September 22 2018

The Joy of the Lord


Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
The Hebrew word for strength is ma`owz which is translated as a place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold.  
The joy that we have in the Lord doesn’t just give us strength to move through life, it actually provides a place of safety and refuge.  
The joy that springs up from within, even in the midst, is not dependent on our circumstances, but on whom we are in Christ.  
That joy, because it is not dependent on what is going on around us, can actually serve as a stronghold for us when we find ourselves in the midst of life. 
 It is a place we can look to for protection and safety when nowhere else looks or feels safe.  
It is the place we can go to remind ourselves of the truth of whose we are and the fact that there is a plan for our lives, even when the facts of our circumstances seem to contradict that.  
The joy of the Lord that lives within us, and springs up from within us, is the thing that will combat the trials and tribulations of everyday life.  
It is the thing that will become the place we can run to, a strong tower, the reminder of who we are and what we have in the Lord.

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September 21 2018

A Community of Gardeners

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:5-8

The point Paul was making was that we all have a role in the harvest of those around us. 
I may prepare the soil, or plant a seed, you may water it in love, and another may see the fruit of the harvest. 
Ultimately it is God who brings the harvest, but we all have a role to play. 
None of those roles is more important than the other.
You never know how what you are doing right might impact someone around you. 
We are a community of gardeners.
We take turns allowing our lives to prepare soil, plant seeds, to water in love or to reap a harvest with compassion.
Just like a garden requires patience and commitment, we must be patient with those we encounter.  We don’t know for sure if we are there to prepare the soil, or leave a seed or water or harvest.
We may plant many seeds and give much water and never see the harvest.
The Word says that we must not grow weary in well doing. 
We must trust the Lord that there is a plan for each and every life and trust Him that He knows what part of the plan we are, even if we don’t. 
Go out today and be a gardener in the community God has placed you in, whether that is your physical community, your family, your circle of friends, or you workplace. 

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September 21 2018

A Community of Gardeners

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:5-8

The point Paul was making was that we all have a role in the harvest of those around us. 
I may prepare the soil, or plant a seed, you may water it in love, and another may see the fruit of the harvest. 
Ultimately it is God who brings the harvest, but we all have a role to play. 
None of those roles is more important than the other.
You never know how what you are doing right might impact someone around you. 
We are a community of gardeners.
We take turns allowing our lives to prepare soil, plant seeds, to water in love or to reap a harvest with compassion.
Just like a garden requires patience and commitment, we must be patient with those we encounter.  We don’t know for sure if we are there to prepare the soil, or leave a seed or water or harvest.
We may plant many seeds and give much water and never see the harvest.
The Word says that we must not grow weary in well doing. 
We must trust the Lord that there is a plan for each and every life and trust Him that He knows what part of the plan we are, even if we don’t. 
Go out today and be a gardener in the community God has placed you in, whether that is your physical community, your family, your circle of friends, or you workplace. 

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