Weed & Feed

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Weeds pop up. It's the nature of weeds. It's what they do! They don't wait for a convenient time or place, they just pop up at the most inopportune times.

Matthew 13 tells us that in the seasons of life there are also weeds that pop up and the source of those weeds is our enemy, the devil. His agenda is clear (John 10:10); it's to steal, kill, and destroy every good thing in our lives. He does that by planting weeds of problems, frustrations, lies, etc in our lives on a daily basis. If we are to overcome, and we can, we must weed & feed. Uproot the weeds the enemy is placing in our lives. But it's also time to feed our souls and grow closer to God through his Word and by talking to him in prayer.

How often should we weed? DAILY! In our flower beds we'll wait several weeks before weeding, but that's not how we should approach it in life. Don't let the devils lies & tricks grow in your life for weeks before dealing with them; pull the weeds daily. Start your day by taking 2 or 3 minutes to ask God for his help today and then give warning to your enemy that you aren't putting up with his junk today. Then end the day by looking at your day and inspecting for weeds that may have sprouted up (anger, lust, envy, bitterness, frustration, depression, etc.). Then pull those weeds.

Make today the start of regular weed pulling in your life. I promise, you will notices a difference.

Snip, Snip!

If you do a quick search on the topic of pruning on the internet you'll find a lot of different descriptions, options, and strategies for pruning. Wikipedia described the reasons for pruning this way, "Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits."

I find that to be an interesting understanding or pruning, especially as it relates to our seasons of life. Sometimes it's just time to remove the dead stuff in our lives. Dead relationships, wastes of time, etc. I like how it describes pruning as a way of shaping our lives by controlling or directing growth. How we prune will determine the appearance of our lives. By pruning we are directing resource, energy, and passion to those places where growth is most needed. By pruning our lives we also are improving or maintaining a healthy life. If we never prune, it's unhealthy! And as the statement goes on to say, by pruning we're positioning our lives to be of greater quality.

Is it painful? Usually! Is it beneficial? ALWAYS!!! Start with your time, resources, & relationships. What do you need to prune today so that tomorrow's can be much better?

The Monday Letdown

If your religion is football then today begins the Monday letdown. I've always considered myself a football (sports) fan, but never really a fanatic. I've never stood in a stadium in 2 degree weather, shirtless and chest painted. I didn't name my son Brett or Aaron and I'm not superstitious about he numbers 4 or 12. While hundreds of thousands of fans lament the demise of their favorite team, the players have already booked their tickets to a warm vacation spot for the the next few weeks. If there is one thing players know it's that Seasons Change. They don't let one circumstance get them down, they know that as long as they get back up and never quit, they will live to play another game, another day!

As it relates to the seasons of your life, they also change. And as long as you don't give up or quit there is another season waiting for you on the other side. As you journey through your current season, embrace it. Accept that God has you exactly where you are for a purpose. Guard your attitude by choosing to focus on the positive instead of the negative. Both are always present, but which one you choose to focus on is up to you. Make wise decisions that will help move your forward. And every day be very intentional about getting some SON; reading the Bible, simple prayer conversation, and connection with others.

Regardless of what happens in sports, I know I will live to fight another day and with God's help I WILL win!

Groaning or Growing

Take a minute to think about the stuff you are going through right now. You know, the stuff you would consider bad, unfair, or just not fun. It's those things that just seem to be part of the cycle of life. If we look close enough we recognize that while there is always some measure of bad going on in our lives, there's also some measure of good that's always happening in our lives as well. We enjoy the good but we hate the bad. And that makes total sense. I'd be concerned if you said you enjoyed going through the bad stuff of life. Stuff like, sickness, relationship struggles, work issues, divorce, financial lack, and the list goes on and on.

The question isn't really whether or not life will be filled with ups or downs, highs or lows; that's a given. The question is really how will you respond to them? To be sure, God doesn't cause our problems, he doesn't tempt us. (James 1:13) But he does allow us to go through things for the purpose of maturing us and strengthening our faith. It's these life experiences that prove whether our faith can sustain the storms or whether it will crumble at the slightest wind.

Stop groaning and start growing! Stop groaning about your problems and start learning from them. Are problems fun? NO! But until you stop groaning about them you'll never grow through them. And ultimately you will stay in that problem until you learn the lesson God is trying to teach you through it. Every time I find myself right in the middle of a problem I've learned to ask God this question, "God, what are you trying to teach me through this?" Then I follow it up with this statement, "Whatever it is, I'm willing to learn. Show me!"

Often the length of your stay in a particular problem is directly connected to your attitude while going through it. Stop groaning! Start taking advantage of the opportunity to grow.

The Greatest Story Ever

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." - Luke 2:1-20 niv

What makes this story so great it that it's real. God gave the greatest gift ever when he sent his son Jesus Christ. Now we have the opportunity to give away again this year. In the busyness of the season, don't forget what it's really all about and take advantage of every opportunity to share the gift of Jesus with others.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Hope

"We have lasting hope through the salvation we have in Christ ... Hope means that even when it looks like it's all over, it's not all over yet. That's why the Bible says we can rejoice even in our tribulations. God is working in our hard times to produce proven character and hope in us." - Dr. Tony Evans

Psalm 33:22 "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." (NIV)

For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off work. For Christians, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus Christ.

Before Jesus came, God seemed distant, hidden in the Holy of Holies in the temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshipers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They doubted their salvation.

Christ means hope—to the person out of work, to the struggling single mother, to the dying believer. Even if you're just slogging your way through the disappointments of life, if you have Jesus, you have hope. And he is not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. When Christ rose from the dead, that ended the argument. Period. Our hope in him is solid and it is real.

Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms it for us if our vision has grown dim. It was settled long ago, so we don't have to doubt any more. Jesus is the fulfillment of our hope, our deepest longings come true.

Jack Zavada, a career writer and guest contributor for About.com, is host to a Christian website for singles.

Count Your Blessings

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to the country of Haiti with several other pastors in the state. While there we had the opportunity to get a quick firsthand glance at the work of Convoy of Hope where they are feeding nearly 75,000 children per day.

On January 12, 2012 Haiti will celebrate the 2nd anniversary of one of the worst earthquakes in history and remember the day that changed their lives forever. We didn't have to look far to see devastation in all it's forms. The rubble of buildings and possessions were obvious, but just as real was the devastation to individual lives & families. Unemployment in Haiti is at 85%, a good paying job provides $150 per month, and most people are lucky if they have 1 meal per day. I'm proud that we've partnered with Convoy of Hope in the past to help provide hope for the future of Haiti and I look forward to making a more intentional commitment to them in the months to come.

Every time I visit third-world countries like this I always walk away with a sense of repentance and appreciation. Repentance for all the times I've complained about what I don't have and appreciation for what I've already been blessed with. If we allow ourselves to, we could spend all day making a list of what we want, haven't gotten, or things we feel we deserve. But we seldom take the time to equally count our blessings. We are blessed! I am blessed! God has richly blessed me, regardless of my bank balance or the status of my wishlist.

Let me challenge you to take 10 minutes this week and write down at least 25 blessings God has provided you with. Remember they aren't all going to be monetary. Then each day this week, review those blessings, add a few more and choose to thankful for all God's done for you!

Have a GREAT week!