I was picking Blackberries, yesterday, when the Lord gave me a revelation. I had just stooped down to pick a berry that appeared to be ripe for the harvest. Yet when I pulled the branch out, that the berry was attached to into the sunlight, I saw that the berry was not fully ripe yet. It hit me then, the message from the Lord.
We are like this blackberry. To others we may appear to be ripe for the harvest. Yet God sees us as others do not see us. God sees through the shade and His light is cast upon us revealing whether or not we are ripe for the harvest.
So many people , daily, put on a false front to others. They want others to see them for how they want to be seen. Fortunately God has a way of revealing what people try to keep hidden from others. God knows everything about everyone. Just like the blackberry that appeared to be ripe while it was hidden in the shade. When pulled out into the light it's flaws were revealed. It was not ripe for the harvest. Just as we, who strive to be God's children, God brings us out into His Light and it shines upon us revealing our flaws, showing that we are not ripe for the harvest.
Thankfully the Lord makes us aware of our flaws. The convicting power of the holy Spirit of God lets us know when we have and are doing something that we should not be doing. He chastises His children when we err from the path He has put us upon. Not everyone will turn back to the Lord but those that do are preparing to become ripe for the harvest. Those who do not prepare and stay in their flawed (sinful) state will be passed over and left behind because they were not ripe for the harvest.
The Lord tells us in His Word, the Holy Bible, to prepare, to watch lest we be caught unawares.
Matthew 24:42-44
42)Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43)But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44)Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 26:41
41) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
It is the same with a rose. When the rose is but a bud it is held tightly bound in itself. It takes time for that bud to open. The elements of the weather come against it. The heat, the wind, the rain, dust, bugs and more try to keep the bud from opening. So many things beset this bud trying to keep it from reaching it's full potential. That is much like we, who strive to be God's children. The forces of sin come against us. We have to daily fight against sin, the devil and all his workers to keep in the Light of the Lord. So many of the devil and the devil himself do not want us to reach our full potential for the Lord. But just as that bud, when it opens in full bloom and reveals it's glory, we too, who are God's children, will one day shine forth with God's glory when we are truly ripe for the harvest.
We all have the beauty within us but it is not truly revealed until the Lord enters into our life. The Lord sees us as no one else does and knows us as no one else ever will, unless they take the time to know us, as God does. This is a poem that God blest me with to write sometime ago. It has been published. It is entitled " The Beauty Within ".
The Beauty Within
A bud blossoms at birth,
It is given the breath of life.
It is nurtured with love,
It starts to grow.
A protective force covers the delicate bud,
Trying to shield it from the harm of the world.
Angels stand guard over it.
Wars come and go,
Trials and tribulations try to toss the soul,
Yet the bud continues in it's growth.
Milestones passed,
Evening shadows have been cast.
New day dawnings have brightened,
A world where true beauty lies hidden in slumber.
Awaiting to be awakened when mature.
Still it waits,
Silently gathering strength,
Growing in abundance of love, joy and peace.
Erupting forth into full blossom of a beautiful soul,
Exposing the beauty within.
Nancy Jean , November 8,2005
We all have that beauty within. Prepare so you will be ripe for the harvest when the time comes. Let the Lord help you to be ready for the harvest for that is the only way to truly be ripe for the harvest, is with and through Him. Let Him reveal the true beauty within.
