What Are You Sowing Today?

I happen to love the summer season with all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are now available. And it's so much easier to eat in a healthy way. We don't have a garden because our soil is so terrible, but we do have blueberry bushes, and they are now ripening! When I cut into my cantaloupe this morning, I couldn't help but notice all those seeds! I wonder if they would grow more cantaloupes if I planted them? Not having that green of a gardening thumb, I kind of doubt it. But, those seeds are cantaloupe seeds. Not apple seeds. Not tomato seeds. God put those seeds in there to grow more cantaloupes. To keep that fruit alive. I could throw those seeds and peel into our compost pile in the woods, but it's not convenient, and instead, they go in the garbage along with the peel, as I'm only interested in eating the fruit itself.

 

As I was thinking about this on my walk this morning, it occurred to me that God has done the same thing to us! In my Bible is a section entitled 'Life By The Spirit', and in it is Galatians 5:22-23 ~

 

The fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness and self-control.

 

 

When we love the Lord and aim to abide in Him, He gives us the fruit of the Holy Spirit, with the purpose of displaying these "seeds" and spreading them to others. If we sow love to others, that love will continue on and grow more love. If we sow joy, likewise, more joy will result in others, and ourselves. Think about it. When we sow the fruit of the Spirit, we are spreading God's fruit to others, and as a result, more fruit will be sowed. Beyond measure! What a better world we would be in.

 

All to often, due to our negligence, we waste those seeds and throw them away, not allowing them to spread to others. We receive God's love, but don't share it with others. We hoard and feast on the fruits of His joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that He gives to us, but we allow them to end there. I know, at times, I tend to waste the seeds of His fruit, and allow them to be swallowed up in the garbage of life. I need to be reminded of the value of them. His Kingdom needs the nourishment of these precious seeds, and we are called to plant them. Don't allow them to be thrown away, as the enemy would like you to do. Get out there, and sow!

 



 

 





 



Fearing God - Does Anyone Do that Anymore?

Fear is an emotion that drives people to action. Kind of like an escape mechanism from pain and discomfort. Deep inside all of us, we have that built in, and when we are threatened with something that can hurt us, we immediately react... out of fear. Fear of danger or punishment can also cause a person to act accordingly to prevent it from happening. Someone has said that the fear of the Lord causes a man to hate evil. But is it really the fear of the Lord? What does it mean to fear the Lord?

 

The Bible talks a lot about the fear of the Lord. To give Him reverence and respect. To elevate Him above oneself. For He is Holy, and there is no one above Him.

 

Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only,

and take your oaths in His Name.

Do not follow other gods,

the gods of peoples around you,

for the Lord your God,

who is among you, is a jealous God and

His anger will burn against you,

and He will destroy you from

the face of the land.

Do not test the Lord, your God...

be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God...

do what is right and good in the Lord's sight,

so that it may go well with you.

- Deuteronomy 6:13-8 (portions)

 

What does the Lord your God ask of you

but to fear the Lord your God,

to walk in all His ways, to love Him,

to serve the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul,

and to observe the Lord's commands.

- Deuteronomy 10:12-13

 

 

These verses clearly explain what it means to fear the Lord. God loves us and wants us to obey Him. We aren't to be afraid of Him, but to love Him and respect Him, knowing that His great love for us will keep us from harm. Because He wants the best for us, when we tend to wander, like sheep, He will reach down and discipline us... sometimes gently, and other times more harshly depending on what He sees is necessary to lead us back to Him. Fearing God is the impetus to living our lives for Him. Not because we are afraid of what He will do to us if we disobey Him, but because of our love back to Him. We love Him because He first loved us. When we have a Father in heaven like this, we should be all the more rushing to do things that please Him! Out of our reverent fear for Him. Fearing Him draws us closer to Him. As a result, we love what He loves, and hate what He hates. We love His Word, and hate evil.

 

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

But fools despise wisdom and discipline.

- Proverbs 1:7

 

What we are seeing in our culture today is a refusal to fear the Lord. People are disregarding anything that pertains to obeying and respecting the Lord. Some people call Him "the Man upstairs". Others are lazy in their ways, feeling that God loves everybody and will look the other way when they disobey Him. After all, He won't condemn them, but give them second... and third... and how many are necessary chances to obey again. They ignore Him when times are good, then cry out to Him when disaster strikes. As a result, we are seeing the consequences of disobedience being displayed. Acts of sin are rampant! The Bible also talks about the wrath of God... something no one should take lightly.

 

How are we faring as the body of Christ? Are we properly fearing Him? Is the world able to witness our obedience and reverent fear of Him? Are we setting an example?

 

Let us examine our hearts, and humbly turn to God. He has given us His Son to redeem us, and the Holy Spirit to help us.

 

My son, if you accept My Words,

and store up My commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding...

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom,

and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds victory in store for the upright,

He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for He guards the course of the just

and protects the way of His faithful ones.



- Proverbs 2:1-2,5-8





 







 



Facing the Unknown

I have been thinking lately about a decision that I need to make. Circumstances have come up in my situation, and wanting God's blessings in it, I've been asking Him what to do. I know my destiny is determined by the choices I make, so I need to tread carefully. A lot of times, we make those decisions hastily, and later regret them. I've tried writing down the pros and cons. I've talked to people for their opinions. I've prayed about it. The Bible doesn't deal specifically with my situation, but I know God hears my prayers and wants me to follow Him.

 

Follow Him. That is really hard sometimes! In order to follow someone, you need to know where he is taking you. You need to see him, hear him, and know where he is. And most importantly, when you follow someone, you need to trust that person to lead you in the right direction with a good destination. With following God, it is a real challenge! A guessing game. I've asked Him to lead me, to close the doors He doesn't want me to walk through, and to open the ones He does. He knows my heart, and I know He won't lead me astray. But how come, until I reach that decision, I feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere?

 

I can't trust my feelings, though there are plenty of them to influence me! And sometimes I can't trust what others advise, as they aren't walking in my shoes. The only One I can trust is God. As I look back at my past, I can see that God has led me through many situations, and at the time, they were difficult. But now I see they were necessary for growing my relationship with Him. Each trial led me to a dependency on Him. Without the changes, I may have gotten too comfortable with my life and given myself too much credit for how things would turn out. Not knowing the next step leads me to seeking Him more. Isn't that what He desires?

 

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6:

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding.

Acknowledge Him in all your ways,

and He will lead you in a straight path.

 



This is a promise from God. He is saying that if I trust Him totally and not try to rationalize or analyze the situation, that He will lead me successfully. I am to give Him all the glory and trust Him to take me where He wants me.

 

Oh my precious Lord,

I confess that I am trying to

be in the driver's seat of my life

instead of allowing You to take full control.

Help me to let go and let You lead me

to where You desire.

I love You and want to follow You

all the days of my life.

For Your glory.

Amen