It. Has. Meaning.

One resounding thought continues to resonate within my heart::

It has meaning. Every single situation that we go through has purpose.

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He sees the big picture in the puzzle of our lives even if we can only focus on the one missing piece.

The Creator knows where it is and when He wants to give it to us. We just have to be patient.

If you're anything like me, the patience words evokes sighs and eye-rolling.
[Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but you get the point.]

Patience is hard. Which is why I've been doing a bible study on it with a dear kindred spirit. :)

If you are so inclined to doing one yourself, I'd highly recommend the book we're using:

Patience: cultivating Spirit-given character// a six-week study by Calvin Miller.

I'll even give you a taste of it's treasures:

- "Patience isn't something we develop; it is something God develops in us as he takes over."

- "Patience is something that sustains us while we wait for God's will to be revealed. Patience reminds us that God's timing is not our timing. Patience is quiet confidence in God's promised provision."

-"What does patience look like? It looks like God standing on the eastern shore of the Red Sea waiting for Israel to take that step of faith. It looks like the loving father awaiting the return of the prodigal son. It looks like Jesus Christ standing at the door and knocking. Patience is yielding to God's perception of our circumstances in light of his view of the future."

And those are all taken from the introduction!

Needless to say, I am learning so much and being challenged greatly. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love when I sense God working in my heart and life! To Him be the glory.

My prayer is Exodus 9:16-

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Blessings to you as you strive to be a patient Christ-follower!

Being a sunbeam through stormy weather

I don't know where you are at today, but the weather around here is gloomy, gloomy, gloomy. And unfortunately, that's the way I felt this morning too when I woke up.

Have you ever tried to be happy for someone, but hurt at the same time? That's where I was coming from. Then as I had my devotions, I kept coming across these verses about joy and praising the Lord and proclaiming His faithfulness. God-moment? I think not.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I was forced to look outside of myself and look up. All before I ever left for church. Wow.

The other morning in our staff devotions, we sang a children's song I haven't heard in years.

Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam

Verse 1

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam
To shine for Him each day
In every way try to please Him
At home at school at play

 

Chorus 1

A sunbeam a sunbeam
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam
A sunbeam a sunbeam
I'll be a sunbeam for Him

 

Verse 2

I will ask Jesus to help me
To keep my heart from sin
Always reflecting His great love
And so to shine for Him

 

Verse 3

I'll be a sunbeam for Jesus
I'll let Him shine through me
As I love Him more each moment
His Sonshine all shall see

 

CCLI Song # 3774586

Edwin Othello Excell | Judith E. Partin | Nellie Talbot © 1999 Judith E. Partin

CCLI License # 291289

 

It is my desire that I could be a sunbeam for Him, even when I don't feel like it. Even when I feel gloomy, His light would light up my life and cause me to overflow with joy.

 

Jesus, please fill my joy cup today.

Strivin' to be sweetened, squished grapes

I began my school year by picking up Oswald Chambers' book My Utmost for His Highest once again. I've read it before, but thought it might be a great way for me to begin each morning before I head to school.

Today as I read the entry for September 2, titled A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice, I came across a humorous sentence: "God's purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us." You can read the full devotional here.

This made me chuckle at first, but then as I pondered its meaning, I came to realize the depth behind it. We as Christians want to fill ourselves with wholesome 'milk' so that we become well-nourished followers. This is good, but God may want us to give up that nourishment instead.

Think of it this way: John 15:1-17 speaks of the Vine and the Branches. Our Father is a master gardener. He knows what He is doing in the vineyard of our hearts, even when we have our doubts. Verse 2 says that He cuts off the branches that bear no fruit, while He prunes those that are fruit-bearing so that they would become even more fruitful (paraphrased.) Several months ago, a friend shared something about this passage that has stuck with me. He said that when fruit in our lives becomes ripe, God gathers it and then we begin the fruit bearing process all over again. I never thought of it this way, but realized it is true. It can be downright scary to offer our fruit crop, but it is actually a good thing. It means that our life is being fruitful and we are producing a sweet harvest and aroma to our Heavenly Father. I don't know about you, but that's the place where I want to be. A place of fruit-bearing goodness. A place of being sweetened and squished by the Gardner of my heart.

I encourage you by asking--
How is your heart's harvest today?

A season of pruning

If you've ever experienced a season of pruning, you know how painful it can be.  I certainly do not beg God to grab a pruners and snip here and there, yet somehow He knows when I'm due for some reshaping.  Now just happens to be one of those times.

As I was reflecting on this, I had to wonder what pruning actually means.  (I'm no farm or orchard girl!)  According to the dictionary, to prune means to cut branches away from a plant to encourage fuller growth.  Whoa!  That means when God is pruning His children, He removes things from our lives that are depriving us from growing to our potential.  That's the way that I see it anyway.  What a thought.  So even though a time of pruning is painful, it is for the best in our lives, regardless of whether we see it that way at the moment.

Onto the next definition of pruning: to reduce something by removing whatever is unnecessary or unwanted.  Keep in mind that this is in the mind of the 'Farmer.'  I tend to tightly clasp certain areas of my life with no intentions of ever letting go, even if I know that I should. (Isn't that human nature?)  But when Christ prunes us, He takes out whatever is unnecessary or unwanted in His mind.  Those areas in my life that I want, He snips.  Those areas that I refuse to let go of, He trims.

The passage about the vine and the branches from John 15 certainly ties right in with this.  Verses 1-8 and 16 (NIV) say:

"'I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"'I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples...'"
"'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last...'"

Our heavenly Father called us to be fruit-bearers, followers of Him.  He hand-picked (pardon the pun!) each of us by name and desires that we would follow in His footsteps, planting seeds wherever we go and offering the fruits of ourselves in return.  Even if the pruning process is agonizing right now, it WILL be worth it in the end.

Be blessed!

The Fruit of Patience

If God has been trying to teach me something the last little while (and I know that He has), I believe it's been patience!  There is not a day that goes by in my life that requires more than a little of this fruit of the Spirit.  I've been reminding myself that when I ask God for more patience, He kindly presents me with situations that require it.  Yet another reason why God must have a sense of humor.  :)  But that's another story for another day!

What does the Bible say about patience?  Let's take a look...

~ "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23

~ "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:10-12

~ "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." Colossians 3:12

~ "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

~ " Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2

~ "And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

~ "Love is patient, love is kind..." 1 Corinthians 13:4a

What can we learn about patience as a result?

Patience is a fruit that takes time to grow and blossom into something beautiful.  Developing patience does not happen overnight, even though we often wish that it would.  Exercising patience brings pleasure to the Lord.  And that, of course, is something that we want to do every day!  We should also be clothed in patience and demonstrate patience in hardships.  This is not an easy task at all, but we should definitely strive for it.  Another responsibility that we have is to pair patience with love in our interactions with each and every person that we come into contact with on a daily basis.  What a challenge that is, but it is quite rewarding when done with a cheerful and obedient heart.

I'm going to close with a wonderful prayer for patience:

"God, teach me to be patient, teach me to go slow,
Teach me how to wait on You when my way I do not know.

Teach me sweet forbearance when things do not go right
So I remain unruffled when others grow uptight.

Teach me how to quiet my racing, rising heart
So I might hear the answer You are trying to impart.

Teach me to let go, dear God, and pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace and I learn to know your will."

- written by Helen Steiner Rice