Fragrance of the Violet

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

We don't know the time or day when Christ is coming again, we must act as if He is coming at this very moment.

Luke 13:1-9 ESV - There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

There are always going to be disease and pestilence in the world until Christ comes again. Be careful to recognize things happening in the world as judgement for a particular sin or immoral action.

The question on the minds of those that were around Jesus at the time was if the Siloam's were being judged for their indescretion.

Jesus is saying that God uses the moments of trajedy in our lives to turn our face to Him and away from the troubles in our lives.

Whether it is a financial strain, marital troubles, disease, we are admonished to turn to Christ. God will not always answer us in a way that we expect or want, but he will work out the path in front of us to His glory and not ours. We should recognize that Christ was sent to carry the weight of our sins that we should be made right with God. If we are right with God and recognize Christ of our savior, we should understand that out of God's perfection, he crafts us and the world around us. We hear out of the creation story, "It is Good." When humans are created, He proclaims, "It is VERY Good." Why do we doubt this proclamation? Why do we continue to seek out ways to know the difference between good and evil? Why do we continue to seek out the things that God does not bless or create from Himself? Why do we pursue our own pleasures and manipulate those around us to our own glory?

Despite all of this; all of this, God wants our heart. He launches the great rescue plan to show us our faith through men like Abram who though being imperfect, he is the root of Israel. The Israel that was bound to be broken and scattered throughout the world, even yet, they produced the Messaiah who is the Prince of the Kingdom of Heaven. The one who laid down all his rights and his kingdom that he might suffer as a human. To be temped, suffer rejection, humiliation and be without sin so that our separation from God would be shattered. We do not escape the judgement that comes at the end of our lives. Our judgement is determined on how we treated the knowledge of Christ. Did we recognize the Messaiah and follow Him, or did we refuse Him and reject him to go our own way? In our life, we are only given a certain amount of time and we should recognize that our time is short here on Earth, but even though our body will die and decay, we will go before the one who has the power to not only destroy the body, but the soul as well. Do we recognize this and trust God and his Son?

We are called to cultivate life in ourselves and in others. We can never cause anyone, even ourselves to "bear fruit." Only God can do this, but we can sow the seed and nurture the seedling. We have faith that because we are faithful to God and his commands, he will bless us with the fruit of our work. It is not for us to determine the time for the reward of all of our work. It is not for us to determine when another person will be saved and enter wholeheartedly into the Kingdom. If we don't see any growth, we should examine what we have done to encourage growth. If we have not invested in those around us whom God has blessed us, why should be expect ANY fruit to be evident?

The first action we should take is to pray for direction from God. We should allow Him to choose who we are to invest in. We cannot cause others to bear fruit unless God has called us to them, or caused our paths to cross. If we are formed in Christ's image and sent as ambassadors, our top priority in life is to intercede and have grace toward those around us that God has put in our path. Prayer has the power to demolish strongholds and move mountains. These are both physical and eternal, none of our strength can prevail against these things, but our prayer moves the hand of God and HE will break down the walls to demolish the work of the enemy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our desire is to be a servant to those around us like Jesus served us. We should be quick to forgive. It is a necessary thing out of our desparation to see those we are blessed with to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. The nature of forgiveness is in Proverbs - If your enemy is thirsty, give him water. If your enemy is hungry, give him bread. Your actions will heap up the coals upon them.

Pro 25:21-28 ESV - If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

For us to do this, is giving Christ the opportunity to be shown through us and our actions to the prisoners of the enemy so that they might be set free.

The rest of the chapter is below:

Luke 13:10-35 ESV - Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your disability." And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened." He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"