A life more fruitful

Mark Twain said that the human race had one really 'effective' weapon - laughter. I think our most effective weapon is not really laughter as much as it is the Word of God. Laughter might give us a momentary release - the Word of God and what it can accomplish within us is lasting and sure. Have you ever been reading through scripture only to find something within the passage 'calls out' some behavior you have been struggling with, or reveals some answer to a worry you have been mulling over? The purpose of the Word of God is to teach us - to make us wise. We are able to discern direction once hidden from us because of the work of the Spirit of God within us and the revelation of the Word of God to us. If we want more than an 'immediate release', we need to take in what can give us a permanent and secure hope.

If you rebuke a mocker, you will only get a smart retort; yes, he will snarl at you. So don’t bother with him; he will only hate you for trying to help him. But a wise man, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach a wise man, and he will be the wiser; teach a good man, and he will learn more. For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. “I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful.” Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you hurt only yourself. (Proverbs 9:8-12)

Who among us doesn't want a more fruitful life? If we embrace God's wisdom - the holy scriptures - we are bound to see fruit. Why? The seed of truth isn't just casually cast into our lives - it is purposefully placed. Teach a wise man and he will be wiser - because the seed is taken in, then it is turned over in the fertile soil of his heart and nurtured there by the Spirit of God until it takes root. When good seed takes root, fruit is bound to come forth. Knowing God results in every kind of understanding - even though we are unlearned in so many ways, God's Spirit can give us wisdom far beyond our years or education. 

Wisdom adds years to our lives - years that become more settled and certain as we allow God to impart his wisdom within. We could go through life on our own, but the wise man or woman will embrace all the help to sort out life's woes and worries as much as possible. Why? They have learned trusting in one's own ability to consistently produce the best outcomes (fruit) is pretty close to impossible. Good men exist, but any goodness that is 'self-made' is still flawed goodness. There is but one 'goodness' that is perfect - Christ's. There is but one source of true goodness of heart, mind, and spirit - to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all we have within us. 

Seeds will be planted today. They can be seeds of goodness and grace, springing forth in season in an even bigger harvest of that which reveals the goodness and grace of God within. They can be seeds of self-seeking, pride, or mistrust - all producing a harvest, but not always a good one that is 'unmixed' with the tares of this world. God's Word isn't to be trifled with - it is the source of much life and goodness. Take it in - trust it to accomplish its work. That work may be correction - reminding us of choices that have not been all that wise. It may be confirmation - allowing us to feel at peace with decisions we are about to make. How is that? The Word of God is purposeful - it is focused on the harvest that is about to be produced by being introduced to the soil of our hearts and minds. A ready heart and an open mind go a long way in providing soil that is fertile for fruitful growth. Just sayin!

Repeat this

Bill Graham reminds us: "Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent." We find ourselves repeating these things all through life. None of us ever gets to the point we stop making mistakes - for all of us are capable of missteps. Yet, all of us are equally capable of avoiding them again because we learn from those mistakes. There are many things that 'prod us' into living wisely, growing well, so that we understand the value in being patient, or trudging headlong into something we should not overlook. Nothing 'prods' us more than the Word of God - put that Word into the mouth of a close friend who is looking out for our good and you have a double-edged sword!

The words of the wise prod us to live well. They're like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd. (Ecclesiastes 12:11)

The words of the wise - oh, how hard it is to find those words at times. We are inundated with all kinds of "words" - surrounded on all sides with varying opinions, challenging propositions, and proposals of hope that somewhat stimulate us into a form of action. In the end, if we are faithful to turn back to the Word of God, not just listening to these opinions or propositions, we will find balance in what we are hearing. Wise words are those which give counsel, steadying our course, and redirecting us when our purpose may be a little self-centered or off-balance. They "prod" us to live well - to make wise choices. Words that stem from relationship with Christ are those which stimulate others and excite them into action. They are words that trigger or launch action - rousing us from our spiritual, emotional, or physical slumber. They are words spoken at the right time, in the right spirit, with the right intensity to get our attention. As such, they "prod" us - stirring us up and moving us into action.

Like nails hammered home - they hold our life together. Nothing provides stability or soundness in the midst of chaos as well as a well-appointed word from a godly man or woman with a listening ear and tender heart of the one intent on learning what God would have them share. Some messages we hear from the pulpit are like that - they are nails hammered home. We almost sense that God "aired our dirty laundry" to the pastor that morning, and the message was directed right at us! Yet, in embracing the "prodding" of that message, we find exactly what we needed. There are times when the words 'hammered home' come from a close friend, knowing exactly what to speak and specifically when it needs to be spoken into our lives. Both carry a challenge - both stimulate us to growth - both help us to receive clarity. So many times we can feel like life is falling apart around us - nothing seems or appears stable. In those moments, a word aptly spoken provides great comfort, wise direction, and purposeful plans for our life. 

Learning to be the one God uses to bring such words of wisdom in the right season is what each of us should strive to see developed within us. There are probably things God has shared in your life (in your time of study, in your opportunities of worship, or in your moments of personal tragedy), that if you'd just took the time to share them, they would be like a spiritual hammer driving a much needed nail home to a listening and hungry heart. Some of us think we have no ability to "teach" another, but the words we share could redeem a life and right a course. Read this passage again. Have you the desire and ability to "prod" another to live well? Then ask God to open doors of opportunity to share the wisdom he has given you - someone will benefit from what you have learned in your walk with Christ. Open doors are the first step to your words "hitting home" just where they are needed. Ask God to give you the ability to share his truths that you've tucked into the recesses of your heart - with a clarity of speech that touches the heart of the hearer. As you begin to walk through the "open doors" God provides, trusting him to bring the "right words" in the "right season", he will. As I was out walking with my BFF this week, I found a gentle sharing back and forth - words that just come out of hearts committed to finding the best in one another and in lifting each other up. These are words that 'drive home' and 'prod' a soul. 

The words of the wise are not always the words of the "learned". Book learning and higher education just go so far. The words that influence are those that are spoken from a place of relationship - relationship solidly founded on truth, growing in grace, and triumphant in testing. They are not words spoken from places of perfection, but from places of perseverance.  The truth you stand upon, the grace you have embraced, and the triumph you learned in the midst of testing are but a few of the "words of wisdom" that are like "nails driven home" when they are ignited by the passion of the Spirit that lives within you. We don't do the "hammering" ourselves - the Spirit of God places the "nail" - he allows our words to drive that nail home. Words spoken in the right season, in the right spirit, act as a "hammer" in God's hands. Let's learn to be "hammers" in God's hands. Just sayin!

To everything there is a time

There is a right time for everything: A time to be born; A time to die; A time to plant; A time to harvest; A time to kill; A time to heal; A time to destroy; A time to rebuild; A time to cry; A time to laugh; A time to grieve; A time to dance; A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones; A time to hug; A time not to hug; A time to find; A time to lose; A time for keeping; A time for throwing away;  A time to tear; A time to repair; A time to be quiet; A time to speak up; A time for loving; A time for hating; A time for war; A time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 TLB)

In hindsight I can see how some years are different than others - going through them may be like riding a roller coaster of sorts, but when the year is over, I can look back and observe there were subtle differences in those months that passed. Zora Neale Hurston puts it this way: "There are years that ask questions and years than answer." You might find yourself in the year that asks more questions than are being answered right now. You might find you came out of one that seems to have all the questions posed in the last year being answered in the present. Either way, the years all have meaning or potential. 

What we find posed in the form of questions in one season of our lives can be the launching spot for some of the most meaningful answers at another. It is a mystery me how God does that, but he remains faithful to bring the changes in "season", not out of it! There is a time...no one can tell God when that time may be...but there is a time. There is a season...reliant upon his graces and goodness...but in that cycle, we find increase at times - at others a little lessening of the load.

Is it your time to plant this year? You know that the planting isn't going to yield an immediate harvest, but without the planting, there is no harvest. Have you come out of a season of tearing down and now you are entering one of rebuilding? The devastation left behind when the 'tearing down' occurred might make one think there is no hope or help in rebuilding, but rest assured - God provides both! Perhaps this is your season to find what has been lost, or draw closer to what you have come close to losing. 

The time to be quiet - the time to speak up - each plays an important part in any relationship. Learning which season you might be in is critical to maintaining the harmony of the relationship, but if it is the season to speak up, to hold back may stunt the growth of the next season! The time to love and find peace is good - we embrace both with open arms. The times that produce discord and unrest are harder and we want to push them away quickly. One does not exist without the other - one brings the tearing down - the other brings the building up!

I don't know the season you are in - maybe the one that is posing all the questions, or perhaps the one that seems to be revealing the long awaited answers. Either way - embrace it. Walk in it. This is a season designed for your growth - even if it seems like one that is just about to 'do you in'! Just sayin!

I am getting a little thirsty here!

God, you are my God. I am searching so hard to find you. Body and soul, I thirst for you in this dry and weary land without water. (Psalm 63:1 ERV)

There are times in our lives which we would have to say are "drier" than others. They might be within relationship, on the job, or even our spiritual lives. Within relationships, things grow "stale" and kind of "routine", leading those within it to just "coast" for a while without making much effort to keep things alive and flourishing. At work, the flurry of deadlines may have been met, bringing a longer than expect lull in your workload that just leaves you a little lost and without any real sense of pressure. In our spiritual lives, a "lull" or "dry" season may actually be more of a lazy drift rather than an abrupt ending. Either way, when we begin any kind of "dry season" in our lives, it may be a little bit harder than we expected to "rebound" or "start again" after experiencing such a prolonged dryness.

Dry seasons don't have to be an end, though. Many a farmer will tell you there is something tremendously rewarding in taking the plow to dry ground. It may be hard to get that soil turned over and properly prepared for the seed about to be sown, but until it is plowed, there is no chance new seed will actually "take". Dry seasons don't have to defeat us - they can be launching ground for new growth if we will allow the "fallow ground" of that relationship, career, or connection with God to be broken up. If you haven't noticed it yet, brokenness is actually what yields growth!

The hardest ground may not seem to promise much from where you are viewing it right now, but God sees what is just beneath the surface. In dry places within our relationships, we may have to "do again" some of the things that brought us together in the first place. I think this may be why most counselors will tell married couples not to ever stop "dating" one another. Making time that is consistently kept as time for each other helps keep things strong within the relationship. To begin again means those individuals may have to learn to communicate about matters that are dear to their heart, be truthful when things bug them, and even get into each other's interests once in a while. 

There isn't anything wrong with dry places as long as they don't remain that way. Dryness causes us to thirst - thirst causes us to seek - seeking usually leads to discovery. This might be the greatest reward in dryness - the discoveries we make about each other, ways we can contribute differently within our job, and where it is God wants us to experience new things about him. Just sayin!