The Unwritten Chapters

The Unwritten Chapters

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a

good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

                                                 Philippians 1:6

The short little story, tucked away in the gospel of Luke, tells of a fig tree that had not borne fruit for three years. The man who owned the tree, frustrated at the lack of fruit, wanted the tree cut down but his gardener talked him out of it. With a plan of breaking up the soil around the tree and heavily fertilizing it, the owner agreed to give the tree one last chance; either the tree bore fruit or it was going to be cut down.

The story is actually quite encouraging, helping us to realize that despite our mistakes and failures, God continues to give grace and opportunity for each of us to make the changes He has long wanted to see in our lives. And those changes relate to character, to personal holiness, to a committed relationship to Jesus Christ, and to bearing fruit in the kingdom of God. The owner not giving up on that tree is a message of hope, the words written in red, but a message of hope that comes with a warning that the grace given should not be taken lightly.

The story has something missing though; it has no ending. We don’t know if that tree began to bear fruit and lived “happily ever after” or if it was cut down twelve months later and replaced by the landowner. The story of that tree is left open-ended, the outcome unknown, just like the story of our lives. The last chapters in the story of our lives are still unwritten, their message still to be determined, hope still alive for an ending that gives glory to the Lord.

The question then is what do you want those unwritten chapters of your life to say? And how do you go about bringing that ending to pass? It will certainly take courage, determination, and a deeper relationship with the Lord for the unwritten chapters of your life to tell a tale of a man or woman of God who overcame, who wouldn’t give up, who pressed in to accomplish all that God desired for their lives, leaving behind a legacy of integrity, of a genuine love for both God and man, and of being able to discover what really matters in life.

What a joy to know that on this Saturday in March of 2012, the story of our lives is still open-ended, still has bright hope and promise, and is still being written. Let’s make sure that the story of our lives being written is one we’ll be glad to have others read.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church