365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 313

I love when something is expanded upon in a way that would glorify God. My pastor did this on Sunday when he told the story about The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and proceeded to explain how the story could have been written. The basis of the story is about a boy and a tree. The boy always goes to the tree and wants something and the tree always gives it what the boy wants. This happens all throughout the boy’s life until in the end he is an old man sitting on a stump of the tree. Now, I haven’t looked further into this but I have seen that there are a few opinions about the meaning of this book. In any case, my pastor added to the story with the boy actually taking seeds from the tree each time he came and asked for something and scattered the seeds outward. In the end the boy was sitting on the stump of the tree looking out over a whole orchard of apple trees sowed by the seeds he scattered. God like this tree gives us 100% and we can take the seeds and scatter them creating blessing upon blessings or we can just sit with the tree and do nothing. At the end of my life, I like the idea of being able to see the orchard. How about you?

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

 

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 297

I love, love, love hearing a new perspective on something in the bible. Our pastor spoke about Mark 4: 1-8. It has the well known parable about the 4 soils. Our pastor hit the nail right on the head with this one. I think we have often looked too much at the soils and thought only of ourselves and are we growing and producing fruit or are we without any roots or choked by the weeds of life. But that is a self-thinking perspective. Our pastor gave us a Christ-thinking missional perspective. Jesus is the sower or farmer who is scattering the seeds and he was the best. It was helpful to learn that sowing seeds is not like what we think today where we dig a hole, stick a seed in and cover it up or have a machine do it all. Back in the days, sowing seeds was simply tossing the seeds into the wind and letting them fall where they may. Jesus was the ultimate seed sower but given the 4 types of soil we can see that even with all the constant seed sowing he did both in his life and after he rose from the dead the failure rate was 75% because only those 25% that fell on good soil would grow and produce fruit. Our pastor explained that our failure rate will not be good either but that we have to sow seeds that much more. He used the words recklessly, haphazardly and hilariously. I had to look up these three words just to get a better feel. Reckless: without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action. Haphazardly: random or by mere chance. Hiliariously: merry, cheerful, joyful.  So we are to not think or care about what happens to the seeds. That is God's part. He will take care of the watering of the seeds. We are to do it whenever and wherever keeping our eyes and ears open to hearing and seeing those right moments when we should be sowing the seeds. And we are to do it with cheerfullness and joy in our hearts that we are saved and others can be too if we can just sow the seeds.  Just sow....
Thank you Lord for this great message with a new missional perspective that Jesus would want for us. Just sow... Just sow....
Mark 4: 9 Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 145

My thoughts have been on the workshop I did on Sunday. It didn't go as I had planned but I do think it was successful and everyone left feeling good about what they had done. It was mostly kids doing the projects and the mother's helping them so the whole bible study aspect that I had in my head didn't happen. So, I have been struggling with discouragement and dissapointment because it didn't turn out as I had planned and thankfully God has lead me back to reality. It's not about my plans but His. You planted some seeds, you got the mother's hopefully thinking about how to be more intentional with their faith and they each created something that will be a reminder to them of their faith, our Savior and the awesome God of our universe. I gave these moms and the one lady without any kids an opportunity to learn how they could apply their faith. It's up to them on how to respond. The idealist in me would love to see everyone become passionate and committed like I am to faithbooking but the reality is it's up to each of us what we choose. So, if I planted a little seed, got some hearts and minds thinking about the Lord than I will let God do the rest.
Thank you Lord for helping me over the obstacle of my own idealist self and my own expectations and seeing the reality of your truth.
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.