The Weekly Encourager – May 7, 2014 – Lesson from a Florist

My friend Gitta Smith is a talented floral designer who makes beautiful arrangements for weddings and other events. One time, returning to her house from a weekend trip together, I saw a vase of flowers near her front door. I noticed that the flowers weren't quite at their best, but still an attractive addition to the room. I made some comment about how nice it was to come home to flowers. However, as soon as she saw them, Gitta snatched them away, saying, “Oh, those were supposed to have been thrown away.” I was a bit shocked. Had they been at my house, I would have enjoyed them for another couple of days. Then I realized, she's a florist. Her standards have to be higher. When she presents her creations to her clients, they must be in perfect condition. Having flowers around that are not at the peak of perfection is unacceptable. They reflect badly on her, and they're bad for business.

While re-arranging some flowers of my own this morning, I thought of Gitta. I had to force myself to discard some flowers that were beginning to lose petals. Their continuing presence would degrade the whole arrangement. At that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. Isn't that the way I view my faults, holding on to them as long as I can? When the Spirit convicts me of a sin, am I immediately eager to stop doing it? No, sometimes I try to maintain some little bit of whatever the bad habit is, because I LIKE it. Can't I have just a little bit of this sin, Lord? Can't I have just a little bit of this unhealthy food, just one rude retort to that difficult person, just a little bit of sarcasm, just a little bit of laziness, just a little bit of anxiety, just a little bit of grumbling? Please, Lord, it's too hard to give it ALL up!

God's word says that having just a little bit of sin in my life is still disobedience. If I've broken one part of God's Law, I'm guilty of breaking it all. One little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump. Even one moment of rebellion in my heart would have been enough to send me straight to Hell. Just a little bit of sin would have been enough to hang Christ on the cross in my behalf. God calls us to be holy, as He is holy.

Keeping just a little bit of sin around reflects poorly on our Creator, and it's bad for business. All our unbelieving family and friends and neighbors are watching us. They all know we're Christians, and some of them are just waiting for us to trip up, so they can point the finger and justify their own rebellion against God. Our desire is to be a good witness for Jesus Christ in all we say and do. We hope that the Spirit will work through us to bring some people closer to believing in Him. To shine with the light of Christ, we must make no allowance for sin. We have to put off this old man and put on the new, with the Lord's help. Thanks be to God, He provides a way to escape every temptation that comes our way. He is able.

See those dying flowers? Throw them all out!

God is faithful,
j