It’s why we’re still here. Why God hasn’t taken us home yet. We’re here to plant seeds of God’s truth where ever we go each day. With each person we talk with.
Any chance we get.
As we read about the exciting, exponential growth of the number of Christ-followers in Acts, what we’re seeing is the seeds that Jesus planted starting to sprout.
Lots of seeds.
Jesus had committed 3 years of his life to planting seeds of grace and truth and love.
And the stories had spread.
The seeds were watered by God.
And now, we start reading about the results.
In Acts 6, we read that a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. The religious community was also turning toward the light. These were the same people who yelled, “Crucify him.”
But the Truth had changed them. The Holy Spirit had opened their eyes.
And the seeds sprouted.
As believers, we are commissioned to plant seeds in our sphere of influence. Today and everyday.
Before Jesus left this earth to go to heaven, he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift that his Father had promised.
And we have it.
The gift of the Holy Spirit living within us –
opening our eyes to grace and truth in God’s word.
convicting us of sin so we can repent and turn away from it.
leading us in the paths God has planned for us.
helping us really know God.
And the Holy Spirit won’t leave us.
But we can avoid listening to him.
We can tune out his influence in our lives.
We can let our own voice and the voices of others drown him out.
These are all crooked paths leading to darkness.
OR
We can stop listening to all of the lies and negativity around us as we focus on the truth and love we read in God’s word. When we’re listening, the Holy Spirit will lead us to the knowledge of God and will guide us in each step we take.
We can choose to honestly repent – plugging into the power of the Holy Spirit living within us to help us change. To help us become more like Jesus.
We can step out of our comfort zones and let God use us for his purposes and for his glory.
We can let the Holy Spirit transform every part of our lives – starting with our thoughts.
These are all great choices that lead us into the light of Jesus. Onto the path of the obedient and faithful.
Do believers go right to heaven or do we ‘sleep’ until Judgement day?
Jesus clears up this debate in one simple sentence to the thief on the cross.
“Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Today.
There is no waiting.
We step out of this world right into the next.
Home.
With our Father in Heaven forever.
Whatever ends our life on earth is the same thing that begins our life in our eternal home.
God’s perspective of death on earth for a believer is so different from ours. When our purpose on earth is fulfilled, he gets to bring us out of this world which includes pain and sadness and brokenness into his home of peace and love and completeness.
Thank you, Father, for the truth you have given us through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
We are grateful for your son, Christ Jesus, who brought your grace into this world for each one of us when we believe.
We ask that you enrich our words and inhabit our thoughts with your wisdom. Confirm your truth in our lives every day, dear Father.
We are grateful for the gift of your spirit living within us as we eagerly wait for Jesus’ return. Please keep us firmly rooted in you, dear Father – all the way to the end of our purpose here on earth.
Thank you for your faithfulness to us, dear God. Thank you for the personal relationship we have with you.
We are memorizing Proverbs 3 together. So many great promises from God!
“My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the site of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your ownunderstanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruit of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. My child, do not despise the Lords discipline and do no resent his rebuke because the Lord disciplinesthose he loves, as a father, the daughter he delights in.
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, who gains understanding. For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all of her paths are peace. “
Great job! Here is the next verse:
“She is a tree of life to those who embrace her – those who lay hold of her will be blessed.”
Embracing wisdom = life.
Embracing wisdom = blessings.
And we know where wisdom comes from. Our Father God.
When we seek him, call out for insight, cry aloud for understanding, search for it as for hidden treasure – God gives us wisdom.
As we take hold of wisdom by memorizing God’s word, we are being blessed.
We get lost in the details and we lose sight of the big picture.
We want to follow God but we let obstacles get in our way.
We say we get confused because God doesn’t give us step-by-step instructions.
Do we really want to devote our lives to a god who gives us step-by-step instructions?
To a god who doesn’t work through each of us uniquely? Personally? Supernaturally?
We say we don’t have time.
Don’t get me started! If I started listed all of the ways we waste time, there would be no end to the list. Time is only an obstacle to our relationship with God if we let it be an obstacle.
“I don’t know how to follow God.”
Seriously? There are buildings called Christian Book Stores that are filled with resources on how to follow God. Amazon has a ton of resources that can be at your front door tomorrow. Churches and Bible study groups are everywhere.
My Bible is my most valuable resource in learning to know and love God. Today it is open to John 15, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”
Remain.
Be still.
Be consistent.
Persevere.
Store up his words within us.
Call out for insight.
Cry aloud for understanding.
Search for God’s wisdom like it is hidden treasure.
When we commit to a serious relationship with God, he grows his fruit through us. A lot of fruit.
Or, we can choose to do ‘nothing’ of value to God on our own.
What an awesome thing God is doing as we memorize his word! There is no way I could do this if God wasn’t helping me.
“My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the site of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruit of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. My child, do not despise the Lords discipline and do no resent his rebuke because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father, the daughter he delights in.
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, who gains understanding. For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire compares with her.
This section describing wisdom as a woman is really interesting to memorize. It is easy to picture her in my mind. Here’s the next verses:
‘Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all of her paths are peace.’
It’s a waste of time to try to figure out when Jesus is coming back. Jesus tells us several times in the gospels to be prepared each day because no one knows the date and time he will return except for the Father.
Jesus directs us to keep watch.
To be ready.
There are no commands to try to interpret Revelations so we can point it out when all of the events are lining up. He doesn’t tell us to critically watch world events so we can identify the third seal and the fourth seal.
I have actually had more than one person say to me that Jesus can’t come back yet because something they are interpreting in Revelations hasn’t happened yet.
Oh, really?!
I think Jesus meant it when he said it was not for us to know that date and time the Father has determined he will come back.
Our misinterpretations will not stop him from coming back today if that is what the Father has planned.
Jesus tells us not to focus on predicting when he will return. He clearly commands us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and mind. And love our neighbors as ourselves.
These are our priorities today.
We should always be prepared for Jesus’ return. We do this by listening and obeying.
We are memorizing Proverbs 3 together. Yes, it’s a long chapter. But that’s ok, we have this discipline of memorizing scripture going in our lives and we’re not going to stop. So we have time 🙂
“My child, do not forget my teachings but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the site of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruit of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. My child, do not despise the Lords discipline and do no resent his rebuke because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father, the daughter he delights in.
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, who gains understanding. For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. ”
Such awesome wisdom from God! As we soak in your word, dear Father, please change us, renew us, make us wise.
“Nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor.”
Nothing we desire compares to having wisdom.
And we get it for free from God who gives generously to all who ask .
This is the nugget of truth that just keeps repeating within God’s word.
Over and over.
And we’re soaking this in as we memorize his word.
We’re asking for your wisdom, Father.
We only want a long life if it’s lived well with you at the center.
We only want riches and honor if they are the right ones for us because they come from you.
You have promised in James 1 that you generously give wisdom to us when we ask. But when we ask, we must believe and not doubt. We believe it, please help us live it out.
Come with me on a Journey through the Bible 