faith

It’s Your Time

/ The WheatandTares
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We are all given time to fill with each new day. What we do with that time is according to our own choices. We can waste it away, regret it or fill it up with good things, fulfilling hopes and dreams. What will you do with your time?

I love the conversation between Frodo and Gandalf in LOTR as Frodo is fretting over having received the ring and Gandalf gently reproves and encourages him in his quest. It is so true that each of us, at some point in our lives, seriously question our purpose, our quest, our destiny. In those moments, we must hold onto hope. We must hold onto the reason we began this journey toward our purpose.

We can live our lives constantly looking back, regretting the choices we have made. We can live in present day, only basking in the here and now, never planning or plotting, simply remaining where we are, who we are and with whomever we find ourselves. Or we can keep moving toward our hopes, our dreams, our destiny. It will all be determined by what we decide to do with the time that is given to us.

So, what will you do today? Will you live in the “glory days” of yesterday, always looking behind, tripping over the step ahead? Will you live your life in the here and now, never planning for tomorrow, never moving beyond where you are today? Or will you keep taking one step at a time toward your goals, your dreams, ever reaching for what is ahead?

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How’s It Growing?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

 

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A Chinese bamboo seed stays hidden in the ground for 4 years. It shows NO amount of growth on the surface for that entire amount of time. Then, in the fifth year, something amazing happens. In just six weeks, that same bamboo tree grows to a staggering ninety feet tall. It has even been measured to grow 48 inches in a single 24hour period.

Many have equated this type of growth with the rate of success in one’s life, but I would like to equate this to the process God, sometimes, does within our souls. There are times when we simply can’t see the change we so long to see. We work and toil, worry and sweat, striving to obey in what He has directed us, and we wonder if the growth will ever be what He has promised it will be.

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Sometimes, we won’t see the immediate results that we so long to see, but if we will remain focused and diligent in what He has called us to do, we will surely see His promise fulfilled in His timing. Sometimes, He is working things out of our own heart and mind to get us ready for that growth. I have found that when I have to “wait on Him,” He is working on my character to help me be prepared for what He is bringing forth.

Can I tell you? He’s not finished until He says He’s finished! Sometimes, we just have to be patient in the waiting. This patience doesn’t mean to simply “kick back, relax, and take it easy,” but it means to be graceful in the commitment of the process. It means to continue putting one foot in front of the other and finish what He told you to start. It means to be just like a farmer who plants those bamboo seeds and waits through the summer heat of four years to see the abundant harvest of fall in that fifth year.

 

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thefellowshipsite.org

 

 

Not Equipped

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

A couple of years ago, we had a truck that had off road suspension, but it did not have four-wheel drive. However, we found ourselves going straight up the side of a mountain in this truck…or at least we attempted to. My husband tried to get the truck to cooperate. The front tires went up, but the back tired started spinning in the mud, and we started sliding backwards. He tried once more, and more sliding occurred. All the while, I am holding my breath, because I can visually see, in my mind, the whole truck getting completely vertical and then flipping straight over, with all four of us in tow! He tried once more with the same results; so, he allowed the truck to roll backwards, and we didn’t go up that hill, because our truck simply wasn’t equipped to do so…

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I think, sometimes in our Christian walk, we can find ourselves in this same predicament. We are attempting to go up and over a mountain that we, in our human strength, are just not equipped to travel. We try, and we try, and we keep ending up with the same results: sliding backwards or, if we push it too far, flipping over into a ditch! We are not equipped to travel some mountains, because God hasn’t yet prepared us, we’re attempting to go over the wrong mountain, or we are simply attempting it without His help!

There are many things in our faith that God has to prepare us, strengthen us and teach us before we are ready to face it. When we get ahead of Him, we end up making a mess of things, and often, we walk away from the trial, bruised and wounded when we didn’t have to be. Waiting on God for our preparation only undergirds our cause. If you’re in the middle of a process, but you long to jump ahead, can I encourage you today? Just wait on Him. He will bring you to that mountain at His proper time, and when you follow His lead, He will give you the exact tools you need to conquer it!

Sometimes, we are trying to climb a mountain that God never called us to climb. It might be someone else’s mountain. It might be a “mountain” in our past that we keep trying to hold on to, but He has already forgive and told us to move beyond. It might be a mountain that we want to climb over, but it’s not the direction in which He is leading us. If we will listen to and follow His voice, rather than our own, we will have plenty of mountains to trek upon without challenging ourselves with the ones at which we’re not suppose to be!

Other times, we have simply attempted to scale a mountain without His help. Just as my truck didn’t have four-wheel drive, there are times in our lives, when we try to accomplish things in our own strength, and we leave Him behind. Then, we find ourselves worn out and burn out, wondering where God is and why isn’t He helping us through this.

If we are to climb the mountains that we will surely face in this life, we must be prepared, we must ascend the right ones, and we must have His assistance and lead to conquer them! With God by our side, there is nothing we can’t accomplish, and oh, the view (and rest) we will receive once we reach the top!

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Fill It Up!

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

There is an old hymn that goes something like this…

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voiceofoc.org

 

Fill my cup, Lord;
I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.         –  Richard Blanchard

 

If we expect to be able to reach out and help others, to pour out to others, we must continually be filled up by Him. If we’re running on empty, it’s going to show in our attitudes, in our words and even in our thoughts, which, eventually, always work their way into our words. This is why so many Christians find themselves worn out and burnout in “doing the work for the Lord. This is, also, why so many non-Christians find themselves walking away from grouchy, don’t-want-to-smile-at-you-but-I’ll-give-you-food church goers.

This isn’t to validate those naysayers who just want to fuss about “Christians-hypocrites who don’t share the love of Christ,” because, from where I stand, there are way too many good men and women who love Jesus to even give credence to that kind of nonsense. However, I have found that well meaning Christians can get to the point of burnout and bad attitudes when they aren’t getting filled back up when they’ve given time to a ministry.

We have to work from the overflow. You see, we are like a conduit through which the Lord flows, and when we stop getting filled, it’s as if we shut off His flow and try to continue on our own. Our strength is only so strong. Our faith is only so faithful. Our diligence is only so diligent, and that is because we are only human. We are not God. From God, all blessings flow. In God is found all the love, mercy, hope, joy, and everything the world is looking for. Through God, we have all the strength, faithfulness, and dedication we could ever need.

When we allow Him to pour into us and through us, all this world needs comes gushing out. Let Him fill your cup to overflowing today; so, it might “gush all over” those around you and to whom you minister.

 

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marlonikkila.com

 

What’s Your Talk When They Walk?

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

You can’t change someone else, their brand of crazy, their attitude, or even their perspective or opinions. They are who they are, and you are who you are. Only God does the changing when we yield to His hand. Expecting change and then getting angry when it doesn’t happen is simply a recipe for disaster and misery.

 

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Yet, we all do it, don’t we? If you’re in leadership, I can almost guarantee you do this, unless, you’ve mastered the art of waiting patiently for God to “do His thing.” It’s tough to work alongside someone day in and day out, see their flaws, be convinced of what they need to change, suggest needed change, and then fail to see any successful change, isn’t it? Honestly, it can be downright aggravating, frustrating, really! Although, it can be quite a challenge to pour into someone all that you have within and still watch them walk away, we must remember Christ went through this very thing.

Jesus spent hours, days, weeks and even years with Judas Iscariot. Judas stayed with him, ate meals with him, visited the sick with him and even watched him heal and deliver the bound. Yet, in the end, Judas still chose to betray Him and walk away. He chose to walk away from Jesus’ love, forgiveness and promise of hope.

Jesus, also, spent the same amount of time, and more, with Peter. Peter stayed close by His side. He was one of the three who went to the Garden of Gethsemane with Christ. Yet, when it came to down to the heat of the moment after Christ’s arrest, Peter denied even knowing the very man who had saved him. Thankfully, there was a moment of clarity later on for Peter, and he returned to Christ.

Let us never believe we are better than our Master, our Lord and Savior. If He had people walk away, we will, too. It’s how we handle these moments that will determine our success or failure in leadership. Do we let them walk away without a word, or do we confront? Do we confront with love or cruelty and hatred? Do we pray for them after they leave, or do we simply bash and gossip about the wrong choices they obviously have made?

 

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quoteaddicts.com

 

Let us always trust God is still in control even in the midst of our disappointments. Let us always turn to Him in the middle of our hurt and anger over someone walking away, and let us always follow in His footsteps of loving confrontation followed by prayerful concern for that one who left.

We never know who might be spurring us toward our destiny or who will, eventually, come back to join us in the journey.

 

Don’t You Realize?

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Don’t you realize?

It’s a long, long journey with lots of twists and turns.

It’s a wide, wide path with lots of scrapes and burns.

Where do you go when your way is busted and broken?

Where do you run when you find your future isn’t quite the token?

Don’t you realize?

It can be a journey of much peace, joy and love.

It can be a path of many blessings from above.

All you have to do is turn around and walk into His open arms.

All you have to do is believe He will never bring you any harm.

Don’t you realize?

He loves you.

He gave His life to prove it.

Penned – MG – 10/6/16

Daily Prompt: Realize

How Well Do You Wait?

/ The WheatandTares

Waiting on Him can be trying, challenging, pressure-filled and, sometimes, downright frustrating. Come on saints, let’s be honest, do you always enjoy waiting on the Lord? Or have you grown “so mature” in your Christian faith that honesty just isn’t part of it anymore?

 

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There have been moments in my life when waiting has been an absolute pain. I’ve not liked it, didn’t understand it, and couldn’t wait for God to bring forth the answer for which I’ve been praying! It’s hard to admit, but there have even been moments in the waiting when I’ve pitched a little temper tantrum for God to see how much I didn’t enjoy the waiting period! Now, that’s not the proper way to respond, because, I know, God knows best, and I should just simply trust Him. However, I don’t claim to be perfect, and I can guarantee you, those times when He has made me wait, I have learned some very valuable lessons for life…

A few things I have learned in the Waiting:

  1. Sometimes, God has us wait, because He is fixing a situation, and we get to see the glorious results when He is finished.
  2. Sometimes, God is working on someone else’s stubborn heart, and it takes a little bit for Him to get through to that person.
  3. Sometimes, God has us wait, because He is fixing our own stubborn heart, and it takes Him a bit to get through our thick skull!
  4. Sometimes, God is working good out of a bad situation from which we will benefit.
  5. Sometimes, God has us wait, because His answer has to be NO, and we’re just not quite ready to hear it or receive it.
  6. Waiting always brings a chisel along to chip away hard places that have formed in my heart.
  7. Waiting, if I allow it to, makes me slow down, reassess, and redirect my thoughts and feelings.
  8. Waiting always brings a new realization of who I am and who He desires me to be.
  9. Waiting, when I allow it to, causes me to see more of Him and less of me.
  10. Waiting always moves me closer to the Father when I am earnestly seeking Him for His answer rather than my own.

When we wait on Him, our future can be secure. When we wait on Him, we learn. We are strengthened, and, quite often, we are transformed. When we wait on Him and His timing, He is able to work on our character and the molding of our heart and mind.

 

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godlifehappywife.blogspot.com

 

So, if you find yourself in the waiting room of life today, maybe take a moment away from the emotions and struggles, and breathe. Look to heaven, and ask Him to help you through it. He may not bring an immediate desired answer, but I can guarantee you that when you put your hand in His, you will grow deeper through the wait.

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!Psalm 27:14

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Are You Comfy?

/ The WheatandTares

Comfort and apathy can go hand in hand. We are all creatures of comfort to some extent. I love warm cups of coffee, good books and a great big quilt to snuggle under for an enjoyable night of reading. Some like to drive for comfort, some like to sleep. Some like to get comfortable in the quiet while others enjoy the comfort of people and noise. Comfort for one might not be the comfort of another, but we all enjoy being comfortable over not.

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Yet, in our prayer life, our worship and our passion for God, comfort should not be the mode of operation. Comfort can create apathy and apathy creates a death of passion. Comfort and apathy can creep into our prayer lives when we grow comfortable in where we are and over confident in what we are doing. It can lull us to a slumber where we neglect the voice of God and, eventually, even neglect the things and people of God.

When we grow too comfortable, we will become callous in our prayer life, lazy in our worship and apathetic in our God-message to others. Too often, as God did with Moses, He will call us beyond our comfort zone to reach the world around us and to deliver them out of the bondage in which they live. If we are only seeking what causes us comfort, then, we will be more apt to resist change, challenge and things controversial to the common worldview around us. God never called us to blend into this world. He called us to change this world by showing them His love, and His love will always challenge them to leave behind the sin in which they live.

Just as Moses did, when we decide to follow God and walk out of our comfort zone, we may question our ability. We may walk into ridicule from our own families and friends, and we may face a king who hates us and desires destruction for us, “but if God be for us, who can be against us”? (Romans 8:31)

Can we sit back and let this world ‘go to hell in a hand basket’ just so we ourselves may remain comfortable? NO! We must find our voice. We must step out of our places of comfort, complacency and apathy and seek His face. We must step up and allow His passion for the lost to infiltrate our lives to go and seek them. Look around you. See those who need Him and share His message for the redemption of their souls!

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-4

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2

 

 

 

Withstand the Storm

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

 

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The palm tree is very agile and remains stable through the most torrential storms. The roots go deep and wide and even grow stronger when storms come. The trees can brace against the 120 mph force winds of a hurricane, and they can double over in height to withstand the effects of tsunamis and tropical cyclones.

 

When storms come into our lives, it can be challenging to remain grounded through the downpours and gales. It can be almost unbearable at times. When the waters rise above our heads and the weight of the waves come crashing all around us, we can find ourselves bending and swaying to the rhythms of grace, or we can find ourselves breaking and uprooting from the stress and strain.

The key to this survival is not found in worldly possessions. It cannot be found in strong friendship and a healthy family life. It can’t even be found in self confidence, strong will or a determination to live through the crisis. All these things are good things, and they are definitely an added bonus, but none of these things will sustain us through the most difficult moments of our life.

Only if the root of our soul is anchored in Christ, will we stand. He is the only Rock we can cling to that will not break us but will strengthen and sustain us.

Commit to Him today before the storms begin, and you will find He is faithful to see you through that storm! We cannot wait until the winds begin to blow to make sure our faith is secure. When we are grounded in Christ, we will obtain the grace to withstand the storm. We must remain committed to His Word and keep our trust in Him, and we will survive whatever may come. If you find you are in the midst of a storm today, commit to Him even so. You will be amazed how He can carry you through!

 

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The Beauty of Scripture

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

I have been nominated to a challenge, 3 Quotes for 3 Days. So, I will begin with my 3 quotes and then I will give more details…

Day 1 – 3 Quotes

 

I couldn’t begin this challenge in any other way than to share the three Scriptures that I probably hold dearest to my heart. There are so many that guide my life, and many can change throughout the seasons we experience; however, these three are probably what I would call my “heart staples.” I hope they bless you as much as they do me. 😉

About this challenge:

I haven’t done one of these challenges in a REALLY long time, but I was nominated by Joanna Lynn at Dipping Into the Heart for the 3 Quotes, 3 Days challenge. Stop by and check out her site. Her story is inspirational. I accepted the challenge because it sounds like fun, and I enjoy sharing others’ blogs for you to see. 🙂 For the challenge, I am to nominate three people a day to the challenge and a quote (or three) a day. Here are my nominees:

Day 1 Nominees:

From Food Stamps To a Future
HeartandSoul974
Faith Walking Hebrews 11:1

These are amazing blogs written by amazing people. Stop by and check out their blogs.

Let me leave you the rules of the challenge:

  1. Three quotes for three days.
  2. Three nominees each day (no repetition).
  3. Thank the person who nominated you.
  4. Inform the nominees.

Thank you to Joanna for nominating me for this challenge. It has stretched me to really consider my quote “favorites,” as well as, be reminded of how to do these challenges! 😉