Gracious Uncertainty

Dear Sisters,

One of the things I love about the devotional method that I use for my 20 minutes a day is that often the message is directly applicable to issues I am dealing with at that very moment.  One of my biggest struggles is the desire to control as many aspects of my life as possible – and my family’s as well!  I want to be certain about every outcome in any given situation.  And that is truly exhausting and stressful and takes a lot of the excitement out of life.  And it is not of God. 

So when I opened my Bible this morning, guess what I found…a copy of an Oswald Chambers message that I want to share with you in part called “Gracious Uncertainty”.  It was a refreshing read for me and I hope it will be for you as well.

“Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life – gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.  To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring.  This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation.  We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God.  As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises.  When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies.  That is not believing God – it is only believing our belief about Him.
 In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”
 The spiritual life is the life of a child.  We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next.  If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled.  But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.  Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how he will come in – but you can be certain that He will come.  Remain faithful to Him.”

In Christ, 
Susan 

Alive

Hey Sisters,

As a night owl, I just generally don't feel my best in the morning. I feel like a groggy zombie, and, yes, that's worse than just a normal zombie. However, the sunshine we've been getting has been helping me to feel a little bit more awake and alive! Have you heard of the worship band All Sons and Daughters? I'm especially loving their song "Alive," and have been using it as my alarm in the morning. A good reminder of the gift of a new day, the blessing of waking up to sunshine, and not waking up as the newest member of the undead...even though I may look like it (no picture for your protection).

You can listen to "Alive" on you-tube. Here is the link for you!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vmvVnRPlY

Fellow night owls, what helps you wake up in the morning? Songs, thoughts, or Bible verses? Comment on Facebook or in the "comments" section below this post.

In Him,

Grace

When the Master Gardner Prunes

Pruning is a vital step in gardening. We cut back dead branches as well as branches that are crossing or invading other branches.  Pruning can also create a desired shape. How we prune will determine the health of the plant and/or the blossoms. For example, if we prune a hydrangea to the ground, it will not kill the bush but we will have no flowers the following spring.  Flowers bloom from the previous year’s growth, therefore, removing the entire bush’s beauty for the next season.

So, why all this pruning talk on this particular blog? It stems from an old book that is sadly no longer in print. The premise of this great read was to live decisively for Jesus and to live focused on Jesus. The author suggested periodically taking time out of life to sit before God, evaluating life’s activities and responsibilities. She viewed her life like a tree but I have adapted her idea to the following.

·        The trunk of the tree represents my relationship with Christ.

·        The roots are what feed that relationship: prayer, Bible reading, Bible study and worship.

·        The limbs represent my family, job, ministry, and personal development.

·        The branches are the activities and opportunities of life.

Our lives, just like trees, get out of balance.  Over time one limb becomes too dense and another too sparse. Or there may be branches that are taking nutrients from the main limbs, translated as activities taking nutrients from my relationship with Christ. Or the root system is not healthy enough to support the tree. This is the time to take out my pruning shears.

The first thing I evaluate is the root system. Am I spending quality time with Jesus every day?  If this area of my life is not healthy, then I know that the trunk of my tree is skinny and the limbs are not being supported spiritually. Then I evaluate my main limbs (responsibilities of life). These change over life’s seasons. During one season, I may have an occupation but, during a later season, I might be retired. Or during one season, I have no children.  In the next season, my home is full of children. Therefore, the limbs have to be evaluated as well. Some are removed and some might be added.

Next, I evaluate the branches looking for dead branches.  These lifeless activities do nothing to feed the responsibilities of life or my relationships with family, friends and Jesus. These branches are cut out first.

After that, I search for branches that are crossing over one another, choking the life out of one or both of the branches.  An example might be heavy ministry requirements choking out family life.  One of those branches needs to be pruned back. It does not remove the major limbs of ministry and family life but it does cut off a branch or two that is taking nutrients that other limbs need.

Finally, I try not to prune away too much in order to reap a harvest for future seasons as in the hydrangea. Taking careful time to choose which branches to prune and which ones to keep requires godly wisdom.

When I put my shears away, I access the roots of the tree once again. I want to insure that time and energy have been set aside to spend time in God’s word, in prayer and in worship. Typically, I am pleased to find that through pruning at the top of the tree, I discover plenty of time for the bottom of the tree. Then my trunk becomes healthy again, feeding the limbs and branches of life.

As I write about this process, I am looking at my life with shears in hand. What needs to be removed?  Do I need to water and fertilize the roots? Just like gardening, I need to schedule regular time to spend before the Lord praying and listening for he is the Master Gardener of our life! What about you? How does your tree look today? Is your root system healthy?

Bev