Savour

It’s Friday! So joining with the #Five Minute Friday Community of writers to write for 5 minutes on a one Word prompt. Today’s prompt is: Savour.

First of all to all the American Writers out there in the community, this is how we spell ‘Savour’ (Savor) in the UK.! Just so you know that it is not a spelling mistake!!

So what do I like to savour? Well good food, good wine, good coffee, good books, the luxuries and comforts of a good hotel, the wind in my face, the sun on my skin, the company of family and friends.

And yet do I really savour these things? Do I really take the time to dwell in the moment, soak these things up, enjoy them to the full?

Probably like a lot of people, Lockdown has taught me to savour, to appreciate so much of what I took for granted before.

Lockdown has taught me to slow. Slow and savour the daily bounties that God lavishes upon us. Slow and savour the company of family and friends when so many have been bereft of these things. Slow and savour more time at home, in the garden, out on walks, appreciating the beauty of creation.

I want to keep that. I want to continue to slow. I want to continue to savour all that the Lord brings onto my path each day.

It is All in the Soil

I have been busy over the past month or so preparing the soil on my new raised beds for growing soft fruits.  It has been a lot of work, hard work, unseen work, but the work put in now will far outweigh the future benefits and a full crop of fruits!

So what preparation have I done?

Well I have filled by raised beds with a mixture of soil, compost, sand and seaweed.  I have layered them.  I have turned them over, mixed them in, dug out the stones and put in lots of good nutrients to give the plants the best chance there is to put down good roots to withstand times of drought or flood and to produce a bountiful harvest!

As I was working, toiling away at this I was ofcourse thinking of the similarities in the spiritual life.  How we need to prepare our soil so that we can withstand the day of trouble and bear good fruit for the Lord.

TURN OVER the soil of our hearts that is to get rid of the rocks of unbelief and the stones of doubt. When you turn the soil over, rocks & stones rise to the surface and you can throw them out, get rid of them, don’t give them a place in your heart.

DIG IN the good things which will help feed us, like Bible reading, prayer, holiness, study of scripture, reading & hearing the word of God.

LAYER UP  with the disciplines of  Thankfulness, Repentance, Remembrance, Intercession, Meditation, Fellowship.

SOW in seeds of love, kindness, patience, faithfulness, steadfastness.

GROW deep roots when planted and watered by the Word of God and Prayer

HARVEST right living with God, bearing fruit for Him, giving glory to Him.

All the preparation leads to us THRIVING and this has been my ‘Word’ for the year, but in order to thrive in the drought, in the frost, in the downpours, in the dead of winter, in order for all that we have to put the work in now.  We have to prepare, dig in deep to God’s Word, bring His promises to remembrance, keep short accounts with Him, and in all things have a thankful heart.

The work now will keep us when troubles come, when faith is tested, when circumstances are hard, when we would waver and fall.  Then our roots in Jesus will keep us firm, the layering of disciplines will keep our walk straight and through it all we will thrive and bear fruit for the Lord.

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. [Ps 112:7].

Redeem

Joining again with the #Five Minute Friday Community of writers to write for 5 minutes on a one-word prompt. Today’s prompt is: Redeem

I don’t know about you, but I have certainly been in the midst of tragic, painful circumstance which I have seen no way out and thought that is the way things would always be.

However, no so! God has redeemed my situations – not magically, not over night, not suddenly, not even noticeably! But He has, over the years, He has changed not just my circumstances, but changed me!

³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty – instead of ashes,

the oil of joy  –  instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise    instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

    a planting of the Lord  for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:3

That is what God has done for me, through hard work, through diligence, through working my own programme, God has redeemed-

instead of ashes – a crown of beauty

instead of mourning – joy

instead of a spirit of despair – praise

He has made me an Oak of Righteousness, a planting for the Lord for the glory of His Name.

Whatever our messy story – God can Redeem it!

Possible

Joining with the #Five Minute Friday Community of writers to write for 5 minutes on a one word prompt. Today’s prompt is: Possible.

This was my bible reading this morning:

Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. [Mark 11:22-23]

This passage brings up a few difficulties, is it possible for God to move our mountains? Yes it is. I do believe that, but yet at the same time often my mountains aren’t moved.

I could tie myself in knots trying to come to terms with what this passage means and how the reality of it in my own life can look very different.

However, I do believe that just as God is bigger than our mountains, so is He bigger than our faith, bigger than our prayers and that He doesn’t need our faith or our prayers to carry out His work or fulfill His promises.

Yes I believe all things are possible with God. Yes I believe God can move my mountains, but I also believe that sometimes God keeps the mountains there in front of us so that we rely on Him, so that our faith is in Him and not in our own worked-up faith.

All things are possible with God, even living with a mountain in front of you; even in the sitting waiting for that mountain to move; even in the endurance of the weight of that mountain on you.

God is the God of the impossible even when the impossible is living with a mountain.

The Battle of the Wills

It started in a Garden.

Adam, as a representative of mankind had a suggestion, a lie put to him that God was with holding something good from him and if he just had that thing he would be so wise. Adam believed the lie, He went against God’s wishes; he chose what he thought was good over what God had told him was good.

There actually doesn’t seem to be much of a battle; just a straight surrender to the wrong, to the evil, to the disobedience, to the sin which led to banishment and separation from God.

But another time, another garden there is another battle.

Here we see a ‘second Adam’ and this man is weeping it out, in total anguish of soul, sweating great drops of blood so great is this battle.

This second Adam was facing the punishment the first Adam brought in. The punishment a horrific, agonising death, a death so great that it would lead to separation from His Father. A separation He had never had before even though He was a ‘son of Adam’, a ‘son of Man’, He was also the ‘Son of God’ and He was in agony at the thought. He balked at the thought of it.

The battle was real.

The battle was for the souls of men.

What to do? Was there another way?

So He asked His Father “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me”.

Did He look for another way? Did He hope for another way? Or did He just know that there was no other way?

So He surrendered.

Battle Won.

Not my Will.

BUT Yours be done.

The Second Adam won where the first Adam failed. The Second Adam could redeem what the first Adam broke. The Second Adam surrendered His will for that of His Father’s; He surrendered in the battle over wills so that there would be victory for the souls of men.

Which battle are you fighting today? Where do you need to surrender? Where do you need to say – Not my Will, but Yours be done?