Driving through the south this time of year truly opens your eyes to the beauty of God's creation. What once appeared dead is now budding and blooming. Trees, flowers, shrubs, pollen, allergies... Still, one cannot escape the beauty.
As I drove Caleb to school this morning, there is one part of the road with wisteria growing on both sides - kind of drooping over the road. The lavender bunches of flowers were beautiful. There is that part of me that might even say, "I want to grow wisteria!"
Wisteria is a climbing vine that originates in Asia and was introduced to the southeastern United States (kind of like kudzu, but that is another story). You can even buy it on Amazon as an ornamental plant. So, how did the wisteria plant get to the point of hanging over the road?
Wisteria is a climbing vine, so it requires a "host" of sorts. It climbs the trunk of a tree, out the limbs and blooms. The result is spectacular...at the cost of the tree. The vine wraps itself around the limbs to such a degree, it prevents them from growing and producing their own fruit. It strangles the life out of the limbs! BUT, the clumps of flowers give the appearance of life. Bummer.
Sin is the wisteria of our lives. It looks attractive and lively, but it is death to the host. When we choose a life of sin, we exchange the fruit of righteousness for a temporary pleasure that sucks the life out of us. We can try to ignore it, but the result is the same. Don't be fooled by appearances!
What is the remedy? Cut out the vine. And keep cutting it out, because it is relentless.
Colossians 3:5-10 "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."
