I have to agree that it has been a long time since I have said that and even more so - felt that. Monday ... Thank you Lord for Monday morning. Yesterday was a tough day in many ways. Without going into details - lets just say that family pain is the most painful. I got to experience a Grace in my life like never before and I also got to extend Grace like never before. With not a dry in the house ... it was said afterwards that this was holy ground... I do believe God was in the room leading. A clean slate, forgiveness granted and life moves on. Rock Group last night was probably the most powerful and connected time together that I think we have ever experienced. Its times like these when a family - centered around Christ - is an amazing and wonderful experience. Far too often our earthly families have issues and they are full of struggles, sin, separation, greed and selfishness .... but coming together centered around Jesus is just an awesome way to do life with people. Jesus called the first small group and set the bar and example pretty high. It shows us the benefit of doing life with others and sharing their walk. As followers of Christ - we are not meant to walk alone. We are either moving towards God or away from God ..... and those are choices that we each make. I shared with my rock group family last night that we do have a say in our faith. We get to choose how close to God we want to be. Its up to us because He hasnt moved.
Last week I attended a leadership forum on-line from SaddleBack Church. Pastor Rick Warren and many other leaders got to speak and share the church/disciple vision and I will tell you that I ran out of paper taking notes. Powerful messages that we all need to hear from these awesome God loving and God serving leaders of our local churches today. Just fires me up thinking about that and would love to watch that again in the very near future.
I wanted to wrap up today with a passage I got to talk to some of "MyKids" last night with. Its the parable of the sower which is found in;
Matthew 13:18-23
The Meaning of the Harvest Story 18-19"Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. 20-21"The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. 22"The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. 23"The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams."
We all have good fertile soil in our hearts. We all have the capability to reap a harvest in our lives. We grow by letting Christ live through us. Its not about what would Jesus do? ... its about DOING what Jesus would do. Sometimes we have to get upset at some things. We have to be compassionate about some things. We have to extend grace and mercy for some things. We have to uncomfortable about some things. We have to have those hard conversations about some things. We have to sacrifice over some things.... and those "some things" are not just objects or situations they include people as well. We have to be intentional, persistent and focused.
You have the good soil loved ones..... and even good soil needs some work from time to time. If you don't see or value the importance of God in your everyday life - then He will never grow with a 100 fold harvest in your life. Something that he promises each of us through His words.
You can't grow in Jesus unless you love him; You can't love Jesus if you don't grow in Him.
Love you today Monday!
Lonnie~
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