Once upon a time in the Land of Allegory plowed the lives of Les and Mora Lister. Well, at least Mora plowed. Mora taught children at church, visited the elderly and never counted any in need other than a friend in deed. For Mora Lister was in all deed a planter of God's seed, Jesus. But other than owning Les Lister's Farm Equipment, the only thing Les plowed was a deep furrow in the den easy chair with TV remote in hand. And from that denly throne with electronic scepter in hand, Les Lister thundered an endless stream of 'do-nothing-I'm-gonnas,' promises like clouds and wind without rain. Oh sure, he even went to church; but, "Good for business," was Les Lister's aim of gain.
And it came to be, one certain Sunday, that a peculiar young lad skipped to a seat down the main aisle of sanctuary. Yet short of his intended roost, that lad stopped in mid skip at the seats of Les and Mora. There, that odd lad turned head and said, "If less was more, you'd be truly great, Mr. Les Lister."
As the lad joined family three rows up, in full scowl Mr. Lister envisioned violent chastisement of the posterior kind. While wife Mora thought, "Moral crowbars may seem cruel, but be necessary."
Through time of announcements, hymn and prayer the ruffled feathers of Les Lister had just about smoothed out, when the preacher stepped up. Then the Good Book he opened up, "Proverbs 25:14 KJ, Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain." And Les Lister felt burn these words of the preacher, "Why trade empty promise for gain? Why gain the whole world and lose your soul? Be not the sounding brass of vanity without love. Heed the Epistle of Jude 12 &13 NIV, "These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm, shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees without fruit, and uprooted, twice dead. 13)They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever."
On that certain Sunday evening after church, at home in the den Les Lister plowed in a very un-easy chair, contemplating, "Am I just too lazy to love others, or worse?" Les reached for the remote on the side table, but in its place lay planted wife Mora's moral crowbar: an open dictionary with bright highlight. Mr. Lister picked it up, then read the very definition of his purpose: lister - a double moldboard plow often equipped with attachments to stir the subsoil of rain limited land and plant seeds in a furrow. Upon that very page of his purpose, rain fell from the eyes of Mr. Lister... a new born cloud with rain... for in that moment Mr. Lister became the same as his name... became that plow stirring the soil and planting the seed of Jesus...
Like the allegorical Mr. Les Lister may we all see by the love of God above to escape the pit of 'do-nothing-I'm-gonnas;' even avoid empty promises for gain. Nor may we be the rainless clouds of tomorrow, drifting in the winds of lost opportunity. For is there not a time to sow and a time to reap? (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2; Isaiah 28:24-26)
For behold the days will come, when faithful plowman and Almighty Harvester shall be one in the Edenic abundance of hills, overflowing with the fruit of the vine of Jesus (John 15:1-17). Therefore, plow in hope and be partakers in hope... For he that watereth shall be watered also... Rain the love of Jesus... As Jesus rains love upon us...
...Plow in all hope...
Please share "Clouds and Wind Without Rain," that all see to do & to be clouds of Jesus' abundant rain.
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