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!

What are you waiting for?

And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (Galatians 4:3-7)

Made an heir - though a part of a different family (the family of sin), no better than common slaves, now adopted (into the family of God) - now heir to all that belongs to a member of the 'royal line'. Slaves don't possess much - most of the time they only have the clothes on their back. What is the greatest thing you possess as a child of God? Is it your 'fire insurance' - knowing you won't burn in the Lake of Fire come Judgment Day? Is it your 'abounding peace' - having no sense of peace and knowing only utter chaos in your life before you said a loud 'yes' to Jesus? Is it your healed and whole emotions - having lived with all manner of emotional imbalance before you invited Christ to bring balance? Regardless of what you consider to be your 'greatest' possession today, there are far greater gifts that abound for those who have been adopted into the family of God!

When my father was alive, I could call out 'Dad' and he'd immediately respond. Either he'd come my way or call back to see what I needed. He was a faithful father, always there for me, never abandoning me no matter what foolishness I got myself into. If we could know the love of our earthly fathers so deeply and profoundly, is it possible that I could know the love of our heavenly Father even more so? Yes, it is - because we have been given the means by which to come to know him even better. We have been brought near by the finished work of his Son on the cross. We have been kept near by the work of grace in our lives. We have been tutored by the Holy Spirit, to know how our heavenly Father moves and how he responds to our cries. We have been provided his Word, to bolster us when times are harder than we might like, and to present truth where we have been buying into any form of lie in our lives. Truly, we have 'much more' to look forward to in Christ Jesus - as a member of the 'royal family'.

Goodness knows we all needed a change of 'venue' in our lives - we were just barely touching the surface of what God created us for before we asked Christ to lead our lives. We might not have realized just how 'impoverished' we were before we submitted our lives to him, but all the wealth of the world does not compare to the vastness of the riches we can and will experience in Christ Jesus. If you find yourself trusting in your 'earthly family riches' today, not having experienced the riches of your 'heavenly family', it isn't too late. The way has already been provided in Christ Jesus - all you need to do is tell him you want to be part of this great big family. You will be welcomed in as an heir of promise - so what are you waiting for? Just askin...

Exist as one

  He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God Who saves him. Such is the family of those who look for Him, who look for Your face, O God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:5-6)

Family - the complex intertwining of individual personalities, traits, and talents into one big conglomerate. Did I mention 'complex'? In the business industry, a conglomerate is often used to describe multiple 'divisions' of a corporation or multiple corporations who do 'business' together. Don't miss that part - the 'divisions' that come together to do 'business' with each other. Families are a bit like that at times - 'divisions' of the 'same blooded' members coming together to 'do business', but when they part again - they are still divided!

In the family of God there is no room for 'divisions'. In our earthly families there is also no room for 'divisions'. We don't 'come together' to just 'do business', regardless of whether we are referring to our earthly or heavenly families. We are supposed to come together to learn from each other, bringing needed support and encouragement to one another. Family life is complex, to say the least, but it is also quite rewarding. Did you take your first steps alone? Nope - in fact, someone helped you realize the strength of your own two legs, catching you when you toppled to one side or another, until you finally stood without wobbling and took those first steps.

We frequently hear the jokes about the 'in-laws', referring to them on occasion as the 'out-laws' in the family. There is always going to be some cousin whose ears are too big for his head, that aunt who is eccentric to the 'nth' degree, and the wayward teen struggling to find their identity with way too many tats and piercings. There will always be 'complex individuals' trying to mesh into a 'complex entity' we call family. Since we recognize the complexity, why is it we still create 'divisions'? Maybe it is because we find it easier to be divided than to work it out, so we are finally united. 

In the church, there is no room for division - Christ made that perfectly clear. Whether we do 'family' at home, in the office, our neighborhood, or even at church, divisive forces will always be at work. If we are to be united as one, it is time to recognize what those divisive forces may be and deal with them once and for all. Unity isn't 'won', but it can be 'lost'. It isn't 'made up', but it may require us to 'make up'. It won't exist when we are 'critical', but it is 'critical' that we exist as one, not many. Just sayin!