[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. Psalms 92:14, Amplified Bible.
It’s so dry and brown out here now in Virginia. The grass is withered and nothing seems to be growing but weeds. Yet when I take the time to look about, there are some who have lush little gardens of fragrant flowers in their yards. There are some who have vegetables growing that are near ready for harvesting. I’ve even seen some patio gardens with ripening tomatoes just ready to pull off and enjoy.
How did they get that way? Duh! They were tended with loving care because someone had faith enough in the tiny seed, or root or plant that these would mature and bear fruit. Would faith alone mature the plant? No! There had to be digging, watering and weeding. But the weeds had to be pulled away when they were tiny enough not to rob the precious seedling of its nutrients. Perhaps the gardener had to apply fertilizer and coat the leaves with some sort of repellent to keep hungry bugs from devouring his precious plant. But eventually one becomes many.
We have been given one body. There will be no fruit if it is not tended carefully. The body’s fruit is to function. We see the outward parts and realize that each one is important to our senses. There are people who have had to deal without sight and/or hearing, but we seldom think of those who have to deal without knowing touch, taste and even smell. Does that sound strange? Well, some diseases such as diabetes or accidents can rob us of our sense of touch. Poor choices can rob us. I know first hand that smoking can deaden your taste buds and your sense of smell. (Praise God I’ve been delivered of the smoking habit!) I’ve also heard that chewing and/or snorting can rob your sense of taste and smell, too. I’m sure there are other things that can cause our senses to become dead. Medical sources are full of information regarding sickness, disease, acidents, etc. The question we must ask ourselves is this: if we have the knowledge to prevent our body from dying early, then why don’t we use it to make the necessary changes to better our present physical lives?
Well, I’ve lived long enough to be able to answer that from my own experience. When I was younger my body would occasionally grunt and groan when I forced it to work without proper nutrition, sleep and/or exercise but it didn’t shut down. So I was able to function and continued abusing it little by little. Now, what I sometimes call old age is nothing more than the previous neglect of what I should have been doing all along. Age doesn’t have as much to do with it as neglect of positive healthy habits that I should have been abiding by, which have caused some partial shut down of my working systems. Oh my! What a revelation God made to me… but I found His promise and when I read it, I knew it was for me. ~ "I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17, New Living Translation.
Joyce Meyer testified that during a period in her life, she worked so hard and took on so much that her body was shutting down. She was constantly sick. I am so glad that she spoke the truth in her book and shared how God turned her around and gave her the tools to make changes.
It seems to me that the first thing He restored to her, was a godly mind! She had to accept that she needed to change no matter how much ministering she did for others! God allowed her to see that she needed to get rid of “stinking thinking” (as she calls it). He showed her what to study with regard to repairing her worn out body. Lastly, with this knowledge and wisdom, He gave her the strength to carry out her duty to repair her temple so that she could bring more glory to Him. Hallelujah!
If her story doesn’t motivate us to positive habit changes, maybe we’re almost dead already! I believe no matter where you are at this moment in time, and you are reading this, God has granted you the breath you are taking so that you might have hope! No matter what your health is at this time, you and I have been given another chance with each breath we take to make it better.
In the same way that we are given one body, God in His grace has given us one Spirit and that by His Son, Jesus, who paid the ultimate price. Perhaps you think, as I have sometimes, that when your temple (your body) is ready then you can devote more time to working on the Spirit within you. Whoa! The Spirit is supposed to work on you. You are not supposed to work on the Spirit!
We need to allow the Holy Spirit to work on us through times of worship, study and prayer. You may have said, as I have before, that when you are better able then you will rededicate your life to His service. When you have cleaned up your messes and your temple has been repaired completely, then you will devote your time to Him. Wait a minute! We don’t have to wait to worship and thank Him! He delivers us from temptation and we are often unaware of it. Aren't there things in your life that you felt you had to have in times past in order to live, but now they are not important? Think about it… He has already brought some deliverance! He knows how difficult temptation is because He was tempted. Let’s remember to praise Him for what He’s already brought us through and for what we know we are going to get through! Amen!
Think on this… when your family or friends send you an email, you can’t hear what they are saying without opening it. In the same way, you can’t hear what God is saying without opening your Bible. The message He will reveal is for you! God doesn’t send chain mail. He doesn't want you to get a little word on Sunday. That won't keep you through the week. So open His word and hear Him speak to you daily! After you listen to Him, then don’t forget to talk to Him, too. He actually bends down to hear us. We are His children and He wants to hear from us. We can talk to Him about anything. ~ Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Psalm 116:2 *New Living Translation.
As we tend our natural body and our Spirit in the manner that God prescribes, then we are tending His Grace Garden. The fruit that will be produced will be abundant.
Today’s blog was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s ~ Look Great, Feel Great.
http://www.joycemeyer.org/ Joyce Meyer Ministries
http://www.facebook.com/joycemeyerministries Joyce Meyer Ministries on Facebook
http://www.sparkpeople.com/ Spark People
http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp My Spark Page
No comments:
Post a Comment