02 October 2007 Devotion for Today “Its MINE!” John 15:5
There’s the tale of an older woman who had finished shopping and returned to her car. As she approached her vehicle, however, she saw four men inside her car! The increasing crime rate in
The men did not wait for a second invitation. Doors were opening, bodies were flying, and four men ran like crazy from the gun-toting grandmother.
Despite her Clint-Eastwood imitation, the woman was shaken by the experience. It took her a moment to gather her shopping bags and get into the car. She kept an eye out for the hoodlums, but they didn’t return. She put the gun back in her purse, and got her keys. For a moment, she thought the problem was her trembling hand, but no matter how she tried, she simply could not get her key to turn the ignition. In time, she took a better look at the car. It didn’t seem as familiar as it once had. About that time, she noticed an identical car parked four or five spaces away, and realized that she’d just become part of
According to the story, she transferred the groceries to her own car, and drove to the police station to turn herself in. The desk sergeant to whom she told the story nearly fell off his chair laughing. He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four very frightened men were reporting a senior-adult carjacking. After she made a full apology, no charges were filed.
The lesson: Be sure you know what you own, or be prepared to be embarrassed!
There is no mistaking this principle. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” ... At the very beginning of the passage, he says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” My Father is the vinedresser. He is the owner of the vineyard.
It seems all of us are born with selfish instincts. It doesn’t take long for a toddler to learn a couple of powerful, one-word sentences. “NO!!!” “MINE!!!”
Have you been amazed at the feelings of ownership a toddler can have? If he gets his grubby little hands on an empty, plastic butter dish, it won’t matter what Mom intended for the dish. “MINE!!!” screams the selfish little man, and the battle is on. It wouldn’t matter if the object were a piece of trash, or a priceless work of art. Once his hands are on it, it’s “MINE!”
How ridiculous. Little children can’t comprehend the value of things, or that someone worked hard to buy a work of art. Children can’t understand responsibility, time, earnings, or value. But they immediately understand the concept of possessions.
We don’t grow out of it just because we have a third birthday. By the time a person is 30, or 50, or 70, he has usually had a chance to look up to the heavens, curl his grubby little fingers into a tiny fist, and say, “But God, it was MINE!!!”
“But God, that was my good health. It was mine. I want it back. I don’t want the disease. I’m tired of the way I feel. I’m scared of the surgery. I’m sick of the treatments. It’s not fair that it costs this much. God it was my health ... it was MINE!!!” “But God, I earned that money ... why did the stock market have to do that, now? That was my retirement ... It was MINE!!!” “But God,” says the man by the fresh grave ... “she was mine.” “But God,” says the mother staring at the empty room of her 18-year-old son. “He was just a little boy, and I liked him that way ... he was mine.” “But God,” says the young adult, “this was my future. I planned it. I worked for it. I went to school for it. I’ve made the promotions. This was all mine. I don’t want to change in midstream.” ““No,” says God to the 2-year-old in all of us, “it wasn’t yours at all. She wasn’t. He wasn’t. The church wasn’t yours. You’re not even yours! It all belongs to me, for I am God.” From the moment God issued the first of his Ten Commandments, he told us that he was a jealous God, that he would tolerate no other gods, that he would never relinquish his right to be God. In the vineyard, we’ve got another opportunity to realize that God is in control, God is in charge, and we are not. We cannot find our purpose without realizing our place.
Obviously, in a garden, the branch doesn’t tell the vine what to do. On a farm, the plants don’t tell the farmer how to get the job done. Can you imagine a plant telling the gardener, “NO! I’ll do it my way!” No, the gardener knows best for the plants, and cultivates, works, cuts, removes, fertilizes, waters, covers, sprays ... for very good reasons. And a good plant simply trusts the gardener. Do you trust your Gardener?
Have a blessed day!
Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@embarqmail.com
jcrussell@liberty.edu
Church website: http://25621.lifewaylink.com
Devotion Archives: http://www.msnusers.com/DevotionforToday
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