Pastor's Blog
Where's Monk When You Need Him? Posted 2.25.2010
There is high drama at Peninsula these days. There is a mystery brewing for which a conclusion will be difficult to reach. We’d better call in Monk. Or maybe Sherlock. Or Shawn Spencer. Or, I know, Perry Mason or Magnum. It’s going to take a professional!
Perhaps that might be a bit too costly. Perhaps the mystery is not that significant. But we do have a whodunit swirling around. It has baffled the staff and we just aren’t sure where to turn. What’s going on? Well, take a walk in front of the Fellowship Hall some time, along the sidewalk. On the stroll ask yourself, “What’s missing?” I will give you some clues. It’s green. It’s new. It’s supposed to be in the ground. And, at last count, seven have vanished. Gone.
That’s right, someone is “borrowing” some of our new landscaping to do who knows what with it. But there are seven plants missing which were just planted in December. Seven pittosporums are missing. Call in the detectives! Maybe Hercule Poirot could help.
It is a bit of a mystery and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen of this before. But as the word spreads I do hear anecdotal stories that we are not the first hit by a plant bandit. So how do we respond? Well, we begin my making sure we know how to biblically handle a thief. Do we know the biblical solution? It is never enough to “just say no.” Paul says in Ephesians that yes, we are to “put off” stealing. But what do we “put on” in its place? Work. Part of the solution for theft must involve some work, besides all the repentance and restitution aspects of the problem. Much has to do with being productive.
But let’s get a little more personal. What should have been my first reaction when I heard of the budding mystery? One of the first things we should have done was to pray for the culprit. Somebody needs those plants more than us. If I trust the sovereignty of God, that has to be true. We have to replace our anger with prayer. Just like we do with every other “enemy.” If the Bible can teach us how to stop stealing, certainly it can teach us how to deal with our “enemies.” But that’s a little tougher for us to swallow. Because now it is about me. My heart. My reactions. My perspective.
So when you check for clues in The Case of the Missing Pittosporums, pray for the person who so needs those plants. May they grow and become a constant reminder of the grace of God in their lives. Hey, maybe those plants can be an instrument to lead somebody to the Cross. Now, wouldn’t that be something!
That is the bottom line in all we do. Does life lead us to the cross? Do our action and reactions lead anyone else to the cross? So watch your heart. Be quick to pray and slow to anger, especially in dealing with “enemies.”
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