Tag: joy

  • The Butterfly Bush and New Creation

    While walking along the banks of the Vedder River on Saturday, we came across large patches of these pretty flowers. They reminded me of lilacs although I knew they weren’t. A quick search showed they were butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), sometimes called summer lilac.

    They originated in China or Japan, were introduced into BC gardens, where they promptly decided they loved the climate and areas around riverbanks. They are now considered an invasive species.

    The butterfly bush blooms through most of the summer, and the long flower stems produce abundant nectar. That makes it very attractive to butterflies and bees.

    Of course, learning the name made us think of butterflies. I didn’t notice any while we were walking, but still they were on my mind. Butterflies are fascinating creatures. They start as fuzzy little caterpillars, pupate in a cocoon and emerge as beautiful, winged insects. They are delightful to watch and gardeners go to great lengths to attract them.

    That transformation made me think of our metamorphosis as Christians.

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

    Believers have heard it so often that it has become passe. I think we’ve lost the wonder in what Paul is telling us.

    We are freed from the clutches of death to spend forevermore with Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and seal us as belonging to God.

    The Lord (who knew us before we existed) continues to work in us to shape us into the image of Christ. He gifts us with faith and spiritual gifts so that our lives have purpose and bear fruit.

    It’s amazing stuff. A caterpillar becoming a butterfly is amazing. A sinner saved is so marvelous that the heavens rejoice.

    Rejoice in His great love for us.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I found butterfly bush blooming along the Vedder River this week. It got me thinking about how becoming a new creation in Christ is its own kind of transformation.

    TAKEAWAY

    If you’re in Christ, you are already a new creation, not a work in progress waiting to become one.

    You’re no longer enslaved to sin. The freedom Paul describes here is meant to feel as decisive as a caterpillar’s change into a butterfly.

    The Holy Spirit lives in you as proof you belong to God, an identity that doesn’t depend on your own effort.

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  • Deeply rooted in Christ

    When we visited Steveston last week, we spotted this deeply rooted tree along the shore of Scotch Pond. At high tide, the roots are completely underwater. Despite the hardship, the tree seems to be thriving.

    The Bible uses the imagery of being well rooted many times for good reason. Being deeply rooted gives reliance and protection. All of us are rooted in something.

    Every person has faith in something or someone that carries them through life. It might be religion, or money, or their looks, family name or a myriad of other things that you might think of. The problem is that at some point all of those things will fail you. Only rooting yourself in Christ will hold.

    The prophet Jeremiah reminds us of the blessings of being rooted in the Lord.

    “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

    whose trust is the Lord.

    He is like a tree planted by water,

    that sends out its roots by the stream,

    and does not fear when heat comes,

    for its leaves remain green,

    and is not anxious in the year of drought,

    for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV

    We see a similar theme in the Psalms

    Blessed is the man

    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

    nor stands in the way of sinners,

    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

    but his delight is in the law[b] of the Lord,

    and on his law he meditates day and night.

    He is like a tree

    planted by streams of water

    that yields its fruit in its season, 

    and its leaf does not wither.

    In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 ESV

    Our roots grow deeper when our faith is tested, and Jesus carries us through.  A faith that has never been tested likely has very shallow roots. God gives us times of struggle to help us grow. He lets the parts of us we don’t like to admit are still there surface so we can deal with them. He puts tough people and situations in our way to teach us and send our roots deeper than ever.

    Christ never promised us an easy, trouble-free life. He gives us circumstances and situations to help us grow and become more like Him.

    It isn’t all hardship, but we can rejoice in good times or bad, high tide or low, knowing that having our roots in Jesus will hold us, and we are blessed.

    May your roots run deep.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    We spotted this tree along the shore of Scotch Pond in Steveston. At high tide, its roots disappear completely, and yet it keeps thriving.

    TAKEAWAY

    We might root our lives in money, looks, family name, or a dozen other things, but every one of those will eventually let us down.

    Jeremiah and Psalm 1 both picture the faithful as a tree planted by water, its leaves green even in drought.

    Our roots grow deepest not in the easy seasons but in the hard ones, because that’s when Christ proves He’ll hold.

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