EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) — The Master Gardener – our Heavenly Father – is also the Divine Nutritionist. Having made us with a biological need for certain vitamins and minerals, He designed odd-looking, sweet-tasting, orange-colored tubes with the very nutrients we require to maintain our health. To make use of the nutrients it needs to be dug up and squeezed.
Here’s a clue: It is rich in vitamin A. It’s carrot juice.
Carrot juice has been called the king of vegetable juices and a goldmine of nutrients. It’s packed with alkaline minerals that strengthen the bones, teeth, skin, hair and nails, and it also contains a compound called falcarinol, which may help reduce the risk of cancer.
Admittedly, there’s not a single reference to carrots in the Bible, but the word faith occurs 357 times in the New King James Version. So here’s my point: What carrots are to the body, faith, mighty faith, is what makes us healthy in our walk with God and health-imparting to others.
Faith contains all the vitamins we need to maintain our spiritual health. It contains the minerals of the miraculous and the nutrients of the new birth.
It’s time to refresh our memory on how our faith can be maximized for God and His Kingdom.
Your faith recognized
Think of it like this. If God packed so much goodness into a simple vegetable, don’t you think He’s done the same with you and me? The Lord didn’t waste time making worthless things. Think of the health and strength He gives you that you can share with others!
We all have different strengths, purposes, passions, gifts, abilities and roles in the kingdom. As you recognize those gifts and talents that God gave you and share your faith, your life will bless and encourage others.
Your faith utilized
Having learned to recognize the value of your faith, learn to utilize it as a spiritually nutritional force for others. Joy Ridderhof, the founder of Gospel Recordings, faced many challenges in trying to establish a ministry to take the recorded Gospel to unreached peoples, but her faith always propelled her forward. One year, she wrote a Christmas letter to her global staff, saying, “Are you practicing rejoicing? … The thing that has been your hardest trial, that disappointment, that disillusionment, that thing that seemed such a tragedy, that biting experience will doubtless prove to be something that you will thank God for with all your heart when you see His purpose in permitting it.”
Joy Ridderhof’s faith, joy, and passion were contagious.
Your faith and joy can be contagious too. Carrots aren’t much good if they are left in the ground – they don’t fulfill their purpose – they will simply rot. And just like a carrot, we need to be uprooted and made usable for the kingdom. It is a new year; it is the perfect time to get busy putting your faith into action. Try offering this prayer: “Lord, please show me how can I be used for Your Kingdom. Make me an instrument of Your love to the lost and hurting.”
Your faith maximized
As you recognize your faith and seek to utilize it for the benefit of others, you will naturally want to maximize it. Just as carrots can be used in multiple ways, you can find many ways of being used by God at church, school, home and work.
If you can’t think of a way to maximize your ministry, ask the Lord Jesus to give you some creative ideas. I read about an elderly widow who was eager to serve Christ. When she realized she could bring blessings to others by playing the piano, she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: “Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent – the service is free.” Within a few months, her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them.
Carrots aren’t any good if they stay on the produce aisle. They’ve got to be chopped, squeezed, shredded, sliced, or diced and ingested to improve someone’s health. As Christians, we need to look for opportunities to take our “carrot,” our testimony, and share it with others. Share the life-giving nutrient of faith with those around you – it will enrich your life and theirs.
