Gardening with the Gardener

This time of year I tend to focus a lot on nature.  New growth, baby animals, warm weather - it's amazing!  I think God must have known how much the world we see would affect us as He uses so many nature analogies to help us understand who He is.  For instance, John 15:1-8 in which we learn that God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  I know, you've probably heard that before, but stop and think about it...

God is the one that sees to it that we have what we need to grow.  The gardener carefully determines the soil conditions.  He then evaluates the amount of sunlight that the area gets and the amount of rain that it receives.  Based upon those things the gardener either chooses to amend the soil and provide extra water or he chooses the plants that will thrive in the current conditions.

Our life isn't much different than the garden plants.  God has determined each aspect of our life, from when we will be born, where we are born, and the family we are born to.  He either amends our life through our friends, our church, or our life situations to encourage our growth, or He  places in us a character that will grow strong in the situations we have been placed.  Either way He perfectly orchestrates things to encourage us to bloom.  He even takes things a step farther to ensure our spiritual health...

God has grafted us into a perfect vine, Jesus.  Grafting is an amazing gardening trick.  The gardener chooses a rootstock that is mature, able to provide all that the final plant needs as far as nutrition is concerned, contains the characteristics that the plant being grafted to it lacks, is strong, and is resistant to disease.  I am so thankful that Jesus does these things for me!

And grafting has some amazing results!  Plants that are grafted are able to produce fruit sooner than if they were left on their own.  These plants can survive in environments that they would be unable to were it not for the root stock.  They are now able to resist diseases that would have otherwise decimated them and they are stronger and sturdier.  Grafting is also used to repair damage to the original plant.  Sounds a lot like what Jesus does for us as well.

Grafting also requires that a portion of the plant die, much as we are called to die to self and allow Christ to live in us. (Galatians 2:19-20) We have to let go of the portions of us that are not beneficial and surrender to the life giving power of Jesus.  Only then can we claim the benefits of the vine and begin to bear fruit.

But not all grafts "take".  Some plants seem unwilling to join with the rootstock and those portions whither and die.  We too can choose to not join with the Vine.  Our Gardener creates an ideal situation, aligns things up perfectly for us to receive the gift of life, and yet He loves us enough that He doesn't force us to accept what He has done.  He allows us to refuse the gift, knowing that in the end it leads to death.  It isn't His desire for that to happen, but He does desire real love from us.  Can it truly be real love if we don't choose Him?

God is orchestrating things in such a way that you will be able to survive the storms of life.  Not only so that you can survive, but so that you can thrive and bear much fruit.  He is an excellent, careful, and attentive gardener.  You need only allow Him to do His work.
*originally published at Coffee with Christ

a lesson from the ant hill

I have to admit, my first instinct when I see an ant is not to consider it.  And I would have never thought that doing so would make me wise!
After all, these are those annoying little creatures that seem to somehow find their way into my kitchen in the summer.  When I dig in my flower pots to add my annuals every year I am attacked by hundreds of them for disturbing their home.  These are NOT my favorite insect - butterflies, dragonflies, even some of the beetles - those I would be happy to consider.  But I trust in God's word and when I came across this verse with my daughter, we did, indeed, stop and consider the ant....and we were amazed!

This creature lives with approximately 4,000 other ants and yet they all manage to get along, knowing what their job is and doing it to support the colony, much like we are called to do as Christians.  A lot can be learned just by studying the colony in relation to how we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, but that isn't what I "considered".  Instead I was drawn to the relationship between the ant and the aphid.

An aphid is an annoying little insect for farmers that can decimate a crop.  Farmers often purchase and release ladybugs (the aphid's natural predator) in an effort to control them.  One particular ant species, the honey ant, has a different relationship with it.  This ant cares for the aphids.  The ant will protect the aphid from the ladybugs, bring the aphid into the nest to protect them from the cold.  It cares for the aphid young, moves the aphids to good food sources and otherwise betters the lives of the aphids, all in exchange for the honeydew that the aphid produces.

And I began to consider......

What if we are called to be like the ants and the aphids are the lost in the world?  Both species can survive without the other, but what the ant can do is make the aphids life so much better.  The ant guides the aphids to all the best sources of "food", much as we are called to share the true bread of life with the world. (John 6:35)  Granted, the aphids can locate their own sources of food, much as the lost can attempt to fill up on the things of this world.  But with the help of the ant, the aphids are delivered to the best source, the one that will be the most nourishing.  It is so easy for us as Christians to shut the church door and allow the world to do its own thing.  It isn't easy to convince the lost that what they really need is Jesus when the world seems to meet their needs.  So many of us are content to just leave a tract in the bathroom and say we have done our part.  But the ant devotes its life to caring not only for those in its colony, but for these aphids as well.

The ant defends the aphids from the enemy, much as our prayer can protect the lost from the real Enemy. (Ezekiel 22:30) Do you pray for the lost that you know?  Not just a simple, passing, "Lord, help them" prayer, but truly pray from the heart.  The Bible tells us that our battle isn't physical but spiritual.  (Ephesians 6:12)  The lost in the world are not our enemy, rather they are deceived and led astray.  We can't pray them into salvation, but we can pray for the Enemies lies, traps, and deceptions to be removed so that the lost can see the Truth.

The ants bring the aphids in to shelter, much as we can lead the lost into God's shelter. (Psalm 46:1) God longs to see all people under His protection.  When we share who He is, what He has done for them, we are leading them to the shelter of the Lord.

And what is our "honeydew"?  Our inheritance in Heaven.  Colossians 3:23-24 tells us that whatever you do, work heartily,as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.

I am amazed at the ways that God uses nature to point us to Him.  I shouldn't be though.  He told us in Romans 1:20 that it has been this way since the creation of the world so that we would be without excuse as to who He is.
* originally published on Coffee with Christ

Praying for the Lost

Recently the Wings group has begun dedicating each Wednesday to fast and pray specifically for the salvation of our lost friends and relatives by name.  I prefer to pray Bible verses for these people, as we know that if we are praying His word we must be praying in His will.  Here are a few verses you can pray for your lost loved ones as well:

Thank you Lord for being patient with ___________.  I know that it is not Your desire for them to perish, but to repent.  I pray that ___________makes the decision to repent and give their life to You.  1 Peter 3:9

Lord, your word says that you desire for everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.  May ___________'s eyes be opened to Your truth and may that truth cause them to accept your gift of salvation.  1 Timothy 2:3-4

Father, I pray that you draw ______________ to You, that they see how much You love them and accept the sacrifice of Your life for their sins so that they may be raised on the last days.  John 6:44

Nothing is impossible for You, and I trust that it is not impossible for You to draw _____________ to the Truth.  Help them to see that without You their life is meaningless.  None of their work, none of the things they seek for pleasure, nothing in this world holds meaning if they don't have You.   Mark 10:27, Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Father, help _______________ to see that even though the path they are on may seem right to them, it will only lead to death.  Proverbs 14:12

Lord, help _____________ to believe in You, to call on You for salvation.  I pray that you use me and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to talk to _________________ about You.  Give us the words to speak to ________________.  Romans 10:14

I pray that _______________ repents and accepts the salvation that You, in grace, have given to us.  Help them to see that nothing they do can bring them into an eternity with You.  I pray that You open ____________'s eyes so he/she can see him/herself as the masterpiece that You created them to be.  May they turn from their ways and begin the works that you have prepared for him/her.  Ephesians 2:8-10

God, bring ________________ to repentance so that his/her sins may be wiped out and he/she can begin his/her time of refreshing in You.  Acts 3:19

May _________________'s eyes be opened to the truth that EVERYONE sins, including him/her.  As a result of these sins we all fall short of God's glory.  Yet He has promised to be merciful if we confess and turn from those sins.  Help ________________ to see that we have victory over those sins only through Jesus and to accept His gift of salvation.  Romans 3:23, Proverbs 28:13, 1 Corinthians 15:57

Father, I pray that you open ______________'s eyes to the see that the belief that they are free from sin is nothing but a lie, that he/she is fooling him/herself.  I pray that he/she sees that he/she needs to confess his/her sins and that You will be faithful and just and forgive the sins.  1 John 1:8-9

Father, place people in _______________'s life that will present a clear and true presentation of your saving message.  Soften _____________'s heart to receive it.  Romans 10: 14-15

May __________________ turn to You Lord, and may you lift the veil from his/her heart so that he/she may understand truth.  Soften _______________'s mind so that the veil may be lifted.  2 Corinthians 3:14-16




Do you have a special verse that you pray over your lost loved ones?  I'd love for you to share in the comments section!

When you feel like you can't

"I can't!" she cried, full of frustration.  Every week we seem to have the same conversation and my heart breaks for her.  She doesn't like spelling, and lacks confidence in her ability to spell.  So each week when she begins practicing her words all she can see is a list of words she just can't spell....yet.  I know that this is just the beginning.

I know that she truly can spell these words if she will just remember the spelling rules she has already learned.  I know she can, if she will just stay focused on the task she has been given, spend some time studying, and apply herself.  I see what she is capable of, even when she does not.

How many times have we yelled out, "I can't" in our own frustrations of life.  I know that I have several times.  Moments when parenting becomes to hard.  When being a wife just feels like to much.  Or when life just seems to keep throwing insurmountable roadblocks on the path that I know I am supposed to be walking.  In those moments, I just absolutely know that I can't go on.  I can't complete the task assigned to me.  But just as I know that my daughter is capable of accurately spelling her assigned words, God knows what we can overcome as well.

First, though, we have to remember the rules we have already learned.  God has given us His plan, how He expects us to live.  When we follow the "rules" we can accomplish anything because He gives us the strength to do so. (Philippians 4:13)  What are the rules?  It's pretty simple really.  Love God.  Love People. (Mark 12:30-31) Actually, these rules are a LOT simpler than the spelling rules my daughter is struggling with, but they are also a lot more difficult to put into practice.

The good news for us, though, is that once we have decided to follow the rules we are gifted with a kind of "cheat sheet".  God gives us the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us. (Ezekiel 36:27, John 16:13)  If we listen, if we pay attention and focus, if we study God's will and apply ourselves, we can overcome anything that is thrown at us!  And just like I have faith in what my daughter can do, God has faith in you too.  After all, He planned it all out for you before you were even born, and His plan is for your good, to prosper you, not to see you fail.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

So the next time you feel yourself wanting to scream out, "I can't," remember that God knows a bit more about the situation than you do and trust Him.  As for my daughter, she passed her spelling test.  You'll pass yours too!

*originally published on Coffee with Christ

A wolf in sheep's clothing

After spending so long learning about dandelions, through science class with my little princess and the lessons that God has shown me as we went, I have become "tuned in" to them.  Not that they are hard to miss, especially on the weekly nature walk my kids and I take.  This past Friday I was sharing with my girls how God can be found in all of creation if we just open our eyes and look for Him. (Romans 1:20)

We talked about how God gives life when we stumbled upon a nest of goose eggs.  When papa goose began hissing at us and attempting to scare us away we talked about how God is our protector Father.  As we were walking, I saw this:

After all the talk of dandelions in my house, the girls passed it over.  After all, it's just another dandelion and we have seen lots of those.  I'm sure you realize that if it were just another dandelion I wouldn't be sharing with you about it right now.  (wink wink)  Pictured above is what is known as a false dandelion, one of several plants that looks like a dandelion, but isn't.  Like dandelions, this plant is edible, but it is much less bitter than the flower it imitates, making it more palatable.  

I know, in my last post I said I was done with dandelion lessons, but this one isn't really about dandelions.....it's about false dandelions.  It is so easy to just give this little flower a glance, make an assumption and keep going.  You could spend the rest of your life believing it was a dandelion, never taking the time to discover the truth.  We are like that with our God sometimes too.

Flowers aren't the only think in the world that have imitators.  In fact, we were warned that "many false prophets have gone out into the world". (1 John 4:1)  These are the people that pretend to be of God, that share a twisted or false message of who He is and what He expects of us.  Often the message they bring is more palatable to us than the truth. 

       "God wants you to be rich!" 

       "With God, you will never feel pain!"

       "God will give you everything you desire!"

Sounds wonderful doesn't it.  And it would be really easy to just accept what they say, after all they speak for God, right?  They are a pastor/preacher/teacher/priest.  God, however, calls us to dig a little deeper, to test and see if it really is truth. (1 John 4:1)  

The best lie is one that has a little truth in it.  The false dandelion is a "cousin" to the dandelion, they come from the same family, it's "kind of" a dandelion.  And many of the messages from a false prophet are "kind of" true.  Satan only needs to get you to turn away from God's truth, and being the father of lies, I would venture that he is pretty good at it.  The danger there is that you could easily spend your entire life believing a lie and when you stand before Him one day you might hear Him say, "depart from me, I never knew you". (Matthew 7:21-23)

So how can you combat this?  Spend time with God.  Read His word.  Talk with Him.  After all, how easy would it be for a complete stranger to imitate your best friend convincingly?  If you know God, the false dandelions are going to be really obvious!

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Verses for further study: 2 Peter 2:1, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:24, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, Galatians 1:6-7