Thursday, July 14, 2011

Green tomatoes and the grace of God.



In surveying our little garden, this morning, though enveloped in a cloud of mosquitoes, I took a certain pleasure in viewing the developing tomatoes.  Already we have eaten two of them.  The flavor was something considerably more full and nuanced than what we get all winter from the store--a simple, but still great gift.


Then my thoughts turned to what it is like for God to survey his vineyard, to check out the plants and the developing fruit.  What looks and tastes good to him?


Hebrews 13:15.  Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.


It came to me that first and foremost it is praise that is the fruit.  


It maybe seems a little cheap to us.  Praise is easy.  Praise is maybe sitting down in a pleasant place with your hymnbook.  It is nothing, it appears.


That's just like faith.  It seems a little cheap to us.  Do nothing and enjoy a marvelous hope anyhow.  Through Christ all the riches have been poured out, all we could need and more.  


Just like the tomato plant:  it is not really doing anything.  It was a seed.  It received water and soil and sunshine and voila it grows tomatos for me.  It does what it was designed to do, naturally, happily.  


And yet, that's just it.  This joy of faith is just what makes God happy.   It is the big, ripe tomato.


The trust we bear to God, is exactly what he wants.  The fullness of the heart resounds in praise and thanksgiving.  This is the pleasing fruit of lips who confess Christ.


3 comments:

Steve Martin said...

"The angels in Heaven rejoice over the one who comes to faith!"

Good post, Brigitte.

And what beautiful tomatoes!

There is nothing like a home grown tomato!

Brigitte said...

Not my picture. The mosquitoes are horrible. Edmonton has been found to be currently the mosquito capital of Canada. Usually it's Winnipeg. So tells me Martin.

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