When we moved into our home a couple of years ago there was, in the far corner of the backyard, a large unsightly stump. This particular corner of the backyard was a lovely sunny spot. Rosemary would be perfect to plant right here! It will grow big and beautiful and camouflage the unsightly stump.
Winter passed … Spring came. And the stump came to life with fervor! Shoots sprouted from all around!
All summer long the shoots grew with rapid vengeance!
August arrived … revealing a stump now transformed into a large, sprawling, unruly mass of Big-Leaf Maple vegetation!
Something must be done!
All the shoots and stems were chopped!
Epsom Salt is known to be effective at decaying stumps. All throughout the following rains of winter, Epsom Salt was applied to the stump! Just for good measure … an entire carton of Morton Table Salt was dumped all over the stump! Surely that should do the trick!
Spring rolled around, and a large roaring bonfire was built over top of the stump … just for extra good measure!
The seasons passed … Summer faded into Fall … then into another wet rainy winter.
Now, here we are once again with Spring bringing all the plants back to life. A recent stroll past the Big-Leaf Maple stump revealed an unwelcome sight … check it out! New shoots are emerging from the charred stump!!
It keeps coming back!!
This Big-Leaf Maple stump is a lot like sin in our Christian life.
When we first meet Jesus, He reveals to us the big monstrous sin problem in our life! We repent of the sin and surrender our life to Jesus … He fells the “tree” and carries it all away!!
The “landscape” of our life is so free and open … now that the sin has been “chopped down.”
But deep down at the core of who we are, our human sin nature still has roots.
One day we notice, much to our surprise, old sinful bents sprouting out of the stump! I thought that sin was gone?!
Something must be done!
With the “pruners” of God’s Word … we chop those shoots off!
We sprinkle the “salt” of God’s Word all over that stump of sin!
We light the “fire” of God’s Word on that stump!
Seasons of life pass. It seems a particular “sinful bent” has been conquered.
But then one day … … Nooo! Shoots are trying to sprout once again.
This is the Christian life!
God has given us His Word to “prune” away those shoots of sin that try to sprout.
But it’s up to us to “pick up the pruners” and actually apply God’s Word!
God has given us His Holy Spirit to bring to our attention when shoots of sin are sprouting.
But we must be receptive to what the Holy Spirit shows us.
God has given us other people who can see shoots sprouting which we might be unaware of.
But we need to be humble enough to listen and receive correction.
