“Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.” (Isaiah 32:15)

For the last twenty-four weeks, this article has focused solely on the most fundamental question - who is God? This is a question of which we will spend an eternity answering. Some will answer by an ever-increasing enjoyment of God, and others by an ever-increasing realization of what they missed. As Jesus Himself said, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) Therefore, I end this series of articles with one final description - God hath all life in Himself.

For the last several months, we have seen the devastating effects of drought. Trees which have withstood both the ever-present winds of Camille and Katrina have fallen victim to the absence of rain. The psalmist pens: “When you hide Your face, they are dismayed; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust. When you send forth Your Spirit, they are created.” (Ps. 104:29-30) The Lord removes His blessing, and all that is left is death. In Him is life, and our life flows from His merciful hand. Would it be too far to say that our recent drought has come because we bit the hand that feeds? The Scriptures are replete with warnings and witnesses of droughts which result from a deluge of sin (Deut. 28:22). We turn from God and find our lives shriveling before our very eyes.

Yet if we have died to sin, our life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:3-4) God will nourish you in your inner being by His Holy Spirit. In a wasteland of wickedness, God will make you a fruitful field and a plentiful pasture. If we seek our life in God, we will produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Life is available nowhere else. Reader, do you know your God?

As we turn a page, let me ask a question. Over the last two or three years, my porch has been filled with people from every church in Raymond, asking every type of question - from “how can I read the Bible better?” to “What is the Trinity?” to “What does the Bible say about this issue?”. Guess what? We all have those questions! Often, I hear to the effect that they never had a venue where they were comfortable asking. Either through the Hinds County Gazette or through a future podcast, I want to provide a venue for those questions to be asked and answered for all of Raymond. Would you bring them to me? Come by the office, leave it in my mailbox, text me, email me, or yell at me from the Post Office - whatever it takes. Let’s ask questions, let’s get answers, and let’s grow together, Raymond.