Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day of a new week and it would be impossible NOT to rejoice and be glad in it from where I sit. The foliage changes significantly overnight this time of year and nothing blooms or buds at the same pace – not even like kinds. How deep (and healthy) the root system is, how rich the soil is, and how much exposure to the sun each one gets is a reflection of how and when each will bud and bloom. This oak tree is on its way to magnificence, while some trees haven’t even begun to bud. As I considered the foliage in the Spring in Virginia, I thought about how it is the same with God’s people. Some are on the way to Magnificence, while others haven’t even begun to bud or bloom because the Conditions aren’t right. Isn’t it just like God to use the Spring foliage to thread a message into my Heart?

Reaching Magnificence should be the Goal of every Believer but unfortunately, very few bother to try. It’s as if they received their One Way ticket to Heaven and after that, they see no need to make any effort whatsoever to reach Magnificence. Way too many professed Christians have convinced themselves that complacency is the place to be as they rest in their Salvation without a care in the world. They have no root system, and they don’t seem to care and they Live as if their “responsibility” ended at their desire for Salvation…but that’s just the Beginning of Spring! The foliage has nothing to say about its condition, and it has no option to move from one spot to the other where budding and blooming come easier…but people do. We have Free Will to decide to reach for Magnificence so that we can be found pleasing to the King OR to sit back and do nothing in His Name. We can easily move to a place with more Suitable Conditions for someone desiring to grow in His Name. We make the choice to spend time in the “book” of Nourishment or to leave it on the shelf to gather dust. We decide to let the remote control usher us into a church instead of making it a Priority to find one that feeds the Soul and nurtures Relationships. We decide if the Journey is worth our time and whether or not the King paid a price worthy of OUR sacrifice. Ouch.

I know what the farm will look like when everything buds and blooms because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but I can only dream about what Life would look like if all the ones professing to be Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ actually reached for Magnificence too. Reaching for Magnificence is where peace, joy, and love are found. Reaching for Magnificence is where the foundation is Strengthened and Knowledge is grown. Reaching for Magnificence is where Forgiveness is found. I’ll be Reaching for Magnificence all the days of my Life not because I’m “special” but because I LOVE HIM. As long as there is breath in my body, I’ll be doing my part to Encourage others (who profess to Know Jesus) to reach for Magnificence too. After all, He DIED for us…the least we can do is LIVE for Him!

How about you?