You’ve been there. Waiting, just waiting, to see the first robin, or the first bud, or the first hint of green. We know it’s coming, but it’s just out of reach. It’s the hope that Spring will soon bring light rain showers, pink flowers, and the sound of buzzing bees.
And so we wait. We wait and hope for spring because there is nothing we can do to hurry it along. The coming of spring is out of our control. We jokingly look to a groundhog to tell us if spring is on its way, but we know it’s really the God of the universe who brings each new season.
He brings newness after the gray of winter. A new life.
Spring is the perfect metaphor for the gospel. It is God’s nature to make something new. Not only can we observe many attributes of God in the spring, but His gospel plan is plastered throughout creation.
God is Creative:
When was the last time you really took a good look at a daffodil? What about a praying mantis? Or a bluebird? God is so creative; and He isn’t just creative in nature (Romans 1:20). God is creative in story telling. YOUR story. No one else has a testimony just like yours. God brings people to Himself in different ways. You are unique.
Who would have thought that through death would come life more abundantly? Through the blood and death of Jesus comes eternal life. How creative! The old is gone, a new life is beginning. Spring. New life.
God is Joyous:
Winter, while beautiful in its own way, can be dreary and cold. Still, and hard. After a long winter, when that first green leaf appears, joy explodes. All of a sudden you can see green in other places along with yellow, pink…and smiles. People begin to smile more in spring, have you noticed that?
Once a habitual life of sin is given over to the Lordship of Jesus, joy floods one’s soul. It’s indescribable! Believers in Jesus see the world differently and with more joy. The gospel transfers a soul from the dreariness of sin into the newness of life and brings unimaginable joy.
God is Faithful:
We know without a doubt that spring will arrive to the land around us. The seasons, after all, are cyclical. Just as we know the sun will rise and set each 24 hours, we know that every 3 months we will have a new season. Spring will come. The God who created all of these nature cycles is faithful to bring them about.
God is also faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But many times we seem to forget this. We try to fix our lives on our own and everything becomes out of sync and out of the cycle of life. Just as spring is “right around the corner,” God is “right there” when we mess up. He is ready to give us a new beginning and another chance.
In winter, when looking at brown leaves on the ground one might wonder why they had to die. Why did a living thing fall to the ground only to turn into dust?
It had to. The leaf had to fall and die. If it didn’t then the new leaves would not be able to sprout. In the same way, we must die to ourselves. If we don’t, then the new life God wants for us will never grow. We will never be able to serve God as He desires if we aren’t willing to surrender it all. The gospel equals making Jesus Lord of our lives.
And with the death of ourselves comes the spring of eternal life.
Anne Marie is a “Sunday School Lady wanna be” and the author of the blog Future.Flying.Saucers. Anne Marie has a passion for Bible study and teaching the Word to adults and children. On Wednesday nights you will find her teaching Biblical concepts to Awana clubs at her church. All of her Awana and Bible lessons can be found for free on her blog. You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest.
