August 15th

August 15th

Read: Romans 8:28 and Genesis 1:11,12,29

Our pastor in England used to tell the children, “Alligators don’t grow on apple trees,” as he explained God’s laws to them. In other words, God had a plan for everything He created. We know just what to expect from an apple tree from blossom to fruit to seed to barren branches. Because of God’s Word we know just what to expect in the spiritual life as well … new birth, growth, and fruit.

ABDICATION
Apple blossoms drifting down
To palest blanket on the ground,
Why do you leave your parent tree
Bereft of all its finery?
Why do you leave it standing there
Without your veil to crown its hair?

We worked our magic on the tree,
Calling the searching honey bee
With color bright and fragrance rare
To come and find its nectar there.
Then while it worked to feed its own,
Life from bud to bud was sown.

Truly our glory has passed by
When we were beauty to the eye,
But what we leave upon the tree
Will autumn’s brightest harvest be….
Apples for a full-blown crown
To weigh the branches heavy down.

Prayer: Dear God, show me where You are working in me so that I may grow and bear fruit too. Help me to cooperate with You in that work.