Active participant?

Growth is a process that cannot be rushed, nor can it be neglected. We manage to do both, don't we? We want growth to be instant. We overlook the 'maintenance' of that growth, wondering why things seem to be 'going south' as it applies to our spiritual health. Seed might sprout where it is planted, but make no mistake about it, growth requires attentiveness.

The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. (Mark 4:26-27)

God is at work even when we don't see him working. We might not comprehend what he is doing, nor are we always 'attentive' to his work within, but when God plants a seed, he sends the Holy Spirit to tend its growth. We don't have to understand the growth process as much as we need to participate in it as it is occurring. Seed gets sown, but growth comes in its own time. We cannot rush it, although we can anticipate it. There is something transformative when we know God goes to work 'sowing' seed into our lives. We actually begin to look for evidence of what is about to come forth, don't we? Sometimes God asks very little in the way of our 'effort' when it comes to that growth, while he may ask for extreme attentiveness at others.

Just as seed in our garden requires little attention when sown into prepared soil, our prepared hearts may not seem to need much 'tending' until we begin to see the tiniest of growth emerging. That is where we find ourselves 'watching over' with extreme attentiveness the tiny seed of faith that is emerging. Why? Just as in our garden, if we want full development of that 'seed faith', the emerging 'plant' must be protected, nurtured, and encouraged to grow. We might not realize the importance of taking in his word on a very consistent basis, nor do we always understand the power unlocked when we worship and pray, but it is our part in seeing the 'seed' through to 'full growth' and fruit-bearing. We don't have to understand the 'growth process', but we do need to ACTIVELY participate in it. Just sayin!

Small beginnings

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

If you have ever considered the size of a mustard seed, you will likely have noted it is only 1-2 millimeters in diameter. While it is a small seed, the 'tree' produced (or actually a type of shrub) is about 20 feet across and just about as tall! From such a small seed come what some may say is 'remarkable growth'. The leaves start out as very green, then 'morph' into a yellow tone as they age. The ability to not only see physical growth in the height and width of the tree, but to also observe the 'maturity' of the tree by the color of its leaves is kind of neat. One suggests a good connection, while the other suggests a continued connection that allows growth to develop into maturity - something Christ wants for each of us!

While we might focus on the seed and all the wonderful things this seed can do, we cannot neglect the succulent leaves and stems, as they have a beautiful yellow-green flower that is produced with rather long tendrils (some about 12 inches long). The flowers develop into small pink or scarlet berries, which are translucent. The tree actually grows best in dry, rather arid conditions since they are prone to 'mold' if things are too wet for them. While we all dream of the lush green valleys, with lots of coolness and comfort, could it be that we might just thrive the best in the dry and arid conditions of our soul, when life seems to be less evident in others?

While the older, more mature trees don't take all that much maintenance, they do require a whole lot of attention in the earlier stages of their growth (much like us). The early maintenance is not only important to ensure the seed sprouts, but that good root penetration takes place once the seedling is planted. The eventual growth that comes from the proper root penetration not only ensures 'good anchorage' of the plant, but sufficient resources for its continued growth. As the branches begin to form, the tree takes form. Birds nest in the branches - a place of safety and refuge. As Christ's character grows within each of us, our greatest hope is that our lives become a place of safety and refuge for others who need hope and a community in which to 'take root' themselves. Just sayin!

The seed was created to reproduce

Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)

Ever stop to think why God created seed-bearing plants and trees? Why a seed? Why not just have them grow some other way? It is a principle of 'creation' and one of 'reproduction'. The seed plant or tree was originally created, but the plan for reproduction was meant to show that the life 'created' was to be sustained and multiplied. It wasn't supposed to be a one-time deal - plant born, tree born, then they die off never to be seen again. There is a great deal of potential in the seed - growth from the seed represents the possibility of continued reproduction into eternity. When God created a seed, he created the potential for what some might see as abundance - one seed producing much fruit, the next generation of life.

The seed was created to grow into whatever it was created to be, bearing fruit unique to the plant or tree that was created. No two trees or plants are identical. What is produced from each is unique - either because of color, scent, fruit, nut, and even leaf that is produced. God calls each of us to 'uniquely' produce fruit, according to the way he created us. Some can sing beautifully - use that voice for his glory. Others have a mind for facts and figures - use that to teach, organize, bring a means for continued growth in others. We use our 'unique identity' in service to him, allowing the fruit he produces with us to become the means for 'reproducible growth' into eternity.

We each have the potential to grow, flourish and bear fruit that reflects the beauty of God’s glory in our lives, but we must never stifle the potential within the seed. The seed produced as we are obedient to Christ, following closely after him, will reproduce much life. The fruit we bear is according to the way God created us. No matter how 'dull' or 'routine' you believe your life to be, when it is growing in Christ, there will be seed produced that has the potential to reproduce life in others. Christ's seed never fails to bear fruit. Don't try to be what you are not - be true to what type of 'plant' or 'tree' you are, bearing much fruit, allowing his life within you to produce the seed that will flourish into great faith in another. Just sayin!

Repeating the lesson

Teach us how short our lives are so that we can become wise. (Psalm 90:12)

You might not think this verse has much to do with making a new start in a new year, but I'd like us to read it again a few times just to grasp the full meaning of what the psalmist was asking. He asks God to 'teach him', but not with aimless education. He wants to really be aware just how limited his time on this earth may be - then he wants God to help him make the very best use of that time. There are thousands of timewasters in this world today - we barely have to look further than the TV or our cell phones to realize just how much 'wasted time' we can rack up without even fully being aware. The thing he prays for is 'awareness'. The purpose of this awareness is revelation - to get to know what is really important for him to know and forget about all the other stuff that really is just 'clutter' in his mind. Maybe that would be a good prayer for each of us this year - to become 'aware' and to make the most out of the knowledge we are given.

Awareness is more than just being in the 'know' about something. Yes, it means we are to be attentive to what God teaches, but it also means we use the information in such a way that it gets into our 'consciousness' and begins to affect how we make choices in life. The end goal is wisdom - the means to gaining wisdom is to sit long enough at the feet of our TEACHER in order to really come into full understanding of what is being taught. Life is short, the lessons can be long, and the learning can take a while. Maybe that means we 'repeat' a few from time to time because we don't get all the learning done in one sitting! I used to think that if God had to take me through a lesson again, I didn't get anything from it the first time. What I have come to realize is that repeated lessons don't always indicate I didn't learn from the other times God was taking me through, but rather that he is adding to the lesson now that I understood the first or second elements he taught previously. 

Teach us how short our lives are so we can become wise. Wisdom is a 'becoming' thing - it isn't instantaneous. We see one little tidbit of truth this time, then the next time that lesson comes around, we see another. Each helps us to grow a little. Remember, growth is a rather slow process and most of the growth is really happening 'under the surface'. What becomes evident a little later on is how much that growth has changed us - both inside and out! Just sayin!

A mighty oak in the making

 From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow. (Aeschylus)

The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends. (Proverbs 11:30) 

We may not realize the 'value' inherent within a single seed, but when we consider all the lives that may be touched by that which is 'born' of the seed, we might just plant a few more seeds! Whether the seed produces nourishment for our bodies, shelter for our heads, or encouragement for our spirit, seeds are never without a purpose - to reproduce. The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life - how many of those seeds will you plant this year? Gardners and farmers alike will tell us the 'value' inherent within the seed requires more than a casual 'flinging' of the seed. There is much purpose behind the simplest of planting.

We each have been given 'seed' to plant, but sometimes we find the preparation takes longer than the planting. Once planted, we might get a little discouraged by the time it takes to 'germinate'. After we finally see some evidence of growth, we might even become weary awaiting the arrival of the fruit that seed will produce. A mighty oak isn't actually 'mighty' until many, many years into its growth cycle, my friends. If we got weary waiting for its growth, wouldn't it be silly to pluck it up from the ground just because its boughs are not great enough to provide us shade or shelter? We'd nurture it, ensuring it has all that was needed for continued growth. We'd plan for the future of that seed, not only the present 'form' of that seed's growth.

In much the same way, God asks us not to become impatient with the seed growing within us right now. It has been planted, is being nourished, and might even be showing signs of life, but if we allow it to be plucked up by the distractions of this world, we will miss the fruit that it will produce. Seeds are meant to be 'encouraged' to full growth. They must be planted in prepared soil - so don't resist the 'soil tending' of the Holy Spirit within. They must be placed in just the right location - too much heat will rob them of their growth, but just enough will coax the potential within that seed to send shoots to the surface where it can become all that God intends. You never know when the seed planted is the one about to become that mighty oak tree. Just sayin!

A blob of faith

You don’t know where the wind blows. And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s womb. In the same way, you don’t know what God will do—and he makes everything happen. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

We all have those seasons in life when we know stuff is happening, or about to happen, but we really aren't sure what all is about to come our way. We get a little frightened by the stuff we don't understand, try to make some assumptions about what we believe may be happening, and generally get ourselves all out of sorts when stuff gets harder than we'd like. Then along comes God's intervention and all of a sudden, almost without us noticing, things begin to sort themselves out and life gets a little easier. What we missed in all that in-between stage was the peace God wants us to walk in as we go THROUGH those seasons.

Today, we can use 3-D ultrasound to get an almost perfect picture of the baby's features. In the time this passage was recorded for us, a baby was concealed deep within the womb until the time of conception. At the time of birth, what was hidden from view was revealed. God is reminding us that we might not always see what he is doing, but he is at work. He is arranging things, multiplying other things, creating what is to come long before we ever see it revealed in our lives. The 'happenings' are behind the scenes and as with the development of the 3-D ultrasound, we aren't the kind of people content in 'not knowing', so we attempt to finagle our way to resolving things to the way we imagine them to be. 

God makes things happen, even when we don't see him at work. In the good or the bad, he has a mission in mind for each of us. We may not really like all the waiting to 'see what comes', but when we lean into his Word, allowing it to wash over us and bring us comfort, clarity, and consistency in our faith, we will do better in the 'in-between' stages of life. The baby starts out quite unrecognizable as a 'baby' - it is just a 'blob' of tissue coming together until one day features begin to be recognizable. In much the same way, God is at work with a 'blob of faith' within us, forming it this way and that through this event and that, until one day that 'blob' becomes recognizable as a deepening faith in his plan. Just sayin!

Growing in Jesus

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4)

I bet there aren't too many of us that actually think trials are good for us, much less that God could actually allow more than a few of them to come our way. Trials are meant to test our faith - period. Within the trial comes the chance to really show who it is we serve and what it is we believe. In other words, we are showing God we put him first and rely upon him for all we have need of in our lives. It is in the midst of the trial that our 'true self' emerges. It is within the trial that we see how much we rely upon ourselves through the knowledge we have amassed, or our ability to 'reason it out' on our own.

These trials may not be easy, but they actually put our faith in God to the test. They aren't enjoyable - we don't actually welcome them with open arms. Within the trial, without us even realizing this is happening, our faith is put to the test. The test actually reveals how much we will lean into God, and it often reveals areas where we have been too prideful to allow God to do any work. There are always life lessons to be learned, and believe it or not, the most frequent place we learn them is right smack in the middle of the trial. The good news is that we can be quick learners. The bad news is that sometimes we need to repeat the lesson because we didn't get it the first time!

The other thing we need to keep in mind is that trials are 'assured' - in other words, they cannot be avoided forever. We will eventually face a trial that will begin to uncover things within us that need exposure. Either we embrace the work God is about to do through that trial, or we resist it and assure ourselves we will face it again, just in a different way. Sometimes the trials are quick and relatively painless. At others, we have a lot of angst and struggle because the trial is about to expose something much deeper and that has been affecting our heart way too long. God isn't trying to 'hurt' us, but it may hurt a bit. Just because it hurts doesn't mean he isn't with us in the midst of it!

The goal of the trial is that we may actually grow a little - leading us to the place where our faith doesn't lack anything. Sometimes we don't realize what is lacking until we are in the trial. We think all is well within our hearts and minds, but the trial helps to reveal where it is we haven't seen growth yet. Maybe there are buds of growth, but the trial will help the roots of that growth take hold and go deep. Remember this - maturity isn't instant - it is slow and steady - it is never-ending. Just sayin!

Is this change right?

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. (Ellen Glasgow)

No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Romans 2:29)

The Apostle Paul is dealing with a whole lot of 'we are better than they are' mentality - it is 'better to be a Jew' than a Gentile kind of thing. Isn't it silly to compare ourselves to others by what we see as 'superior' in ourselves compared to what we see as 'inferior' in others? The most profound thing he pointed out to those who opposed Christ as the Messiah was that a changed heart is produced by the Spirit of God, not some 'act' or 'practice' man engages in. A changed heart is God-produced, God-ordained, and God-blessed.

The 'we are better' mentality comes with prideful attitude of seeking approval from others merely because of what you 'do', not what you really 'are'. We are ALL sinners - but they failed to appreciate that fact. We ALL need a Redeemer - but they failed to recognize that every outward action they performed really didn't change the fact that their hearts were still impure and given to sin. A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God - they don't need to call attention to themselves through religious actions. Their heart shines!

All mankind can do on its own merit is produce more flawed individuals, complete with complex hang-ups and deep hurts. What God can do when a man or woman says yes to him may not seem significant, but that is because the heart is often hidden from view. It becomes evident in the actions produced when his Spirit indwells our spirit, and the true communion begins. A changed heart is what we desire - not just changed actions. Eventually the actions will match the heart, but until they do, trust him to do what he began. All change is not growth, so make sure the change you seek is directed by his Spirit. Just sayin!

Baby Steps

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. (Philippians 1:6)

We can sometimes feel like we aren't going to get to where we hoped to get to, finish what we hoped to finish, or just accomplish that one big thing we set in our sights. What we do with those moments determines if we will ever direct our focus toward it long enough to see it completed. We cannot think of having to "rest" in between the spaces or seasons of "accomplishing stuff" as a negative thing. I think God purposefully gives us some seasons in our lives where we kind of "coast" for a while because he knows we'd be overwhelmed if he didn't. He knows our personality and our emotional make-up. Just because you need to step back for a moment, don't be defeated - God isn't finished!

The seasons of emotional, physical, and spiritual frenzy would be our undoing if they continued on and on. Don't you think it is reasonable that God gives us "pauses" in our growth? It isn't that we aren't still soaking in his nourishment and provision - it is just that we aren't growing at the same pace as we were when we were in that "push forward" kind of determination. We just want to be sure we don't stop growing all together! That would signify something we have come to appreciate as "death"! Slowed growth doesn't mean we are about to die - it means our bodies, minds, spirits, and emotions have been under enough "pressure" - we need to rest and renew.

God begins good things in us all the time. They are like the tiny seedlings I find springing up in my garden from the seeds planted there much earlier. They aren't strong enough to survive yet, but they are signs of life and of more to come. In examining our lives, we find lots and lots of signs of life - promises of more and more to come. We should not lose heart when we don't see those things coming at the pace we might have imagined! Focus on the small goals and they will mount up to help you realize the bigger ones. We can count on one thing - God isn't finished with us. He may be giving us seasons of rest, followed by some intense seasons of growth, but he won't stop until he brings us to the place he desires for us to be. We might want to focus on the fact we don't feel growth occurring right now, but he is focusing on getting us rested for the growth opportunity he has coming for us just around the corner! Just sayin!

Not at 100% yet

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9)

How many things can we say we really make every effort to develop in our lives? I played guitar for a while, but I never made an effort to become very good at it. I did some jewelry making in high school, but it never continued once I was out of school. I did a little leather working, but that too fell by the wayside. I went to Bible College, but never pastored a church. It did open a door in my heart to a deeper study of the Word of God, though. There are some things we 'pursue', but never really 'finish', while there are others we desire to finish well, no matter the cost. Let your faith be one of those things that you 'finish well', no matter the cost.

Godliness doesn't 'just happen' - it is a lifelong pursuit, complete with our stumbles and bumbles, ups and downs, and renewed commitments all along the way. Faith is 'built upon' all throughout our lives. We may not ever get to the point where we feel like it is 100% complete - but we never give up on learning the lessons of faith God wants to teach us along the way. We have been cleansed from a life of sin - but we don't always live like we are! We have begun the walk, but we haven't finished it yet. Grow in God - faith leads to a set of different choices (moral excellence being the pursuit). 

As we discover what God says to us in his Word, we begin to see that our lives need to be affected at a very deep level by those standards he has laid out so carefully for us. As we learn to make right choices one-by-one, we discover there are also 'wrong choices' we make along the way. We learn to bring those wrong one to him and seek his renewal and restoration as we repent of our sins. Then we might just discover the wrong ones were made because we didn't embrace what God told us in the first place - so we take that knowledge and use it to allow change to come in our heart and minds.

Growth requires incremental change. I think we get a little confused on that one - believing that coming to Christ brought about all the change we will need in this lifetime. Evil still abounds around us - we must choose moral excellence each time we are confronted by it. Self-control must guide our actions, and sometimes we even need to experience a little 'godly endurance' through all the upheaval and chaos that evil brings into our lives. The struggles don't end - there is just a different way of dealing with them, walking through them, and coming out on the other side of them. It is this closeness of relationship with Jesus that makes the difference. Just sayin!

To journal or not to journal

Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

I am not a 'journal person' - I don't keep a diary of the daily events and happenings in life. In fact, I tried it for a couple of months to see if I could keep track of what I was doing and other stuff like the things that were happening in my ministry. It got to the place I was repeating myself, so I quit. As much as I thought this 'diary' thing was a 'big deal' for believers to 'keep track' of God's blessings, it wasn't all that 'big of a deal'. It was shortly after that failed attempt at keeping a diary that I realized God wanted me to simply spend time with him, writing down the stuff he told me in those times, beginning to really digest the scriptures for myself. When I began to record what God was sharing from his Word and my time pondering it, I found that much less cumbersome. In fact, I actually saw 'lessons' being recorded - sometimes in a rather 'repetitive' manner. Why the repeat? I didn't quite learn everything the first time I pondered the lesson!

We don't always have a 'new insight' every time we ponder a particular passage, but it is very possible God will reopen those words to you as he has before, maybe adding just a little more insight now that you didn't consider before. I think this is what John meant when he said 'all the books that could be written' would not contain all that Jesus does or shows us in our lifetime. I have gone back through some of those journals on occasion, only to find that the 'lesson' from several years back was kind of rudimentary or even 'shallow'. That is when the growth in my life begins to be apparent to me. Maybe there is something to be said for keeping a journal, but not so much for the 'today I did this or that' kind of stuff. Maybe the journal we should keep is the one that helps us to realize God is at work helping us to become stronger, capable of standing in the face of trials, and less susceptible to similar temptations.

About six months ago I did a thing where I looked into those journals and then after perusing them a bit, I actually destroyed them. Why? It was 'old stuff' now. I actually saw evidence of growth today that wasn't there then. I didn't see the need to keep the 'old stuff' around any longer - I had moved on. Maybe there will come a time when you look back, knowing you dealt with some pretty important stuff with God, and come to a similar revelation - you have moved on, grown up, dug in a little deeper, and are now standing stronger than ever before. Do you need the reminder that life is never supposed to be 'stagnant' or 'fixed'? Maybe that is what the journals actually showed us - we have been experiencing God's incremental growth without even realizing it. Just sayin!

Soaking it all in

A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold. The rich and the poor are all created by the Lord. When you see trouble coming, don’t be stupid and walk right into it—be smart and hide. (Proverbs 22:1-3)

Every day in our lives is an opportunity to leave a legacy of some kind. It can be positive or negative, uplifting or kind of a bummer, rewarding or just plain dumb. Some days are the type we might call 'transition moments' - a time when God is taking us from one place to another - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or even relationally. Transition is just a big word for change - moving from one position to another, passage from one state into another. The old adage certainly holds true - there is one constant in life and that is change. Sometimes change comes in ominous, crashing ways. We need to know we have an opportunity to not take those change moments alone - Christ walks at our side, even leading the way so we have a clear pathway through even the most difficult of change.

How another "estimates" our worth or value is based on what they observe in our practice. We might think this is kind of sad since what someone may see might not fully represent who and what an individual is on the "inside". I daresay this is often the case with my own actions - for sometimes my actions align well with what is at the core of my being, and at others they just go all askew and are totally out of character to the truth that Christ dwells in me! All of life is a journey from one point to another. We are to be "smart" about how we face the transition points of change. The one constant we have in the midst of transition is Christ!

Change equals growth. It almost seems like our passage tells us to go somewhere and hide while transition is coming our way, but I want us to consider something a little closer to the point. To ensure we face transition well, God is telling us to avoid the unwise choices, running instead into the place of safety we have in Christ Jesus. After all, God is our hiding place, is he not? When the winds of change in our lives come, are our roots deep enough to help us stand strong in the midst of their force? If we want to know how deep our roots are we need only look as far as the soil in which they are planted. 

Hardened hearts don't allow for deep roots. The occasional watering (only going surface deep) of our hearts with a little of the Word of God once in a while is not enough to give us depth in our lives. In fact, we will be deceiving ourselves if we think a little "taste" of God's Word is enough to help us endure the forces of change in our lives! We need good soil - in order to be made good, it has to be worked. We need depth of watering - in order to get to the depths of our soul, we need to allow time to be soaked in his presence and his Word. Just sayin!

Grace is like rain

You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. (I Peter 2:3)

I have tasted some pretty good stuff in my days. Chocolate, a nicely charred steak, sweet potatoes with melting butter, and mom's cheesecake. These are but a few of the things I have 'tasted', but there is one thing I have tasted that rises above all the rest: Jesus' grace and goodness. For years, the See's Candy Shops have given out a free piece of candy to the visitors in their shop. Why? To entice you to want more! God's grace is kind of like that - you get one taste of how liberating it is and you just keep coming back for more!

Grace is not meant to be tasted once and then that's all you ever experience it. It is meant to be tasted again and again, until you are overflowing with the goodness of it. Grace received is going to do something we may not have really anticipated - it helps us grow up in Jesus. Whenever we seek grace, we are seeking to grow a little. We are no longer content to let the stuff we have been 'taking in' be what we settle on in our lives. We want only the best and that is what God offers to those who seek him. 

John Updike likened rain to grace, saying: "Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life." God's grace is like rain - it falls on the driest and most parched parts of our lives, infusing all that is needed to bring growth from within. Without grace, we'd wither and die. With grace, we flourish. Maybe we need more of God's 'rain' in our lives! Just sayin!

Spurts - not zero to sixty

It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” (Romans1:16)

Right with God means we can stand before God without fear of judgment. How is this possible? We place our trust in the finished work of Christ at the cross. We learn to live a new life at the foot of the cross - beginning the moment we say 'yes' to Jesus and then continuing on as the Holy Spirit begins to take the Word of God and apply it various areas of our lives where we most need it. Trust is the basis of faith - faith is required in order to stand strong. As we discussed in an earlier post, faith isn't just 'given' - it is grown within us. The seed of faith is placed there by God himself, then nurtured within us until it comes to full maturity. Sometimes we think we should have a 'full measure' of faith the moment we place our trust in Christ, but if it were just 'given', we'd never learn to depend upon him.

Many of us struggle to maintain a 'steady' walk with Christ, up one day and down the next, like a rollercoaster. We feel like our faith is growing, then we feel like we are just drifting along, not fully aware of Christ's presence. Trust doesn't always have to 'feel' or 'see' in order for it to give us a firm foundation upon which we stand strong. It means we don't forget who is in control even when the circumstances seem to get out of control for US. They aren't out of control for HIM. What Jesus asks of us is to remain consistent in taking the steps that indicate we have placed our trust in his control. This might take on the form of taking in the Word of God regularly, being built up at times, convicted at others. Faith doesn't mean we will never feel 'wrong', it will just mean we know there is a way to be made 'right' whenever we feel 'wrong'.

We see the flaws - God sees perfection. We see ugliness - he sees beauty. We see wobbly steps - he sees strength growing within us. Faith is a seed that must be nurtured - watered by the Word, nourished within the light of his presence, and stimulated to full growth through the continual tending by the Holy Spirit. We might have set backs in our 'faith growth', but if we remain (trusting fully), we will develop an internal strength that outgrows our own feeble strength. Don't get discouraged with the set backs, but press in, take hold, and hang on - you are on the verge of some pretty phenomenal growth! Just sayin!

Be watchful over your seed

You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from people who are bad, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18)

If you have ever had something begin to grow in your garden and then wondered what it might be, you may have left it grow a little longer because you think it resembles a flower or perhaps a plant that may produce some type of "fruit". As it grows, you can begin to tell if it is what you thought it might be or not. When it no longer resembles what you thought it was, you pluck it up because you now recognize it as not being the "fruit-bearing" plant you imagined. I feed birds - this produces a variety of "undergrowth" in my flowerbeds because they fling seed everywhere. There is also a whole lot of stuff in there I don't recognize. I just pluck those out right away because I have no idea what they will produce. A whole lot of "seed" gets "flung" in life, doesn't it? Much of it can begin to grow wherever it is "planted" - but not all of it is beneficial. Some of the fruit produced may not be as helpful or beautiful as others.

When I first take notice of these little sprouts in the garden, I am being an "inspector" of this growth. I am looking for evidence of two things - I need to recognize what it is, and if it is beneficial to leave it where it is planted. These are two very important points for us to keep in mind in our own lives as these two principles can guide us in relationships, spiritual pursuits, and emotionally charged times. We need to be able to recognize the "seeds" for what they will produce, and we have to know if what is produced will actually be of any value to us in the long run. Some call this being "inspectors" - I call it being wise. Much of what is offered to us today in life is in the form of "short-cuts". We have all kinds of ways to produce something which "resembles" the "real deal", but it really falls short of the original. We have instant mashed potatoes. Add water or a little milk, heat in the microwave, and we have mashed potatoes, right? Nope, we have reconstituted powdered potato flakes. They look similar to the real deal, and even taste a little like fresh mashed potatoes, but they lack something in the consistency and appearance. What we have produced is "close" to the original, but truthfully, it is only a substitute for the original produced through a series of short-cuts.

Things produced in life are a result of what takes root. Fruit comes because there was first a root. You cannot have one without the other. These things which sprout up quickly in my garden take root easily. They are flung on the surface and don't need much depth to take root. When something doesn't need much depth to take root, it usually is a weed and the "fruit" produced will oftentimes give you more headache than heart-peace! Things which matter - producing luscious fruit - are things which take a little longer to root and are almost always planted more "purposefully". 

Short-cut "fruit" is rarely as rewarding or satisfying as that which is "purposefully" produced by being planted, nurtured, and harvested in season. Fruit is often a key indicator of what has been taking root. I don't make my own mustard, so a tiny mustard seed taking over my garden with one sprouting plant may look nice for a little while, but it will soon crowd out the rest of what I have growing there. The birds may like it, but it produces nothing I can actually "use" in my life. What we allow into the garden of our hearts and minds begins to take root in our inner man. How do we begin to analyze what has taken root. Usually the "behavior" is the evidence of what has taken root on the inside. Some behavior is to be trusted at "face value" while other behavior is a cleverly produced "imitation" of what we think is going to produce good fruit. Becoming clear on what is "good fruit" and what is not will help us accurately judge what might be at the root of the behavior we are producing.

Remember we have to both recognize what is planted and know whether it is good for us. Recognition comes with a little help from some tools we have at our disposal - the Word to guide us into truth, the Holy Spirit to prompt us when "truth" isn't accurate, and our conscience to assist us in weighing the "truth" in response to the values God is working into our hearts. Knowing if something will actually produce worthwhile fruit takes a little practice. The instant mashed potatoes will put dinner on the table quickly, but they don't provide nearly the nutrients as the ones I peel, boil, and mash with milk and butter. They aren't as rich in flavor, and they aren't as satisfying to the palate. Sometimes I have to taste a little of the fruit to really become aware of what has been produced! This is a little sad really because some of the fruit produced in my life has been a little bitter! Yet, when I get a good taste of the bitter fruit, I know it doesn't belong and I seek to get it out. I think all God wants for us is to become a little more proficient at recognizing the fruit of what is taking root. Shallow roots may produce fast growth, but will it be lasting and fruitful? Not too likely. Do more than just accept the "fast growing" and begin to allow the "purposeful planting" of what God knows will produce "good fruit". It isn't in the "short cuts" we produce our "best" fruit - it is in the tender-loving care of his watchful eye. Just sayin!

A nutrient-rich environment

Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, "The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; grass dries up, flowers wilt, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you. (I Peter 1:22-25)

At the point of conception, life begins. We may not see all that is occurring, but we know there is a 'multiplication process' at work that is bringing new life upon new life. God's Word conceives life within us - new life - each and every time we hear it, embrace it, allow it to affect our lives. New life upon new life - this is the assurance we have in Christ Jesus. Our lives are not ours alone - we are meant to share that life with others - by modeling the love of Christ in us. Our new life is born of the Word of God - we hear his welcoming message, then his Word begins to mold and change us until we align with the principles contained within.

How do we see our lives changed? It is by following - not by leading. We are meant to be disciples - followers of Christ. That means we lay down our willfulness (what some may call stubbornness and pridefulness). How on earth do we lay down our stubbornness? If you are anything like me, you can dig in your heels from time to time, not wanting to take the steps God directs for your life. It isn't that we don't desire the growth to happen - we like this 'multiplication' of his life within but resist the 'requirements' of growth. As a new life is conceived, there are multiplied requirements in order to nourish that new life. The new life is being nurtured as it is allowed to develop. A lack of nutrients will yield stunted or arrested growth.

It is hard to be consistent with our intake of the Word of God, but it is so very essential if we are to see our lives changed. When I thought about beginning this blog, it wasn't to be a 'scholar' of the Word. There was a burden to bring the Word of God in 'bite size chunks' so we could take it in - portions small enough for us to appreciate what God is saying to us. A new life growing and developing doesn't consume everything provided for its nourishment all at one time. It only needs what it requires for the season of growth it is in. The same is true of each of us. We might find God is asking us to grow in this area today, but in a short time the development required will be in a different area. Nutrients come as we take in the Word of God with consistency and obedient service to the Lord God.

We can be in a 'nutrient rich' environment and be 'growth deprived'. We must take in what is provided - that means we stop and eat. We allow what is provided to be 'incorporated' into our lives. We may think we don't need what is provided, but there is not one Word of God spoken or recorded that we do not need. We may not need that 'nutrient' at this moment, but there will come a season of growth in which we will hunger for that very 'nutrient'. Take in the Word of God - the nutrients you require for spiritual growth - see the new life of his love and grace take on new form each and every day. Just take in his Word - you never know when you may need what has been provided. Just sayin!

Barren or Promised Growth?

If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. (Isaiah 58:9-12)

I live in the Arizona desert, so growing things here is a little more difficult than it might be in the lush greenbelts of our country. Xerarch is a term that indicates the ability to grow and even 'evolve' in dry places. Most of us face those "dry places" in life much more than we do the really well-watered ones! Those "barren" places just don't look very promising when we are smack-dab in the middle of them, do they? In fact, the very word "barren" suggests "sterile" ground - unproductive and unfruitful. I think the barren places are the exact places God will choose to show his power in our lives! A full in life in the emptiest places - isn't this the same as "dry places"? Dryness actually produces emptiness. Emptiness begs to be filled. Even dry places become "collectors" of something. Here in Arizona, we have dust storms from time to time - big ones! The roof shingles get a real workout with some of the high winds! What do those winds do in the driest places? They stir up the dust, moving anything that has withered and become "brittle" in the heat of the day. One of the things we are known for is our tumbleweeds. In the midst of the dry places, these weeds spring up, wither and die - leaving mere skeletons of what once was. When the winds come, those are easily plucked from their spots and are carried away in the winds. The desert floor will be littered with the results of the windstorm - not much to look at, but signs of growth once there. What we don't see is the result of the winds - they move the seeds and spread the soil over them. In the coolness of winter, the rains will come. The growth once evident on the desert floor will again be seen. Even dry places have the promise of growth!

Our lives are much like the desert floor at times - filled with all kinds of "tumbleweed" issues - pricking at us like there is no tomorrow. They spring up, looking like they are going to produce something of real value in our lives, but they just cannot stand the heat of the day, so they wither where they took root. Plucked up by the storms of life, the "floor" of our lives is cleared again to become the planting spot for the things which promise lasting growth. Until the dead stuff is cleared, the "void" that has been covered by all that stuff cannot be filled. The dead stuff takes up valuable room in our lives - it has to be cleared away before that space can be filled with what matters. The good news is that God uses the rubble of our old lives to build us anew! Even the stuff that looks dead has a purpose! As those tumbleweeds in our lives blow across the desert floor of our weary soul, they serve as a "sweeper" of sorts. They begin to gather other dead rubble in their path and sweep it along in the path they are taking with the force of the winds of God's Spirit. As the old is cleared away, the place for newness to spring forth is prepared - readied for the planting that will yield a positive harvest.

If you have ever studied the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem found in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, you will understand what I am going to say next. They didn't "start over" with the building materials - they used what they had, salvaging what could become useful again when placed in right order. Some of the things in our lives are simply not in "right order". We definitely need "new materials" to be infused, just as Nehemiah and Ezra did when rebuilding the walls, but there will always be some portion of our experiences, past learning, and even our past mistakes that God can be put in "right order" again. Once in the "right order" those things no longer become stumbling blocks or rubble piles, but the potential stones that help to form a foundation in our lives! God uses the old, brings in the new, and ensures the way is made for the dry places to bring forth something afresh and promising. The dry places seem more frequent in our lives because they are the hardest to endure. Anyone hiking across the desert will tell you it is the hardest hike they have taken - until they try to climb Everest! The altitude of the highest peaks can also be our "undoing"! We long for the "peaks" and "lush valleys" in life. The point between both may very well be the driest place - God stands smack-dab in the midst of the driest place, his hand poised to bring forth growth where none seemed possible. Just sayin!

Got any grapes?

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples." (John 15:5, 8)

Most might be familiar with this passage about the vine and branches - being joined together with Christ producing new life within us. I have to ask - did anyone really see the part about how God shows WHO HE IS to the world? It is the production of fruit in our lives - when we become mature in our faith and stand strong in the faith - these are evidence of WHO he is, not just what he does! The first thing to remember is that fruit cannot be produced where there is no connection to the life-giving source that produces it. Apart from Christ, we don't bear great fruit - but connected directly to him and the fruit becomes pure, agreeable, and perfectly enjoyable. 

Connection is something I refer to from time to time because I think it is easy to get caught up in 'life' and forget about the things that really matter. We need connection with Christ on a daily basis - dare I propose it is a moment-by-moment connection, as well? We need time alone with him - considering his truth as declared to us in his Word - and then we need to take time to listen, not just talk. The fruit is a result of the vine's work, not the other way around. We cannot expect fruit if we disconnect from the life-source of the vine. As important as our connection is with Christ, it is also important to maintain positive connection with those he has placed in our lives. Perhaps this requires a little mending of fences on occasion, as we humans can mess things up in relationships, sometimes without even knowing we have!

Connection means we have a 'conduit' of sorts for what we need to be 'infused' into our lives. When the 'conduit' becomes broken or clogged, the 'flow' of all we need for good fruit to be produced is interrupted. As a plant grows from the smallest stages of new growth into a fuller and more vibrant plant, we may help it grow straight and tall by providing support. We 'tie' it to a trellis and help it find its way. In time, if those ties are left in place, they will become points where the life-flow is 'strangled'. We need to release those ties when the plant is able to stand on its own. In much the same way, we may be 'tied' pretty close to Jesus at times, then he lets those 'ties' go as we are learning to stand on our own. We might call these 'tests' or 'trials', but their purpose is to help us stand in our faith - removing all hindrances to us having any 'strangled growth'.

I have two grape vines in the backyard, but this year they produced zero grapes, and the year before they were so tiny they weren't really all that edible. They got green and healthy looking, putting off new growth in various directions, but produced nothing for all that growth. God doesn't just want growth - he desires fruit and 'fullness' of fruit. Growth is a great thing, but when the growth is designed to produce fruit, a 'fruitless yield' is kind of disappointing. Just sayin!

So that's what I needed!

Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

There are times I overlook the obvious, believing instead there must be something more to what I am seeing or hearing. I guess this is human nature - we see or hear one thing, then immediately jump to the conclusion there must be some other meaning - either because we don't think things can be THAT simple, or we believe others just could not MEAN what they are doing / saying. I think this is some defense mechanism on our part - protecting us from some things we just don't want to deal with right now, or attempting to believe the best about another just because we don't want to think they could behave that way. In some respects, this is what we do with God at times - we overlook the obvious. He spends time revealing himself to us in a particular manner, then we try to analyze what he is doing so much we overlook the extremely "obvious" in his actions! The problem is - we NEED the obvious to make the "obscure" clearer! The "obvious" actually lends clarity and context to the "obscure". Without the obvious, we don't have the foundation for the obscure. I think this is why Jesus worked so hard for his disciples to see the obvious in his actions and those of others, but then took them one step further to see the obscure in these same actions. A man was healed of his blindness (the obvious) - he was healed to reveal the Son of Man's power (the obscure). A grain is a seed (the obvious) - it only accomplishes it purposes when it dies (the obscure). A cross may be the means of death (the obvious) - but the same cross which brought death to one brought life to many (the obscure). What the obvious provides for us seeing and understanding the obscure is important.

We need to be careful not to overlook the obvious as it applies to God's timing. In context, our passage is dealing with those who were rising up saying Jesus was "late" in his returning to this earth. Jesus had promised his return - where was he? Their intent was to discourage the believers - poking holes in their hopes and faith. The delay is for a reason! The obvious - the "lateness" in his return - is for a more obscure reason - he's giving everyone space and time to change! Space and time to change - the obscure purpose in the waiting. I am glad God gives us both space and time to change. I know I have needed a lot of space. When we ask someone to "give us space", we are really asking for both the flexibility and the freedom we need. God is not a constraining force - he knows we all have a unique personality - he created us that way! We each "work through" things in our own ways - so God gives us the "space" to get to the root of the matter in a way which fits with our unique personality. Some of us need quiet time away from others - like a retreat to the woods. Others of us need to get some good worship music cranking, centering us on him, and then we can get down to business with him. Regardless of the "space" we need - he gives it to us with enough flexibility and freedom to discover what it is we need to do and how we need to respond.

Not only does he give us the "space" (freedom and flexibility to recognize the change process is underway within us), but he gives us the time to change. Not only does he give us the element of time, but he exercises the perfect timing in doing so. We overlook the obvious - we need space and time! He doesn't overlook this when he is after the obscure in us - the realness of our heart dedication. I don't know about you, but I have needed some time to work through things in my life. For example, after my divorce I needed time to work through my bitterness. I wanted to hold onto the hurt - he wanted to give me space to let go of what would only serve to hurt me further. In the space "between", God was at work, revealing the bitterness which was there and then showing me how to release it to him. This is only one example of how God uses both space and time in our lives. In change, both are necessary. None of us have a magic wand - immediately and completely transforming one character trait into another with a magic wand wave. In fact, we all require this "space" and "time" thing in order to get things as they should be in our lives. If you are in the "space" between the old and the revelation of the new, don't lose heart. God's allowing both the space and the time because he has that change clearly in his view - and he knows exactly how much space and time you and I will need. Just sayin!

Cart - Then Horse, or Horse, Then Cart?

How many of us would consider ourselves to be 'mature'? I am over the age of sixty now and 'mature' could mean I have an AARP card! For one to be considered mature, here are some things to consider: Are the fully developed in body and mind? Is the work of development complete and perfected in the individual? Are they readied and prepared for what lies ahead? If the answer is truthful - none of us fit into this category! In society today, we often think of maturity as reaching a certain age - the age of "legality". In other words - it is a measure of chronological years, not so much a measure of anything on the inside of the person. The problem with this way of thinking is that we often have a whole lot of "mature-looking" individuals walking this earth, but they really lack the evidence of maturity in the emotions, mind, or their spirit. Chronologically, they are "of age" - spiritually, emotionally, or intellectually, they are still immature.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Having lived in a home with some fruit trees in my backyard as a kid, I know it takes some time for the fruit to come to a place of being developed enough to actually eat it. As an orange "matures", it goes from a solid green color, to a light yellow, and then a full-bodied orange color. The chance you take in plucking it too early from the tree is the arresting of the maturing process. You might see it continue to change color a little, but the "full-bodied" taste of the orange is produced best while it still attached to the source of its maturing! In a spiritual sense, the place of maturing for a believer is not detached from the branch (Christ)! It is in finding a good connection with Christ and others who will actually aid your development that maturity is realized. Readiness is evident in maturity. If you have ever waited any length of time for a child to be "ready" to leave for a destination they may not actually "want" to go to, you will know exactly what I am speaking of here! The child "knows" the destination - but they aren't "ready" to get there. They dilly-dally with the silliest things - taking forever to find their shoes, comb their hair, and get their jacket from the last place they threw it aside. We learn to do even the things which don't really thrill us - because we have come to a place of age-maturity which "overrides" our desire to stay in bed all day! There is a readiness to arise in the morning, greet the new day and its challenges, and then come home to do it all over again. In the spiritual sense, readiness is a key indicator of our level of maturity. When God asks us to take a step with him, do we balk? Or are we "ready" to move into what he has for us?

How is it we get to this place of maturity, complete in every way? I don't know about you, but I haven't arrived yet, but I am on the journey! Maturity is more than a "time" in life or specific age - it is a consistent development process, never fully ended until it is ended. I have heard it said that the biggest room in your house should be the room for improvement. We sometimes think we have arrived at a point in life where there is no further need for "maturing" - almost like a wine maker might say a wine has reached its "perfection". Truth be told, none of us actually reaches the point of perfection while here on this earth - if we think we do, we are only fooling ourselves. The best we can ever do is stay in a place which allows us to mature - like the orange attached to the tree. If we begin to see the resources God has provided for our growth (maturity), we will begin to see the benefit of being rightly connected for however long it takes! Ever eat fruit that ripened too quickly - it lacks taste, may be a little bitter, and is often quite dry. In contrast, the fruit allowed to develop to its point of maturity "connected" to its source of development has not only a different appearance on the outside, but the inside is quite different, too. The pulp of a mature orange is full of juice - it has a robust taste, emanates a pleasant aroma, and is sweet to the one taking it in. The same is true of our growth spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Stay connected to the source of maturity and you will find you produce a "robust" taste, a pleasant aroma, and are not as bitter! The outside may be a little deceiving - just looking mature doesn't make one truly mature. Readiness is a result of preparation. Being complete is a result of being perfected. When we want to do well at something, we don't launch out and expect to do it well the first time. We have to prepare - to perfect our skill. Let's not get the cart before the horse - we have lots and lots of room for improvement in our lives before any of us can actually say we are "mature". Just sayin!