By: Courtney Chambers
Living in the Midwest, we experience winters filled with cold air and snow storms. Once the last leaves have fallen off the trees and the crisp air fills the sky, I know winter has come. Winter is the season of death. It is the season when our once-blooming plants disappear under the mounds of snow, and our once thriving beautiful trees are left bare with no appearance of life. This season leaves us wondering if we will see life again. It would appear to be a hopeless season unless you know that spring will soon appear. This season of death is temporary; it visits for a season and then leaves.
When spring appears after that final snowstorm, I can look out my windows and see small, hopeful moments of life. Having a yard full of perennial flowers, I know that no matter how bad the winter storms might be, I will see life appear in my backyard once spring hits. Green sprouts will emerge as the warmth of the sun shines above. This is hope. Spring points us to the hope that our heart yearns for; it helps us endure the season of death as we wait for that time of restoration.
In the same way, Christ’s resurrection changes us. Knowing that death did not conquer him, but he conquered it, changes how we live daily. We can live in hope, knowing that we serve a living God as we await his final return. His defeat of death on the cross impacts how we will live because it changes our destination. Where we once lived with the seal for death, we now live with a seal for eternity with our Savior. If Christ had not been resurrected after three days in the grave, what hope would we have? His resurrection is what paved the way for life within us. We were dead, but because of Christ, we were made alive. Thanks to our living and loving God, mercy and grace were poured out on us, which provided us with life in him. (Ephesians 2:1-10).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3, ESV).
Reminding ourselves of our living God that we serve helps us persevere in life as we face trials and tribulations day after day. Signs of sin and death are sprinkled into our every life, but because of God, we can press on. We wouldn’t be able to handle the stress and bumps of life apart from him. This is why a daily reminder of the gospel is crucial for each believer. We need to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross and that because of his resurrection, death was defeated. The gospel reminds us that this world is temporary, but Christ is eternal. The only hope we need to be sourced from is him alone.
As gardeners tend to their gardens, we prepare our hearts daily, knowing that our resurrected king is ruling before us. Knowing what has happened and what is to come makes us want to seek holiness. This means we recognize the weeds and bugs that can destroy our lives, and it calls us to action to live a life of holiness that will produce the proper fruit. We want to live a life prepared to serve the living king. One way to do this is through spiritual disciplines within our lives. Actively applying spiritual disciplines is a way we can tend to our hearts. A gardener prunes branches, pulls weeds, and eliminates predators to protect their fruits. We do the same through daily spiritual disciplines.
When we read our Bible daily, we saturate our minds on the good soil of life. We can see what is good and will produce good fruits and what could lead us to destruction. Memorizing scripture is us dwelling on that good soil of life. It creates the desire to abide in the living water. In Psalm 1, we read about trees planted by streams of water. It is strong, with good roots deep in healthy soil next to the source of life. This type of person is blessed as they delight in God’s Word and meditate on the Word daily. Without the living water, no good tree could survive. Its lifeline comes from the living water. Daily saturating ourselves with God’s Word displays our dependency and need for him.
Living a life of dependency also means our life is identified through prayer. Prayer is an active dependency on a faithful and living God. We recognize that growth does not come from us but from him. When we are in the seasons of life, our roots will not waver from the excellent soil when anchored down in prayer. Crying out to God in the good and the bad helps remind us that our Savior is living and active. It reminds us that he cares for his people and hears us each time we call out to him.
In my backyard, I have two peach trees next to each other. These trees need each other to produce fruit. If one was removed, the remaining peach tree would bear little to no fruit. In the same way, we need our local church for accountability, encouragement, and correction. We need other believers to help us as we live a life of holiness. We were created for community, and we must not neglect the discipline of the right community. When we are active in our local church, we get to serve and use our gifts for good, we get the correct teaching, and we can worship among other believers. Like my peach trees, we cannot blossom alone. We need one another to come alongside each other to point each other back to our source of life, Christ.
Knowing that Christ resurrected changes how we live each day. As we wait for the first moments of spring, we can remember the hope that we have because of Christ’s resurrection. It changed us; because of that, we are now alive in him. Because Christ resurrected and defeated death, we want to grow a garden full of good fruits. We desire to be the tree planted by streams of water. To do this, we must actively depend on our living God. We seek holiness by defining our lives with spiritual disciplines. We blossom as we find the source of life through the living water.