HEIRLOOM SEEDS

Have you ever wondered why there are so many religions?  Why are there several varieties even within denominations?  How do beliefs change from one generation to the next?  Every denomination believes their doctrine is “the truth” and all can “prove it” by tracing their history to the “Original.” So what happened?

Last Spring, I decided to plant a garden.  I prepared the soil and picked out the strongest, healthiest looking plants from the garden supply nursery.  After planting, I tended them with loving care; pulling weeds, daily watering and periodic fertilizing.  In August, my diligence began to pay dividends; I harvested a bumper crop of delicious, beautiful tomatoes.  What I did not know until later, is that this is the first and only crop that these plants will produce because they were grown from HYBRID seeds.  If I save the seeds and plant this spring, I may or may not get delicious, beautiful tomatoes.  If they do grow, they will have a different taste and appearance because I do not have access to the original “parent” plants.  A master gardener has this advice, “You shouldn’t save seeds from HYBRID VEGETABLES because they won’t produce “true” in the next generation.”

Then there are HEIRLOOM SEEDS.  Heirloom seeds are carefully tended and protected.  According to one source, “a true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected and handed down from one family member to another from one generation to another.”  Another important fact regarding Heirloom seeds; they adapt to the soil, climate and conditions they are grown in, making them MORE resistant to pests, diseases and weather extremes. Heirloom seeds contain pure genetic material from the original parent plants and produce the same uncorrupted fruit generation after generation.

If we examine the Christian church history, we find the teachings of the Apostles contained in the Bible, then we come to the Apostolic Fathers who were taught by the Apostles and attempted to carry on the original traditions and teaching.  In the next generation we find the ante-Nicene Fathers and the post-Nicene Fathers.  By this time there were so many teachings, opinions and writings that these men grew more “interested in methods of defending the gospel and less interested in transmitting the gospel in a true and pure form.” (author of quote unknown)  And here we find the BIRTH OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.  The teachings of Jesus and the Apostles became a HYBRID SEED!  RELIGION is always birthed from HYBRID SEED.  Remember, replanting a hybrid seed will produce different fruit every season.  They may still be called tomatoes, they may look, smell and taste like tomatoes but they will never have the purity of the original plant.

1 Peter 1:23 Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.  

Take a look at your life, your theology; are you of HEIRLOOM SEEDS or have you become a HYBRID, producing beautiful fruit for this season and then passing on an uncertain harvest to the next.  The only true test is to measure your seed against that of the parent, which is the WORD OF GOD. It is only the HEIRLOOM SEEDS that will be resistant to the pests, diseases and storms of life.  Extreme measures must be taken to rid yourself of all the HYBRID seed. First, all the thriving Hybrid plants must be pulled up by the roots.  Then we must allow the “Fire of the Holy Spirit” to consume the plants, roots, little cuttings and buried seeds.  Then we must cultivate the soil, allow the Heirloom seeds to take root through study of the Word and water the seedlings with prayer.  Soon the HEIRLOOM SEEDS will grow to beautiful healthy plants, producing fruit and seeds to pass on to the next generation and the next and the next…

UTTERLY DESTROY!!

During my time of devotions, I felt the Lord speak these two words to my heart, “UTTERLY DESTROY.”  I paused, not sure.  Was that really God speaking?  Why would a loving God speak of destruction?  I had been praying for some dear precious people who have made the choice to explore on their own, away from the path God has laid down for them, so why would God say, “Utterly Destroy?”  Surely God wasn’t speaking of these dear ones; this was definitely going to take a little more meditation and a whole lot more prayer.

As I lingered in prayer, God directed me to get up and read the account of King Saul’s disobedience to the command of God, Samuel’s pronouncement of judgment and the end of King Saul’s life…there are lessons to be learned.

Many years before, the nation of Amalek had ambushed Israel as they were making the journey to the Promised Land, it was now time for them to receive the punishment, God had prescribed, for their actions.

1 Samuel 15:2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and UTTERLY DESTROY all that they have, and do not spare them.  But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

I am not sure what went through Saul’s mind as he went to battle.  Perhaps he thought God was unfair or unjust.  Perhaps it seemed such a waste to kill the animals that really had nothing to do with the ambush, besides they could be used for food, trade or breeding OR even to sacrifice to God.  Whatever thought process led Saul to make the choice to disobey the command of God, the Bible does not say but the decision to not UTTERLY DESTROY was the beginning of Saul’s UTTER DESTRUCTION.

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to UTTERLY DESTROY them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

BE SURE YOUR DISOBEDIENCE WILL FIND YOU OUT!!!  It wasn’t long before God sent Samuel to confront Saul regarding his disobedience to the command of God.  Saul is told that because of his disobedience, God is taking the kingdom from him and his heirs and giving to another.  Samuel, then has King Agag brought before him and hacks him to pieces.  Pretty gruesome stuff, but when God commands, He doesn’t mess around! 

REMEMBER THE WORD, AMALEK!  If we jump forward a few years, we read of a young man running to tell David the news of Saul’s death.

2 Samuel 1:6-10 Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an AMALEKITE.’ 9 He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ 10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen.

Did I really just read that the young man was an AMALEKITE?  One of the people that King Saul was told to, “UTTERLY DESTROY?”  The man who killed King Saul was an AMALEKITE?   YES, YES and YES!!!   Now the lesson becomes a little more clear, when God says to UTTERLY DESTROY, He means UTTERLY DESTROY…don’t separate the good from the bad, don’t save the best parts; UTTERLY DESTROY!!

What has God told you to ELIMINATE from your life?  Has it been UTTERLY DESTROYED?  Have you learned to COMPARTMENTALIZE your life?  Separating the things that belong to God from the things that “aren’t so bad;” the things you keep hidden to be cuddled and stroked in private.  Your life CANNOT be compartmentalized; the profane will taint the holy.  God says, “UTTERLY DESTROY!”

DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF!  You canNOT COEXIST with the enemy and at the same time be pleasing to God.  God will NOT share his authority in your life with anyone or anything.  It doesn’t matter how alluring, how beautiful or how valuable the offerings of the enemy appear, your choice to coexist with the enemy means you accept the ENEMY’S TERMS and play by the ENEMY’S RULES.  You must also understand that the enemy’s end game is YOUR ABSOLUTE DESTRUCTION!”

The command of God is NOT up for debate.  When God says, “UTTERLY DESTROY,” move swiftly and be thorough.  The little “things” you set aside for a special purpose will eventually be uncovered and their beauty and value will require your soul.  “THAT WHICH YOU REFUSE TO DESTROY, WILL EVENTUALLY DESTROY YOU!”

1 Samuel 15:22-23 So Samuel said: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and the stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king."

SHELTER IN PLACE

“SHELTER IN PLACE,” I can still remember the first time I heard the phrase.  On April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech, a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage. The alarm went out and students were told to “Shelter in Place.”  The authorities were not sure who they were searching for, how many shooters were involved, their location or if and when they would strike again.  Students were instructed to lock all doors and stay where they were until further notice.  This limited the number of people on the street as police conducted a search for the gunman and also lowered the risk of more victims being shot down by the perpetrator or getting caught in police crossfire.  It was finally learned that the lone gunman had committed suicide and the “All Clear” signal was given to allow students to leave their shelters.  Since that time, there have been terroristic shootings in more schools, malls, coffee shops, military bases and even churches and we wonder where can we “shelter in place?” 

This has been a week of terror in France with terrorists entering a newspaper office and killing several people.  As I watched the story unfold on a 24 hour news network, fear threatened to paralyze the freedom I have always enjoyed and destroy my peaceful existence.  Is there no place of safety?  What if?  Could it happen here?  As I continued to watch, God spoke these words to my heart, “shelter in place.”  The Peace of God flowed over me and His Word filled my heart.

Psalms 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust.

YES, there is a place of safety; a place we can run to when the affairs of the world threaten to shackle us with fear.  Proverbs 18:10 tells us “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  God is MY refuge, MY fortress, MY strong tower; in HIM will I trust.

If confusion is clouding your mind, if fear has a firm grip on your heart and your circumstances threaten to overwhelm you, it is time to “SHELTER IN PLACE.”  Find that “secret place” in God and REST!  Say His Name; JESUS!  It is a STRONG TOWER.  There is NO place of safety outside the “shadow of the Almighty.”  It is there that God will restore your soul.  It is in Him that the crooked path will become straight.  The storm will pass over, the “all clear” will sound, but for today, “shelter in place.”

IT IS 2015; SO WHAT????

If you can stay awake late enough, you will be a witness to an incredible event.  It happens at MIDNIGHT every year as December 31 morphs into January 1.  The countdown begins as the “Ball” drops; we kiss our loved ones (if they are still awake) and hang up a new calendar.   A new year begins; a new chapter in our life; the old is passed, the new has begun and we celebrate.

If you are connected on Face book, you have read post after post declaring how happy some are to say “goodbye” to 2014 and “hello” to 2015.  Many are excited to begin a new page in their life saga others are just anxious to put all of their 2014 bad experiences behind them.  I could take the time to look at their 12/31/2013 updates and I would venture to say that I would find some of the exact posts; the year being the only difference.  So was 2014 better?  Did 2013 stay contained between January and December?  Apparently NOT!!!!  There was no magic, nothing changed and now we are counting down the hours of 2014, once again expecting the magic that didn’t happen in 2014 has just been waiting for 2015.  Sorry to “burst your bubble,” “rain on your parade,” or “drop the ball,” but when you wake up, January 1, 2015, life will be exactly as you left it when you fell asleep on December 31, 2014. 

In regards to the foreign policy of the United States, John Bolton, former UN Ambassador stated, “It was a bad year and it is not going to get any better.”  Although pessimistic, the statement is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.  Unless policies are instituted to affect change, conditions will not improve solely because we passed the 365 day mark.  Your circumstances do not magically change because you put up a new calendar or write a different year on your checks.  You will not wake up with an unquenchable desire to be healthy but if you say NO to certain foods and YES to moving more, change WILL begin.  There will still be “awesome” sales in 2015 inviting you to just “slide” that charge card or debit card but your bank account will be larger if you decide that you have enough stuff.  Your relationship with God will be even weaker unless you set the time aside to get in touch with God through prayer and the Word.   365 more days will pass in your life, the calendar will count down to December 31, 2015 and you will be looking forward to a better year in 2016 UNLESS you institute “life policies” to affect change.

Your problems may be centered around family, a job, substance abuse, money, health and there may be some circumstance that are beyond your control; it may take a little honest soul searching and a long session in front of a mirror but in every situation YOU CAN CHANGE YOU!  Begin by being THANKFUL.  If you cannot find anything in your life for which to be thankful or to praise God, start by thanking that you are still breathing and woke to a New Year. Next, find someone else that you can HELP along life’s road.  Getting your mind off of yourself will give you a new perspective and you may find that your circumstance are not quite so bad.  Finally, find one thing you can CHANGE in YOU!  Perhaps it is saying no to that piece of chocolate, cutting up a charge card, getting up an hour earlier and spending that time in prayer and meditation or maybe it could be as simple as a phone call and saying, “I love you.”  Only God knows what things you will encounter this year on your journey but one thing you can be sure of; December 31, 2015 will come faster than you can imagine and some will be happy to see January 1, 2016 while others will say “It was the best year ever.” 

IT IS 2015, SO WHAT?

THE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS

We tend to romanticize the Christmas Holidays, painting pictures of softly falling snow, families gathered around a brightly burning fire, stockings hung in expectation and children dressed in cozy pajamas, sitting quietly as Dad reads a Christmas story.  The house smells of cinnamon and ginger, peppermint and balsam.  There are heaping plates of cookies and steaming cups of hot chocolate topped with mounds of whipped cream.  If that is your Christmas card, I want to peek into your living room AFTER the photographer is finished.  We pretend that “All is calm; all is bright,” when at times it feels more as if, “Grandma got run over by a reindeer.”

Sometimes our lives are not so “picture-perfect,” even though or perhaps because of a holiday.  The high expectations and demands may magnify the sense of failure.  Pictures of happy families gathered together remind you of great loss and the loneliness is intensified.  There are no visions of beribboned presents, beautifully decorated trees and heaping platters of good food as you view your little tree that no one else wanted, decorated with paper chains, presiding over the meager offerings lying under its crooked branches.  “Holly Jolly Christmas” certainly isn’t your song of choice.

Yes, life is no “Respecter of Holidays.”  In the last two days, three of my friends have lost loved ones; grief cannot be postponed because it is Christmas.  Some of my friends are facing “firsts” after saying goodbye to those closest to them; loneliness does not take a hiatus and return at a more convenient time.  Others have lost jobs and the mountains of gifts have been exchanged for a hot meal and another month’s rent.  Two New York families have changed their “dancing into mourning” because of a deliberate, senseless execution of their policemen husbands.  Life isn’t perfect, the world is in turmoil, yet the “Hope of Christmas” is still alive, beckoning us to come and “Sleep in Heavenly Peace.”

Over two thousand years ago, life was not so “picture perfect,” either.  The world was in turmoil, a heathen government ruled, many people were in want and need; it was in this imperfect setting that God chose to send the “Hope of Christmas.” Galatians 4:4, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son….

It wasn’t about beautifully decorated homes and light displays, mountains of presents and heaping platters of steaming food, it wasn’t even about families gathered around the fireplace, singing carols of cheer; it was all about YOU and YOUR need.  John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  It was for you that God sent the “HOPE OF CHRISTMAS”!!!

Whatever situation you are facing during this holiday season, whatever lack you may be experiencing, I pray you will find comfort in the “Hope of Christmas.”

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

THE GIFT OF YOU

If you are connected to my face book page, you have read my posts encouraging everyone to give this Christmas season to the many needs and worthwhile causes and allow God to bless someone else through you.  After my latest post, I received an email from one of my dear friends, stating that she wanted to be a blessing but was living on very limited finances and did I have any ideas of ways she could still bless others.  I accepted the challenge and began to think of ways to give to others with zero dollars.

Here are a few ideas and I’m sure my readers have many they could add to the list.  First think of things that come natural to you, things you have mastered and things you enjoy doing; these are your talents and are meant to be shared instead of buried.  Then, allow your mind to come up with creative ways to use all of those talents to bless a friend.  Maybe you have a love for children, offer to babysit for a couple of hours while a young mother finishes her Christmas shopping or a deserving couple enjoys a date night.  Perhaps a friend is recovering from an illness; provide a more comfortable setting for recovery by offering to clean their house or wash their laundry.  Do you know a shut-in that would just love to have a visit?  Your gift is your attention as you sit and listen to them talk for a few hours.  Offer to help someone organize old photographs, take a couple of brightly wrapped shoe boxes and note cards as dividers and you will be amazed at the blessing you both received by a day of reminiscing and storytelling.

Are you a great cook?  Offer your services as “Chef for a Day.”  Your friend supplies the ingredients and you cook their gourmet dinner.  Offer to bake Christmas cookies for a working mom, she can supply the necessary items and you supply the know how and energy; what a blessing to her whole family, that Mom can swing by your house on her way home from work and surprise everyone with fresh homemade Christmas goodies.  Have a group of friends over for coffee and recipe sharing; each person makes their favorite recipe and brings it to share along with printed copies of the recipe.

Does everyone rave about your beautifully wrapped packages, your professionally decorated tree or nostalgic fireplace mantle arrangement?  It may come easy to you but some of us are challenged in this area.  Suggest to someone that you will come over and teach them the “Art of Gift Wrapping” or help them decorate their tree or mantle.  Even better, look at all of the ornaments and decorations you have collected over the years and no longer use, take them to a friend who may not be having such a merry Christmas and help her decorate and brighten up her life.

You may say, I no longer have patience with children, my cooking skills begin with a can opener and end with a microwave, I have no imagination and could use a decorator for my own house; what about PRAYER?  Be somebody’s Prayer Partner.  There is no greater blessing than knowing you have a friend who is praying for you.  Send a card or an email with an encouraging message.  Receiving a surprise message of encouragement will brighten someone’s day and may help change a situation.  Yesterday, a sweet friend posted on my wall that she “loved me dearly.”  I went through the rest of my day humming a tune and on top of the world.  It doesn’t take too much of your time but it could make a difference to someone who is struggling with life.

The best gift you can give anyone is the GIFT OF YOU, your time, your attention, your smile.  Many times we opt to give money because it is easier, we can quickly check that one off our list, and the effort is minimal when compared to a gift of time.  I challenge every one of my readers, join me this Christmas season to spread a little cheer in more creative ways.  I look forward to hearing all the reports of people you have blessed and the money you have saved by just giving YOU!

VICTIM OR VICTOR? YOU CHOOSE!!!

In today’s world it seems everyone is a victim.  Victimization is embraced, worn as a badge of honor, published and celebrated.  It seems that if you find yourself without your own personal story of victimization, you can make up one.  Just accuse someone of harming you, fill in a few details, and find a magazine to pick it up or publish it yourself.  You don’t even need to consider that you have falsely accused a person whose life and reputation may be ruined...you have joined the ranks of the injured; YOU ARE A VICTIM!!!  If it is discovered that the victimization was a figment of your imagination, embrace it, show your outrage, and shed a few tears because now you have been DOUBLY VICTIMIZED.

Now before you all throw stones at me and I become a victim, let me add that most of us have been victims at some time in our lives in various ways.  Perhaps someone has taken advantage of your generosity, physically or mentally harmed you, stabbed you in the back, started a malicious rumor or lied about you.  I am not trying to trivialize anything that you have experienced or the pain the experience has caused.  What I am saying is that you do NOT have to allow the circumstances of victimization to define you or set the future path you will travel.  You do NOT have to choose the label VICTIM!!!

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  Jesus was telling His disciples, be prepared because you will have people come against you, lie about you, physically harm you and attempt to take your life.  You can choose to be a VICTIM or you can choose to be a VICTOR!!  If anyone had the right to wear the victim label, Jesus had that right.  In the womb, his conception was questioned.  Around the age of 2, he had to flee to Egypt because a king had put a hit out on him.  He was laughed at, spit upon, betrayed by a friend, beaten up and ultimately put to death.  Even in His darkest hour, hanging on the cross, you find His mother and just a handful of friends lingering near.  But as Jesus told His disciples, “I have overcome the world!”  Jesus wears the VICTOR’S CROWN because He refused to be defined by the label, VICTIM.

Lest anyone think that in my perfect life I have never suffered victimization, I will open a window, just a crack, into an event that I experienced over 50 years ago.  There are only 3 or 4 people over my lifetime that I have felt brave enough to share with and now you.  I was an innocent 5 year old and there are many details that will never be revealed but will remain locked inside my brain forever.  In case you think I had a revelation of “repressed memories” or my experience is a result of watching too many movies or reading too many novels, let me assure you that the precise details have never left my mind, been diluted or changed.  In an instant, I can take you back to the exact place, identify the people and give you quotes from the people involved.  Did it affect certain areas of my life or my thinking on specific issues?  Absolutely, but at a very young age, I found peace in a Savior that had overcome the world.  I REFUSED to allow one event to define the rest of my life.  I REFUSED the label VICTIM; I am a VICTOR!!!

I will not pretend to put myself into your circumstance or understand what pain you are suffering.  We all have different responses to unpleasant events in our lives.  Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  Because of His great love, God has given us the power not just to overcome but to CONQUER the enemy.  The writer of Romans goes on to assure us in verses 38 & 39, that NOTHING can stop you from being a VICTOR because NOTHING can separate you from the love of God.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is one TRUTH that remains the same for every person, no matter the circumstance; WE CAN BE VICTORIOUS BECAUSE JESUS HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD!  Your Victorious Life can begin the moment you REFUSE to be labeled a VICTIM.  You are a VICTOR.