365 Days of Sprit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 314

If you were asked what kind of plant are you and where are you growing? How would you respond? Each of us is a unique plant based on the seed that God created within our mother’s womb, probably even before that. Are you a rosebush, a pine tree, a grapevine, you name it? Will a rosebush thrive and produce beautiful roses if it is planted out in the desert? Will a pine tree survive a forest fire? Will a grapevine produce juicy grapes if it is planted where the sun doesn’t shine enough? Because each of us is unique based on who God created us to be, we need to transplant ourselves from wherever we may have ended up being planted to somewhere that will give us the nourishment we need to survive and thrive. That somewhere needs to be rooted in the Lord. A rosebush near a lake will get the water it needs. A pine tree beside a river will be protected by the river when a forest fire strikes. A grapevine near a stream with the sun shining down on it all day will produce those juicy grapes. Like a plant, we have to be transplanted in the Lord. The nourishment we receive is through His Word, worship, prayer and communion with other believers. Just as a plant needs good soil, sunshine and water, we need to live our life connecting to our nourishment through the good soil of His Word, the sunshine of worship, the water of prayer and the fertilizer that is our communion with other believers.  If we tap into all of these nourishing sources, we will thrive like never before. If you have not yet transplanted yourself into the Lord’s care, seek him in a simple prayer asking for forgiveness of your sins and let him take and plant you where you will thrive. If you are transplanted but are in need of some nourishment, you must make it a priority to nourish your soul every day in some way through His Word, prayer, worship or communion with other believers. No matter what kind of plant you are, you can survive and thrive when you are rooted in the Lord and seeking His nourishment daily.  

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 271

My imperfectness is not alone. We are all imperfect. We are not capable of loving without failing, not without the Holy Spirit. And yet, it still must be a daily commitment to work with the Holy Spirit on perfecting your love. It starts by knowing what your family needs in terms of love. We are not all alike and like different plants need differing amounts of water and sunshine so it is for us and our needs. So, our focus on loving others has to be on learning what they need so that we can work on fulfilling that need. Today I am going to focus on my husband and work on understanding and meeting his needs for love. Who will be your focus today?

1Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 236

God has always given us the choice and yet He always shows that He is always with us, always loving and caring for us. We can always look back and see the plans of God unfolding in our lives. We can always in hindsight realize he was right there with us. What about seeing Him right here, right now? I have always found that my times when I am focused and in His Word everyday that I am much more aware of His presence and see His works in every little thing. Our busy lives, our problems, the difficult circumstances that life throws at us will weed away our focus and take us away from our time with God. He created us to be in fellowship with Him. He is the father, mentor, best friend, confidant, counselor that all of us need. Time with Him is like a plant being watered by the gardener. How good it feels…If you aren’t carving some time in your day for Him, stop and pray right here, right now for Him to guide you in helping you have a committed heart. With His guidance you can find the best time and way for you to really focus just on Him.

Acts 14:16-17 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 217

There are lots of different kinds of fruits to eat in our world but there is one fruit of the spirit. In doing some digging on this topic of fruit, I found that there is some contention on the definition of the fruit. Was it meant to say there is only one fruit that have 9 different aspects or is it 9 different fruits? I believe there is one fruit which is the Holy Spirit within us. The nine attributes within this Spirit are within us but as all fruit needs cultivating with sunshine, good soil and water. And much like it is in our world, there will be places where the fruit ripens beautifully and there will be other places where the fruit is lacking quality because it didn’t get enough water or insects got into them. We, too, have to cultivate these attributes of the Spirit within us. All these attributes of the Spirit are within us but we have to allow them to grow until they ripen and can be harvested. They are individual attributes but all have one common goal to be like Jesus Christ. I think these 9 listed attributes are only a starting point as there are many other attributes that Jesus has that we should strive for like compassion, consideration, humility. It is all about becoming more like Christ. The more we know and understand who Jesus is the more we will understand what we need to cultivate within ourselves to become more like Jesus.

Philippians 2:1-5 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.