Four Seasons

"Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious by this summer sun of York"

                                                                                 William Shakespeare; Richard III

I was thinking of ;

Earlier this week and also new creation and rebirth these all have something to do with seasons.

The harvest is ready and white in the heat of summer, so farmers are busy in the summer anxious to gather in their hard earned rewards to the safety of the silo.

The verse here speaks of this season of reaping, it must be summer, spiritual summer. 

If there be a summer then there must be other seasons spring is the rebirth of the earth, awakening from the 'death' of winter. Summer is the season of prime,the peak of the suns radiance and autumn must be a season of waning, the leaves 'fall' and fertilize the soil with there nutrients gained 

John 4:34-36

King James Version (KJV)

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Occupy your God given place.

Prov 16:9 We make our own plans, but the Lord decides where we will go.

I used to think it was queer saying things like 'God lead me to come here', because I was stuck in the first half of this verse. I was good at making wonderful plans in my head with me at the center of ever grander schemes to gain wealth and prosperity and the acknowledgement of my fellow men.

I was locked into a single minded pursuit of my goals all of which required some assistance from others but I increasing found that others had goals of their own which didn't often coincide with mine.

I was in the habit of putting these discoveries down to a minor set backs waiting only for a creative way around to be found. They lacked the vision I thought. If  only others would recognize the gift of vision God had given me then we could all work together diligently at 100% effort to accomplish 'God's will'.

As new believers we take our first baby steps towards making God the Lord of our lives, well actually that is more of a quantum leap but in the context here it is only the beginning of a long journey. Growing up in a christian family you get used to hearing often repeated words about the sovreignity of God and you know that he is in control of all things,

                                                    'Hes got the whole world in His Hands'.

The understanding of which sometimes passes us by until by and by Gods switches on the light and we can see the truth layed out before us.

When we finally see the reality of the situation and begin to understand who God really is and how powerful and wonderful are His ways we are simultaneously made aware of how silly it to 'play god' and attempt to rule our own lives. When we see how strong God is we also realize how weak we are and turly dependent on Him in all things.

Fruit

Nearly a year since my last post. Sorry to all my loyal readers. As to where have I been? In a barren empty place, otherwise known as the wilderness.

 Not much grows out there its a good place to to go when your fasting,

Anyhow I guess I've turned a corner cause I'm back in the cultivated lands again thinking about fruit.

During the hiatus I have obviously been keeping myself alive, existing at least in the flesh.

My flesh is alive because I have been feeding it, with various foods, spiritually I have been staving.

The purpose of a tree is to produce fruit. A lack of fruit is a lack of purpose. Empty branches leave a farmer wondering why He wasted his time tending to it. Fruit is the substance of the life of the plant, the real stuff, the pay off, and the climax.

I am hungry for this, the whole earth is madly seeking it. We need it and we've got to, got to, have it.

If we cant find it we try to replace it with the product of this world. 

The problem with fake fruit is though, it has no substance, its hollow. It does not and can not satisfy.

A spirit to must have food to live, we find and eat this fruit then we are able to produce our own, and provide a harvest for others who have not.

Plants have their stages of early life and getting established but with maturity should come fruitfulness.  

Joy is like the Sun (It vanishes in the night seasons) it rises in the morning and warms our souls, Its the light of life, It energizes and motivates. When we are given joy to eat it fills us and radiates from us. To produce it we must eat it, so where do we find this rare fruit?

In the garden of our father.

Joy comes from the restored relationship we can have with our Father though Jesus. Joy is found only in the presence of God, and his indwelling Spirit. 

Adam lost his joy when he sinned and broke his relationship with the Father, He hid from His presence in a dark place, not able to bear the Light of His countenance. He was sent away from that beautiful place but he had already left in his heart, He could never be at home there with God until that sin was atoned for on the cross and He could be reconciled.

 Because of Jesus we (the sons of Adam) are able to re-enter into the Garden of our lord and eat of its heavenly fruits again, including the tree of life. Joy comes down from above and cannot be manufactured from earthly materials. When we are made right with our Father again and can approach His presence again, when the shame of sin is taken from us and His Spirit fills us. Then we can become a outlet of Heaven on earth, re-producing the food of Heaven. 

Others will see this fruit in our lives and desire it. As I said before all men desperately seek it. (the infamous 'God shaped hole')

Such treasures need to be shared with other hungry souls.

"Do you love me? Feed my sheep."

Escape

 

Jonah was asked to do something by God. He chose to run away instead because the task was distasteful to him,

Sometimes/often I do the same and check out when the mission seems impossible to me I like to check out. Just loving my wife and children seems hard to me when it seems all to hard I like to 'go somewhere else'. Is it any surprise that I so times find myself on the belly of a whale!

Fear the LORD because he expects a return on His investment.

There is no place for complacency amongst believers. Ok I grant that the LORD is abundant in mercy and to those young in the faith he is patient and merciful even to late comers.

But to such as me I'm just saying, and especially if you are a male, and grown up in the faith, done your apprenticeship as it were.

HE EXPECTS SOME HEAVY LIFTING.

Look around where ever The Lord has placed you. Are there any front rowers left? (I'm from Australia/NZ we play Rugby, front rowers are the big men, the 'battering rams') 

There comes a time in every mans life when he realises, usually with others that..

' our fathers have passed on and it is up to us now to carry on the fight' 

There are many scriptures mainly the parables to back this up. It's nothing new. I'm just passing a ball will anyone take it forward?

It might not really fit the picture of tough men on a sports field but the wise virgins can teach men a lot.

Matthew 25

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Now five of them were wise, and fivewere foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard:‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.

Only the quick can save the dead.

So if we are made alive men, let us not live as dead men lusting after dead things. 

Let us seek and save the lost and regain lost territory. Love is our banner and joy will be our flag, this is the kingdom of our Lord it's just a matter of taking it, in His name.

Justice and Mercy

Justice demands compliance without compromise. 

Justice can only act where there is a law. A written statute, a known code of conduct. And mercy requires justice to exist before it makes sense. Justice cannot just be forgotten, it demands satisfaction! 

All followers of Christ who repent of sin and trust his name to save them, run to the mercy of a God. All who love him love His mercy.

But who will still run to his justice? A thing by which we are all condemned.

The means by which Christ was rejected by his father and was made sin for us. 

 "It pleased the LORD to bruise Him, and make His soul an offering.."Is:53

I still want justice. I don't want to take Christ's place when he died for me indeed I can't save even myself this way. So it pleases me that because if His great Mercy, it pleased The Lord to bruise him in my place.

Yet I am glad that God is Just and that my sin had to be attoned for, and I love my redeemer very much. I now present myself to his judgment. I want to be inspected, corrected, reproved and improved.

This is Jesus desire for us all.

That he present us faultless before the presence of His Glory, with Exceeding Joy.

The way of an Eagle in the air

Is saw two of these yesterday at might be breeding time.

Photos care of Wikipedia.

Do you ever wonder why Eagles are so reveared and vultures so despised?

You are what you eat they reckon.

Eagles prefer fresh meat they have killed themselves (but they aren't above scavenging either) vultures lacking the dexterity for hunting are forced to lurk always and steal what they can of the kills of others, or be first on the scene of a natural death. Both are unclean to eat since both eat carrion.

But if you say your thanks and your really hungry go for it.

Also unloved by Jews are crustetions and other 'bottom feeders' why because they feed of the waste product ( they can be rich in heavy metals which are toxic to human consumption) of others is my guess? Who knows but this is generally true the better the quality of the food the animal eats the more tasty they are to eat themselves. The Old Testament food laws make sense. Pigs eat carrion and are cannabilistic and so on. 

Laws are created for the good of mankind to be his servant. But as with all other good things man ends up falling foul of law and becoming a slave to it.

Eagles have long been a symbol of justice and good.

One day we shall rise up on wings of eagles and defy gravity because our eternal bodies shall have no mass. They will be able to travel into heavenly realms, and pass though locked doors. In those days we shall be rulers over things on earth we will be agents of the justice of the Most High! His glory will go before us, and His righteousness shall be our rearguard! 

Will we ever cease from praising The Lord of hosts that makes all these things possible!