Water What's Good

Well, summer is officially here, but I didn’t have to be told. I know when it’s summer just by opening the cold water hydrant to discover “cold” is on vacation and “warm” is filling in until it’s return some time in September. “Mucho caliente!!” I’m watering my trees and grass hoping to keep them half way healthy and avoiding bankruptcy until it decides to rain again. The birds seem to enjoy the benefits of the lawn sprinkler and I enjoy watching them. The water seems to attract every bird in the neighborhood, every size and color, male and female. I have a hard time deciding to water the lawn. To me lawn watering is a paradox of life that I struggle with. I have a passionate dislike of mowing the grass, yet here I am watering it to make it grow. It seems counterproductive, but then again, green grass, spotted with some brown grass is a lot better than dirt, weeds and burr grass. Have you ever noticed how the weeds and burrs flourish in times of drought? I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’ve been told that native plants – nut grass, burr grass, cactus, mesquite and the like – noticeably produce more seed in times of drought, insuring survival in the future. It sounds reasonable to me, another sound reason to water the grass and mow the weeds, keeping them at bay.
A minister asked a minister friend how large his worship attendance had been the previous Sunday. The friend replied, “It was large and respectable.” The first minister later found out that only two people had been there that Sunday morning. He confronted his friend saying, “You lied to me. You said your attendance last week was large and respectable, and I found out only two people were there!” The other minister calmly replied, “That’s right. There were two people. One was large and the other respectable.”
Three preachers were having lunch in a diner. One said, “You know, since summer started I’ve been having trouble with bats in the loft and the attic of the church building. I think I’ve tried everything – noise, sprays, cats – nothing seems to work.” Another said, “Me too! I have hundreds living in my attic. I’ve had the place fumigated and still they won’t go away!” The third said, “I baptized all mine. They all became members of the church and haven’t seen a one of them back since!”
[Hebrews 10: 19-39] In this passage, the Hebrew writer says, (vs. 24-25) “And let us consider how we may spur (a Texan at heart, no doubt) one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.” I know it’s summer and it’s a time for relaxation, vacations and recreation; me time. But, it seems, we have a tendency to allow our spirit to run cold while out and about enjoying our “me time”. If we don’t continue to water the good seed, the Word of God, (Luke 8:11) that was planted within us, the world will begin to creep back into our life, drawing us away from God. The assembling of God’s people didn’t stop on the last day of school and is expected to begin again the first day of the new school year. Don’t get me wrong here. We all need some “me time”, but don’t leave God out. Take God on vacation. Take Him fishing. Take Him to the coast. You want to know a little secret? He’s already there waiting for you and wants to show you a good time. Want to keep the burrs and weeds out of your life? Fertilize and water your life with the Word of God.