As most of you know, I love old movies. I can sit and watch movies from the 30's-60's over and over. I usually laugh in the same spots and cry in the same spots. Even though I know what is going to happen, I still get drawn into the story as I watch these old shows. I was reminded of the movie "Shenandoah" the other day when I was visiting with some people here in Haskell. Here is a clip from that classic:
I began to think about this movie and the rugged lifestyle of the people who moved West looking for a better life. Jimmy Stewart's character is right. These pioneers did have to fight their way to this better life. They had to tame the land, struggle against the weather, and experience set backs that most of us will never face.
On the other hand, God has been intersecting my life through the parables of Jesus Christ this past month. I have been preaching a series of sermons where we are reminded of the stories of Christ and explore what he was getting across to us through these tales. Over the last couple of weeks I have been immersed in two farmers' stories. The first was the story of the wheat and the weeds and the other was the story of the sower.
In light of Jimmy Stewart's prayer, I have been thinking about God's part and our part of the arrangement. Stewart is right. Most of us do have to work hard for a living. If we go to school, we have to study, read, write, and attend the classes. We have to take the tests and try to learn from our mistakes. After we graduate, we have to be productive employees. We must do the tasks that we have been hired for and we expect to get paid for doing our job. In fact, St, Paul says it this way, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living."
On the other hand, Stewart's character only gave part of the story. It's true that he and his family cleared the land, planted, and watered. It's true that the family worked extremely hard for what they have. But, what about the sunshine and rain? What about the life hidden away inside those small seeds that they planted? Did the farmers provide that too?
In all parts of human life, it takes both. It takes our own hard work and willingness to do what needs to be done. However, every farmer must admit that he or she farms in faith. After the land is cleared and plowed. After the seed is planted into the earth, there is not much a person can do. God gives the growth.
The same is true about our spiritual lives. We must continue to prepare the soil of our hearts to be changed. We must continue to pour the life giving water of Scripture into our minds. We must remember to keep our ears open to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. We must intentionally make ourselves available to God. However, that is our job. It is God's job to grow us through the Spirit into mature Christians. It is God's job to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. It is God's job to instill into us holiness.
Both our physical work and our spiritual work attest to this fact. St. Paul also says "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives growth." Until next time...
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