Humble Roots

Blue Grama

Bottlebrush grass

Sometimes very important things come in relatively plain packages.  Pictured above is Blue Grama grass and Bottlebrush grass.  There are some grasses that are showy or colorful, but most are relatively dull and unimpressive like the two pictured above.

Yet, the grass family (Poaceae) is probably the most economically important group of plants on Earth.  From the grass family we get oats, rice, wheat, corn, and barley.  For most American families, breakfast and lunch would not exist without a grass.

Jesus is the same way.  He came from very humble roots.  He was born in a manger, surrounded by livestock.  His clothing was not embroidered with gold.  On his final visit to Jerusalem he arrived riding on a colt, not a massive steed ornately decorated.  Yet Jesus was to be the most important person to walk the Earth.

Jesus calls us to be the same.  Not flashy, not calling attention to ourselves, but rather seeking to put others first and to meet the needs of others before pursuing our own needs.  This summer, as you walk through grassy meadows, or drive past them on your various travels, remember what is behind that plain packaging.  It's not a matter of how flashy the packaging, but rather the importance in your life of the gift inside.

What Lurks Beneath the Surface?

Squaw Root

Indian Pipe

Something I have noticed lately is that it is really easy for people to be enticed by pretty packaging, or patriotic rhetoric.  But everything may not be as it seems.  Sometimes as believers we need to step back and dig a little deeper, and research how the packaging or rhetoric stacks up to God's Word.

The Squaw Root and Indian Pipe pictured above, while being attractive plants (or at least I think so), or at least interesting looking plants, are both parasitic.  Meaning they are by some mechanism gaining their nourishment from another plant.  In this case, they are both root parasites, although technically for the Indian Pipe there is a fungus intermediary.  So, while what is above ground is intriguing, what is below ground smells of evil.

We are bombarded with similarly intriguing things in our everyday lives.  But do they stack up to God's Word.  I have a few litmus tests that I use.  First of all, Jesus narrowed all of the commandments down to two (Matthew 22:37-39), love God and love your neighbor.  If the enticement passes the love test, I move on to test number two, found in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

If the enticement passes this test, then my final litmus test is this, Proverbs 6:16-19, "There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
¹⁷         haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
¹⁹         a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."

Once the enticement has passed these three tests, then I am good to go forth and enjoy!  There is a lot floating around our nation right now that is unable to pass these three tests.  Guard yourselves against it and always seek God's truth!