“God is making a beautiful flower out of your dirt”- Steve Brown

Today, Steve Brown came to our church and preached on how to love the unlovable people In our church or people in our church we don’t  like because they aren’t like us enough or we strongly disagree with what they believe.  He preached on Philippians 2.  Steve reminded us that Philippians 2:33 says to do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  He took us to Philippians 2:1-2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love. 

He told us the story of how ..in the last week few weeks, a group of Presbyterians when to Japan to help the people in need there.  They had heard stories of people  coming to know Christ ..like never before.  They heard how a Baptist church 200 miles away from the Presbyterian group needed water to baptize its new believers in Christ.  The Presbyterian group COULD HAVE said, “oh well, we as Presbyterians don’t believe you should be  baptizing by submersion in water… we don’t believe you have to be dunked…guess, we are right..because God didn’t give them water”.  Instead, the Presbyterians responded through the LOVE of CHRIST.  They gathered trucks and trucks full of water, drove it 200 miles, and delivered it to their brothers and sisters in CHRIST.  Why? Because of Philippians 2.

I went up to Steve and talked to him for 2-3 minutes.  He said he had read my blog and knew about John-Michael and asked for an update.  After giving him a quick picture of what God had been doing the last 4 years, he said, “God is making a beautiful flower out of your dirt”.   I thought about that.. and Steve is right.  God is taking the dirt of my life (sin, hurt, mixed with the poop of life- people’s meanness, “unfair things”) and He is making something beautiful!  I am so thankful that He doesn’t leave “my dirt”  untilled, uncared for, unwatered, ..and yes, even unfertilized. LOL…  CHRIST uses all of it…ALL of life’s experiences to make me like He wants me.

We all can quickly think of two examples of this: Job and Joseph.  Job recognized that as the Lord reigns, it is He who has allowed such things, good and bad. In humility Job confessed, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Job 13:15    His wife was of no help, for she said, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:9,10  But as time wore on and he became inflicted in his flesh, though he never cursed God, yet he did question God's justice in the matter. God corrected him later saying, "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?" Job 40:8     For those with doubts, give God the benefit of the doubt.  I say, "Don't judge God based upon your circumstances, but judge your cirmctances based upon who you know God to be".  There are bigger things behind all that happens, of which we usually will NOT be aware. Job for example didn't realize that what he was going through was for his benefit to show what a righteous man of God he was. Afterwards God greatly rewarded Job for the performance he did manage and even answered his prayer which he prayed while afflicted saying, "Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!".  

 Some of you might say, that is just OLD TESTAMENT stuff.    Well,  the New Testament perspective is that enduring in faith in the midst of “unjust suffering “is  praiseworthy and grows our faith.  "So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." 1Peter 4:19 

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1: 8-9- "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."   

And  you all know Joseph’s story, jealous brothers, a pit, became a slave, unjustly became a prisoner, etc….  BUT Genesis 50:20 hold the KEY…. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."  God used  all of the dirt ..and manure of  Joseph's life... to deliver Jacob's family from the famine. This is not to justify evil deeds, but rather to show that God may use them to accomplish a greater good.   Remember, we are finite and can only see things through our eyes…we must trust the GOD who sees..and can SEE all!

So, I thank God for the dirt…even the manure of life…as He is showing me the beautiful flower. Thanks, Steve.