those thieving roots. But God is showing me that in my spiritual life I harbour sympathy for particular time thieves. For example, time at the movies, playing games, and watching sport can rob God of time He desires to spend with me and I should spend with Him. But wait just a moment, you might say. Am I saying there is something wrong with hobbies and recreational activities? Not in themselves. The problem is within us because we are always unbalanced. God and the world are not to be weighed on scales with the false balance of cultural Christianity. I doubt anyone would dispute we give too much thought and time to things we shouldn't. Next to life in Christ, time is one of the great gifts God has given us. Time is easier wasted on the world than invested in godly things.
I am slowly, ever so slowly, coming to grips with how hardcore the lifestyle of a Christian is intended to be. It is evident what I have seen and experienced of Christianity has been more influenced by western culture than it should be. How much time did Jesus spend extolling the virtues of hobbies and recreational activities? How often did He justify anything done solely for personal gratification? I can't think of a single instance! Jesus always went straight for the heart of the matter, the purpose and motivation behind what we do and why we do it. Two men can play rugby: one can play it motivated by pride, because he wants to crush people and win, while the other plays so he might have an opportunity to glorify Jesus Christ through his example. Same activity, different motivation and outcome.
Christ is supposed to be my all in all, but I sorrow to think He has been reduced to some. That is just not good enough. He deserves better. I encourage you to consider this question: what do you spend a lot of your time thinking about? What commands your attention apart from Christ? That is the thing which has roots creeping under the fence, threatening to sap you of spiritual strength and power. One by one as those roots come to your attention, do battle on them. Everything has its place, but we should not be sympathetic towards anything which robs God of time with us and us with Him. Your spiritual walk will be better and stronger for it.
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