“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Being a ‘hands-on’ kinda guy, I do most of my own work. I take care of my own yard, maintain my own house and fix my own stuff. While I don’t do much automotive, I do drive a truck. In the back of my truck I have a crate of miscellaneous tools and at least 15 old work gloves. But strange as it may sound, and as often as I have tried, I have VERY bad luck FINDING a pair!
One of the greatest inventions for me is the $1 pair of work gloves at the Dollar Tree. Though they come in different colors, color doesn’t help. When I go to grab a pair, I can almost guarantee I will pull out either 2 left or 2 right gloves… every time! And every time… time is what gets wasted as I search and match. Too often I end up with opposite colors in differing conditions…1 REALLY used red glove and 1 like new black one! By now you realize I do NOT have a have GLOVE problem! I have a ME problem!
When it comes to being a Christian, I confess that I get it wrong…a lot. I have this tendency to want to help Jesus out by trying to imitate Him. I read about His life and then go for the work gloves, attempting to work alongside Him to advance His kingdom. Even as I write that, I can sense Jesus rolling His eyes in my direction. After all these years I STILL tend to start every day looking for a pair of gloves… instead of HIM!!
‘Do your best,’ is an old Cub Scout motto for little kids. It has NO place in adulthood OR in Christianity. TRYING to be a ‘Good Christian’ is an oxymoron that is impossible to achieve. It is not about ME working FOR HIM! It is allowing HIM to work THROUGH ME! The evidence of my choice is in the FRUIT! Either I have it.. or I don’t!
Gloves don’t meet, talk, plan or connive. They’re either ‘available’ or not. The Master and Owner of the gloves chooses them, slips them on HIS hands and does all the work. It is up to the glove to simply YIELD. Without the Master’s hand, a glove can’t even lift itself, much less a load! So… why do I keep trying?
I have several adversaries that work against me. The world, my own flesh and the devil CONTINUE to mix me up with words and feelings that seem VERY real! “Dirty glove, bad glove, mismatched glove, wrong color glove!” I take it too personal! This verse tells me that I BELONG to Jesus and He isn’t INTERESTED in my condition. He just wants me to be available! By now you realize that Jesus doesn’t have a glove problem either. He has ME problem. And you know that’s ‘right!’
