A Dead, Hollow Tree

I'm moving on through the wonderful Romans 12 and focusing on verse 11 today.

11Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.

Thinking on this scripture verse I was reminded of a dead tree.

Yesterday afternoon after church a friend called to ask if I wanted to go see that new movie, "Miracles from Heaven".  Delightedly, I said "yes".  We also dragged our Hubsters along.

Spoiler alert!  If you have not heard anything about this movie and don't want to know, stop reading now!

So, the gist of the movie is that this very, very sick little girl...sick to the point of death fell headfirst 3 stories down through a dead, hollow tree, and was miraculously healed by God.  Crazy, huh?  Based on a true story...  Crazier still!

What does this have to do with today's verse?

Remember that Paul was talking to believers, Christians.  In this verse he was exhorting them to use their time, gifts and talents in service to the Lord.  Most of the time, most Christians have no problem doing that.  They actually long to do that.  Other times, though, usually because of adverse life circumstances, Christians believe they no longer have anything to offer.

The little girl in the movie, for instance, Annabelle Beam.  She told her mother she wanted to die, because of her ever-present pain.  Yet, at the time she thought she had nothing more to offer, God used her life to touch the lives of millions.

The mother, Christi Beam, temporarily lost her faith during this time of dealing with her daughter's devastating illness.

Yesterday I was reading a testimony from a friend who lost her beloved husband, her dearest friend, six months ago.  Another hollow-tree experience.

Did you catch that the title of the movie is "Miracles from Heaven"?  The healing of Abby was not the only miracle.  The movie was full of miracles, brought about from ordinary people allowing God to use them.

Aren't you glad God uses ordinary, flawed people?  (In fact, that's the only kind He creates...) The Bible is full of stories of God choosing to use Everyday Man, Typical Woman.  Then, He makes them extraordinary, by His saving grace and power!

He can even use someone who appears to be "dead", because He raises the dead in the same way He raised His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Some truly ARE dead, as the Bible says, "dead in our sins".  I pray that if you have not yet encountered Jesus Christ and accepted Him as your Savior, that you will do that today.  I just can't back away from this because it is absolutely foundation, inescapable and crucial!  There is no true joy apart from Jesus Christ, only pale imitations.  He is the only One who can bring the dead to life, forgive our sins eternally and make us spiritually alive in Him.  This is life's GREATEST miracle!

…4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,…

Ephesians 2:4-6 

One final point to Christians:  Note that Paul did not exhort the Christians to wait until they felt good about zealously serving the Lord.  If we wait until we "feel like it", we won't step out in obedience. You are not going to necessarily have that "joy from serving Jesus" until AFTER you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit and used for His glory.

Do you feel like that big, dead, hollow tree today?  In the movie, Anna asked her mother why God had not healed her.  As Christi told Anna in the movie:  "There are so many things I don't know.  But, I know God loves you!"  Amen to that, and praise Him for His miraculous love!

Loving Father, I was dead, so dead in my sins until You rescued me!  I can't thank you enough for saving my soul, making me alive through Jesus.  It's hard to explain and even harder to understand how that works in the spiritual realm.  But, then, we don't have to understand everything.  Faith means taking you at Your word, trusting in Your promises.  I pray specifically this day for those who have never met Jesus, have never thrown all their sins on Him, who feel hopelessly trapped.  Speak to them, Father, through Your holy Word, by Your Holy Spirit and/or through one of Your redeemed, one of Your beloved.  I pray that these will find Your love to be inescapable!  For those beloved who already know You as Savior, but who yet feel like that huge, dead tree, speak to them today also, in the depths of their hearts.  Reaffirm Your love for them in tangible ways that let them know You have not left or forsaken them.  And, empower us all, Father, to step out in obedient service to You so that Satan's adversity which beats and bruises us does not overcome us. (Revelation 12:11) In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://www.enzasbargains.com/miracles-from-heaven-movie-quotes/