“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15.2 NKJV).
For a special occasion, I got my hair done at a local hair salon. I enjoyed sitting back and letting the hair stylist wash and condition my hair. Then I read while she painstakingly blow dried and flat ironed my clean tresses to a beautiful, straight sheen. Since I live in a coastal town, the humidity loves to make my natural waves into a frizzy mess; so having smooth hair for several days without spending hours maintaining it was a nice treat during the holidays.
I told the stylists that I rarely had time to style my hair. I explained that I had three small children, so it was difficult for me to invest the time it took to achieve the desired glossy locks. She asked me what I used to wash my hair, and I said I usually bought random shampoos and conditions from the grocery store. She instantly went to the display items on the salon shelf and brought me two bottles. She told me that the shampoo and conditioner were anti-frizz formulated, and they would ensure my hair would be much sleeker and easier to style.
I said I would buy them without a second thought.
When I went to pay, I was surprised by the bill. I asked how much the shampoo and conditioner were; and when she told me, my eyes opened with shock. Although I never spent so much on hair products, I decided to make the splurge just this once to see if there was really a difference. I carefully carried out my designer shampoo and conditioner and brought them to my special shelf in the bathroom when I got home.
A few days later when I was ready to wash my hair, I accidently squeezed out the conditioner in my hand thinking it was shampoo. Normally, I would have simply rinsed my hand in the water spray, but this conditioner was way too valuable for me to let run down the drain. I took the top off the conditioner bottle and made sure to get every last drop of the precious anti-frizz formula back into its container. As I screwed the top back on, I had to laugh at myself. The value of the conditioner caused me to take great pains to use it well and not waste any of it.
God feels the same way about us. Through Jesus, God paid an unfathomable price for each of us, because He loves us and rejoices over us (Zephaniah 3.17 NIV). He has given each of us a valuable and unique purpose. He knows our presence on this earth is very short, so He wants to use us in precise and amazing ways. He doesn’t want a single ounce of our destiny to be wasted on things that are not of Him and that have no eternal value.
Sometimes we feel like God is not working through us, but He is saving us for the perfect appointment at just the right time in just the right place. Other times we think God is bringing our movements into dead-ends, but He simply repositioning us back into our bottles of purpose, so He can apply us in better and more meaningful ways. God designed us to be a special formula for a specific need in His Kingdom, and we need to trust the Creator to direct our steps to their fullest and most affective path.
So this year, my New Year’s Resolution is to be poured out with purpose. I don’t want my time, energy and effectiveness to be wasted in the waters of indifference. I choose to live with meaning and use up all my resources to God’s everlasting glory. I ask God that for 2013 that He will circumcise my heart and life, so I can be an instrument of His power, strength and love. I pray that God cuts everything from my life that does not produce TRUTH and that He squeezes every lost drop of Holy Spirit infused potential out of me until I draw my last breath.
“Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, And take away the foreskins of your hearts….” (Jeremiah 4.4 NKJV).
