Full Price

The yard looks rough these days. Grass growing at twice the speed with all the rain has left little motivation to trim, mulch and plant the front of the house.  

Atop a huge stump to the left of the driveway sits a circular flower planter from last year. It’s filled with weeds, tree seedlings, and dried up stocks of dead annuals. Pretty pathetic, really, an eyesore, but, truth is, I’ve driven past it hundreds of times, giving it no notice at all. 

Not today, though. Today I’ll return it to its former glory, I thought to myself. So, with gloves and trowel in hand, I churned the soil, sifting out weeds and roots to prep it for later. 

I was heading out on a few errands and intended to stop by Meijer’s to see what plants were left from the spring rush, though by the time I arrived the garden center was near to closing. I quickly surveyed the aisles, finding them thoroughly picked through; only some scraggly, dried-out plants remained on the outer edges. 

I gathered a few wilting flats of color and headed towards the cashier, thinking perhaps I’d get a price break just to take them off their hands. The attendant agreed that they looked half dead, but sadly couldn’t budge on the price. I considered just leaving them there, but in a snap decision, and since it was closing time, I just went ahead and bought them, and carted them off to my car. 

On the drive home I began to question whether I’d made a wise decision. A quick turn at a stop sign had sent plants sprawling all over the back seat. From the looks of things in the rear-view mirror, if they weren’t close to death before, they would be soon. 

Once home, I lined up my sad little collection on the stump and began to carve out holes for them in the planter. One by one I worked to place them in a visually pleasing way, but given their dried-out and wilted condition it was hard to see it. After pulling off the dead leaves and straightening up the limp stems, I gave them all a good long drink from the hose and hoped for the best. 
 

Our Father pays full price, all for love.

By the next morning something amazing had happened. A little time, soil and water had refreshed and rejuvenated every single plant, such that they all had strengthened and straightened, opening up their fronds and petals in the morning sunshine. It was a beautiful sight. 

I bet many a homeowner looked over these weak and wilted flowers for the healthy more colorful ones. I would have, too, had I not arrived at closing time and made that snap decision. 

I’m enjoying beauty this morning, just staring at flowers as they respond and do what they were designed to do. There must be some exquisite satisfaction for the Father in heaven to see what becomes of those Jesus has brought into His care. 

“That’s how I roll, Rus” I thought I heard Him say. “I go out of my way, seeking and selecting all, especially the lost and overlooked. I pay full price, all for love, all for the pleasure of adopting many sons and daughters and planting them in the good soil of My family. Watering them with the water of my Words and causing them to flourish according to My design. I do all things well; I can do nothing less.” 

That sounds like the great gardener, a true Father. 

I’ve been taking an online course from one of my favorite Bible teachers, Allen Hood, entitled Intimacy with the Father. It’s so very good for my heart’s pursuit of God. He quotes Knowing God by J.I. Packer, saying:
 

You sum up the whole New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.

For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the fatherhood of God. ‘Father’ is the Christian name for God. Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption.
So, in this month celebrating fathers, I’m realizing a need to better grasp my adoption and the great good that has been bought forwards by a heavenly Father who paid full price and planted me as part of His beautiful inheritance now on display. I truly don’t understand it well enough. How about you?

Prophetic Prayer & Communion
Stay tuned for the next one!

For more from Allen Hood, visit: www.allenhoodonline.com

Rus will be teaching at Northstar on Sunday, June 18th. Watch online at golovelive.com or visit in person at the 9am or 11am service at Loveland, or 10am at the West Chester campus.

Rus and his brother, Doug, took their father to Buffalo, New York to visit his three siblings and check out the old stomping grounds. It was a memorable trip for all!