There’s a climbing rose outside my bedroom window.
It’s been there for several years now. When we first planted
it, the trellis which supported it was adequate. But over the last couple of
years, it has shot up beyond that trellis and is reaching for the roof.
But there is no support beyond this now rather pathetic
looking trellis. So waving at me as I stand inside the bedroom, is a rather
weak, long branch of what could be a beautiful rose bush.
It won’t be beautiful, though, if it isn’t properly
supported. It will be gangly and straggly and battered by the wind and weather.
Any peach-coloured roses it might have borne will hang their pretty heads and
die.
Sometimes people wonder if you have to go to church to be a
Christian. No, there is nothing in the Bible that says that. But unless a
believer is part of a support network, it is easy to begin to weaken, to sway
and get battered by the storms of life.
Church is a trellis for the Christian. It may not meet on a
Sunday morning. It may consist of a couple of friends who meet up every week
for a time of sharing and prayer. A vibrant faith needs the support of other
believers.
Jesus calls himself the vine, and his followers the
branches. We need to remain rooted in Jesus, and supported by each other.
I am so grateful that God has given me a great trellis.
No comments:
Post a Comment