In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
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Father chose this flower today, to teach me a two-part object lesson. I really like morning glories. I bought a packet of morning glory and moon flower seeds in the early spring and I planted them with relish. I checked every day, then every week or so, for my flowers to grow and bloom, nothing happened. Eventually, I gave up on them and decided I'd wait and try again, next year.
This morning, I went out early for a walk, enjoying that early morning, crisp cool air. When I returned, I happen to look over at the gate post, and there it was: a morning glory! I started laughing, and promptly took out my phone to snap several pictures. I liked that the honey bee photo-bombed! I praised the Lord and suddenly understood: Object Lesson Part A: Even when we've given up, God never does. He doesn't forget, either. Blessings come in His time, not ours and they are often, unexpected. I went on about my morning, and every time I glanced out, I saw that bright purple blossom, and I smiled and thanked Father. Several hours later, I walked over to the little flower bed that morning glory was growing out of, and saw that several weeds were coming up between the mums. I decided I'd do a quick bit o' weeding, so I could put down some mulch. There I was, hastily yanking at the weeds, grabbing handfuls beneath the mums and pulling them out. Unwittingly, I grabbed the stem of the morning glory, and I had yanked it out before I knew what I was doing. Needless to say, I very disappointed in myself. :-( Object Lesson Part B: Our own rash, hasty and impulsive actions can kill our blessings. We like to blame satan but many times, he doesn't have to do a doggone thing, except sit back and watch. We point the finger at the enemy when something fails, but never stop to think that the failure was our own fault. The Word says to "let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth" and that "the power of life and death are in the tongue." James writes a lot about the tongue, how it is such a small thing to cause so much damage. God is good and just and wants to bless His children. Yet, our own corrupt, wagging, deathly tongue destroys blessings. The devil doesn't have to steal the blessing, all we have to do is say something contrary to the Word of God. That is exactly what corrupt communication is, words of death instead of words of life. The Word tells us to be sober-minded, to remember that we were bought with a price and that in all things, we give thanks unto the Lord. What is sober-minded? It is self-control. Self-control comes through prayer and reading the Word. Self-control means we don't act rashly, but we think before we act or speak, we observe and we are not reactionary. I confess, that I have trouble with impulse-buying. I can't say how many times I've been suckered in by get-fit-quick late night infomercials, or the neat little do-dads in the check-out line at Wal-Mart. I know that it is bad stewardship and I try not to give in. My loving Heavenly Father has very recently shown me, that it's not just bad stewardship, it's idolatry. I'm being selfish and I'm giving in to the god of self. That's idolatry. There's another evil altar I must tear down in my life, and replace with an altar to the Lord. So, now I look at the picture above, and I will always remember His object lesson. I pray that Father in His mercy will allow more plants to bloom (I'm hoping that wasn't the only vine!). Whether they do or not, I thank you, Abba, for teaching me. Ephesians 4:29 Proverbs 18:21 James 3 1 Peter 5:8 1 Corinthians 6:20 1 Thessalonians 5:18
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AuthorLike Israel who wondered in the wilderness 40 years, I have at last, come out of my own wilderness. The Lord has been speaking and now I am finally able to hear... at last, I have discovered my calling (in part, at least!) ArchivesCategoriesThe above pictures are some of my own, original art. If you would like an original painting, drawing or perhaps a copy of the above or a print, please contact me for details. [email protected]
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