Month: September 2020

Grow Stronger

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

The Bradford Pear Tree is a beautiful fast-growing tree, but it is very weak. It can grow up to up to 15 feet in a little as 5 years.  The average tree only grows about 8-9 feet in 5 years. The tree itself provides shade very quickly but its average lifespan is only 20 years. Most trees live a minimum of 50 years but many live much much longer.

So why I am giving you a horticulture lesson about trees? Because I recently had to cut one down in my backyard that fell apart during a thunderstorm.  Three years ago, I had to cut down another Bradford Pear Tree from my front yard that did the same thing. This got me thinking, why is this happening? Why do these trees keep doing this? I was told that many builders will plant Bradford Pear Trees because they grow so fast and provide shade quickly for the home buyer. But when these trees come down, they could fall on the home and cause significant damage and the cost to remove them is not cheap either. So obviously, faster does not always mean better. Waiting a few more years for a different tree to grow taller and stronger would have been better.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Waiting for God is not easy. Sometimes we many think that he has forgotten about us or does not care. But God often uses the waiting to strengthen us. Just like a tree that takes longer to grow grows stronger, our faith grows stronger when we wait on the Lord.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT) says, “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take time. It will not be delayed.” God has a plan and He will work it out in His perfect timing. Trust God even when you do not understand the waiting. Believe me, God’s plan is worth waiting for.

Lord, please give me patience to wait on your perfect plan. You know what is best I trust in you. Amen.

Are You Ready To Give Forgiveness?

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Forgiveness is easy to say but hard to do. It is in our sinful nature to hold a grudge against someone who has done you wrong or to want revenge for something that has been done to you, your family, or your friends. Sometimes we feel like if we forgive someone, we are letting them off the hook for what they have done to us.

But that is not true. Holding onto the anger, shame and feelings of revenge are not hurting the person that hurt you. They are weighing you down. They are stealing your joy. If you hang on tightly to those feelings, you are not releasing them to God to handle. If your hand is tightly closed in a fist around bitterness, how will you be able to reach out and take ahold of the peace God offers? Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

The fact of the matter is that you are a sinner too. Our perfect God sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. If God can forgive us for all our sins, you can forgive one person for their sins. It is easy to ask God for forgiveness, but difficult to give it to others. I know this from firsthand experience. But if you pray about, like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer (forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us) then our heavenly Father that loves us will grant us forgiveness and help us to forgive.

Lord, thank you for dying on the cross so that our sins are forgiven. Please help us to grant forgiveness to those that have sinned against us. Amen.

Be Encouraged

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I have had a couple of weeks. We all do from time to time. The pressures of life start to pile up and you start to feel overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious. You may find yourself in deep thought, disconnecting from others because you are frozen in fear or indecision.  Or you may submerge yourself into every project you can find just to avoid thinking about what is really going on. But then, God….

God sees you. God knows what is going on in your mind and in your life. He cares about what you are dealing with and wants to help you. How? Through His word (the Bible) and through His people. In Jeremiah 29:12-13 it says “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Isn’t that encouraging to know? That God listens to you and when you seek Him, you will find Him.

The Bible also says in 1Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” God uses His people to intervene in other people’s lives. God puts people in your path that either need encouraging or can encourage you. This encouragement from God will build you up. I received a card on Friday from a dear lady with a compassionate heart and a loving soul. She noticed that I was troubled a few weeks ago and sent words of encouragement to me. The card arrived at just the right time. God’s timing. When I read what she wrote it took my breath away. She wrote just what I needed to hear. Spoke to exactly what I was struggling with. There is no doubt in my mind that God was behind it.  God sees me and encourages me.

Thank you, God, for your perfecting timing and for your words of encouragement. Thank you for your promise to listen when I pray. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I may be guided to be an encouragement to others. Amen