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SHEPHERD'S HILL
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Servants of Christ
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And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make [it] plain upon tables, that he may run that
readeth it. Habakkuk 2:2
On This Page
A Song of Your Own As is common here, when summer heat builds, we must rise before the sun in
order to do our outside chores. This morning I was able to be outside just a little earlier than normal – about About three weeks ago, I was doing my normal Later that morning I told As I carried those buckets of water this morning, sweat beginning to pour down
my face even before the sun rose, I could hear this bird. Some of the songs it
sang were familiar and some were not. The realization came to me that through
time this bird had collected a new song from wherever life took it. Now, there
is no question that this creature was created by God and given this incredible ability to memorize songs and patterns. The experts say that it has the highest capability of any bird for memorization. What an amazing gift! Their ability to
mimic is excellent. This bird is the Mockingbird. In pondering all of this, my heart became a bit torn. Was this ability a blessing or a curse? Was it a benefit or
a destructive force? Again, I turned to those who have studied this creature. Yes, in some ways, this bird was beneficial – it eats insects. It is gifted singer. It is doing what God has given it to
do. But in many ways it is destructive.
It will peck at fruit, berries, and vegetables – in many cases just taking one bite out and leaving the rest
to rot on the vine or bush. It desires to be the sole focus of those around so
it will undermine other birds and will sing more loudly than any other in order to be heard. So what to do? Nothing, absolutely
nothing! God has given each of His children a path to walk – a song to sing, if
you will. He designed each of us to fulfill a purpose in life and only in that
will we find peace, contentment and satisfaction. We are all intended to become
like Jesus What song are you singing? Whose
song? Is it the one that the Lord truly has given you or are you singing someone else’s?
I can use every cliché in the book to clarify the point of this, but it all boils down to one thing – Is the
song your life sings one of uniqueness and simplicity given by the Holy Spirit pointing the way to our Dear Saviour or are
you a mockingbird, perching above everyone else, exhausting everyone around you with your lofty singing which in fact brings
no glory to you nor to Yes, one should never kill a mockingbird. J It seems as if all it wants to do is sing. But in the final
analysis who is it singing for? Psalms 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise
in the congregation of saints. The Gardenias Almost three years ago now, Paul and I decided that it was time to sell our
home in We began to prepare our home for sell and of course, that always means a lot
of little repairs and re-painting, etc. Right along with that, each day I cut,
dug and potted one plant after another. When we finally sold our home and moved
I had over 100 pots of plants to take along. They are all safely nested in their
new home here in As Paul was leaving for work this morning and I was out on the porch saying
good-bye, I glanced around the flower garden there to see if there had been any damage from the freezing temps we have had. My eyes scanned the area and finally rested on the gardenia bushes that are now lining
the porch. There are 4 out there and they are all about 3 to 4 feet tall. Just the uppermost tips of the branches have been burned a bit by the cold but the
rest of the plant is lush and healthy. Immediately the Holy Spirit pricked my
heart and spoke to me about them. That is what I want to share with you. I have always loved gardenia bushes.
They are not only incredible in scent and beauty when those velvety white blossoms burst into bloom, but the entire
year they are an attractive plant in the garden. The leaves are glossy and smooth
and the shape and structure of the plant is truly pleasant to look at. All of
the gardenias I have planted here are from cuttings I took of one that was growing in our backyard in In order to ensure that I would have at least one healthy shrub, I took about
10 cuttings and rooted them in pots. It took one year before our home sold, so
I had to baby all those cuttings through the four seasons of They were less than 6 inches tall last year when I set their tender roots in
that rich loamy soil and today, as I said, they are over 3 feet tall. We have
had temperatures in the upper teens this fall and lest we forget, their first summer in this place we had an extreme drought. But Lord willing, all signs indicate that come next year they will produce an abundance
of white, snowy blooms with a fragrance straight from heaven. Each and every one of us, who accept the Lord Jesus As the gardener in charge of this plant I had to make a decision to sever part
of the plant from the main source of its existence. In one way it might have seemed a brutal move – to go in and cut
that part away from its base – its apparent source of supply. But again,
as the gardener, I already had prepared a place to put that tender piece of possibility.
In the case of the gardenia, I had a pot ready with rich soil, in a protected and shady area with water that I had
set out in advance so that there was nothing chemical or harsh that might damage the cutting.
Everything was in place before I went to do the cutting. Then each day I watched for signs of distress or danger. Each morning I checked the weather, the temperatures, the wind – because I wanted this little stem
to thrive and grow. There was a vision in my heart and mind of what this tiny
section of a branch would become someday. But if I had not removed it from its
base, then it could not have possibly grown to what it is now becoming. It took
quite awhile before there was any sign of rooting. Of course, I could not pull
it up every day and check the area under the surface of the soil. It had to remain
there, but with prayer and patience, one day a couple of months later I noticed a tiny leaf bud developing. Half of the cuttings that I had taken developed the leaf buds at different times. The ones that didn’t develop, I noticed that the stem began to turn dark and hard. By the time I finally threw those away, the stems were as hard as stone and when I pulled them from the
soil it was apparent that there was no root development at all. I did have a
couple that had begun developing some tiny rootlets, but those looked like dried thread when I pulled them out. These were all cast into the compost bin to be allowed to finish rotting and through that process someday
strengthen the soil for other plants. Slowly but surely the cuttings that were alive began to grow taller and stronger
and put on leaves. There was no question that they were developing deep roots
because it was visible above the soil in all the life that was growing. Week
by week and month by month they grew. During the worst part of the drought, we
were trying very hard to save water. Some days I actually used cold coffee to water the plants still in pots. In the heat,
they would begin to wilt and look so pitiful but then a cool breeze would come and clouds would form in the sky. The rain didn’t come but the humidity in the air would sometimes be enough to nourish the plants. I covered the soil in the pots with woodchips or newspaper strips right after I watered
them to act as a kind of mulch to keep the water from evaporating out of the soil too quickly.
All the work and effort has been rewarded now. The day finally came when I could set those little plants into the soil in
the garden. No longer would I check them every day and carefully measure water
for them. They had developed enough strength in their own systems to grow. Yes, I would go outside following a storm or a frost just to make sure they had not
been bitten too hard or destroyed. But those roots have held strong. They are still growing. As I said before, I carefully chose
where I wanted them to be and which other plants I wanted around them to enhance their value to me. Now, let’s bring this back to what the Lord spoke to my heart. He likened His children to those gardenias. He is the gardener
and we are the plant. Because of the love He has for us and the vision that He
has for our future, sometimes He determines that He must make a drastic change in our lives.
The catch is that we have a free will and unlike the plant, His children will argue about His decision. They want to know all the details and then they want Him to do it their way. Often times when He is preparing a certain path, the plant will tell the Master Gardener, “No, Lord!
I don’t want to be moved. I want to stay where I am.” He might have to crush the end of the stem in order that it will take in more nutrients and develop roots
better but His child will fight back and then say, “That is not of God!”
There are some plants that must be lashed to a stake or stronger plant in order
to keep them upright, but how often has a weaker child fought back against the elder when the parent has assigned them together
to keep the weaker from being lost. The weaker child then reviles the elder,
“You are too stern. You are not allowing me to be myself. God made me the way I am!” Yes, it happens quite often. Do you know what I must do when a plant has grown in the wrong direction and becomes
distorted and bent? I have to cut it back severely and then stake it even more
firmly to a stable force. If I don’t, then the plant will be useless and
must be removed all together or it will damage other plants around it. There is much for us to learn from gardening.
Our Father God was the original gardener and works hand in hand with anyone who desires to grow things in His earth. Without His guidance and mercy, we could produce nothing. And as always this leads me back to the fruit of the plant. As
I said before, because of my care and planning for these gardenias they are placed in an area where their beauty and value
will be a blessing to all who see them. As they bloom, the scent will permeate
the air where people are resting and relaxing. The blooms themselves will be
visible on all sides and will enrich the heart and soothe the mind. If they could
talk would they demand to be out in the vegetable garden or near the road way or over by the mighty oak tree? Would they want to be where they wanted to be? But how often
do God’s children demand to be where they want to be and then force the issue.
It doesn’t usually take long to see the affects of stubbornness and pride in the lives of those people. When you step out of the will of God – His will, not the one you decided was
Him – the fruit begins to reveal itself. Sickness, disease of body and
mind, anger, greed, suspicion, weariness, gossip, bearing false witness against your neighbor, lack, confusion, doubt –
I could go on and on, but as I said, the fruit becomes evident. Time and again
the children of As a gardener, when I see a plant that is continually stressed and weak and
not producing then I know there is something wrong with it. Healthy plants do
not wilt and decline. Sometimes I must move them to another place. Sometimes the problem is that there is a parasitic plant that has latched hold of them and is stealing
the life from them. It is the Master’s job to determine the best environment
for that plant. The feeding, watering and sometimes transplanting and/or pruning
must be done. But remember, a plant and an obedient child do not try to force
their will – they humbly submit. If you are not prospering in your spiritual walk with the Lord – if you
have become confused, weak, weary and unproductive – then it is time for you to allow the Lord to do what is necessary
to bring you back to healthy and right standing with Him. It is time for you
to stop rebelling and begin obeying. Have you aligned yourself with others who
are bringing you down? Do you find yourself locked in conversations with them
that are filled with complaining, defeat and gossip? This is proof positive that your heart has been turned from truth. Satan is very cunning and he knows how to deceive even the very elect, but when a
child of God is truly humble and seeking His Will, then He will reveal it. He
is not the author of confusion, so if you are in confusion then you are not in His Will. One last thing that the Lord reminded me this morning was about man-made fertilizer. Not one drop of chemical fertilizer has touched these plants. Everything here has been grown with natural methods. He showed
me that the world’s system is like chemical fertilizer. People get really
excited and put their trust in new jobs, money and benefits of the system, but in fact they are pouring a false faith into
their hearts. It might seem great for awhile, but the destruction that it brings
is sure and swift. It has been a focus of much prayer and discussion for Paul
and me lately. We see people who think that if they can just get that new job,
then everything will be right. If they can just sell that house, then everything
will be right. No! Your faith should
not stand in the wisdom of man!!!!!! A new job and nice fat paycheck will not
bring you happiness – it will only send your heart further away from trusting God.
Yes, a man should work!!!! But that job can be gone in a moment. Only through daily obedience and diligence to stay in His will and in His Word will
you find what you need. Please, please, please examine and see what the Lord
wants you to do. Don’t align yourself with rebellion and strife –
they will only bring death. My heart is so broken today for those who are so firmly and determinedly walking
right into darkness. The devil truly enjoys deceiving God’s children and
with pride and arrogance he then parades their disobedience before the Lord to mock Him. Much was given for our peace and
salvation. Do not allow sin in your heart and pride to waste what was given for
your peace. Allow the Master Gardener to do as He wills in your life.
Double Negatives I am imagining that when you read the
title of this article you thought perhaps that it was information on some type of grammar.
Our family has never been known for its perfect grammar and really I suppose I am fine with that. J Nope, nothing to do with grammar – everything to do with attitude.
As a parent I think I have used the word attitude more times than I ever thought possible. A word that didn’t seem so important to me when I was growing up – although I do remember my
mother commenting on it regularly and it was always predicated with the word “bad”. Sound familiar? This little article is about negative
attitudes and the negative outlook that accompanies it. We have all heard the
phrase “do you see the glass half full or half empty” right? This
is referring to an optimistic or pessimistic personality. I realized the other day – not for the first time, but it
was a very enlightening moment – that a negative attitude is highly contagious.
Have you ever noticed that? Happiness and joy aren’t always contagious
but a bad attitude and negativity are usually spread like wildfire. I am not
just talking about a person with a sour spirit but I am talking about comments that are made that seem to just make little
stabs at one’s mind and spirit. Every person on this planet has had tragedy
and trauma hit their life at one time or another. We all have a story to tell
that expresses our suffering to some degree. Granted some of the stories are
horrendous and had a person the desire they could make a fortune writing it down in a novel.
But suffice it to say that we all have at least one moment in time that we would love to forget. Because of the nature of this life – sin, sorrow, pain and suffering – we can all easily point
out the negative aspects of anything. I see a precious little kitten –
beautiful calico with big green eyes – soft and fluffy, so sweet! Yes,
it is walking beside the busy highway and I can see the probability that the little kitten is going to get flattened by a
transfer truck but why do I have to point this out to everyone in the car including the little 4 yr old riding with me. “Oh, what a cute little kitten. Hope
he doesn’t get smashed!” and Yes, there is a young woman shopping in the grocery store. She is gaunt and pale and is holding a little baby on her hip. Her
hair hasn’t been washed in a week; there are dark circles under her eyes and the baby is crying. “My goodness, she must be on drugs. Someone needs to
get that baby away from that girl.” or Perhaps this young mother has had the flu, the father is working two shifts and
there is no one to keep the baby for her while she shops. Is it possible that
this is an opportunity for us to reach out and help? But yet how many times I
have heard folks offer the most negative and ugly opinions without even thinking. Those are two slight examples but hopefully
you are getting the picture that I am trying to paint here. Lately my heart has
been so grieved as I have begun to notice more and more, not just someone on the street but This is not going to be a very long article
because the truth is that this needs very little expounding on. In the book of
James How true these words are! We can DESTROY with just a few simple words. We can remove
the last shred of hope with a few words. We can bring about total despair with
just a sentence. We can set someone on a downward spiral to complete darkness
by one evil response. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never
hurt me – WHAT A LIE! In trying to understand the reasoning
behind this determination to “be real” I have asked the Lord to help me see why some folks are determined to bring
out the bad. What is it that causes folks to make sure everyone around them knows
the worst case scenario in every situation? Why must they constantly be pointing
out every negative? Honestly, I don’t know.
I have prayed and prayed for some insight. This article has been on my
desktop for 5 days as I have prayed and pondered this and I have yet to come to any solid conclusion. I do know that the majority of people truly do want to help others.
They want to offer some information or service that will be useful, but sadly they don’t realize that their words
are powerful. As shown in the scriptures above – our tongue, our words
are powerful and even our body language is powerful. There is no doubt that a
sigh or a smirk of the mouth can cause people to stop in their tracks. A mother
can halt a child with one glance. Amazing isn’t it?! One thing I have noticed is that many
times a person who is given to this habit of negativity is usually quick to respond to things.
They tend to not only offer the dark
cloud but they also seem to linger to instruct in what they think should be done. Again,
I have to believe that their desire is not to harm or condemn, but in someway they feel as if they are helping. We must assume that their heart is right but their method is incorrect.
I know with my own children becoming adults I have caught myself doing this as well.
But it is not good and must be overcome. This perhaps is another side
of the coin. Do we regard others as if they are ignorant children and we are
the adults who know better and therefore must point out all the pitfalls? I want to close this article with scripture,
but allow me to ask you now to examine yourself carefully. I am not writing this
to the unsaved but to the born again. We are to take on the mind of When words are many, transgression is
not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. (Proverbs 10:19) The heart of the righteous ponders how
to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. (Proverbs 15:28) Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his
lips, he is deemed intelligent. (Proverbs Do you see a man who is hasty in his
words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 29:20) There is one whose rash words are like
sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18) A soft answer turns away wrath, but a
harsh word stirs up anger.... A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:1,
4) Salad Bar This morning as the first moments of awareness were creeping into my brain
I had a phrase flash across my thoughts – “Salad Bar The Salad Bar came into our lives back in the late1960’s in restaurants. The concept was simple – everything you could possibly want on a salad was laid
out in individual bowls on a table and you chose which items you wanted and how much you wanted. There were even new inventions developed to protect the foods on the salad bar – the ever popular
“sneeze guard”! J Today everyone is familiar with the salad bar concept and it has even grown to now include hot
foods, soups and desserts. Here in our area there is a restaurant that touts having 7 bars of food! Amazing, isn’t it?! J It is a grievous thing to realize that so many modern But it is the older items that seem to be left behind to become stale and not
so appetizing anymore, such as: sacrifice, dying to the flesh and serving others without the newspaper covering it. How often
I open a newspaper and see a church here or a youth group there who are giving out food in a poor neighborhood or going to
the nursing home to sing It is so important that we recognize and understand
and accept that the Holy Word of God is not a pick and choose prospect. We live
under the New Covenant which was established through the sacrificed Blood of Jesus As I type this out I have to go back repeatedly
and read what the Lord is having me type. This happens often when I am writing
articles because, I believe, the Holy Spirit is guiding my fingers more than my brain is.
That is what I want because anything that I may choose to write would be useless and unimportant. It would be tainted by my personal opinions and therefore polluted.
Many people have trouble believing that the Holy Scriptures were not tainted by the writers. How many times I have heard it preached that the Apostle Paul wrote not by inspiration of God but through
his own opinions. When we begin to assume that the Holy Scriptures
were not completely and totally the inspired Word of God and perhaps some human reasoning was added in with the words then
we also begin to allow disrespect and compromise to enter into our accepting it. That
is the point where we allow ourselves to throw out the portions that we do not like and make us uncomfortable. God forgive us! Just because you think that a scripture is
not “for today” doesn’t mean that you are right. Ignoring the
truth and self-imposed blindness are not going to stand up before a Just God. The Word of God is alive. Why is it that we keep adding in cultural importance to determine the validity of the Scriptures? Do you think the Lord Himself did not realize that it would be read by people thousands
of years after There must come a point in time where we face the
truth and say – God is God and His Word is TRUTH!!! You cannot pick and
choose what you like and add it to your plate and then pour the dressing of “God is Love” all over the top to
cover the error. Yes, God is Love – but Love doesn’t allow sin. It doesn’t close its eyes to compromise.
It doesn’t say – “Oh, Honey, that’s okay. I know
this part is hard so I am not going to make you do this part!” Again I
say, GET REAL! I want to encourage all to seek the Lord about those
areas that they may be skipping over. All concepts in the Word of God are “.
. . given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
2 Tim In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and
all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. ...For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. Ps 33:6, 9 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed
by the word of God. Heb 11:3 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall
not pass away. Matthew 24:35 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works
are done in truth. Psalms 33:4 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture
is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 1:20 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth,
the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 1
Thessalonians 2:13 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them
that put their trust in him. Proverbs 30:5 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against thee. Psalms 119:11 I will delight myself
in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalms 119:16 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1 Peter Misplaced Trust About As I was setting the chili down I heard in my spirit “You certainly have
a lot of trust in those handles!” If you have done any reading on our website you have learned by now that the Lord
deals with me in very simple ways because that is the way my little brain can take it in.
So when I heard this statement spoken to my heart I had to stop for a moment.
I stood there staring at the bubbling mass on my stove and realized that had just one handle broken, had my hand slipped,
had the pot holder not been at just the right spot – had everything not have been just so, I could have been seriously
and permanently injured and in horrendous pain. I have had many burns while working
in the kitchen. To this day I have scars on my hands and arms that bear the mark
of past accidents, but this time I knew that the Lord was revealing to me something that I take for granted. It is in Him that I must keep my trust. How often do we place our trust in things that cannot- will not protect us? There was a time in my life that payday was where I put my trust. There was a time in my life when doctors were where I put my trust. There was a time in my life where my
family was where I put my trust. Oh, how I think back now to all of the people, places and circumstances that have been my
hope. My faith was in them and I just hoped against hope that they would not
let me down. How sad! How truly
sad! There is nothing in this world that is worthy of our trust. No human, no amount of money, no circumstance, no place, no machine, no object, no church that can be worthy
of our faith. Recently a friend made a comment about how people have more trust
in doctors and medicines than in the herbal remedies that the Lord has given us. Another
friend replied – “My faith is in the Lord not in any medicine or herb.”
Amen! The world is so obviously trusting in its own strength. Armies are built and equipped against any threat. World wide
organizations prepare for famine and environmental disasters constantly. I think
of those precious souls in There is nothing of this world that is worthy of our trust, except our precious
Lord and Savior Jesus If you are a born again If you are not born again and live your life according to the whims and leadings
of your own desires and motives, then allow me to boldly and firmly state that your future is clear. You have a guarantee from the Creator of the Universe that you will not reap a reward of eternal glory. The lack of peace that you suffer now is nothing compared to the torment of separation
from God for all eternity. We must all examine ourselves to determine the truth. Have you misplaced your trust? Make it right – NOW!
When the moment of accountability comes He will not regard any excuse. This night your life may be required of you.
The Problem
with Expanding Visions It’s
been a while since I wrote a new article and I apologize. It’s not that the Lord has stopped giving them. It’s
just that I neglect to spend the time and write them down. This particular one has been around for a year or so, simmering
in my spirit. I’m going
to talk about visions. It seems that everyone has a vision these days. I’m not particularly talking about dreams and
angels floating through your bedroom. The visions that I’m writing of are the ones that people or groups set as goals
to accomplish. Given
my almost fifty years of walking this life, I have accumulated a small amount of wisdom. It seems that most of it has come
from my dumb mistakes and the more dumb ones seem to produce more wisdom. But as the Scripture says, if we’ll ask He
will give it. Two observations
that I’ve made on visions are: firstly, visions are good for people and secondly, people tend to expand them. What I’m
talking about is this. Let’s suppose that a church gets a vision for a new building. Their present one seats around
one hundred people and it is full most of the time. Everyone begins to pray, at the pastor’s request, and seek God on
what to do. Generally, a decision is made to build a new building and make room for the church to grow. Up until this point
the church is seeking God and asking particulars like “how many people do we want it to hold” and “how much
money are we going to spend”. Let’s
suppose that the number two hundred is arrived at and $250,000 will be spent. The funding begins and building permits are
acquired. And then it happens - the expanding vision. As money begins to come in, some get the notion that they can do “more”
than that. It might be a larger sanctuary or an additional room. Perhaps they decide to build a parking deck or some other
building that was not in the original vision. Without fail, they will always make a mistake. In my years,
I have seen people go beyond what the Lord has shown them, possibly believing the old adage that “if some is good, more
is better”. They always do things that are not sanctioned by God when they do this. A few years ago our family read “The Plain Reader”
by Scott Savage. We read night after night and discovered that he had set a goal for his magazine “Plain” to get
publication up to a certain number. When he reached that goal, he stopped. The demand for the magazine was high and mind you,
he could have hired more employees, bought more equipment and invested more money to continue his business. But wisely, that
was not his goal. Another story was of some Amish dairymen who had an opportunity to expand and get really big commercially
with their operation. They chose to remain where they were as it was the original vision. They did very well. A failing logic of humanity is “Success breeds success”. We hear this all the time. I say that
it is false because it is not consistently accurate. When the Lord places a vision
upon our hearts, He does so with a specific purpose in mind. He has a work for
us to do and He has provided, in the spirit, all that we need to do accomplish that vision.
So as we step out in faith to follow the vision and do the work we begin to see it succeed. Why? Because it was planned and orchestrated by Almighty
God. It must succeed. And then we
add in our part. As I said before “if some is good, more is better”. We see this repeatedly in scripture – Isaac was the
vision, Ishmael was the human addition. Almighty God as Lord and King was the
vision, Saul was the human addition. A sling and stones was the vision, armor
and weaponry was the human addition. To wash Peter’s feet was the Lord’s
desire, Peter’s head and hands also was the human addition. The point is
that the human addition is sin and it is where disaster always strikes. If we
truly have a vision of something to accomplish and we feel in our hearts that we’ve heard from the Lord, we should remain
at that even if we reach it quickly. The Lord knows the future and what we can and cannot do. He knows when enough is enough.
We should really listen to what the Spirit has said to us when we have asked for the answer. The answer will not change! What
Current Carries You? But none of these
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course
with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts First of all I
want to say that it strikes me funny the ways that God finds to reveal something to my heart. Let me explain…. This afternoon,
when we had all finished dinner, I went out to the deck and jumped in the pool. It’s a small, round, above ground pool
that we bought several years ago. It’s only about 4 feet deep but it is a welcome relief after a long and hot I love to swim,
but you can’t really swim straight in a round pool with a diameter of about 16 feet! So the alternative is to just swim
in circles along the sides, but this does cause a side affect. After doing that for any length of time, it starts to build
a strong current in the direction you’re swimming. So I started swimming.
Round and round I went in the direction I had chosen until I had built a current up without even noticing. I guess I must
have just been lost in thought because I did not realize that I wasn’t even swimming any more! The current that I had
created around me while swimming, was now actually carrying me around the pool on the path I had begun. (Do you see where
I am going yet? Okay stay with me…) When I realized
the strength of this growing current I had created, I decided it was time to make a change.
The first thing that you would think to do would be to turn and go the other way, right? So I turned and began to swim
in the opposite direction. I tried to swim and push through, but that current was so strong that I was swept back and hit
the ladder behind me! (Did I ever feel silly! It’s only 4 feet deep!) Okay now to the
point on this article, and this is what I mean about the way God chooses to show me things. As I sat up on
the ladder waiting for the current to die a little and my back to stop hurting from that collision with the ladder, He revealed
to my heart that we build currents like this in our lives. Every life functions in a current that we create. As Christians,
however, we are to strive in the direction of holiness and Godliness. When we first begin our personal walk with the Lord,
our “currents” are very weak but they grow stronger and stronger as we grow in our faith and understanding. Then,
just as my current did for me, when we go through times that we are weak and need rest, if our currents are strong enough,
that force of faith and spiritual strength will carry us through. If we do not strive and build that strength in our selves,
we will never find rest. Our lives will be a constant struggle because we never spent the time to create a substantial “current”.
On the other hand,
the world “swims” towards whatever is pleasing and will satisfy their fleshly wants. This current, however, is
built up of sin and the feeding of the flesh. The more sin and evil that you consume, the stronger it grows. The difference
is in who we build and create our currents in. As followers of Christ, we build on Our Heavenly Father and allow him to have
complete control of our lives. But when we build on sin and our own understanding, when that current grows so fierce and strong,
it literally drags us on until we are swept under and consumed. We do have a chance
to escape this fate though. But even with every ounce of strength that you possess, it is not enough to break past that force
that your past created. Only by accepting
the grace that God bestows and the hand which He offers to truly repentant hearts, will you ever be able to be free from the
old current and create the new. We must ask ourselves...
which current carries us? Is your life built on the desires of your flesh? Or is God in control of the direction your swimming?
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness
as a mighty stream.. Amos 5:24 But the wicked [are] like the troubled sea, when it
cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Isaiah 57:20 ... Too Much
Of A Good Thing (This story
was written last fall.) As many of my stories say, we hear the voice of God through our farm activities. It’s as if He intended
us to till the soil so that we could fully understand. If we look back to Genesis and the fall of man, we will see an amazing
statement from the Lord. In chapter 3 verse 17 He stated a curse toward man. The curse was that the ground would bring forth
thorns and thistles and that we would work it in sorrow. But what I looked
at was the statement “for your sake”. Think about someone doing something for your sake! I have looked through
the Word and compared that phrase “your sake”. It always means for someone’s final outcome to be favorable.
It’s never a punishment but rather a discipline! Well, getting back to my
story, Angie and I have had some garden problems of late that God has really taught us with. Over the last month we’ve
had a tremendous amount of rain. There were two hurricanes that came in the Gulf and right up through our area. During that
time it was so wet we couldn’t get in the garden to work it. So last weekend we finally got down there and dealt with
the mess. The grass was waist deep between the rows. The tomatoes had died back from viruses that the constant moisture had
brought. An entire row of sunflowers were lost. After we’d
been there about an hour, Angie said, “You know, this is all a result of too much blessing.” “How’s
that?” I asked. “Well, the rain and sunshine were blessings from God that we’d prayed for. Only the garden
had received too much!” Once again, a sermon was preached on our farm.
We both began to discuss people’s lives as examples to see if the thought was true. We talked of children who
had received all good things and never had time for the tilling in their lives. As we went through these examples, we both
realized that all good with no cost makes us all overgrown gardens. Just think of examples of people that you know! Perhaps
you, yourself? If we get nothing but the
finest food, snacks and drink nothing but the best fluids for our bodies and yet never have exercise, we will end up in poor
health. A garden that receives the best fertilizer and soil and gets plenty of rain and sunshine will be overgrown with weeds.
I found an interesting
scripture the other day in the Old Testament. It says that the Lord would only allow We live in an instant society.
It’s microwave cooking, electric toothbrushes, power tools, fast cars and food. Folks want quick money, fast weight
loss, and instant success. No one wants to work and be patient anymore. That is God’s way. His way is slow and perfect. We are impatient by nature. God is trying to tell us something here. So don’t let
your garden get out of control. Work the soil, whatever it is. Don’t worry if the blessings aren’t as numerous
as you’d like. Our Lord gives good gifts to His children, and in the right amounts. It’s for your sake! The Moral of
the Story I’d like
to tell you a little story. It is not unlike one of those that your mother read to you when you were young. Just like her,
I’m going to tell you that it has a moral. There once was a war going on between two armies. It was fierce and had lasted for many, many years. It
was not likely that this war would end anytime soon. Both sides were trenched in to stay whatever time it took to be victorious.
Both sides had determined to win at any cost. The soldiers on each side were highly trained and amply
supplied. They were provided with equipment and ammunition to do what soldiers must do to win. Their training provided them
the knowledge to stay alive and to succeed in their duty. They were also equipped with special body armor to keep the enemy
from penetrating and mortally wounding them. Each knew who the enemy was. At least they had been trained in boot camp and
given a special manual to identify them. But that is where the problem began. It seems that
one of the two armies began to have difficulty in determining just who the bad guy was. The problem was quickly seen by the
commanding officers as a tremendous weapon of the other side. It had reached critical stages by the time that it had been
diagnosed. A special task force was formed to see what must be done in defense. It was even given a code name to represent
the problem. It was called PRIDE. You
see, the soldiers of one army had been given everything that they needed to recognize the enemy and his tactics. But this
tactic of the enemy kept blinding every soldier it touched. It was one of the most effective secret weapons of the other side.
And it could strike at any second after lying dormant for years. The problem
was documented again and again for years without decline. In one case study, two soldiers were passing through a mine field.
One of the two had let up his guard and had felt he had mastered the mine detector that he held. One day, his comrade noticed
that he was walking directly onto a mine. He had clearly spotted it as he had actually been hit himself in the same spot some
time back. He called out to his friend and warned him of impending disaster. Immediately, the enemy’s weapon was launched
and the second soldier was hit with it. He replied back that he didn’t need any help locating these mines. He was, after
all, an expert with a mine locator and was doing just fine passing through the course that he had chosen. He had successfully
passed through for many years in this mine field. But
it was too late. The enemy had not only succeeded in blinding the soldier with the secret weapon. He had a carefully placed
mine that was, just as predicted by his friend, in his path. The impact of the two weapons, used in a one-two punch was devastating. In another
story that was documented repeatedly, soldiers began to shoot each other in the back after the secret weapon was launched.
It seems that they had decided that a soldier that had fallen must surely be the enemy. In their minds, true soldiers would
surely never fall on the battlefield. To their eyes, a fallen soldier must surely be a double agent and working for
the other side. It was even noted that actual squads formed to hunt out this kind. A sort of witch-hunt went on, contrary
to the Commanding Officer. This blinding of their eyes seemed to be one symptom that the enemy’s weapon had done it’s
work. But
it was not the only way that the weapon worked. It also blinded the minds of the soldiers. In a final category of documentation,
there was the confusion as to exactly what the mission was in this war. After all, it had started so many decades ago that
the ultimate objective was somehow lost. Soldiers began to start thinking of their jobs as a profession and that the enemy
was actually good in the sense that he kept their business going. Instead of helping their brothers in arms do better on the
battlefield, they saw them as competition and actually took the enemies side. They used every means necessary to talk about
them including two way radios, email and other forms of modern communication. The
logic was that if you made others look smaller it would make you look larger, thus increasing your firepower in this war.
This seemed to be a weapon of the good side but was in fact a scheme of the enemy to let his opponent dispense his weapon,
saving him the trouble. It seemed that once it started in this way, it was very hard to stop. This form of it affected many
more soldiers with a single strike so it was much more efficient for the enemy to use. It was a lot like a hot potato that
was thrown into a foxhole. No one threw it out. They just kept passing it around. “There
must be some way to stop this”, said the Captain. “It seems to penetrate every form of defense we have. Why, the
soldiers actually allow it to come into their camps and share it like it’s something that is good.” But the only
way found to defend against it was already documented in the Manual given at boot camp. Now, you’ve
probably read this far and have seen exactly what is going on. We have an enemy who uses wily methods and schemes like a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour. We have been given what we need to identify pride, which is the secret weapon in the story.
But what you may not have seen is that it has worked on all of us to blind us to problems. Who
among us has not been given a cautious warning from a friend, only to get our feathers ruffled and mad at the insinuation?
How dare they? Even if the message was given in total love, it can be received in a prideful heart. This is also awkward to
be in the messenger’s role. There is nothing more frustrating than being misunderstood. But I’ve been there, and
keeping silent would have only been sin for me. Ezekiel 3:17-21 What we often don’t realize is that those who truly
love us often have the best insight to see deeper problems in our lives. We attack back and since we know them equally well,
we feel the need to counterattack with their “sins”. After all, they are just hypocrites to show you your problems
when they have their own, aren’t they? If we are wise we will see that our true friends are the best observers to “watch
our backs”. In fact, I think that the Lord meant for it to be that way. It’s called accountability. In Proverbs
27:6 it says that a friend’s wounds are faithful whereas an enemy’s kisses are deceitful. The
other way pride works is that we begin to believe that we are no longer sinful and in need of a Savior. We have been mature
for so many years that we have forgotten that we still fall. We are professional soldiers. In doing so, we will surely fall
every time. Proverbs 16:18–we will miss seeing the forest because of all the trees that are in the way. And finally, we see pride in the gossip that is passed around.
I mean, isn’t that really pride? Often the “prayer chain” is the most powerful method to pass around a little
gossip inside the church. Instead of going to the Father with the problem, we go to someone who turns out to be the greatest
talebearer of the county. It’s like a wildfire out of control. Then it is too late. Be careful who you share problems
with. Yes, pride
is a blinding thing. Often we don’t see that it is in us until we have felt its sting. We are on the same side, my Brother.
None of us will make it alone. We need each other, you and In Christ - Paul
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by Burrell/shepherdshill. © 2010. |
