"My command is this: Love each
other as I have loved you." (John 15:12-13 NIV)
Moss is quite prominent in Iceland. Although small,
each tiny plant intertwines with its neighbours, providing incredible support as
they work together to form a hummock. It hungers after the rain, which is quite
abundant in Iceland, absorbing it, and the nutrients it brings with it, through
its tiny leaves.
Woolly Fringe Moss is a widely-found variety in
Iceland, as it is well suited for the cold Northern climate. Ideally it prefers
temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius (Sorry this kind of moss uses only
the metric system … It lives in Europe! But for those in North America, this
would be about 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit). However it can tolerate the extremes
of heat, frost, and drought.
Over time, a tiny, unified colony of moss will grow
into hummocks 10-60 cm (4 to 24 inches) thick, making it quite spongy to walk
on. The closeness of the tiny plants that comprise a hummock also discourages
colonization by other plants. Without this unity, enemy plants would plant
itself in the midst of the moss, thus destroying its effectiveness!
These plants remind me of Jesus' ideal for the
Christian community. Jesus wants us to be so unified that the enemy cannot enter
in!
This unity amongst Christians depends on three
important ingredients: love, forgiveness and leaving all control to God's Holy
Spirit. In all reality, what makes us one is our belief in the Son, in whom we
solely depend!
"Holy Father, protect them by the power of
your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are
one." (John 17:11 NIV)
"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit
had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7:38-39 NIV)
If we remove any of these ingredients, we can be
assured that the evil one will take root in our midst and create division and
discouragement.
"The thief (The evil one) comes only to steal and kill
and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
(John 10:10 NIV)
Our unique belief in the Son makes us One! With Him at
the center of our lives, adversity will have no impact on us. Our strength comes
solely from Him! Thank you Jesus! In your name we are truly one!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.