The Bible has some beautiful contradictions that only our Father can explain. In the next few blogs, I want to share some of them.

 

The first contradiction I want to discuss is… How LIFE Can Emerge Out of DEATH. I thought of this one day when I was preparing to plant one of my favorite flowers, the Mexican Bird of Paradise. I had a few of these plants in my backyard in Arizona. They are amazing and need very little water to flourish. I didn’t realize the pain the little seed had to endure to become so beautiful.

 

The very first thing I had to do before I planted the seeds was to bruise, break, and weaken their shell by heat, hammering, and sharp objects; this process is called ‘scarification.’ Ouch! Then, I let them soak overnight in water to weaken the shell to pull it away from the seed.

 

The second thing I did was, planted the broken seeds in dark, rich, moist soil then let them bask in the sunlight so they could grow. Even though I planted several seeds, it only takes one to germinate and produce flowers.  After two months, the little plant began to emerge.

 

 

Finally, through the pain the seeds had to endure, life springs forth. One day, as flowers bloom they will fulfill the purpose for which I planted them…to beautify the landscape around them. This is the joy that awaits me!

 

 

Even though the flowers will be so beautiful as they bloom, they will need much cutting and pruning to keep them from taking over the whole yard. Does this process sound familiar? Yes, it is the process our Lord Jesus endured for us and we also must endure. 

 

Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed (bruised) for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, and by His stripes (wounds) we are healed (of our sins). (Isaiah 53:5 Amplified)  

 

 Looking away from all that will distract us and focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. (Hebrew 12:2 Amplified)

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 This is the process you and I endure with Christ through trials and tribulations in our lives. Sometimes, our Father uses them to prune and humble our souls to cause us to depend on Him and less on the flesh.

 

⁸ We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; ⁹ hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly [experiencing the threat of] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced in our mortal body [which is subject to death]. ¹² So physical death is [actively] at work in us, but [spiritual] life [is actively at work] in you. (2 Corinthians 4:8-12)

 

In this life, we will experience death, loss, or pain in some way, but remember, Our Father makes ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME!

Enjoy Him!