Nothing embodies the idea of new life like springtime!
There is truly something miraculous that happens every year, when the cold, dark chill of winter flees before the warmth, life and light of the rising spring sun. Even the staunchest pessimist is hard-pressed not to feel hopeful when the waking sun breaks through the chill of a crisp April morning.
The cold and dark of winter dissipates as the days grow warmer and longer. The seeds that fell to the earth the proceeding autumn, dead and buried in the earth, break forth in triumphant life.
Flowers bloom, birds sing, orchids and blossoms soak the air with their beautiful fragrances. It is like the earth hits the refresh button and everything springs forth into new life.
Did you know that it is God’s heart is to bring us into a spiritual springtime for our souls? Not just a passing season, but an inward, eternal springtime that never fades. The Bible teaches that man lives in a spiritual winter. Sin has left humanity in a cold, dark and distant relationship to God. The life God intended for us is frozen beneath a permafrost of unbelief and rebellion.
But the Bible also says, as shown at the top of the article, that Jesus came, ‘that we may life, and life to the full.’ Through Jesus, the sinless Son of God, we are offered forgiveness through His sacrifice on the cross, and new life through His resurrection from the dead. When speaking of His coming death and resurrection, Jesus said, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24) Jesus declared that His sacrifice and resurrection would produce a great work of redemption; a spiritual harvest of life and salvation, to all who believe.
Over and over in the Scriptures, in both the Old and New Testaments, similar imagery is borrowed to speak of the blessings poured out on those who place their faith in God. For example…
“Oh, the joys of those who … delight in the…Lord… They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psa. 1:1-3
“But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars … For they are planted in the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.” Psalm 92:12-14
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8
Notice the language? All describe a springtime-like experience in relationship to knowing God. Jesus built on this theme when He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
Jesus invites us to be grafted into Him; into the unending life that He possesses; a life that flows from God’s inexhaustible supply. It is a life of an eternal and undiminishing dynamic, a spiritual springtime, that cannot be found anywhere else.
The moment we are grafted into the vine, plugged into Jesus, His life, through the Holy Spirit, flows into ours. The Apostle Paul also drew from these ideas when he wrote,
“…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
God can make our lives explode with new life in Christ, if we are willing to believe. We can experience the unfading spiritual springtime of our soul, bursting with the life, fragrance, color and power of Christ within.
Do you hunger for new life? Will you give your heart to Jesus? Will you allow Him to graft you into His victorious unending life?
The Bible says, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.””
New life can begin with a simple prayer as this…
“Jesus, Forgive me. I am a sinner. I believe that you are the Son of the Most High God, the Savior of the world. I believe you came to this world to save me from my sins by dying on the cross. I believe You were buried and that You rose from the dead on the third day, victorious over the devil, sin and death. I confess you as Lord of all and surrender my life to you fully now. Please come into my heart and make me completely Yours. Thank you for saving me! In Your name, Jesus, I pray.”
By Pastor Tim Mattox
Paphos Calvary Chapel
www.calvarycyprus.com
