Heart & Soul - - Germination

 

Colossians 3:1

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4891

Raised: to raise together 

From the Greek word 'sunegeiró' (pronounced soon-eg-i'-ro) meaning " I raise along with".

"To raise up together from moral death to a new and blessed life devoted to God."

RAISED WITH HIM

    We are risen from the dead with Christ when we believe in His Name for our salvation (Romans 10:13). For His very Name is Savior (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). 

    Colossians 2:12 "And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead." Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

    ALIVE TO GOD THROUGH THE CROSS

    Romans 6:3-5    

(3) Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

    Galatians 5:24

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

    Galatians 6:14

But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 

    I am alive to God through the cross, through the crucifixion of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who died for me, to save me from the punishment of my sins. He died for you, too. And those who believe, who call on His Name to save them, have died with Him; for we are now in Him and He is in us, as He prayed in the garden in John 17:20-26. It's a lovely prayer. 

    If a person hasn't come to the cross to lay their burden of sins down there, then they need to do so soon, very soon. Christ is returning soon and very soon. It will be near impossible to come to Christ when God calls His church into His presence. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). I'm so excited! Aren't you? 

    SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE

    What are the things above that we, as citizens (Philippians 3:20) of heaven, should be seeking? What are we looking for, searching out? Matthew 6:20-21 tells us "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

>ETERNAL LIFE is our greatest treasure. But to have it there we must first claim it here. For it is both our now reward for we live in Him now and our later treasure up there. We will get new bodies, changed bodies . As a seed that is planted in the ground does not remain a seed but changes and grows into whatever the seed was destined to become, we, too, will be changed. 

    The seed goes through a transformative process to become what will be seen. In science it is called germination. In Scripture it is called 'from glory to glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

ROOTS AND SHOOTS

• The seed's first stage is getting water to begin the process. For the Christian that water is the Holy Spirit. Before anything else worthwhile can happen in a Christian's life, the Holy Spirit must be present in us. The seed first grows roots to reach into the ground and find water. The Christian's roots are in the Word of God, we dig deep into His Word to find our resources for growth. 
• The seed's second stage is oxygen. It needs to breathe. For the Christian that oxygen is the presence of God, for He gives us breath. 
• The seed's third stage is the right temperature in which to flourish. For the Christian the right temperature is persecution. For the church grew when the Word spread through the Christians who fled the cities where they were being hunted and killed for the Name of Jesus. Hard to believe that we require such uncivilities to grow in our faith, isn't it? But in the Christian life this requirement is akin to the dirt in which the seed has been buried. It must push through, up and out in order to reach the sun and become a seedling, a young plant. During this stage of development the seed, the Christian, breaks through the hard shell surrounding it; we tear down walls and the new life that is growing us shoots upward to break through the ground (the fears, doubts and ponderings) in which it is buried and become a sprout, a new life, which will grow and become stronger in the light of God's love and mercy. Grace Like Rain.
• The seed's fourth requirement is light: it requires sunshine and warmth. So, too, the Christian requires Sonlight. We strive, persevere, and push through the obstacles to reach the Christ in Whom our lives shine. 
• The seed's fifth and final stage is the transformation into what it was created to be. Its roots have driven deep into the ground, its shoots have made their final push through and up, its leaves are releasing oxygen and its purpose is made known when its fruit (plant type) is visible to everyone who sees it. So, too, is the Christian's life. They who see us know we are Christians even before we open our mouth to speak. For the glory of the Lord shines in our faces. 

    CHRIST AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

How wonderful to be a seed in the garden of God, to be the planting of the Lord! Rise up, O Christian, and be who the Lord is calling you to be! See Him in all His glory, where He is seated at the right hand of His Father. Ask you how we know He is there? The Word states this is so. He has been seen there. 

    Acts 7:55-56

55) But he (Stephen) being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. (56) And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

    Mark 16:19

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

    Daniel 7:13

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

    Someday soon we, too, will see Christ at the right hand of God. For God's Word is True & Faithful. God never lies. God is Love, not chaos. All will see Him but not all will remain with Him. Only the ones who have believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation and turned their backs on the temptations of this world, choosing to live for Him. 

    Have you said, Yes, Lord, I am Yours? Have you surrendered your heart and your life to Him? Hurry, hurry; come to the altar and give God your heart, that He may plant Himself in your heart. changing you according to His will and purpose for  you. Like He did me. 

    Every day is a new challenge, a new opportunity to serve Him and be of use to Him in His kingdom. Every day is a day of growth, a day of spreading the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, in the hopes that the hearer would receive it into their own hearts. 

    We pray, Lord, be my Lord. I am a wretched sinner and I have transgressed against You. I have broken Your laws and I need Your Savior. I need Jesus Christ to wash my sins away in the blood He shed for me on the cross. I need His resurrection power to become the Christian You want me to be. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. As I commit myself to You, Father, strengthen me in Your Word and  Your Love. Guide me, lead me, guard my tongue, that I may speak only the words You give me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may walk in this new life which You have given me. I praise You and thank You for saving me, filling me and leading me. In Jesus' Name, we pray, Amen. 

FEARLESS

    

Today's Blessing Jan 15 thru Jan 18 2020

After the new heavens and earth are created, God has this Blessing Promise for they who are the Blessed of The LORD:

Amazing, looking at these last four days I realize that each one is focused on Seeds. But not seed that is placed in the ground to grow, Seed that is placed in the heart to grow the soul. 

More Fruitful Life

The longer the root of Commitment, 

the greater the Sacrifice of Self-will,

the stronger and more Fruitful the Life.

Matthew 13:19-23

19 When any one heareth theword of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended . 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit , and bringeth forth , some an hundredfold , some sixty , some thirty.

When we want to study God's Word to fully understand it and be able to apply it to our lives, we need to first: hold it in our hands, close our eyes and ask God to show us what He wants us to hear and understand as we read our Bible. Otherwise, we will get nothing out of it. 

It is not enough to be able to read the Bible all the way through in one year. It is not sufficient to read different translations to try to understand our Bible. Those translations are man-made and inefficient. Only God can reveal Himself in His Word. That is one of the reasons He sent the Holy Spirit here: to reveal God to us. If God were to meet us face to face, many would die in their sins, as sin cannot be in God's presence and live. We need the Holy Spirit.

Oh, Lord, as I begin this study, reveal in me and through me, what You want us to understand today. Make plain Your wisdom in these verses. Amen.

Farming is fast becoming a lost art. Many of us live in cities and towns, instead of on a few acres, which is required for your basic farmer. This parable which Jesus teaches is about a sower, a farmer; and the seeds he plants. Not all of his seeds land in the field.

v19. Seed by the wayside. We can sit in church and listen to the sermon being preached. But if we don't hear the Word being spoken, then the message we are listening to gets thrown away. Many times we are unable to hear the Word given because the devil distracts us: what will I have for lunch after church? I hope the dog/cat doesn't make a mess before I get home. My kids better be good in Sunday School. That hat she is wearing doesn't become her at all. Why are his clothes wrinkled? Don't I smell lovely?  And such foolishness along these lines prevent the Word from getting into our hearts. 

v20-21. Seed into stony places. The Word of God is heard but not taken to heart. The person hearing it is joyful to receive it, but does not take the time to take care of the Word. He/She takes on the appearance of Christianity but is not truly Christian. When troubles come along, that person is offended and may, in all likelihood, lash out or seek revenge. The Word of God never reached the heart, only the ears.

v22. Seed among the thorns. The Word of God is heard but not applied. Here, too, the Word of God never reaches the heart. God's Word was heard by the ears. But the eyes prevented it from reaching its destination. We get caught up in the cares of this world: life-bills to pay, living to earn, kids to feed, mortgage to pay. We get hooked on riches: gotta buy this and gotta buy that, keeping up with the Joneses, "if i were rich". And so, the Word of God, which we have heard, is choked and unfruitful in our lives.

The farmer tosses one handful of seed at a time. Some here, some there. It is where the seed lands that determines its growth. The field is not just an open grass land. It has been prepared for the seed. The land is tilled, dug up and plowed under, creating an open ground to receive the seed. It is fertilized, usually with manure, to give the seed strength to grow. And after the field is seeded, the farmer tends it to keep it growing: water when needed, pulling out weeds, preventing animals from eating it up. 

v23. Seed into the good ground. The Word of God is heard and understood. Because it has fallen on fertile ground. The heart of this person is ready to receive the Word into it. And the seed flourishes, the Word takes root and begins to stretch out inside this person. Soon, the Word of God, the seed into good ground, reaches out beyond the heart into the mouth where the Word of God is shared with another person. And another. And another. And that person shares the Word, the seed, with even more people. And so, the seed is fruitful. 

We may never know until we reach heaven just how many people we have impacted by our faithfulness in hearing, receiving, reading and understanding the Word of God for ourselves. Until then, I pray God gives you the desire to be Seed Into Good Ground. 

The Color of Worship ~ Beryl

We hear and see reasons why we, as a united earth, should "Go Green". Save the planet for future generations. Save the whales, the dolphins, the owls. Save, save, save; ignore, ignore, ignore.

What about save the people? The reason Christ was born was to save the people. He didn't die on the cross and rise from the grave to save the polar bears. He died for me and for you and for him and for her.

You want to "Go Green"? Okay. Let's "Go Light Green". In science, the color light green is associated with new growth, spring, new life. Flowers blossoming, trees budding and the first little blades of grass rising through the wet black dirt.

Zechariah 8:12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every service work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

Let's "Go Light Green"! This isn't about $$. This isn't about "Earth Day". This prosperity is prosperity of our soul: My Soul Prospers before the LORD. God wants us to be blessed with "every good and perfect gift from above." Money is not perfect. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many arrows. You want true prosperity as outlined in the Word of God? Seek God. Seek His face, His will, His way. Read His Word, Believe His Word, Obey His Word.

Growth requires the four seasons: spring (seed time), summer (sunshine, rainy days), autumn (harvest time) and winter (dormancy, rest). In order for the seed to grow, it needs to take root. The seed requires sunlight and rain. Once the seed has budded and blossomed, new seeds are released. And then they are harvested. And the root of the seed rests until the next season arrives and begins the cycle again.

Psalm 1:3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper."

You and I are the seeds. Our roots reach deep into the Word of God, where we are grounded. Our hearts and minds and souls push forward through the darkness of this world into the Light of God's Love and Mercy. We stretch forth our hands and wave our arms in the breeze of His Holy Spirit. We receive and embrace the reign (rain) of Authority over us. Our thirst for the presence of God is satisfied when we open our hearts to Him. And when we share the Love of Christ, then more seeds are released to dig into the Word and take root. And so, the garden grows. We grow. We prosper.

While light green is not mentioned as such in Scripture, beryl is. Beryl is a mineral 'with gemstone varieties'. Aquamarine, Morganite, Heliodor and Emerald are all forms of Beryl. It is the darker green shades of Beryl that we associate with emeralds, but it is the lighter green, the pale, translucent greens that we associate with Beryl. A lighter shade of green.

It is the 8th gemstone layer in the wall around the new Jerusalem. While Beryl takes on many shades and colors, the color intimated here is sea-green: Revelation 21:19,20 "The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst."

Beryl is on the Breastplate of Judgment worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:20), signifying one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This beryl, though, is thought to be yellow jasper in color, which can also be construed as being a lighter shade of green, depending on the hue of such a stone.
Ezekiel 1:16 states that 'the appearance of the wheel was like unto beryl'.

When the bride describes her bridegroom, in Song of Solomon 5:14, she says, "His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires."

I love the many colors mentioned in The Holy Bible. It is hard to choose a favorite, but I like that this pale green, this beryl, tells me that 'my soul prospers'.  My spirit is transformed and my soul is uplifted. 

The Cry of the Seed

Where there is life, there is growth.

Where there is growth, there is suffering.

Where there is suffering, there is pain.

Where there is pain, there is love.

As the seed begins to germinate, it pushes it's way out of the pod in two directions. The root begins to push against the pod from the inside, frantic to get out and into the ground. The ground waits for the root to enter and take hold. This gives the seed a chance to flourish and not diminish.

The sprout pushes its way through the pod and reaches for the above ground level. It seeks sunlight, air and moisture. Not without interference either.

As the seed germinates, its cries are heard by many. The insect community comes to see if perhaps this seed can be of use to them. The worms leave trace nutrients around it, giving it sustenance as it grows. The first little sprout appears above ground and many rush to either feed off of it or neutralize its growth before its barely begun.

But the seed obeys its Creator and keeps on growing, regardless of what may come. It rejoices to be of use by its Creator. And God is glorified by the seed's obedience and desire to grow.

The first leaf unfolds on the stem, the first petal wraps itself around the pollen bed; each petal thereafter wrapping around the first and so on. The rays of the Son shine upon the petals and the flower blossoms and opens. The seeds of the next generation are now available for the bees, the birds and the ants to harvest and spread across the gardens.

The seed is successful. But not without hardship. Not without pain. Not without suffering. But always with Love.