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The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. (Psalm 23:1-3)

No matter how much food or 'things' we have, if we aren't washed, refreshed, and made new by the waters of God's grace, we are just not going to be going very far in this life! One of the things a survival expert will do when he is in a new place is find an appropriate place to shelter. He must decide, based on his surroundings, whether he wants a shelter off the ground, within a cave, in the tree line, or on some flat space. He sets out gathering wood, leaves, branches, and vines with which to construct his shelter. He finds water, looks for things in the area he can use for fire building, and might even scout out a few things he may eat from the land. What do survival skills have to do with our walk with Christ? We are kind of "dropped into" a world we are a little unfamiliar with when we first come into this relationship with Christ. We kind of find our way around this newfound faith by experimenting with the various "tools" we have at our disposal. We read a little bit of the Bible because we know it is supposed to be a source of nourishment for us. We spend a little time in prayer because we are told it becomes a place of rest and release. We don't really know what all we have access to in Christ until we spend a little more time getting to know our "new placement". We don't know what is at our disposal until we begin to look around, experimenting with what we have been given, and then the real journey begins. What we receive in Christ is not by our own doing - although we sometimes get this a little confused and still go about trying to accomplish things within our lives only grace can really provide.

As a survivalist stays a little bit longer in their environment, he begins to experience it with eyes and ears that see and hear things he begins to recognize as good or bad. He has roamed freely and found resources which will benefit him, while being keenly aware of those things which must be guarded against in order to remain well, protected, and in the "survival" mode. He may have a few challenges that are harder than others. It often takes us a while to "dig in" when it comes to our Christian walk - finding all kinds of resources, but not really understanding how we access them, what benefits they will have for us in the long run, or what to do with them once we have them. A coconut in the tree is good - in our hands is even better - but finally opened up and enjoyed is like heaven! Until we possess and access the bounty within, it is merely a "resource" untapped. In our daily walk with Christ, we have lots and lots of resources - many "untapped" as of yet. Our goal today is to examine the resources we have been given, look closely at how it is we access them, and then to do more than just possess them. We need to go to the next level with those resources - such as the survivor does when he digs the small purifying "well" next to the body of water, or the rubbing of sticks together to produce the fire which will function to purify that water. God doesn't expect us to do all the work but trust me on this - the "effort" we exert in obtaining what God has put at our disposal and actually beginning to "use" or "employ it" in our lives is worth it! Just sayin!

What part do you play?

You have been my teacher, and I won’t reject your instructions. Your teachings are sweeter than honey. They give me understanding and make me hate all lies. (Psalm 119:102-104)

Have you ever considered honeybees? Did you know they are raised to be harvested for the commercial market of honey distribution? There are more than the 'wild' forms of bees, but I didn't know that until I saw a show describing the process of how they are 'raised' for the sole purpose of the 'honey harvest'.  They are 'raised' as members of a 'colony of workers', each with a task our own, but with the undivided purpose of laying up stores and stores of sweet stuff for those who would come behind. The bees each have a function - whether they be the "queen bee" who lays nearly 2,000 eggs a day, the "gathering bees" who go out day after day to the fields to gather in the pollen, or the "worker bees" who work endlessly creating the hive and storing up the honey - they all have a function. Those who don't do their part are pushed out of the hive - there is no place for "dead weight" in the thriving hive. We all serve God with a purpose, and it is important for us to fulfill that purpose.

The beekeepers provide a framework upon which the bees can build their hive. It is a simple wood frame, mounted inside upright boxes of wood or plastic. The bees start at the edge and work inward until the hive is formed in each section of the hive box. This framework produces a safe place for them to go about their "bee business". God also provides a framework upon which we build our lives - staying within this framework provides a place of safety and protection. The bees all work together - in their particular function and in unison. To look upon the clustering of bees and frenzy of activity might just give one the impression there is no real organization to what they are doing, but in truth it is quite the opposite. Even with one bee crawling over the next, they are all working together, one providing what the next requires in order to do their part. Life gets messy and a little chaotic at times, but when we are all working together, fulfilling our purpose, we "add" to each other's lives in a very special and unique way.

The "gathering bees" don't actually get to partake of the finished product - they simply bring in the pollen which is taken from them by the worker bees. The hive would be devoid of food for the next generation if these "gathering bees" didn't bring in the nectar and pollen. They may not get to enjoy the end product of their labor, but they sense the importance of it and go about their task with consistency from day to day. We don't have to do it all, we just have to do our part. The worker bees "digest" the pollen into a nectar in order to put it in the tiny cells of the hive. Then they all fan their wings to help evaporate the water which remains in the nectar, reducing it to the richest of honey we find deep within the hive. Without this process, the pollen would be useless - it has to be broken down into the nectar in order to be useful to the young bees hatching deep within the hive. Remember, there will always be those who depend upon us doing our part to ensure they have what they need to develop.

The purpose of the hive is for replication and feeding - as a safe place for the queen to lay her eggs and the young to mature, the hive provides much more than a place of making honey. We all need a place to develop, and God has provided this for us in our local church family and small groups. There is nothing wasted from the hive - even the beeswax is useful in the making of candles, balms, and the like. The initial purpose of the wax was for the housing of the nectar and the nurturing of the young. The end purpose of the wax is to give light and bring soothing to those in need of healing. The people of God are to be light-givers and provide places of healing for those who need it. The beekeeper warns them he is entering the hive and keeps them from being hurt. The smoke he uses is a warning he is entering, a scent that drives the bees deeply into the hive. Why? To protect them as he enters. God's presence can alarm the unaware, so he comes in gentle and palpable ways. It is as though his very presence produces a scent of grace and peace! We all benefit from the 'hive' and we each have a part to play within it. What is produced is a thing of beauty when we are all doing our part. Just sayin!