PREPARING THE SOIL TO RECEIVE THE SEED
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
There really isn't any way for us to prepare ourselves to receive the things that God wants to plant within us without first disturbing and re-arranging what we already find there. For me it has always been very disturbing to do the very best I can to get myself ready for something that I feel I am called to do, and then find that God has a whole new set of lessons to be learned before he is ready for me to do a work in the spirit.
One of the basic things about our human condition is that we like to remain comfortable, and without much change in our lives. That seems to be one of the very first things that God begins to deal with in us by making sure that we are taken out of our comfort zone, and that we are put in a spin cycle of constant change in our Christian lives. Most people who make the claim that they want to get closer to God allowed themselves to think in terms of God's protection and comfort, but many times it feels as though they may not have thought completely through the process of what it takes to actually be close to God. We've all heard that the old term "you must drink some eggs before you can make an omelette", and it is equally as true that the ground of our lives must be disrupted even before we can add the nutrients and chemical makeup that is needed to put into the soil of our lives before we can begin to even plant seeds or grow crops.
It is that process of tilling the soil of our lives and allowing God to disrupt us and our every day comfort levels that causes us to stop and think about the direction that our lives are going. For those of you who have known me for a while you may have heard me say something like "we will never tend to do something about a decision or take an action that is needed until it directly effects our lives on a personal basis". When we begin to take that closer look at our lifestyles, and comfort levels we can't help but also begin to see some ugly truths pop up at us. At first glance these may be things that may irritate us, but they are also things that we will either by nature move away from or tried to hide from the view of others in our lives. One of the main things that Christians must learn at this point is that we will never be able to give something away to someone else that we don't possess in our own lives. I think in truth that was one of the grass root problems that most of the scribes and Pharisees ran up against when they heard the truth of Jesus as he spoke the good news given to him by the father to share with us. In most cases when there is something being a hidden or denied in someone's life that basic light of truth can be very punishing. We find that point of light being demonstrated simply by the way Jesus lived his everyday life. We need to can live that kind of point of light out to the world around us, and yet that light does not come from us directly, but it is a reflection of the light of God's Spirit shining through us, and it makes many people who are in denial of the need for change in their life very uncomfortable.
We have been told through the teachings of Jesus that through our spiritual discernment we should be able to know those who are true to the kingdom of God simply by the fruits they bear in their daily lives. We should be able to see a direct correlation in the way people behave and in the way they view the importance of their relationships with others with what they say they believe about their relationship with Jesus Christ. It was Paul that even told us that we could see the truth within our own lives just like looking into a mirror. Most of us can look into a mirror on any given day and remember when we turn from that mirror what we look like. When we look at ourselves through the reflective image of Christ within us we should also be able to see the truth that is there. Quite frankly for many Christians that becomes an unpleasant task, and just like the scribes and Pharisees of old there is a great deal of denial and blame thrown in many different directions. The truth in all of this will always win out over any lie that we may try to live or to hold up as an excuse for our behavior. As we begin the process of preparing the soil of our life to even begin to receive God's truth we can see that there is a great amount of work that needs to be done for some who call themselves Christian. I want to continue with these thoughts, but I also want for you to pray with the fervent heart about today's discussion as we each one prepare our hearts for spiritual growth. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
There really isn't any way for us to prepare ourselves to receive the things that God wants to plant within us without first disturbing and re-arranging what we already find there. For me it has always been very disturbing to do the very best I can to get myself ready for something that I feel I am called to do, and then find that God has a whole new set of lessons to be learned before he is ready for me to do a work in the spirit.
One of the basic things about our human condition is that we like to remain comfortable, and without much change in our lives. That seems to be one of the very first things that God begins to deal with in us by making sure that we are taken out of our comfort zone, and that we are put in a spin cycle of constant change in our Christian lives. Most people who make the claim that they want to get closer to God allowed themselves to think in terms of God's protection and comfort, but many times it feels as though they may not have thought completely through the process of what it takes to actually be close to God. We've all heard that the old term "you must drink some eggs before you can make an omelette", and it is equally as true that the ground of our lives must be disrupted even before we can add the nutrients and chemical makeup that is needed to put into the soil of our lives before we can begin to even plant seeds or grow crops.
It is that process of tilling the soil of our lives and allowing God to disrupt us and our every day comfort levels that causes us to stop and think about the direction that our lives are going. For those of you who have known me for a while you may have heard me say something like "we will never tend to do something about a decision or take an action that is needed until it directly effects our lives on a personal basis". When we begin to take that closer look at our lifestyles, and comfort levels we can't help but also begin to see some ugly truths pop up at us. At first glance these may be things that may irritate us, but they are also things that we will either by nature move away from or tried to hide from the view of others in our lives. One of the main things that Christians must learn at this point is that we will never be able to give something away to someone else that we don't possess in our own lives. I think in truth that was one of the grass root problems that most of the scribes and Pharisees ran up against when they heard the truth of Jesus as he spoke the good news given to him by the father to share with us. In most cases when there is something being a hidden or denied in someone's life that basic light of truth can be very punishing. We find that point of light being demonstrated simply by the way Jesus lived his everyday life. We need to can live that kind of point of light out to the world around us, and yet that light does not come from us directly, but it is a reflection of the light of God's Spirit shining through us, and it makes many people who are in denial of the need for change in their life very uncomfortable.
We have been told through the teachings of Jesus that through our spiritual discernment we should be able to know those who are true to the kingdom of God simply by the fruits they bear in their daily lives. We should be able to see a direct correlation in the way people behave and in the way they view the importance of their relationships with others with what they say they believe about their relationship with Jesus Christ. It was Paul that even told us that we could see the truth within our own lives just like looking into a mirror. Most of us can look into a mirror on any given day and remember when we turn from that mirror what we look like. When we look at ourselves through the reflective image of Christ within us we should also be able to see the truth that is there. Quite frankly for many Christians that becomes an unpleasant task, and just like the scribes and Pharisees of old there is a great deal of denial and blame thrown in many different directions. The truth in all of this will always win out over any lie that we may try to live or to hold up as an excuse for our behavior. As we begin the process of preparing the soil of our life to even begin to receive God's truth we can see that there is a great amount of work that needs to be done for some who call themselves Christian. I want to continue with these thoughts, but I also want for you to pray with the fervent heart about today's discussion as we each one prepare our hearts for spiritual growth. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
Comments
Post a Comment