It is that time of year, Spring, when new growth begins, and the world seems to be alive again. I love Spring, except for the pollen. Where we live there are a lot of pine trees. When they begin to grow pollen is produced. It is a yellow residue that covers everything. I don’t need to see it to know it is there. It has a profound effect on my body: sneezing, runny nose, headaches, and watery eyes. Yes, this is my evidence, it is Spring in Alabama!
Pollen is a necessary product for a beautiful Spring and Summer. However, we all complain about its effects and wish it would go away. We wish this because of its adverse effects, but we need to examine its total effects. It has some redeeming qualities that we can use as Christians.
First, it is a product produced by the plant to allow the growth of new plants. We, as Christians, have the Holy Spirit living within us and changing us. Because of those changes good works will come. Pollen can only help produce new plants if there is an agent, such as a bee, to carry it to another plant. As the bee carries the pollen from plant to plant, it is fertilizing the plant. This not only helps the plant to grow, but it is by this process that seeds are made to reproduce more plants.
It sounds like we need to act like a bee with the word of God. In Acts 22:15, they were to be a witness of the remarkable life of the Messiah. They experienced His death, burial, and resurrection. They had seen and heard Jesus, and they were to share the knowledge and experience they had with others. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus is leaving instructions for believers before he ascended back to Heaven. They were to go, tell, and make disciples. Just like the bee carries the pollen to other plants, we, too, are to carry the good news of salvation. We are not just to win people to Christ but to teach them to win others also.
Act 22:15 “For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.”
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
In the last few years, scientists in America have been alarmed that the honey bee population has greatly declined. This has a bad effect on crops, which in turn has an adverse effect on the amount of food produced. No pollination equals no reproducing plants.
The same is true for Christians in America. There are fewer people who desire to witness the power of Christ within them. Some have the attitude, “I don’t want to seem pushy,” or “If they want to know, all they have to do is turn on a radio.” I’ve even heard, “There are churches on every corner. If they want to know, they can find a church.” The major problem with that is a lack of love for their fellow man. When we love others as Christ instructed us to, we do not want them to perish and go to Hell. We are disobedient servants at best when we have this attitude. I would submit that according to scripture those with these attitudes are either lost or they are far from Christ. We are to be like Christ, and this is the opposite of His attitude.
The second thing about pollen that I notice in relation to our witness, is its ability to cover everything. Anything in the area where the pollen is falling is covered. You can wipe it off, but it will be back again in a few days. Unless you continue to wipe day after day it will pile up. However, if you persistently wipe it away it will soon be gone. What do you do when the Holy Spirit convicts you of not witnessing for Him? Do you sense the complete covering of you, submit to that conviction, and change? Do you wipe it away by getting busy, and putting it out of your mind? When it returns, do you repeat the process day after day until the feeling is gone? When we do this, we are hardening our hearts to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. We are also opening ourselves up to the chastening of God because of our disobedience.
When we are saved, we are left here to be a witness to others for Christ. That is our main purpose. Just as the bee’s main purpose is to pollinate plants so there will be future growth, we, too, are to share the word of God to grow the kingdom.
If that were not God’s main purpose for leaving us here, he would take us on to Heaven when we are saved. He hasn’t left us here so we can have a happy life. Heaven would be so much happier, more beautiful, and perfect. There we will be with Jesus, the one who died for us. We will have no more pain, tears, or sorrow. Everything will be better. The only advantage of being here instead of there is to witness for Him.
Our attitude needs to be like that of the Apostle Paul. He longed for Heaven, where he could be with Jesus, but knew he had a greater purpose there.
Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
