My original plan was to just trim the ivy as it quickly crept into my view of the back yard sprouting across the window; the roots permanently attaching to whatever surface it came into contact with. It may be pretty to look at and provides a great ground cover, but this plant can also be extremely invasive.
As I methodically begin the task of trimming this vine and that one, I noticed the extensive damage it had done to our window trim, exterior walls and even the window itself. Without pausing, I quickly decided to rip the entire plant off the wall and out of the ground.
It became immediately apparent that I was not the only one upset about this vine being ripped out and angered by the decay it had done to our home. Massive black spiders with bodies the size of my thumb nail scampered out from the displaced vines; up the walls and every direction on the ground setting off alarm to the mild arachnophobia this bug hating gardener has.
I had never been so thankful to have the bottle of Home Defense than at this moment, turning the situation into a battle of spider vs. bug melter with a quick trigger finger ready to spray until death. I turned into a human spider killer that refused to let anything flinching move a single one of their eight legs.
The parallel of the ivy plant to sin is almost identical.
Did you know that ivy is originally referred to as hedera? There are about fifteen different species of the climbing or ground-creeping plant.
At a distance, the ivy climbing on a brick wall creates a variegated green garden or a ground foliage that covers the forest floor. When you step closer, what you see is the ivy choking out the tree it's taken hostage by the thick, invading vines or roots that have taken hold to the outside walls, in some cases, vines that have grown into attic spaces under siding ruining the integrity of a home.
Every time I attempted to rip the brown, sunlight-starved vines off our exterior walls, pieces of paint would be tore off as well.
"And the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"
1 Corinthians 14:25
The Greek word 'secrets' in this passage is referred to as Kryptos, meaning hidden. Paul is simply saying that hidden secrets will be plastered over prompting sinners to humbly come before God which then causes them to be converted and others to see God being worshipped and glorified.
The sins that rule your life will now be exposed in your own heart and
that then, makes you want to worship God.
Sin too, is often masked by a different name, something enticing, beautiful or even purposeful. Over time, we can't even see the root because we've grown accustom to what it looks like on the outside...
A lie that has become truth to the offender and rolled into a new lifestyle.
A job that provides for your family turned into an addiction of always working resulting in distance between your spouse and family.
A drink here or there that slowly becomes a habit of daily drinking.
Living outside your means and ending with years of debt...
No one likes their hidden sin to be called out or have their character challenged by those you've put in place to hold you accountable. It's painful, embarrassing and often times ugly when we struggle to release the sin in our lives. In John 15:2 we read, "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
There are times in my own life that I needed to rip the entire vine out to purify my life of sin. Other times where God revealed dead branches that were hiding under a mask of green,
thriving vines to produce even greater fruit.
Much like the ivy in my yard, tearing it down exposed the suffocating vine that on the surface looked healthy, but underneath had spiders and aggressive roots; sin and lies,
that were destroying the structure of my home.
It is my prayer that I stay willing to the correction and pruning God works at in my life.
I don't like it at times, but the result of "remaining in Him" (John 15:5) is worth having my blindspots exposed.
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
Proverbs 28:13
What "kryptos hedera" is preventing you from living a more fruitful life?
As I methodically begin the task of trimming this vine and that one, I noticed the extensive damage it had done to our window trim, exterior walls and even the window itself. Without pausing, I quickly decided to rip the entire plant off the wall and out of the ground.
It became immediately apparent that I was not the only one upset about this vine being ripped out and angered by the decay it had done to our home. Massive black spiders with bodies the size of my thumb nail scampered out from the displaced vines; up the walls and every direction on the ground setting off alarm to the mild arachnophobia this bug hating gardener has.
I had never been so thankful to have the bottle of Home Defense than at this moment, turning the situation into a battle of spider vs. bug melter with a quick trigger finger ready to spray until death. I turned into a human spider killer that refused to let anything flinching move a single one of their eight legs.
The parallel of the ivy plant to sin is almost identical.
Did you know that ivy is originally referred to as hedera? There are about fifteen different species of the climbing or ground-creeping plant.
At a distance, the ivy climbing on a brick wall creates a variegated green garden or a ground foliage that covers the forest floor. When you step closer, what you see is the ivy choking out the tree it's taken hostage by the thick, invading vines or roots that have taken hold to the outside walls, in some cases, vines that have grown into attic spaces under siding ruining the integrity of a home.
Every time I attempted to rip the brown, sunlight-starved vines off our exterior walls, pieces of paint would be tore off as well.
"And the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"
1 Corinthians 14:25
The Greek word 'secrets' in this passage is referred to as Kryptos, meaning hidden. Paul is simply saying that hidden secrets will be plastered over prompting sinners to humbly come before God which then causes them to be converted and others to see God being worshipped and glorified.
The sins that rule your life will now be exposed in your own heart and
that then, makes you want to worship God.
Sin too, is often masked by a different name, something enticing, beautiful or even purposeful. Over time, we can't even see the root because we've grown accustom to what it looks like on the outside...
A lie that has become truth to the offender and rolled into a new lifestyle.
A job that provides for your family turned into an addiction of always working resulting in distance between your spouse and family.
A drink here or there that slowly becomes a habit of daily drinking.
Living outside your means and ending with years of debt...
No one likes their hidden sin to be called out or have their character challenged by those you've put in place to hold you accountable. It's painful, embarrassing and often times ugly when we struggle to release the sin in our lives. In John 15:2 we read, "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
There are times in my own life that I needed to rip the entire vine out to purify my life of sin. Other times where God revealed dead branches that were hiding under a mask of green,
thriving vines to produce even greater fruit.
Much like the ivy in my yard, tearing it down exposed the suffocating vine that on the surface looked healthy, but underneath had spiders and aggressive roots; sin and lies,
that were destroying the structure of my home.
It is my prayer that I stay willing to the correction and pruning God works at in my life.
I don't like it at times, but the result of "remaining in Him" (John 15:5) is worth having my blindspots exposed.
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
Proverbs 28:13
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