Revelation 22:14 – Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. (NKJV)
A couple of weeks back, after the church service, there were some young people who wanted to come to my home to see my animals and yard before the next service at 6:00 p.m. I gladly said yes, as I had leftover barbequed chicken, and knew what I could feed them with ease.
Only one of the three people had been to my home before. She knew what was there. The others just explored while I cooked. It was fun watching them discover all the unique treasures of nature and gifts God has given me. Well, it was fun until they got to the turtle pond!
I hadn't cleaned it for a week and it was pretty smelly, and especially so after my son added some frogs he found the night before. My guests were excited at the prospect of seeing Mr. Turtle, but he could not be seen through the cloudy water. How embarrassing! Here I wanted to share one of my treasures, but it could not be seen.
As I cleaned the pond the next day, God showed me that we are like that. Sometimes our sin and wrong decisions cloud the true inner beauty and gifts that He has put in us. So many times, when people can't see them, they are not drawn to us and we can't have the opportunity to share Jesus.
God says, "It's time to clean out the ponds on this earth!" He wants to get out the bucket, throw out the yucky water and replace it with His fresh water that nourishes our souls.
The funny thing is that the yucky water is also useful. The fish waste serves as a fertilizer, and I put it on my plants. They become beautiful and healthy. God takes what is bad in our lives, turns it into good, and we can glorify Him through our testimonies. And guess who wins? Everyone!
Today one can see Mr. Turtle and the fish clear as day! We need to let our gifts and talents show to a dying world. The only way we can do this is to let God clean our ponds. It may not always be pleasant in the process, but the end result is worth it!
Prayer: God, help us to let You clean our ponds in love. Amen.
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