Another week in the devotional Awaken, by Priscilla Shirer, which continued to bring thought-provoking encouragement …
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I can remember as a kid waiting for a pot of water to come to a boil so the pasta could be cooked. It seemed like forever, which is how the saying probably came into being – “A watched pot never boils.”
The topic = Growth.
Waiting for a dream or an expectation to come to fruition can be difficult. Yet Scripture tells us that it is actually good for us:
“So let it [your faith] grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:4, NLT)
We need to keep pressing on, moving forward.
“Endure. The day is coming – sooner than you think – when you’ll not only be able to enjoy the fruit of your diligence, but you’ll see that while you were working on it, God was working on you.” (from Awaken page 164)
What is some of the growth and development you can pinpoint in your own life recently?
Don’t grow weary for in due time you will reap a harvest. He has promised!
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“Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:8, NLT)
It amazes me how people within the same church or Bible Study can grow at different rates. It always reminded me that our walks with God are unique and personal to us. None are quite the same.
“Each of us must individually do the work of tending to the seed that ‘s been planted – renewing our minds, yielding to the Spirit, devoting ourselves to prayer, and living with a God-centered perspective.” (from Awaken, page 172)
The study asks this question: Is there any way in which you’ve settled for less of a harvest than you think God intends?
If we want to see results in our lives, we cannot approach life cavalierly. We won’t bear fruit in our lives without putting in the effort and doing the hard work.
I have to admit, sometimes in this hot weather, I wish I could skip watering my garden. But I know if I want to be able to partake, I have to get out there now. Even when the plants are not yet producing, I must invest the time and effort into them to yield later on.
May we be faithful to tend to our souls.
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We closed the week with talking about the way in which we build our houses, ahem – our lives.
I think we all can agree, this year is testing the strength in which we have built our lives. The challenges have been varied and great, and yet all of our lives have been touched in some way.
“In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6, NLT)
God is, and will be, our stability. He will be the stabilizing force in our lives when the enemy seeks to shake us.
Where are some of the leaks and weak spots in the structure of your life? What is God asking you to implement that will begin to fix and fortify them?
May we bow low before the Lord, asking Him to fortify us to stand firm and withstand each challenge as it arises.
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Don’t grow weary.
Tend to your souls.
Build wise. Build well. Stand firm!
Photo 2: by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Photo 3: by Johanne Pepin on Unsplash
Today I am joining …Â
This is my truth: “God is, and will be, our stability. He will be the stabilizing force in our lives when the enemy seeks to shake us.”
God has been my stability in this very difficult season of my life yet its been the season that revealed all and exposed everything that’s been happening in my life. I wrote about it in my latest post. God is faithful. I didn’t know why things were happening in my life yet in a matter of a few weeks, he revealed it all. Now my whole life makes sense.
Thank you for the encouragement and the challenge to reflect on where we are investing our time and effort to ensure that we are building wisely and well!
This sounds like a great study. I especially appreciated the thoughts about waiting. It is definitely not easy, but it’s so true that God can do some of his best work in us during those times.