Apil Showers

“April showers bring May flowers’.  I’m sure that many times you have heard this rhyme and maybe you have found yourself repeating it.  The poem as we know it today originated in 1157 and was written by Thomas Tusser.  According to the New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 3^rd edition, 2002, this statement refers to “some unpleasant occurrence about better things.”

In the Bible, the word “showers” is used 15 times in 14 different verses, all in the Old Testament.  With the exception of one verse, all of the references point to something that is very positive.  For example:

·       Showers are anticipated.  “They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain” (Job 29:23).

·       Showers come in season.  “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill.  I will send down showers in season.” (Ezekiel 34:26a).

·       Showers can be referred to as more than just bleakness and rain but that which is very positive.  “There will be showers of blessing” (Ezekiel 34:26b).

·       Showers become refreshing dew on the grass.  “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plant” (Deuteronomy 32:2).

·       Showers water the earth.  “He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth” (Psalm 72:6).

·       Showers are referred to as abundant showers.  “The clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind” (Job 36:28).

One thing about showers that seems to jump off the page is that we should use showers as a reminder to put our hope in the Lord.  Listen to this: “Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?  Do skies themselves send down showers?  No, it is you, O Lord our God.  Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this” (Jeremiah 14:22).  As you begin to enjoy everything the spring and summertime have to offer – the showers that God sends (along with flowers) are to remind you of His abundant blessing in your life.  Let showers be a reminder to place your hope in God.

Madness? Or Unique Prize?

In Minnesota the month of March is considered one of the snowiest months of the year.  This kind of weather might be thought of as madness or maddening.  Some people like the snow but some people do not.  One redeeming quality of snow in March is that it will soon melt when the warmer temperatures of late winter/early spring emerge.

“March Madness” is an event that takes place in March when 64 collegiate basketball teams qualify or are invited to participate in the NCAA tournament.  In this single elimination tournament the teams begin play and one by one those who lose fall by the wayside.  The goal is to be the last team standing by winning every game and being declared the NCAA National Champion.  Of course, the winning team receives the coveted title and trophy that goes with it.  To be the last team standing takes skill, dedication, hard work, persistence and patience.

In a gospel account, the Apostle Paul compared his life to athletic competition when he said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).  He was not referring to “madness” but to a prize.  No one who follows after God loses, only those who do not pursue Him.  The prize he referred to was not just a trophy or a national title, but something much greater.  Notice:

1)      The prize is the goal – press on toward the goal.  Therefore, we need to go after it.

2)      The prize is obtainable – to win the prize.  The goal can be reached.

3)      The prize is something that God offers – God has called me.  it is a divine call.

4)      The prize centers in God’s Son – in Christ Jesus.  A personal relationship with the God is crucial.

5)      The prize will require intense endeavor – I press on.  We need to pursue it.

As we launch into the spring season, what intrigues you the most – March Madness or the heavenly prize?  One might be fun to watch, but one is very beneficial for your life.  What do you need to do to keep your eye on the prize and strive for that which God has called you?  What might you need to do to turn some of the madness which you experience into the challenge to live a godly life?  Trust God and press on toward the goal.