Welcome to FACETS OF FAITH and this month’s inspiration from above. As we seek God, we desire to share His heart with you. We pray we reflect His heart, His thoughts, and His desires for He alone knows whom He is bringing to read each week. He alone knows what needs to be said.
We pray you take away nuggets of truth that God continues to water and nourish as you grow more and more into the precious royalty you are – His precious princes and princesses whom He desires to do great things in and through. That’s you, sweet one! You! Precious. Repeated three times so you don’t forget.
This month we are looking at the question: How has God multiplied your little into much? Sometimes I don’t have much, nothing much at all. I’m challenged for inspiration. I’m challenged for time. I’m challenged for words (and this coming from the woman who wrestles with word count, generally having far too many).
Truth be told, I don’t have much to offer in this blog post. I’m a day late, and probably more than a dollar short. Honestly, this has never happened where I have nothing – nothing at all to go on. Normally, I’ll have a sense of what God wants to say. All too often I have more ideas than I know what to do with. But I’m really at a loss.
Sigh.
So this is my little. I’ll show up. Let’s see (and hope and pray) that God multiplies it into much. I only have a fish snack and not enough to feed thousands. What’s a woman to do?
Give the basket to God. Let Him do what only He can do …. And stay out of His way. That’s my prayer. Help me stay out of Your way, God.
I’m reading an interesting book called, God Secrets by Shawn Bolz. It’s fascinating. It is teaching me how to connect to God’s heart more and more.
God is faithful to teach us as we stay connected to Him, rooted and planted in the nutrient rich soil of His Word which guides us into all truth and gives us a godly perspective as we navigate this big, bad, sometimes scary world. There are times of uncertainty. We don’t know what the future holds (hear on earth). We know eternity is ours if we are in Christ. But what about the hear and now? What about the going through of each day as an ambassador of Christ in a frightened world more inclined to slander and insults, hatred and unrest than love and kindness, peace and joy.
How do we act in light of all that the world has to offer? There is sadness, despair, terror and fright. There is hope dashed against the rocks. According to Annie, “It’s a hard knock life.” And sometimes it is.
I can look upon what the world’s people are doing to one another, and it saddens my heart. I can look upon what the church’s people are doing to one another, and that saddens my heart sometimes too. I can look in the mirror at my own unkindness sometimes and that is the saddest (to me) of all. I should know better. The fact is, I do. I just don’t always listen to that still, small voice. I try. But sometimes I can’t hear a word He is saying because I’m too busy speaking to let Him get a word in edgewise.
This is our lot.
Or is it?
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.─Galatians 5:22-23 The Message
What fruit speaks to you most? Affection for others? Exuberance about life? Serenity? Willingness to stick with things? A sense of compassion in the heart? A basic conviction of holiness that permeates things and people? Loyal commitments? No need to force your way in life? Able to marshal and direct our energies wisely?
It’s all good. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all lived our lives in light of this truth?
After first coming to Christ, I would have said the most precious gift God gave me was Serenity. Coming from a tumultuous life, serenity felt safe. Finally safe. My need for safety was mostly emotional, and being tucked in God’s loving arms gave me His precious gift of peace. Praise Jesus!
Today, when I was reading through the list, I sensed Exuberance about Life. I DO want to live a life exuberant, lit up for Christ. There have been seasons where I felt like I embraced that exuberance. There have been others when I’ve chosen what is safe, or just what would cost me little (or less). I don’t want a languishing life, but sometimes I’m tired. Being tired and time aren’t really luxuries we have, at least not here on earth.
God has a harvest He wants to bring. The soil needs to be tilled. It is not prepared, or not enough, to receive Him. If anything, it is getting harder. I see it. I got a prayer picture of hard, cracked, parched soil. The soil needs to be overturned, disrupted, and exposed to Christ (not exposed to shame or exposed in a publicly vulnerable way). Exposed to Christ and His immeasurable LOVE. As God tills the soil, HE will water it well. HE will nourish it. HE will tend to it. HE will bring the harvest.
We may never see our part of His overall, over-arching plan this side of heaven. Oh, sometimes He will give us glimpses to encourage us, to strengthen us. But others … He may keep that secret until we stand before Him, face-to-face in the radiance of His glory in heaven and His holy presence forever and ever. He wants us all to be gathered like wheat and safely stored in His barn. Sadly, not every seed will desire to grow. But we can pray that the seeds grow so large that an eagle nests in it. Strong. Spiritually certain, because that’s what faith can do.
“He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”
Another story. “God’s kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it.”─Matthew 13:29-31 The Message
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And don’t forget to stop by in the weeks ahead to see what Jennifer, Kim, and our guest contributor have to say. I can’t wait to see how God multiplies their little into much!
Please share how God does that in your life. It would encourage our hearts much!
