In last week’s devotional, I talked about ecology: the study of living things and their interaction with each other and their environment and the fact that in any congregation there are consumers and producers. Consumers are those Christians that take in the Word of God but give little or nothing back while producers are those who share their testimony and serve others. In today’s devotion I would like for us to think more about producers.
There are different kinds of producers but they all have certain things in common:
· Producers have roots that draw nutrients from the soil. Christian producers draw nutrients from the Word of God. They hear it and they read it for themselves. They meditate on it and make it a part of themselves.
· Producers receive their ability to make food from the sun—s-u-n
Christian producers receive their ability to make food from the Son—S-o-n through prayer.
There are different kinds of producers. Jesus talked about fig trees and grapevines and even stalks of wheat being producers. Growing up on the plains and the prairies I see Christian producers more like grass. They have deep roots and their fruit is to feed others. Consumers come along and graze off their tops and the producers simply produce more food. In fact, these producers thrive best when they are constantly being grazed. If they are not grazed they become dry and their nutritional value decreases.
The plains of western Kansas and Nebraska receive very limited rainfall and are covered in short grasses. These grasses barely keep up with the demands of the grazers. Here the prairies receive more generous amounts of rainfall and are covered by tall grasses that produce more grass than the grazers can consume. They produce so much in fact, that the excess growth has to be burned off each spring so the grazers can get to the nutritious new growth.
As Christian producers we are much more productive when we are showered by the Living Water, which is Jesus. As Christian producers we will find ourselves replenished as we are closely grazed. Hopefully, as Christian producers we will produce such an abundance of spiritual food for others, we will need periodic burning by the Holy Spirit’s fire to burn away what is dry and low in spiritual nutrition.
We are called to be producers. Let us consider the words of the old hymn that might be the Producers Anthem:
Make Me a Blessing (George S. Schuler)
1 Out in the highways and byways of life, many are weary and sad; Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing, Out of my life May Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray Make me a blessing to someone today.
2 Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love; Tell of His pow'r to forgive; Others will trust Him if only you prove true ev'ry moment you live. 3 Give as 'twas given to you in your need; Love as the Master loved you; Be to the helpless a helper indeed; Unto your mission be true.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing, Out of my life May Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray, Make me a blessing to someone today.
We are called to be producers. John 15:8 says, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” So, I challenge you today to be rooted in the Word of God, draw in the life giving power of the Son through prayer, and soak up the Living Water as you surrender yourself to be consumed by the love of God by serving others.