WORSHIP SERVICES:  SUNDAY AT 9AM    -   SUNDAY SCHOOL AT  10:15AM

Devotional -  Real Growth

Throughout the Bible there is an image of the spiritual life that is connected with organic growth (Psalm, Matthew 13, etc).  Organic life is a funny thing because if nurished properly it can produce abundant fruit, yet even then the producing of fruits is only a small part of the life cycle of that plant.   A typical plant, especially up north, has a cycle of allowing itself to be properly rooted, growing to bear fruit, bearing fruit and then dying to be reborn again.  The only way for a plant to appear as if it is always in bloom, is not to be a plant at all, in fact the only "plants" I know that are that way are plastic ones.  It is easy in our own spiritual lives to start thinking we need to be plastic and to always appear that we are at that stage of full bloom.  Yet, relationships often are not that way as we have agreements and disagreements, ups and downs and what carries us through is honesty, faith and love.  Living as someone who is just trying to do good and look good, puts us under the burden of the law and being legalistic.  It leads us to pretend everything is always right for that is what is "good."  Yet, love as shown in Christ is so much more then that.  Love is the power to endure all things to stay connectted, as Christ endured the cross, but still showed humanity abundant love.  Love is being willing to sacrifice for each other, even though that sacrifice may at times be hard and painful.   Love is about being able to go before each other and ask for help and forgiveness when those times arise.  At the Pine Island United Methodist Church, we have the nice steeple and the stain glass window that present almost a perfect picture of church, but as the song states below what makes a church real is the real relationships they have with God and with each other.   As a church we do not pretend we are perfect and we hope that all who come through our doors can be open to feel real before God and before us.  

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

1 Corinthians 3:7 (NIV)