Life Thoughts
The Flower Garden
I have this manicured patch of weeds in my front yard!
A green thumb I definitely do not have. Gardening is one of those things that I consider work way more than relaxation. I think it goes back to my childhood. Living in rural East Texas, many folks have a garden each year. For us, it was a primary source of our annual groceries. What we did not eat fresh was often canned or frozen to be eaten later. Having three boys and one girl under the roof required alot of food, particularly as we hit our teen years! (I never knew quite how much until my kids have begun to devour everything edible!)
Because we had a large family, that meant we needed a large garden. Each year we planted somewhere around a 1/2 acre and my grandfather planted well over an acre. Thats alot of vegetables. I remember when I was small, my grandfather had an old mule, Jack. Each spring he would hook Jack up to his plow and spend all day Saturday going up and down the field, tearing up the soil and what was presently grown there. Later he upgraded to a rototiller after Jack passed.
Now vegetables are good (I used to not thing so.) but require alot of work, not so much for the vegetables but for the soil in which they grow. You have to break it up, clean it up, fertilize it, clean it again, break it again, make rows, plant seed, water, clean it, water, clean it, water, clean it and so forth for several months before you can reap your harvest.
Cleaning the soil was the part I hated. Cleaning the soil, basically meant pulling weeds. I have concluded nothing grows better in freshly turned soil, be it in east Texas or Northwest Washington than weeds. Man how I hated pulling weeds as a kid, and still do today.
Now my aversion to pulling weeds has posed a great problem for me. I moved into my house last December and it had this lovely patch of dirt that the previous person had been grooming for a flower bed. I thought how wonderful it would be to have those flowers in my yard. So as this year as developed, I realized as each passing day, the flowers werent there and the weeds were growing. Only a few at first, so I did not stress, but over time, it has become this lush green, ugly weed infested patch of dirt!
S
o yesterday, I got out there and started pulling weeds, and then I hired one of my kids to help, then I hired another, and then another! And low and behold it only took 7 hours with us pulling weeds to clear a patch of dirt 3 feet wide by about 30 feet long. I filled up my yard wast bin (55 gallon) over half full with weeds! What a sense of accomplishment. Cleaning the weeds and then turning the soil. It looked great. I even got so bold as to enlist the help of a neighbor to add a few plants.
However, when I awoke this morning and wanted to go bask in the glory of my accomplishment, I was shocked. Weeds! More weeds! They were poping up throughout. Argh!!!
Then as He often does, God challenged me. You see, that patch of dirt out front is alot like my life, and yours. Left unattended weeds will take root and grow. And the longer we neglect pulling the weeds the more will grow and they will spread. And when we do invest in cleaning them up, we can not sit back and think it is going to be pretty. No, it takes continual work. Weeds have a nack of always trying to spring up. Even when it looks like they may all be gone, there is always something more just under the surface that needs addressing.
Well as usual, I was challenged and boy did I find some weed patches. How about you? How is your garden today?
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Hebrews 2:1-3 1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
Honor God?
In a recent conversation, I was asked “Do you think you are honoring God with your life/actions?”
For some reason this question gripped me and sent me down the proverbial rabbit hole, so I thought I would take you with me a bit. So come along as I consider things.
I think to answer such a question, one must first consider what “honor” means. After reviewing several sources and definitions I derived the following definition of what I would consider honor to be:
To provide a source of credit and distinction by showing high respect, esteem and glory that sums itself as an act of devotion or worship by living a life of honesty, fairness, and integrity in one’s beliefs and actions.
What a mouthful! If I considered that definition when asked the question, I must regretfully say that I dont. I think that at times I come close and at other times I miss the mark entirely.
One of the biggest areas I think by which I personally miss the mark is that I often make my life about me. I can get things backwards and think and act like everything should revolve around me, but the truth is, it’s not about me, or you. It’s about Jesus Christ. I act and think that my thoughts or beliefs make a difference in the truth concerning our Creator and maker. However the truth in the Bible is that it is all about Jesus no matter your beliefs or religion for that matter. There is no other God. Jesus is the only way to a relationship with the one-and-only God. No matter what a person believes in this life, the Bible says, “every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” I fail to honor God when I make it all about me.
Another area that I think I miss the mark is in obedience. I fail to obey Him – at times, I am just downright disobedient. There are many possible reasons or excuses that I will often throw out why I disobey God. I am not going to explore all the possibilities now—I’ll save that for a later post—but they all come down to obedience or disobedience no matter what the reason. In short, the truth is this, if we understand and truly know who God is and understand our relationship with Him and how much He loves us there is no good reason to disobey Him. We should do, without hesitation, whatever God tells us to do but that is hard sometimes since our flesh doesn’t like some of what God wants. Jesus said it like this: “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).
So this morning I sit both humbled and somwhat ashamed in how I fail. I do love Him. I do want to obey. I do want to honor and bring Him honor. How about you?
Matthew 5;16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
John 5:22-23 “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”
One final word on this today, and that is for all of you who may feel a little like me today. Don’t loose heart. Don’t give up. He loves you. He is still there for you. He came for you, knowing who you were already! John 3:17 says “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Rejoice! Get Up! Try again! Proverbs 24:16 ” . . . for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again . . .”
2 Corinthians 1:21-21: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Elvis Has Left The Building
Growing up in the early to mid 70’s, there was one singer that my mom adored and always listened to, Elvis Presley. When Elvis died it was a time of mourning around our home, almost as if a member of the family died. I grew to enjoy not only his music but also his movies. I can remember dancing around and imitating the “king” and thinking how cool I would be if I could be like him. As a performer, Elvis often attracted wild crowds and people would linger and desire more when he finished, always hoping for an encore. A phrase that originated at the end of those events, “Elvis has left the building” would signify to fans that the concert was truly over and their would be no more Elvis tonight.
The phrase has since become one of those pop culture phrases that we all hear from time to time and occaisionally use ourselves. It is used to refer to anyone who has exited in some sense. For instance, it might be used when someone makes a dramatic exit, baseball announcers on radio or television sometimes use the phrase as a humorous way to describe a home run, which is typically hit over the outfield fence and into the stands.
This morning as I think about the true King, I am glad that He has not left the building. What an amazing performer Jesus is. He continues to deliver spectacular performance after performance, doing great and mighty things. And I long to dance around and imitate Him!
1 John 4:4 (New International Version) You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Colossians 1:10-14 (NIV) 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. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Romans 8:38 – 39 (NIV) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Contentment
Contentment is a strange thing. I believe it is something we all seek after, or more aptly put, we seek after things which we believe would bring contentment.
As a young boy growing up in East Texas, my father used a phrase that often echoes from my own lips to my children when we go through some of those “I want, I want, I want” phases. ” YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED, BUT NOW YOU DON’T WANT WHAT YOU GOT” You see, strangely enough, we often go through lots of plotting, planning, action, and occaisionaly a little bit of manipulation, and often some type of tantrum to get what we dont have, and when we get it, realize that we really dont want it.
Somewhere along the way, and perhaps as parents we teach it to our kids, or we just struggle with fighting something that is inherrent, the feeling of discontentment. I often laugh as I think of my childhood, growing up in rural East Texas. My summer’s were spent running through the woods, playing with sticks and rocks and having the time of my life. At night I could lay in my bed, in the room I shared with my brothers, and see the moon and stars through the worn roof of our home. Even better would be when one of those famous gully washers (country term for a hard rain!) would sweep in and my brothers and I would scramble to the kitchen and start droping pots and pans all throughout the house to catch the rain water as it pour in through the cracks. We would laugh and never thought anything was odd about it, it was just life.
Now I find myself stressing over keeping the rent paid on a six bedroom home with two living areas. Sweatting the time it takes to get one of the two Xbox consoles back from repair, thinking what will the kids do without it. Looking at my job and feeling like I dont make enough money.
I pause and think, I must be crazy! I long for those simple days of carefree running and playing, but remember I could not wait to go out into the world and be working man! Today, appreciate all that you have! Moments fly by and getting what you want is not always better!!
Philippians 4:11- 13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
