Capacity To Listen

“I pray that I will not strive more than I listen.”

Work comes naturally to us, listening does not. We are much more comfortable doing something for God, than we are simply sitting in conscious trust in Him. Work seems to give us a tangible measure of progress, whereas listening seems tedious and unproductive. However, it is far better to listen than to strive, because work does not give spiritual enlargement— listening does. 

As vessels of the Lord, we need enlargement. We must have capacity to withstand the full indwelling of the Spirit of the Lord. Oft times this is a strenuous process of “He must increase, and I must decrease.” We cannot be filled with the knowledge of His will, while we continue to stubbornly cling to our own.  We cannot be filled with His wisdom and understanding, if we continue to fill ourselves with the world’s. 

One of the most frightening prayers I’ve ever prayed was, “Lord, enlarge my capacity for You.” I trembled as the words fell from my lips, because my soul instinctually knew that to whom much is given, much is required. We have not because we ask not, and we ask not, because deep down inside, we know that to be given more capacity for Christ in us, requires a cost of “self” that we simply are not willing to pay. 

O Lord, grant us the courage to ask for capacity. Help us to listen more than we strive.

(Col 1:9-11) …we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience…

(Matt 7:7,8) Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

(Psalm 37:4-6) Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.

Kneeling VS Bowing

“I will kneel before Him, but I will not bow.”

Yesterday morning, the Lord showed me in the Spirit a woman sitting at a table. A woman that symbolized the church. This woman was reflecting back over her life, all the choices and mistakes that were made. And as she realized more and more the true state of her heart, she said with downward eyes and trembling hands, “I will kneel before Him, but I will not bow.” It was a truth not spoken in defiance, but a confession spoken in the kind of anguish that is only caused by a heart-wrenching moment of clarity. 

In that moment, the Spirit ministered to me the difference between kneeling and bowing. Kneeling is an outer thing, bowing is an inner thing. You can kneel before someone without bowing to them— demons kneel before Christ, and every creature will bend the knee and confess that He is sovereign Lord. But wicked creatures will never bow to Him— they will never worship Him and serve Him in obedience as Lord. Because bending the knee and bending the heart are two completely different things. 

There are many in organized Christianity who may have bent their knee to Christ outwardly, but inwardly, their heart is bowed to Babylon. This is what the Lord wants us to understand for the sake of recognizing the true state of our heart and repenting while it is still day, before the night comes and no one can work. 

O Lord, search my heart and try my conscience; see if there be any waywardness in me or any delusion; purify my heart and cleanse my hands, that I may ascend your holy mountain. 

(John 9:4-7) “While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes. Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”... So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

(Rev 3:16-18) So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of My mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me…salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

(Dan 3:14-19) Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true… that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?”… Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “…let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage…

Exclaiming His Exaltation

“It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master… What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.” (Matt 10:25,27) 

Scripture tells us that in the church, there would be an increase in false prophets at the time of the end. The Lord said that while the people slept, the enemy would come in and sow weeds among the wheat, and He said that both must grow together until the harvest. But He also said that you would know them by their fruit. Not by their appearance—because tares look very similar to wheat— but by their fruit. By whether they produce something that feeds or nurtures His sheep, or whether they produce something that frustrates them, confuses them, or leads them astray. 

Regardless, the one thing we have not been instructed to do is to be silent. There will be many who speak in the name of the Lord who speak from their own heart and not His. There will be many who say, “The Lord led me to share…” whom the Lord did not lead to share. There will be many who say, “Lord didn’t we prophesy in Your name…?” to whom He will say, “I never knew you…” And this is terrifying to me.

The Lord created us to be His vessels. We were created to represent Him in character, mind, and heart upon this earth. So there have always been those who truly hear the Spirit of the Lord, and those who think they do, but don’t. And as we make our way to the finish line, we must pray for the ones who are genuine, that they may not be tempted to silence because of the ones who aren’t. We must pray for all us to be like our Teacher…

…and to fearlessly speak in the daylight what He shares with us in the dark. 

(Matt 24:45,46) And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

(Matt 24:10-12) At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

(1 John 4:1) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

(2 Pet 2:1) Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

The Thornbush And The Ram

“Both the sickle and the grape belong to You, O Lord. Both the thorn bush and the ram.”

These beautiful words flowed out of me as I prayed in the Spirit one morning. I had been meditating upon the sovereignty of God— how it is both fearsome and comforting to me. It seems so odd that I feel both intimidation and peace in the presence of the Lord— that I feel He is both everything I’ve ever known, and yet utterly unknowable. This seeming dichotomy of God is both perplexing, yet strangely fitting. God is not subject to our perceptions of Him, and that is both disturbing and appropriate in every way. 

Another thought which came to me that morning, was that the sovereignty of God means He can use us even in our ignorance and error. He works around all our messes and fumbling. He allows us to both feed His sheep and stumble them. He can make a fig tree out of foolishness, and manna out of our mistakes. His purpose in mankind continues onward despite us. Our Father is more than our fumbling. 

That morning I prayed, “I’m so glad you’re God,” because I need a sovereign God. Humanity needs a sovereign God. We need a God Who is bigger than our ignorance and error. We need a God Who can finish the work He begins in us. We need a Savior Who constantly intercedes for us and can save us to the uttermost, with nothing left undone. We need a God who can see all the hidden things in us that we can’t see ourselves. A God Who can winnow our soul and separate the chaff from the wheat…

… a God to Whom both the sickle and the grape belong, both the thorn bush and the ram. 

(Heb 7:25) Therefore He is able to save completely [forever and to the uttermost] those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

(Phil 1:6) …being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

(2 Tim 1:12) …for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

(Ps 138:7,8) If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me. The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.

He Is Our Expectation

“Christ Jesus, I want to be conformed to Your image—You are my expectation.”

My 7th grade class just finished reading the novel, “Bruchko.” One of their final projects was to do an illustrated quote. They had to analyze a quote from the book, explain its meaning and significance, then put the quote in a visual context that relates to the meaning and significance. One of my students chose to quote the heart-cry of the missionary, Bruce Olson.

My student said they chose this quote because “it shows me how people back then actually act after they ask Jesus to be their Savior, unlike now.” This student said, “It’s a bit confusing on the part where it says, ‘You are my expectation’-I don’t hear a lot about that these days, so it’s very confusing.” The student concludes, “This quote shows me that people actually take conversion to Christianity seriously. All the people around today don’t take it so seriously…”

Over the last few years, I’ve heard a lot of people say they wish God would send the church prophets in these last days, who will call the church back to her purpose in Christ and out out of the methods of men and structures of society. But God doesn’t need to send us prophets, because He already gave us Christ, and if we won’t listen to Him, we’re not going to listen to a prophet. And God doesn’t really need to speak through prophets. All He needs to do is speak through the mouths of the children we’ve failed. 

O Father, forgive us for whatever way we’ve failed. May we truly be conformed to Your image, may You be our only expectation. 

(Ps 8:2) Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

(Luke 16:29-31) But Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.” “No, father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” But Abraham said, “If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”

(Deut 5:29; 6:5-7) Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!… And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Getting Ahead Of God

“You’re trying to do more than I asked you to do, and that’s why you’re frustrated.”

Yesterday, when I taught a Bible lesson to my two youngest, I had to leave the room for a moment. I told my 10 year-old to read two, short passages out of Genesis to her little sister while I was gone. When I got back, they were hollering at each other. My older one had started asking my younger one questions about the passage that she couldn’t answer. When I told them to stop arguing, my older one said, “Mom, she’s getting all the answers wrong!” And I told her, “You’re trying to do more than I asked you to do, and that’s why you’re frustrated.”

I had to explain to my daughter that her sister was getting all the answers wrong, because 7 year-olds don’t understand things like that yet. She was frustrating both herself and her sister, because she was trying to do more than I asked her to do, and she was expecting more from her sister than her sister was capable of giving. It was a lose-lose situation. And no amount of hollering or arguing was going to get her sister to understand something she wasn’t capable of understanding yet. 

In that moment, thought about all the times I had done the same thing myself. How many times I experienced frustration, because I was trying to do more than what God had asked me to do. How many times I had frustrated others, because I was expecting something from them that they simply weren’t spiritually mature enough to give yet. 

O Lord, may we not try to do more than You have asked us to do. May we not expect things from others , that they are not yet capable of giving. 

(Eccl 7:8,9) The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

(1 Thess 5:14) And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

(Col 3:12,13) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

(2 Tim 2:24,25) And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and patient when wronged. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

Binding Up The Broken

We have an old PMU mare that was a rescue. 

I don’t know her whole story, so I don’t know what all she experienced in medical captivity, but it broke her, and not in a good way. She’s skittish and moody. She’s bitten my husband and dragged my daughter. She doesn’t trust people and she’s not rideable. If she hadn’t been rescued, she would’ve been the glue on someone’s envelope. Many would say she’s useless. But she’s not.

She’s not useless because the Lord has used her to teach me how to minister to the broken and abused. You can’t just walk up to her and expect her to respond the way you want. You have to let her come to you. You have to show her your hands and let her inspect them, you have to be willing to wait, you have to be willing to be rejected sometimes or just ignored. Sometimes I brush her, sometimes I just stand in the stall with her and talk to her. But whatever I do, I don’t force her, because I want her to know that I’m trustworthy. I have love and food and care to give to her, but she has to know that it’s safe to take it from me. 

We must understand that there are many people who have to be ministered to in this way. We must understand that there are broken, angry, cynical, and suspicious souls whom God desires to woo to Himself. And He desires to have vessels in His church through whom He can show the broken, angry, cynical, and suspicious that His love, spiritual food, and care are trustworthy and safe to take from Him. 

Oh Lord, may we be such vessels. 

(Ps 147:3-5) He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.

(Ps 145:13b-17) …The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His actions. The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.

(John 6:26,33-35) Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill… For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Therefore they said to Him, "Sir, always give to us this bread." Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Let It Ride

“You’re just gonna have to let it ride.”

I’m not sure where that statement originated, but we say it a lot in Texas. It has a couple different connotations. On the one hand, it sorta means “I’ll allow it, just let it pass.”  On the other hand, it also means, “You’re just gonna have to stay on that horse until it’s done walking because there ain’t no getting off, and no amount of hollering and kicking are gonna change your circumstances.” 

There was a time when I was tempted to spend more time defending the ministry to which I’d been called, rather than simply walking in it. I struggled with a compulsion to explain myself. I often felt provoked to defend myself. There were times I wrote more about why I was saying something, more so than just saying what God had given me to say. I ministered in a way that was reactionary, rather than revelatory.

One day I finally realized, “I’m just gonna have to let it ride.” I’m just gonna have to be misunderstood and be quiet about it. I’m gonna have to be criticized and misinterpreted and stop making veiled complaints about it. I’m gonna have to allow the Lord to work patience, meekness, gentleness, and endurance into me in whatever way He sees fit. Because there ain’t no getting off this horse, and no amount of complaining-disguised-as-ministry is gonna feed anyone’s soul. 

Brothers and sisters, whatever ministry you’ve been called to, you’re just gonna have to let it ride. 

(Gal 1:15,16) But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.

(1 Cor 1:22-24) Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

(Col 3:1,2) Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things

(Phil 3:13,14) …But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

Revelation Or Reason?

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge the righteous judgment [in conformity to the character and will of God]” (John 7:24)

We are not to assess or judge merely by what our eyes see. To do so, is to judge according to knowledge. We must not judge according to knowledge, but according to knowing. Knowing is knowledge with understanding. Knowledge is outer and of the flesh…knowing is inner and of the Spirit. Knowledge uses reason and comes to its own conclusions… knowing waits upon the Lord. 

The Lord did not give us the faculty of reason to guide us— we mustn’t be guided by our own reason. The Lord gave us the faculty of reason so that we may make sense of what He reveals to us. As a people of the Lord, we must be led by revelation, not reason. 

Lord, please help us to remember this when we try to understand this world and when we deal with others…particularly those we are tempted to judge. Help us to put our trust in Your sovereignty over all circumstances. Even Your sovereignty over the human heart and the motives deep within that we cannot perceive. 

You perceive and You are Lord and that is enough. 

(Prov 16:9) A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

(Prov 19:21) Many plans are in a man's heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.

(Jer 10:22,23) Listen! The sound of a report is coming—a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made a desolation, a den of dragons. I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.

(1 Sam 16:7) …The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

As It Is In Heaven

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

I prayed this yesterday, and then began to contemplate what this would actually look like. I think we often pray things we don’t take the time to fully comprehend. So, I confessed to the Lord that I wasn’t really certain what “Your will on earth as it is in heaven,” would actually look like, because I’ve never been to heaven. And this is what He shared with me: 

1. In heaven, things are not done for any personal benefit, things are done because they are the right thing to do. There is no selfish motive in heaven. (Rom 12:3; Phil 2:3,4)

2. There is no aggression in heaven. The boldness and zeal with which many preach on earth, is really just a well-disguised spirit of aggression, with impatience, anger, and condescension lurking in the shadows. (Rom 10:2-4; Eph 4:2; 2 Tim 2:24-26)

3. There is no mocking or sarcasm in heaven. There are humor, joy, and delight, but none of them are at the expense of someone else. (Prov 3:34; Matt 5:33; Eph 4:29, 5:4)

4. Most importantly, there is no profit in heaven, there is only just compensation. Everyone is justly compensated, but there is no exploitation in heaven. No profit is made by any creature from another creature’s labor. The Lord shared much with me on this topic, but I will leave it at that for now. (Prov 11:1, 16:11; Deut 25:4; 1 John 2:16; Luke 12:15; Heb 13:5) 

These are hard words, to be sure, but may we allow His sword to prune each of us where needed. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Wrestling With Reasoning

She knows she’s only supposed to eat at the table. 

I walked into the kitchen and saw my youngest daughter eating on the couch. I said, “You know you’re only supposed to eat at the table.” And she replied, “I know Momma, but this bag is like my table.” She knows what the rules are, but she reasoned within herself why it was okay to break them. In her mind, she wasn’t really breaking the rules, she was just reinterpreting them based on her own desires. And we often do that very same thing with God. 

We know what the rules are, but we reinterpret them to appease our conscience, rather than allow our flesh to be crucified by submitting to the wisdom and will of God. I am able to describe this human tendency with such accuracy, because I have been guilty of it myself. I have intimate knowledge of “reasoning away” my sin— of justifying my desires by pursuing a God of my own perceptions, rather than facing the reality of the God Who is. 

I once heard someone say, “God isn’t necessarily saving us from hell, He’s saving us from Himself.” And when I heard that, I remember marveling at how true it is. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that “there is no creature hidden from Him, but all things are uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him Who is our reckoning” (Heb 4:13). And beloved, our reckoning “is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). 

The truth is, there is no wiggle-room with God— just an immovable wall of fire that we must all pass through, for better or for worse. 

(Deut 4:23,24) Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

(Is 66:14-16) …the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants, but His wrath will be shown to His enemies. For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.

(Is 10:17,18) The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man.

Drawn By The Father

“Momma, I’m going to pray.”

My seven year-old daughter came into the kitchen with her Bible tucked under her arm and announced she was going outside to pray. She walked over to grab a paper towel and said, “I’ve got my Bible and some paper towels, do I need anything else?” I said, “Nope, that’s it.” She’s seen me walk out to that barn a hundred times, so she was copying what she always sees me do. Because children copy their parents. 

I’ve made so many mistakes in my life. I’ve gotten so many things wrong. I’ve wandered from God and I’ve been found by Him, I’ve been punished by Him and I’ve been blessed by Him. He was faithful when I was not, He was sufficient when I had nothing to give. God saved me despite myself and I’m not sure where that fits into all our theologies about salvation, but there it is.

Right now, my seven year-old daughter is outside in the barn all by herself and she’s praying. Not because I told her to go out there, but because God called her. She’s out there praying seven year-old prayers to an infinite God. I don’t think she even knows why I take paper towels out there with me. And I don’t think I’ll ever have to tell her either, because God will show her Himself, just like He showed me. The Spirit of God will teach my daughter of Himself, and when He meets with her and she weeps…

…she’ll be ready…paper towels in hand. 

(John 6:44,45) No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me..”

(John 6:37,39,40) Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away…And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

(John 6:64,65) “However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.) Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”

Times For Tools, And Tools For Times

As we progress through the school year, my grading becomes more and more stringent. 

I begin the year with boundaries buffeted by grace, but as we near the close of the school year, I expect my students to have grown, improved, and matured. If I continue at the end of the year by giving grace the same way I did at the beginning of the year, most of my students would continue in certain lazy habits and wanton neglect. To be a good teacher, one must know when to give a student grace to learn from their mistakes, and when to allow the discomfort of unmitigated accountability. 

To teach a child accountability, there must be a certain balance between grace and reproof. Too much reproof, and the child is discouraged from even trying. Too much grace, and the child never learns to self-motivate. It is a very delicate balance, indeed. A teacher must understand that you do not use a hammer to squeeze a ripened grape. Nor do you use a scalpel to break through rock. There are times for tools, and tools for times. 

We see these same concepts in God’s dealings with mankind. He is building us into something, He is raising us unto maturity. He is not all grace all the time, nor is He all wrath and judgment all the time. True, these characteristics are all-the-time present within Him, but He uses each according to His omniscient purpose, in a perfect, delicate balance of grace and reproof. 

Because there are times for tools, and tools for times. 

(John 1:14,16,17) The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

(Rom 11:20-22) They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either. Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

(Hab 3:2) O LORD, I have heard the report of You; I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds. Revive them in these years; make them known in these years. In Your wrath, remember mercy!

(Luke 13:5-9) …”unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Then he told this parable:…”..’for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

Grace On The Journey

Elijah ran away from God and toward God at the same time. 

Most people understand the account at 1 Kings 19 as Elijah running away from Jezebel, but that’s not really accurate. Any time we run away from our calling in fear and doubt, regardless of the circumstances that cause it or whatever face may be the impetus for it, we are running away from God. I’ve always marveled that God let Elijah run away. Not only that, but He also sent an angel to bring him food for the journey. Like, “Here ya go buddy, knock yourself out. I’ll be waiting for you when you get here.” 

I get Elijah. I know what it’s like to think that I’m running away from God, when really, He’s just using all my crummy circumstances to drive me into His arms. I know what it’s like to seek God for answers, but ask Him all the wrong questions and feel angry and frustrated at His intolerable silence. I know what it’s like to say, “It is enough! Lord take my life…” and I know what it’s like for the Lord to answer all my shouting simply with, “What are you doing here?” (1 Kings 19:4,9). 

Someone asked me the other day, “Why can’t I let God in?” And for two days I contemplated this question because I didn’t have an answer for them. As I wept in prayer this morning, I asked God again, “What is the answer?” And He finally said, “I didn’t give you an answer because it’s the wrong question.” He said the right question is, Why do we run? What is it we don’t want to face? And that answer will be different for each one of us. But there is one thing that we can all remember…

…God gave Elijah grace and provision, even while he was running from Him.

(1 Kings 19:4-7) He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life”…Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”…The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

(Is 41:9,10) I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, “You are My servant.” I have chosen and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.

(Neh 9:15) In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had sworn to give them.

Give Us A Tree

Jesus used seeds in His illustration of the kingdom, because we cannot give someone a full-grown tree.

There is so much about Christ that I have grown in knowledge and understanding about, but all of that started with a seed. I was given a seed, and as I continued on with the Lord, that seed was watered, and then the tender shoots were watered, then the growing plant was pruned, then the roots were deepened by drought and the trunk was strengthened by turmoil. Because no matter how large and sprawling oak trees may become, they all begin as a seed. 

I cannot give someone a tree who must begin as a seed, because a seed cannot comprehend the full extent of what it will become. Giving them a tree would make no sense to them because a seed is encased in the hull of its own limited perceptions. It must become what it was meant to become through experience. A seed must live through its stages of growth to reach the extent of what it was meant to be. Then once that seed matures into a full grown tree, it is able to bear seeds— seeds that will grow into other trees, one stage of growth at a time. 

 

At the time just prior to Christ’s return, when everything begins to come together, when people begin to realize what is happening, when people begin to comprehend that the Lord is revealing and manifesting Himself through His own people, they will ask those people for trees, but they cannot be given trees, they can only be given seeds. The virgins at Matthew Chapter 25 don’t refuse to give the oil asked of them because they are selfish, they refuse to give it because they can’t. 

They cannot give trees, they can only give seeds. Because trees must be grown. 

(Matt 13:24-36) Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared…”

(Mark 4:26-29) Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

(John 12:23-25) And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that Son of Man should be glorified. Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

(Is 61:1-3) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor…to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort those who mourn… in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

(Rom 8:18,19) I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.

(Col 1:27) To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

(Gal 1:15,16) But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.

(Eph 5:15-17) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

(Matt 26:8-10) And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” “No,” said the wise ones…”go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” But while [the foolish] were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

(Rev 2:5,7) Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place… He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.