God - the only life-giver {when things look dead}

I have been back out into my garden again.  For those who are relatively new to the blog, I LOVE my garden.  I used to think I didn't like gardening, but that was when I had no garden to work with!  Now?  I love it! I am no expert, and I don't spend every waking hour in there, but I love seeing colour appear, and the satisfaction of encouraging life into my little corner of God's creation.

Another thing you will quickly observe, is how my garden is God's lesson book for me.  Time after time, He teaches me valuable lessons from what I see in my garden.

This week has been no exception.

Always - ALWAYS - it's perfect timing.

I have always LOVED clematis.  (How do YOU say it? CLEM-a-tis? clem-AH-tis? clem-AY-tis?....)

I already had one growing up the side of the house, intertwined as it grows, with the scents mingling together, with wisteria and jasmine. The thing is, it grew at the SIDE of my house.  The only thing that is there is a path and the BINS! So, I decided we needed one somewhere more obvious.  By the front door.  I went to the garden centre and carefully examined all the pictures and descriptions, and chose the one I liked the most.  It was purple (no surprise to those who know me well!), with  pretty, double-headed flower.

The first summer I got ONE flower.

ONE!

I was a bit disappointed, but it was a start.

Then, winter came.

And, my clematis looked like it had died.

It was brown, withered, and dried up.  It spanned the space it had grown, but any signs of life had GONE!

I consulted my more experienced mother, and she reassured me that clematis DOES that! It looks dead, but life will return.

Sure enough, spring came, and life returned.  It didn't require me to prune, water, or feed.  The life came back with no input from me at all, whatsoever.

This spring, the same thing is happening again, but as it starts to send out flowers, there is also growth, and MORE FLOWERS are appearing! I can't wait to see how it turns out this year, with more blooms to cheer up the wall it grows along.

I have had a challenging week, in many ways.  Life can be like that - did you know?

Yep, you know, don't you?  Those weeks when the challenges pull you into a sense of despair, and you need to call out to the Holy Spirit to renew you and give you the strength you need.

That plant, and the re-emergence of "life", drew my mind to my children.  I have struggles with them, as they exhibit challenging behaviour. They push all the wrong buttons, and stretch me to the very limit of my patience and grace.  They sin.  They "fail".  Sometimes, there just seems to be so little life, in a spiritual sense.

Then it dawned on me, as I gazed at my clematis.  I lovingly planted it.  I watered it as it grew. I made sure it had a trellis to grow up, and I gently encouraged it to grow up in the right direction.  I learnt about how it grows and  I covered its roots to protect them, as I knew it needed. I did all I could, but ultimately, I can't give that plant any life.  Only GOD gives life.  Only He can give "the increase".

"So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

I Corinthians 3:7

Oh, how I needed to remember that, with my children.  God, so very kindly, and graciously, has entrusted my children into my care.  I have to look after them, nourish them, and train them up. I, however, cannot breathe spiritual life into their souls.

ONLY GOD CAN.

They may look "dead", as I go through different seasons.  The evidence of spiritual life may be absent, or very faint, but I can't create it in their hearts and souls.  God can.  He is able, and I just need to trust Him, and wait for the "spring-time" to come, in their lives.  I need to keep training, watering and caring for them, and patiently wait for the signs of life to come, in HIS time.

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."

Lamentations 3:26

We need to keep our hope in the Lord, and quietly wait for Him to do the work in their hearts.

It's so easy to become "weary in well doing".  We keep labouring, and pouring our energy into the lives of our precious children.  Growth and development may seem scarce. But, the promise is there..

"for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not"

Galatians 6:9

It's hard to wait for the blooming to happen, but the patience is worth it.  We WILL reap, if we don't give up, and keep on sowing in faith.

How to have a cheerful week {believe God's promises}

My daily readings brought me to the end of Acts, today. I must confess, I can't read chapter 27 without having flashbacks to my hubby's days in Bible College.  As they had such a busy schedule, with classes and work (as in, work to earn money!), sermons were often preached more than once.  Needless to say, the fellow college students, and any wives accompanying them on deputation meetings, got to the stage where THEY could have preached the sermons themselves! On the whole, it was a good thing - especially when it was a particularly noteworthy sermon.

The verse that struck me today was one that was the basis for such a sermon.

It's a verse of encouragement - of hope - of courage - of CHEER!

"be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."

Acts 27:25

This narrative in scripture is one of the most detailed there is, regarding a journey.  We have a blow by blow account (no pun intended....) of the stormy journey that Paul undertook, to get to Rome.  He was on his way to speak to Caesar, which was his right as a Roman citizen, after being arrested in Jerusalem.  The journey didn't go quite how the crew expected.  They tried to judge the best time to sail on their journey, and Paul even gave them warning about setting sail.  However, sail they did, and shipwreck ensued.  

Before they got to the point of shipwreck, we read the verse I have shared.  It follows a message from Paul, speaking of an angel of God who had come to Paul, telling him that he WOULD go to Rome, and the entire populous of the ship would be saved, alive.  

The ship was literally being torn apart, and they were chucking things over the side as fast as they possibly could, in attempts to save the ship from going down. A storm so bad, that the experienced crew had given up all hope that they would be saved.

But God, Himself came to Paul. Paul, when retelling the visit, says "Whose I am, and whom I serve" That is GOD.  No other! In the midst of the storm, He gave Him a promise.  They would be saved.

He had been given a promise.

He believed the promise.

He claimed the promise as his own.

He knew it was true.  It gave him peace, confidence, and CHEER, in the midst of a STORM!

Now, do you see?... God didn't say "I am going to the the storm away".

No.  That was not the promise.

The promise was that he would get THROUGH the storm.

In fact, the storm gathered momentum, and continued for days more, with more drama and attempts to lighten the ship. The sailors had got to the point of fasting, and Paul urged them to eat, assuring them they WOULD be saved! Not only that, but he continues to keep his eyes firmly upon honouring God, and being a faithful witness, by breaking bread with them, and giving thanks to God for the food, before them all. The next day, they find a creek to ground their ship in, and they all jump ship -   and, as God promised Paul, they all survived the ordeal!

As you head into a new week, there may be storms in your life.  There may be struggles and difficulties, that make you feel surrounded by darkness, like Paul had been in (Acts 27:20). Dark, hard days, can make us feel overwhelmed and weak.  But, you, too can have cheer.

We have the SAME God that Paul loved and served, as our Saviour.  He has given us many precious promises in His Word, and we need only to meet with Him to receive fresh joy, hope and cheer.

It may be a verses simply recalled from memory, in a time of need.  THAT is God giving you cheer.

It may be a verse you see on a wall, in a book, or on the Internet.  Perfect timing, and cheer in the storm.

The best source, of course, is the regular reading of His precious Word - His balm to our soul, His comfort to our heart, and His courage in our trials.  His voice - His Word - His promises - all ready to bring us cheer.

Some of my favourites are the "fear not" verses. These verses whisper "Peace, be still" to my soul.  They don't always cause the storm to cease, and like Paul, they may just need to be ridden out.  But peace in the heart brings calm to the situation.  Knowing that I don't have to fear the storm, brings great cheer.

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Hebrews 13:6 

You see that?  We can even be BOLD in our trials. Not just get through them, but being BOLD! WOW!   Knowing that God is our helper takes away any fear  - especially the fear that can come because of other people, and the way they treat us.  

 "For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

Isaiah 41:13 

Such a precious verse.  Just as we mothers will hold our child's hand, to give them a sense of safety and security, so God "holds our hand", and takes our fear away.  WE can have cheer, because God is holding our hand, through the trials.

"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

Fear not: for I am with thee:"

Isaiah 43:1-2, 5

Precious, precious thought.

God.  The one who created us, and formed us in our mother's womb.  God, who has redeemed us from sin, and the punishment of death.  The one who has called us by name.  The one who OWNS us - who we belong to.

We, who are HIS.

We don't need to fear when we pass through waters.  He will be with us.

We don't need to fear, because He is with us through the deep rivers.  They won't overflow us.

We don't need to fear, because He is with us when we walk through the fire.  It won't burn us.

"Don't be afraid - I am with you"

My sweet friends, you can have cheer today! God has promised us SO much, in His Word.  His promises are faithful and true.  They are dependable.  We can place our hope and trust in God.  He WILL fulfil His promises.

 It doesn't matter what storms you are going through -  be of good cheer - God keeps His promises.