God – Page 2 – View From My Shoes

Purpose of Fruit

Just as a tree produces fruit to reproduce, so should we.

Scott and I have a crabapple tree in our back yard that provides beautiful pink blooms in the spring and deep dark foliage in the summer and fall. It is a beautiful tree except for the fruit that falls off of it each year. These little round balls of mess get on the dog’s feet leaving pink stains everywhere. There is also a blanket of seeds around the tree that get chunked across the yard by the mower. Worst of all, you guessed it, more trees growing all over the yard. Little science lesson here, the main role fruit plays other than a tasty snack is to spread seeds. This is referred to as seed dispersal, and allows the plant to reproduce.

In John 15:16 Jesus tells his disciples, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” We are to bear/produce fruit. How do we do that? Two steps. First, earlier in John 15, Jesus says, “abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.” We have to abide, linger, remain, dwell, with God to produce fruit. We have to spend time with Him daily to produce fruit. Secondly, Galatians 5:16-23 instructs us to walk in the spirit, not in the flesh. It then explains that when we are full of the Spirit, we produce fruit. The fruit here is listed as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” God clearly desires that we produce fruit.

I want to circle back around to the purpose of fruit – to reproduce. Jesus didn’t command the disciples to produce fruit to look good. He also didn’t command them to compare how much fruit they could produce. They were to produce fruit to glorify God and spread his love and faithfulness to others. We are to do the same.

I don’t just ask you if you are producing fruit. While that is necessary, the question for today is are you sharing your fruit and planting seeds? Are you loving others? Do you model patience and kindness with the people who cross your path? How are you share your fruit and plant seeds?

Trust God vs Doing it Yourself

Why do we try to solve our own problems instead of just trusting God? This is what He desires.

When Scott and I are driving somewhere new, we take completely opposite approaches. If I have any sort of idea where I’m going, I’m determined to find the location on my own. This often involves a U-turn or two. I use Google Maps only when I finally realize I cannot find the location, or if I’m going to be late because I keep backtracking. Scott on the other hand will use Google Maps right from the start. He has no problem trusting the map and letting it guide him. He just plugs in the address and heads to his destination without any worries. I however try to rely on my own skills. Grant it, this often resorts in honking horns as I abruptly change lanes or undue stress because I’m at the wrong place. Frequently I end up using the map despite my best efforts.

We have the same options when it comes to trusting God with our lives. Many times as Christians we feel we need to do it on our own. Maybe it is the theory that I got myself into this mess, I can get myself out. Maybe it is if I work hard enough, I can make this happen. If I keep pouring into this relationship, it will get better. I have to fix this before anyone finds out. Honestly, it can be any problem you are facing. We try to figure it out ourselves instead of trusting God. Otherwise, we wait until we have tried it ourselves and are out of options. Only then do we decide to reach out and ask God for help.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tell us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” This Proverb tells us not only should we trust God instead of ourselves, but when we do, He will direct our paths. Just like the time and stress I could save by using a map, we can save ourselves heartache and costly mistakes. We also experience a lack of peace that wouldn’t be necessary if we acknowledge God by trusting our problem to Him. We must let go and trust Him.

Right now ask yourself, what are you trying to do yourself that needs to be turned over and trusted to God? What is keeping you up at night or always on your mind because you are working around the clock to solve a problem that God wants to help you solve? Take that problem and place it in this this verse. Make it a personal prayer.

I trust in you Lord with all of my heart to _________. I am not leaning on myself, but calling out to you so you can direct my path.

Refuge or Strength – God’s got you Covered

Choosing your battles is hard. There are some battles worth fighting and some that are not yours to fight.

First of all, the hummingbird picture has nothing to do with this blog other than he was buzzing around all morning while I was reading and then while I was writing this blog, so I thought I would include him.

When my kids were growing up, one of the biggest decisions I had to make was what to ignore and what to take up as an issue. Looking back, I probably could have let more go than I did. Why was I so dogmatically insistent that they brush their teeth every single night no matter what? Did I think missing one night would cause all of their teeth would fall out, or that they wouldn’t brush their teeth as an adult if I let one night slip by? When they were teenagers, I learned to let it go that a week’s worth of clothes were on the floor. It just wasn’t worth the fight. However, when we reached the point that we were out of cereal bowls because they were all in my son’s room, that had to be addressed.

The same is true as a leader. What battles do I need to stand up and fight compared to what battles do I need to duck and cover because they will run their course and be short lived. Neither option is easy. Taking up the battle and addressing a problem head on is hard and takes courage. It is equally hard to let something go even though you know that it is a temporary problem, not worth the energy or the repercussions of making it a big deal.

In Psalm 46:1 when the psalmist wrote that God is our refuge and our strength, look, he is telling us God is there for either situation. He is there to be our refuge, our shelter, when we need to hunker down and ride out the storm or when we need to stay in the bunker of God’s refuge and let God fight the battle. Conversely, God is our strength when we find our self on the front line in what might feel like hand-to-hand combat.

Whether you are in the middle of a storm with your health or enduring a challenge at work that is out of your control, rest assured and rest in God’s refuge. Furthermore, if you are fighting for your marriage or fighting against an addiction, fight, and fight hard, knowing that God will provide the strength that you need. No matter your situation or what you need, God is our ever-present help when needed.

Know that I am the Lord

God wants to be known as Lord. Do you know Him as Lord?

As you are getting dressed for your Super Bowl party tonight or anytime you might be attending a sporting event, you most likely dawn a team jersey or dress in team colors. We do that so everyone knows what team we are cheering for. When Scott and I head to an OSU game, we are dressed from head to toe in orange so there is no doubt that we are OSU fans.

In Exodus, from the time Moses went back to Egypt until the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, God said at least ten times that He would be known as the Lord. Some examples: “say to the Israelites: I am the Lord” 6:6, “By this you will know that I am the Lord” 7:17, or “the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord” 14:4. God wanted everyone to know who He was and who He still is today.

Now in Exodus, God was turning water to blood and other various plagues to make Himself known. Today, God is known by the peace He provides during troubling times. He is known when He puts events in place that no one else could have orchestrated. He is known when we read His word.

God can be known as Lord if we look for Him. Know the Lord and know that He can be present in your life. Romans 8:28, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” That is, He works that we will know Him.

Finally, ask that your actions will make you known to others as a follower of Christ. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father” Colossians 3:17.

God is our protector

Like our phones, we have a protector. God is always there to keep us safe.

Recently I had to buy a new phone. I’m not the techie type of phone person who buys a phone every time a new version comes out. I hold on to mine as long as I can before investing in a new one. While I don’t often buy a new phone, I do like a cute case and change them often. So, as they were transferring everything over to my new phone, I was shopping for a cute case. There were no cases in the AT&T store that I was even willing to carry until I could get some ordered, so I headed to Target with my new phone. I was a nervous wreck; my phone felt very vulnerable as I walked through Target without it in a case. It’s funny how much security a phone case offers. I drop my phone all of the time without worry, but I knew I could not drop it now because it was unprotected.

I can think of so many times in my life I felt vulnerable, unprotected, all alone, or even abandoned. You may feel this way right now. You have a bill you cannot pay, or a problem bigger than you can fix. Your latest doctor visit didn’t go as planned. It feels someone at work is out to get you. I don’t know what problem you might be facing, but you are not facing it without the protection that God offers us.

In Exodus 14:14 the Israelites see the Egyptian army closing in on them. They had to feel unprotected, vulnerable. However, Moses told them to stand still. God was their protector and would fight for them. All they had to do was stand and watch. We are also told in Psalms 91:14, “The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Think about how safe and comfortable you are throwing your phone around when it has a cover on it. We should feel the same sense of safety knowing we are covered by the Blood of Jesus. We are safe. We are protected.

Prepared for Tomorrow

I try to prepare for tomorrow, but I have to put tomorrow in God’s hands.

The last thing I do every evening before I leave the office is check my calendar for the next day. I just want to make sure I know what the next day holds. I check to make sure that if I have a meeting, I am prepared for that meeting. I check to see if I need to send out any reminders. Most importantly, I check to see what dress attire will be needed according to what is on my calendar and whether I need to pack a lunch or if I will be out of the office at lunch time. When I leave the office each evening, I want to be fully prepared for the next day so I don’t have to think about it once I have left.

The bible speaks to the importance of being prepared and working hard. Bluntly saying in Proverbs 10:4 that “lazy men are soon poor,” and even making references to how the ants work in the summer to prepare for the winter (Proverbs 6:6-8). It is important that I am prepared for the day in front of me, but what is equally important that once I am prepared, I put that behind me and go home. I don’t spend my evening worrying about what tomorrow may hold. I cannot be 100% prepared for tomorrow because I can’t know everything that will happen tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” This verse is found at the end of the chapter where Jesus is telling the multitudes not to worry about where their next meal or clothing will come from because God feeds the birds and clothes the lilies of the field. While it is important to prepare, you cannot get caught up with worry and anxiety about tomorrow. Continually worrying about “what if” will rob you of the peace God has intended for you. Learning to do your part to be prepared and then turning everything else over to God is not easy. However, I can tell you without any hesitation that God is trustworthy, and he will take care of your tomorrows.

Entangling Vines

Scott and I went on a hike over spring break and about half-way through our hike, we came upon a tree with a large vine growing around it. The vine had been wrapped around the tree for so long that the tree was growing around and over the top of the vine. I couldn’t get its deformed image out of my mind the rest of the hike.

Now, I understand that the tree itself doesn’t have the ability to get rid of the vine, but what bothered me the most was the way the tree appeared to have become very comfortable even adapted to the entanglement of the vine around it. The tree just kept going on with its life which for a tree means it just kept growing up and out. However, because of the vine, it grew in a different shape than designed.

I believe as Christians, we often do the same thing. There are sins or hindrances in our lives that instead of removing them, we just become very comfortable with them. We adapt and move on with the choking vine preventing us from normal growth or the growth God has planned for us. I know one of mine is the entangling vine of busyness. One night last week I had a cancelation, so after dinner was fixed and put away, I found myself with an unscheduled hour and half. I embarrassingly really didn’t know what to do with this free time. In Ecclesiastes 4:4-8 we are told that it is a fool who toils to please others. Now, in this story, Solomon warns that we shouldn’t just fold our hands and do nothing, but one handful of quietness is better than two handfuls of working all the time just to gain what others have.

Right after the evening with some unexpected free time, I was reading the book Emotionally Healthy Spiritually. The last few chapters of this book focuses on spending quiet time in God’s presence and keeping the Sabbath. When you are as entwined with busyness, as I have allowed myself to be, you cannot keep the commandments of the Sabbath, and your life begins to look like the tree we spotted on our hike. God has so much more for us when we live without vines in our life.

Reflecting on this, I realize I also struggle with always wanting more. Not always new things, but also more work. As soon as I get one job around the house finished, I find another one. If I can get this done, the yard will look better. If I paint that wall, that room will be complete. “If only” is a vine that chokes and twists around us like none other. Hebrews 13:5 speaks to this. “Let your conduct be without covetousness be content with such things as you have.” Always wanting more can be another choking vine.

Enough about all the vines I have in my life. What vines are twisted around you in your life? Vines we just live with every day. Vines we just work around because we have become very comfortable with them. Vines we don’t even recognize as holding us back from what God has intended for us. I pray that you find your vines and prune them from your life, so you do not become misshapen as the tree in this picture, but can grow into the beautiful tree you were created to be.

Open Doors

God opens doors. Are you prepared to walk through them?

I don’t like to make rush decisions nor am I very spontaneous. At work when someone proposes a new idea, my first reaction is to buy time – time to check with others that might be affected, time to read up on the idea, time to think. I’m the same way at home. Scott will throw out an idea, “Let’s go eat at this BBQ place I just saw on FB.” I have to process this suggestion. I start thinking through everything. “Well, I have pork chops thawed out,” or “what time will we get home?” It is hard for me to just say “Sure, let’s go!” I like to have time to mentally prepare.

There are times when God asks me to do something where I have plenty of time to prepare. When asked to teach a class or speak to a group, I have time to prepare the lesson. I have time to pray and think through everything. However, there are times when God opens a door that requires spontaneity. The other day while standing in line to checkout with my groceries, a lady asked me about the shirt I was wearing. It was a shirt from church that said North Women Discipleship. I didn’t have time to stop and pray about my answer. I didn’t have time to practice what I was going to say. I had to give her an answer right then. God opened a door while standing in line at Crest, and I had to be ready.

Preparation for these times or opportunities has to take place in advance. This is why it is important to stay in the word and to regularly spend time in prayer. We need to be prepared for these opportunities. David gives us an excellent example of this. He spent years out in the fields watching over the sheep. He spent time in prayer and praise. He was anointed as king, and he was called into Saul’s court as an armorbearer. He was prepared for whatever door was opened for him. Little did he know when he was sent on an errand to deliver some dried grain, cheese and loaves of bread to his brothers that a door would open for him to jump through. Once David hears of the situation with Goliath, he doesn’t ask for time to go pray, he doesn’t need time to go practice. He simply walks through the open door and says, “Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:32) David did not have to go and pray or go prepare. He was ready.

While I don’t think my nature will ever love surprises or completely unplanned events. However, I do want to always be prepared to walk through the doors that the Lord opens for me.

Correctly Applied Trust

Maybe the cabinet door can’t hold me up, but the Lord can.

I take a lot of pride in the fact that I can play on the floor with my grandbabies and then stand up fairly gracefully with a baby in each arm. Just standing up without using your arms can be a trick, but doing it with an extra 40 pounds makes it interesting. Evidently though, I am unable to bend over and get a dishwasher pod without leaning heavily on the cabinet door. Last night while bent over and leaning on the cabinet, it gave away. Evidently, from the numerous times I have leaned on the door in the past, it couldn’t hold me up last night. I did not face plant, but I do have a bruised knee from the unexpected loss of support.

This made me think about where we look for support in life. Who do you view as your provider? Who do you turn to for answers? All too often we think our job will take care of our financial needs, or that credit card is there as our back up if we need it. I’ve relied on my spouse as my main problem fixer. While he has earned credit towards this title for tasks such as fixing the cabinet door I just broke, he can’t fix everything. Not even our government, our church, our savings account or our image can guide us through life. The Lord is our only provider. He is our sole source.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3 & 4

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5 & 6

There have been times in my life where God was all I had. He provided peace; He provided comfort; He provided wisdom. No person, no item, could provide what God provided.

Finding the Perfect Gift

Spending time with friends and family gives you insight to what they want just as spending time with God allows you to know what He wants in your life.

I have this theory about gift buying. If you spend time with someone, watch and pay attention, you will have an idea what to get them for Christmas. You won’t have to ask them what they want. You will hear them talk about what they like, what they need, or you will get to know how they like to spend their time and what their favorite things are. You will also learn what they don’t like. You shouldn’t have to ask what they want. This theory works out better some years than others. Of course for the family that lives out of state, we don’t see them often. I don’t know what they need or want. I have to call and ask.

Theories are just that, an idea that tries to explain something. However, without a doubt I can tell you this theory does apply to our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The more time we spend with Him, time in prayer, time in the word, the more we will know what He wants. In Jeremiah 9:24, we are told, “Let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me.” We are expected to know the Lord and keep a relationship with Him. It is because we know Him and spend time with Him that we know what He wants in our life. He wants us to honor Him and be full of the Fruit of the Spirit, but we only know how that is lived out in our life if we are spending time with Him. We are told again in 1 John 2:3 & 4, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar.”

As we are rushing around trying to find the perfect gift for our family and spending time with our loved ones, don’t forget to spend time with the One who loves us the most. This is the only way you will know what He desires from you.