Frankly, I suck at keeping my plants and flowers alive. I love flowers, greenery and the life they bring to my home, but I struggle with keeping the bloomin’ things alive (no pun intended). As of this moment there are two fake ferns hanging on my front porch pretending to be real ferns because I got tired of killing the ones I had. By the way, with Hobby Lobby’s sale, it was the best $48 I have spent in ages. My front porch looks so inviting and no one would ever be the wiser as they cruise by my house. I want so hard to have a yard full of flower beds and blooming bushes, but Southern summers and their lack of rain require a lot of effort and watering to keep them beautiful and flourishing. Sometimes, more effort than I am willing to put forth if I am being hones. I definitely don’t agonize over making sure they are watered…maybe at first when I bring them home, but then I get distracted with life and the things of this world. Surely one day of not watering my plants will matter, now will it? Well, before I know it…it’s been a couple of days and they are wilted, brittle and turning brown. They are dying, because I chose not to nurture something I said I cared about.
Is that not exactly how we are with our faith? In Jude 1:3, he says, “Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered for the saints once and for all.” Now, this word contend is translated to mean to agonize over, to defend (in military action) or to struggle for a prize (in an athletic competition). It is to fight against adversaries with zeal to obtain something.
How often do we treat our faith like I do my plants? We say that we care about those around us, the Word of God and standing up for the truth found in His Word, yet we can’t take time out of our day to water our hearts with scripture and prayer! There’s no effort put toward our faith most days…it’s always, “I will get to it tomorrow” and before we know, our soul is parched and dry from lack of Living Water! We are even known at times to pretend we are living by faith and trusting God (just as those fake ferns on my porch are pretending to be alive and well) yet on the inside we have taken control and are relying on our own self to get us through each day! I told you I don’t really agonize over making sure my plants get watered, but I say I love them. How quick are we to say we love God, yet not agonize over our faith and the faith over others. It’s tough to write, but is a great reminder that Christ agonized for me on the cross and believers before me contended for the faith, so that I may be saved!
Let’s water our faith today, so that we will be strong and full of life to contend for the faith. Someone needs it today.