By Ruth Cunning
Spring follows Winter. In between each seasonal change there is a time of TRANSFORMATION and PREPARATION. We are entering that time of transformation and preparation before we will enter the beauty of Spring.
A long time ago, the Lord spoke this word to me:
“The way you PREPARE today will determine your tomorrows.”
So how do we PREPARE for a beautiful Spring….filled with new growth and new life?
There’s lots of clean-up (yard) work. Picking up debris in the yard—like dried leaves, sticks and branches, and trash that’s blown into the yard and collected over the winter. The windows and the siding on the house may need to be washed. Some repairs may be in order as well. Dead branches need to be removed from the trees, rosebushes need to be trimmed back, and fruit trees pruned. [John 15:2]
In like manner, in our spiritual lives, we need to do some trimming, cleaning, and removing of debris. What do you need to attend to in order to experience new growth and to bear better spiritual fruit this coming season?
It is in the WINTER (barren) time that God nurtures the soil of our heart in order to prepare us for new life. WINTER is a time of WAITING, envisioning, and planning for SPRING.
Just as [EASTER] RESURRECTION followed Jesus’ DEATH on the CROSS, so does new life and resurrection power appear after we are “born again.” [John 3:3] What once lay dead and dormant comes ALIVE!
SPRING always follows WINTER!
Jesus “endured the cross for the JOY that was set before Him.” [Hebrews 12:2] It was imperative that Jesus PREPARED Himself to die on the cross—just as we must endure places of death—so we can experience the JOY of living and abiding in Him and with Him by experiencing “a more abundant life.” [John 10:10]
“Lo, the winter is past…” [Song of Solomon 2:11]
Are you ready and prepared for SPRING?
