Knowing The Goal and Moving Toward It

A writer friend of mine shared a new writing technique she'd learn to help her press toward her goal of more words. Basically this technique, described by Henry McLaughlin, involved one-hour "Writing Blasts". You set a timer, sit down at your computer, and start writing as fast as you can for one hour. Get up and walk around for ten or fifteen minutes, then blast away again. The idea is to get three blasts done in the morning. 

McLaughlin has a second goal, of 500 words per scene, with an alert set to chime when he reaches that goal. In essence, he has two goals that run simultaneously. He is constantly pressing toward the goal. 

I'm currently doing a rewrite of my entire first manuscript. That sounds worse than it is, of course. I'm tightening the writing and changing some scenes in order to tell them from a different character's point of view. It's made my story much better and I'm thrilled by the improvement, but it's hard work.

The total words in my original manuscript:92,612

Total words in my rewrite (so far): 26,808

Yes. I have a long way to go. I've completed most of the "worst" part, but there are some sections that still need to be rewritten. This is hard, but it's worth it. I'm keeping my goal in sight, which is to be finished before Thanksgiving. I have 28 days to make it happen. (I don't usually write on Sundays.) With 65,804 words left to rewrite, I need to fly through 2,350 words a day. Some days, I'll likely do more. Some days, I'll likely do less. 

One critical step is required to reach the end. Keep the goal in sight. 

That's what Jesus did. Some Pharisees came up to Jesus and said, "You need to get out of here, because Herod wants to kill you." Jesus said, "Go tell that fox I'll be healing people and casting out demons for two more days and, on the third day, I'll reach my goal." (Leanna Paraphrase)

Jesus wasn't worried about Herod's plans because He had the end in sight. He was steadily moving toward it. In three days, Herod's plans and Jesus' plans would line up and God's ultimate goal of redemption would be achieved.

"The third day I reach My goal." (Luke 13:32 nasb)

Healing the sick wasn't Jesus' goal. Casting out demons wasn't Jesus' goal. His goal was the Cross, and He never stopped moving toward it until that fateful day when the goal was fulfilled. Redemption was complete.

The Apostle Paul wrote of the only goal in his life. "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14 nasb)

We, too, have goals in life, some probably more admirable than others. If we are to please God, however, we need a goal that mirrors that of Christ. Our citizenship is in heaven and we must strive to be more like the One who purchased that eternal citizenship. This lofty goal will only be met by transformation of our hearts and our lives by the Power of the Holy Spirit in us. 

It seems unusual to have a goal that we, ourselves, cannot accomplish. We can only allow the accomplishing. To achieve our goal, then, we must humble ourselves and allow God to change us as He desires. 

We aren't who we should be. We don't love as we should, or work as we should, or give as we should, but we can be more. We can love more, work more, give more. We can be more like Christ, if we will allow it. So let's allow it. Let's invite God's Spirit to do more in us than we can imagine, to transform us so that all who see us will know that they have glimpsed the Christ in us because of the work He's done.

Come, Holy Spirit, and do your work in us. Change us, transform us. Make us more like Christ. More giving. More loving. More humble. More grace. More like You.

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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Refillable Nespresso capsules,  The New Normal, The Blessing Disguised as Coincidence, The Blessing of Protection, Becoming a Writer: Cover Reveal, and I Shook His Hand Once.

The most read post of the past week: The New Normal.

Here's the link to The Clay Papers, available as an e-book for personal use or to send as a gift for only 99 cents. 

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photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#disciple #JesusChrist #followHim #goals #transformed

Choosing Freedom

"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your sickness.' And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, 'There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Luke 13: 10-14 NASB

Our current series began with Jesus Sees Us As We Are , then Freed by Obedience, Before We Call, He Answers, and yesterday's God Always Keeps His Promises. (in case you want to get caught up, you can follow the links) 

The word study for today provides a shocking truth, and one we do well to understand and embrace. When Jesus spoke those beautiful words, "Woman, you are freed," the word He used was apolyō. This word indicates the liberty to depart from captivity has been given. Jesus told the woman she could be free if she wanted to be free. 

Freedom was hers for the taking.

This is a profound truth and one we need to embrace. We can be free if we choose to be free. Jesus offered her freedom, but she had the option not to accept freedom.

We, too, have the option for freedom as well as the freedom to decline our release from the captivity of sin.

It's all too easy to develop a kind of moral Stockholm Syndrome, whereby we become so enamored of our captor (Sin) that we choose to remain in bondage rather than accept the freedom only Christ can give. It's spiritual madness to choose our prison of sin, but we do it, don't we?

We do not have to remain in bondage to those sins that hold us. Jesus died and rose again to set us free from the penalty of sin we could never pay. If, then, we have been set free, why do we continue in such sin?

If we want to be free, our Lord will grant us liberty. 

Our freedom is a gift, but it is also a choice. Since Freedom in Christ has been bought and given, let us accept this free gift of God, embrace the dearly-bought liberty, and live as those who have been redeemed.

How can we live free? We must refuse to return to the sin that has held us, relying on the power of God to give us the will to overcome. He will help us. He will see us through. We can live free. If we will.

We have a choice. Do we want to continue in bondage to Sin? Do we want to live in the freedom from Sin Christ has purchased for us? 

May we choose freedom so that others can see the power and love of Christ in us.

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Our Father, help us to choose the freedom only you can give. Help us to relinquish our desire for sin and choose righteousness. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#thechoice #freedfromsin #disciple #JesusChrist #Biblestudy 

God Always Keeps His Promises

"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your sickness.' And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, 'There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Luke 13: 10-14 NASB

We began a new series this week. It began with Jesus Sees Us As We Are , then Freed by Obedience, and yesterday's Before We Call, He Answers. (in case you want to get caught up, you can follow the links) 

This passage demonstrates a very beautiful truth that we need to understand. Jesus called to the woman, she moved in His direction, and He spoke those words she most wanted to hear but for which she least dared to hope. "Woman you are freed." From the moment those words were spoken by God's Son, the healing was underway and would not be stopped. 

When Jesus spoke, the healing was as good as done. 

There must have been a delay between the time He spoke and her actually standing erect, if only a few seconds, but the reality of healing, in the heavenlies, was done. 

This is an important truth because I have often prayed with diligence, felt I received an answer, a promise from God, and have not yet seen the reality of that promise. When God speaks a word, He speaks it with absolute truth, and we can receive it with absolute confidence. If God says something, it is true. 

If God promises, it will come to pass.

Isn't it comforting to realize that, when God says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," that's how it is? We can count on His presence, His persistence, His promise.

What delight we can take in His promise, "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11) When life seems uncertain and confusing, it is a great comfort to me to KNOW that God has a plan, and it's going to work out to give me a future and a hope. I don't have to understand. I don't have to know how my circumstances will look tomorrow. He is in charge.

It's so simple. God can handle this life we live. He speaks into our lives with certainty and truth. We can count on Him. We can depend on Him and on His word.

When we dangle in that moment between "Woman, you are freed" and "immediately she was made erect," we can be sure that the latter will follow the former. If He says it, He will do it.

There is no need for fear. We can trust the God we serve.

For what promise of God are you waiting? Take heart. If He promises, He will bring it to pass. 

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 NASB

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Our Father, thank You that You are always with us, always helping us, always fulfilling Your promises. Help us to believe You, trust You, and wait for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Disciple, Biblestudy #believe #KeeperofPromises, #HesaysitHewilldoit, 

Before we call, He answers

"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your sickness.' And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, 'There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Luke 13: 10-14 NASB

We began a new series this week. It began with Jesus Sees Us As We Are and yesterday's topic was Freed by Obedience (in case you want to get caught up, you can follow the links) 

To catch up a bit, a woman had been plagued by a spirit-caused disease that caused her to be bent double. As a result, her head was looking down toward the ground all the time. Jesus was teaching at the synagogue in a town outside Jerusalem. When He saw her, He called her over to Him and she went, despite the fact that He required her to walk to Him in front of everyone in the room.

As you may or may not know, I had a long night last night at the hospital with my dear neighbors, Sam and Jamie. Jamie is terribly sick and we need your prayers. After only a few hours sleep, my brain is not quite as sharp as usual, so I turned to my dear Matthew Henry commentary for help. He had the most beautiful words I've seen in his exegesis of this passage.

"Before she called, he answered." (MH)

That's exactly how this story unfolded. What's so amazing is that it's how our own stories unfold, as well. Before we call, our Lord answers us because He sees us. He knows us. He knows our needs and the conditions under which we labor.

Before I called, He answered me. Just yesterday, I saw the evidence of this. I was dressed for errands and had been working at my computer all day. Mid-afternoon, I wanted to do some yard work and intended to don my grubbiest jeans and head to the manure pile to shovel manure for a new raised bed. I had such hesitance that I delayed.

Wouldn't I have been a sight, trying to get Jamie out of the floor, my own jeans covered with dirt and dried manure? Could I have gone to the hospital like that? Of course not. Before I called, He answered and gave me the hesitance that kept me in clean clothes when clean clothes were needed.

We had a long wait in the emergency room, but before we called out asking for God to send us a good and caring physician, the ER staff schedule had been completed and an excellent, caring physician had already been scheduled. Caring and competent ambulance crews had already been scheduled. Everything we needed was already in place. Every person we needed was already scheduled. 

His answer was so complete that I had stopped by the gas station to fill my car's tank with gas, just in case, yesterday morning. Everything was already in place for a long and difficult afternoon-evening-night. 

It always is, if we are willing to look at our lives, to notice the circumstances God orchestrates for us. 

For today, take a look at the circumstances and events of your week. Where have you seen evidence that He answered before you called? Be sure to give thanks. 

He is faithful, even when we're not looking.

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Almighty God, who sees and knows and loves, thank you for your divine provision of everything we need, even before we need it. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#hegivesmeallIneed, disciple, Jesus, Bible study, faithful #divine provision

Freed by Obedience

"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your sickness.' And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, 'There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Luke 13: 10-14 NASB

We began a new series yesterday with Jesus Sees Us As We Are. 

Jesus was teaching at a synagogue outside Jerusalem on the Sabbath. There was a woman present who had a disease (caused by a spirit) that resulted in her being bent over double. She could not stand straight. The disease had persisted for 18 years. Jesus saw her and called her over to him.

"And He laid His hands on her" indicates that she went to Jesus when He called her. 

Still bent double, head still facing the ground, she did not wait for her circumstances to change. She did not wait for Jesus to do something impressive. She did not whine that he would make her a spectacle in front of everyone present that day. She didn't hold back because of fear. She didn't ask why.

He called. She obeyed. It was as simple as that.

That's what a disciple does. The Master says do it, and the disciple does it. No arguing. No whining. No delay.

When she went, when she obeyed His simple command to come to Him, a wonderful thing happened. She was freed of the thing that had plagued her unrelentingly for nearly two decades. 

Freed because of obedience.

It makes obedience when we don't understand seem a lot more desirable, doesn't it? It makes refusal to obey because we are afraid seem much more foolish.

What has God asked us to do? What is our excuse for delay?

Is He calling? Step out. Step forward. Do what He says to do, because it is worth it. It is always, always worth it. So obey. Simply obey.

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Our Father, forgive me for my hesitation in obedience. Help me to embrace Your calling and follow, just as You've asked me to do. I will follow where you call, Lord. I will follow. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple #Iwillfollow #JesusChrist #obedience

Jesus sees us as we are

"And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your sickness.' And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, 'There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." Luke 13: 10-14 NASB

Today, we are beginning a new series. Jesus was not in Jerusalem. We know that because He was in a synagogue on the Sabbath rather than in the Temple. A synagogue was a place in town where Jews met together for prayers, Scripture reading, and teaching. Every Jewish town, as well as Gentile towns with a number of Jewish residents, had a synagogue. 

On this particular Sabbath, Jesus had been invited to teach the Scripture. He wasn't just doing the reading, He was giving an exposition of the Scripture. Get this picture in your mind for a moment. Jesus, in front of the people who are gathered, is teaching. A woman who had a sickness was there. 

Neither chronic illness nor chronic hopelessness kept her from Jesus.

The word used here is astheneia. This is a medical term used by Dr. Luke to indicate a weakness, frailty, or feebleness. The addition of the word pneuma indicates that it was a disease caused by a spirit. She was doubled over and could not stand straight.

Jesus glanced around as He was teaching and noticed the woman. Instead of waiting until He completed teaching, He didn't waste a minute. He called the woman forward, because healing was on His mind from the moment He saw her. She came forward, Jesus laid hands on her, and she was immediately made well. She stood up straight and tall and praised God for it.

Because she was bent double, her head would have been facing down toward the ground. Making eye contact with Jesus would have been difficult, if not impossible. Her healing, however, was not dependent upon her turning her eyes toward Jesus. 

What mattered most was that Jesus had His eyes turned toward her.

Scripture tells us that God's eyes roam to and fro throughout the earth. He sees us. We are not adrift in this world, merely hoping God will notice us. 

We are seen. We are known. We are loved.

This woman had dealt with her issue for 18 years. The spirit had caused an infirmity that everyone could see. It had caused her to take her eyes off everything except the dirt beneath her feet, but that didn't keep her from healing, because Jesus' eyes saw everything.

He looked at her and called her to Himself.

Our Lord has seen us, too, with all the destruction and infirmity sin has caused in our lives, and He is calling us to Himself. He knows the issues we've dealt with for years. He sees our struggle and wants us to be healed. We don't have to see Him to respond. We simply have to move in the direction of His voice. He will handle the rest.

Can you hear Him calling you? 

Just as the bent woman did, if we move in the direction of our Lord, He will handle the rest. He desires freedom for us. Healing. Hope.

Help is available for the thing with which we have struggled the longest. Are you tired of keeping your eyes on the dirt beneath your feet? Jesus can help. 

Listen, then move. Healing awaits in the loving hands of our Savior.

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Our Father, Thank you for seeing us and knowing us. Help us to respond to your call and allow you to touch and heal those things with which we have struggled for years. Set us free and help us to stay free. In the name of Jesus, Amen

#disciple #healing #freedominChrist #Biblestudy

Parable of the Fig Tree: The Limit of Mercy

“And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"”         Luke 13:6-9 NASB

If you're just joining us, here are the links to the previous posts in the series: The Fig Tree With No Fruit, Living Like a Barren Fig Tree, Cut It Down, Removing the Cancer of Hidden Sin, The Cost of Hidden Sin,  Why Does It Use Up Ground, and The Mercy of Change, as well as links to other "fig tree" posts: The Come Back Tree, The Lesson of the Fig Tree (One of my fav's), and My Daily Fig. (They'll open in a new tab)

We come to the final part of the fig tree saga. "But if not, cut it down." 

Those words break my heart and make me feel a little sick. The tree refused to do what the owner had planted it to do, despite the years the vineyard keeper had given trying to coax fruit out of it. Judgment was pronounced, but the vineyard keeper begged for mercy. "Give me another year. I'll pour out more blessings on the tree. More fertilizer. More digging." 

With the request for mercy came an acquiescence, as well. "But if not." The vineyard keeper acknowledged that there was a very real possibility the fig tree would not change. Fruit would not come. No matter what blessing was given in an attempt to cajole fruit from the tree, it would not change. 

Even the merciful vineyard keeper was willing to cut the tree down.

This principle is true for individuals and for nations. When we, as disciples, fail to bear fruit, fail to progress toward that which God desires for us, judgment may be decreed. I speak not of the final judgment that sends us to hell, but a judgment that will shake our foundations and propel us toward that which was God's intent for us all along. 

We are so fond of grace that we reject the notion of judgment, but God does not.

A loving father disciplines His children, and our Heavenly Father will discipline us, as well. I know this from experience.

The mercy of our Lord may delay the arrival of judgment, giving us another chance for change, but it does not negate the imperative of change.

I love the merciful, one-more-chance grace of God. I love it. The problem is that I've mistaken it a few times for something it is not. I've looked at the blessings and thought they were a stamp of approval for all that was in my life.

The vineyard owner's goal for the fig tree was fruit. The vineyard keeper's goal for the fig tree was fruit. Fruit is always the goal of those caring for the tree.

In our own lives, it is much the same. Our Heavenly Father desires fruit from us, change that makes us more like Him. Our Lord Jesus desires the same and our dear Holy Spirit works tirelessly as He strives to draw us to completion and fruitfulness. Fruit is always their goal.

Bearing fruit is always God's goal for us, and it needs to be our goal, as well.

There is such a tendency on our part to be extravagant with the last bit of mercy that we propel ourselves like a freight train roaring down the tracks, straight into judgment. Oh, how important it is to take stock of our lives on a daily basis. Are we pleasing God in our thoughts, actions, deeds? Are we bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Are we more like Christ today than we were yesterday?

It is critical that we steward the mercy and use it to bring us to God's plan for our lives, both individually and as the body of Christ. 

Mercy has been extended to the body of Christ and time is short. We must begin to be what God intended us to be. His blessings have not been given to allow us to have more, more, more. Our blessings are given so that we can be a blessing. To whom much has given, much will be required. 

We are the "to whom much is given." We are the "from whom much will be required." We must not squander our mercy nor our blessings on things that will not have eternal significance.

The time is now. Let us fall to our knees, thank God for His mercy, and beg Him to make us what He wanted us to be. Obedience to the will of God is the only thing that will stay the ax of judgment.

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Our Father, forgive us of our busyness, our selfishness, our greed. Draw us to You and help us to obey where we have failed You so miserably. Make us what You wanted us to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#judgment #mercy #limitofmercy #disciple #Biblestudy #parableofthefigtree

Parable of the Fig Tree: The Mercy of Change

“And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"”         Luke 13:6-9 NASB

If you're just joining us, here are the links to the previous posts in the series: The Fig Tree With No Fruit, Living Like a Barren Fig Tree, Cut It Down, Removing the Cancer of Hidden Sin, The Cost of Hidden Sin, and Why Does It Use Up Ground, as well as links to other "fig tree" posts: The Come Back Tree, The Lesson of the Fig Tree (One of my fav's), and My Daily Fig. (They'll open in a new tab)

We come now to the words of mercy in this passage. "Let it alone, sir, for this year, too..." The vineyard-keeper knew there was no fruit on the tree, but he was not willing to give up on it. Judgment hung over the tree, but mercy was requested. 

When the vineyard-keeper requested more time, he also announced his intent to take positive action. He would help the tree do what fig trees are supposed to do. He would fertilize it, dig around it, and loosen the soil around the roots.  The fertilizing and digging and loosening would all be done with an end goal in mind. There would be only one objective: FIGS.

Even when judgment was warranted, mercy was uppermost in the vineyard-keeper's mind. 

There's no doubt we, as a nation and as the church, deserve the judgment of God. His people have become so much like the world that we are often indistinguishable. Perhaps mercy has been given. Perhaps we have another chance, but that chance will not come without action from the One who lavishes His care on us. Fertilizer application and digging at the foundations are smelly, unsettling work. They bring change. 

God's work of redemption, His work of one-more-chance, will not leave us as we are. It may be smelly and unsettling. It may not come the way we would choose. 

We may not like the mercy of change offered, but we desperately need it. 

We need to be so unsettled that we fall to our faces and worship the One who created and sustains us. We need to be so disrupted that we take our eyes off that which tantalizes us and turn our faces to the God who loves us. We need to be so changed that our steps follow Christ without wavering.

There was no need for the tree to fear the care the vineyard-keeper planned, for it's only objective was productivity in order to avoid the ax of judgment. 

In that same way, there is no need to fear the mercy of change our Lord offers, for it, too, has productivity in mind. It, too, is given in order to avoid the ax of judgment.

If change is to come, and it is, let us embrace what God brings our way. Let us embrace and change, no matter how hard, with only one objective in mind. Bearing fruit. 

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 NASB

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Our Father, forgive us for our wrong priorities. Forgive us for chasing after our own goals. Help us to chase after You, to cling to Your ways, to strive to bear fruit for You. Make us what You meant us to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#Mercy #Parableofthefigtree #disciple #JesusChrist #Bible 

Parable of the Fig Tree: Why Does It Use Up Ground?

“And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"”         Luke 13:6-9 NASB

This is the sixth day in our "fig tree" series, although I've written about fig trees before because mine has been such a problem over the years. If you're just joining us, here are the links to the previous posts in the series: The Fig Tree With No Fruit, Living Like a Barren Fig Tree, Cut It Down, Removing the Cancer of Hidden Sin, and The Cost of Hidden Sin, as well as links to other "fig tree" posts: The Come Back Tree, The Lesson of the Fig Tree (One of my fav's), and My Daily Fig. (They'll open in a new tab)

Today, we are considering the landowner's words, "Why does it even use up the ground?" We might ask the same question by saying, "What is its purpose?" It's a question that we do well to answer for our own lives. 

What is my purpose in life?

There are many potential "purposes" in life, some of which are noble and endearing. We can invest our lives in good deeds, humanitarian causes, obtaining vast knowledge or expertise in our chosen field, raising "successful" children, or making large sums of money. 

Where am I investing my life? 

What purpose am I seeking to fulfill? Is it THE purpose for which I was created? 

The purpose of a fig tree is straight forward. The fig tree exists to bear figs. We, too, have a straight forward purpose for which we were created. We are to glorify God in all we do. 

You may ask, "How do we glorify God?" One of the best ways is to obey God's will. There's a tendency to view God's will as a mysterious secret that must be uncovered, but God has told us His will quite clearly in Scripture. There may be additional specifics He requires of us, but if we strive toward what He's given us, we will have made a good start.

To begin, we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Our thoughts, words, and actions must be done with the motivation of love. 

Paul's words to the Thessalonians give further insight into the will of God.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality... and that no man transgress and defraud his brother ... For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another... But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, 9-12 NASB

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thes. 5: 18 

Sanctification. Purity. Love. Excellence. Thanksgiving. 

We make a good start when we understand our purpose, but we begin to fulfill that purpose by the way we choose to live. We begin to be sanctified by choosing purity. Choosing love. Choosing excellence. Choosing thanks.

"Why does it even use up the ground?" If the question were asked of our lives, what would be the answer? Our lifestyle choices demonstrate our purpose in life. Let's live so that we bring honor and glory to God.

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Our Father, forgive us of our selfishness, pride, greed, lust. Draw us to Your purposes for our lives. Help us to live with love in a way that bring honor and glory to You, and You alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#JesusChrist #disciple #purposeinlife #glorifyGod #Bible

Parable of the Fig Tree: The Cost of Hidden Sin

“And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"”         Luke 13:6-9 NASB

This is the fifth day in our "fig tree" series, although I've written about fig trees before because mine has been such a problem over the years. If you're just joining us, here are the links to the previous posts in the series: The Fig Tree With No Fruit, Living Like a Barren Fig Tree, Cut It Down, and Removing the Cancer of Hidden Sin, as well as links to other "fig tree" posts: The Come Back Tree, The Lesson of the Fig Tree (One of my fav's), and My Daily Fig. (They'll open in a new tab)

I went to Memphis for my monthly ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) chapter meeting yesterday. This is a great opportunity to connect with other writers and a chance for me to learn more about writing. After I returned home, I changed clothes and headed to the barn. The mostly-cut-down fig tree was, mostly, on the ground, but something caught my eye. Ripe figs. The pathetic little figs that were nothing more than hard green orbs had ripened overnight.

The odd thing about these ripened figs is that they were on branches that had been cut away from the tree. I've pondered this for a while, and, though I am no botanist, I've devised a theory. The sickness in the tree prevented the figs from ripening. There was enough life left in the limbs to allow the figs to ripen once the proximity to the gnawing disease was removed.

As I ate the ripe figs and thought about what the disease had cost the tree in terms of productivity, I wondered what the disease of hidden sin has cost me. How much more fruit could I bear if I allowed God to remove the disease of sin in me? How much more joy could I have? How much more of God's mighty power could I see?

How much more effective could the body of Christ be if, corporately, we allowed God to remove our hidden sin? 

I call the sin hidden, but it's not, really. God, of course, sees it all. In an odd way, the world sees our sin, too. They see the ineffectiveness, the lack of joy, the hardness in us, even if they don't "see" our specific sin. The world knows, even when we believe they do not, and it robs us of our validity as disciples.

 When the world hears us speak of freedom in Christ but sees us bound in sin, what are they to think? Can we fault them for thinking that we are either hypocrites or liars? 

If the gnawing sin within us is robbing us, why do we allow it to continue? Do we believe that it is easier to continue in sin than to repent? Do we think that relinquishing our sin will change nothing?

Let's be done with these besetting sins that steal our joy, hamper our witness, hold us back from the fruit God had planned. Once freed, let's embrace the freedom, the joy, the peace, the love God intended for the body of Christ. 

Let's choose freedom and live free.

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Our Father, forgive us our sins, especially the ones we try to hide as we cling to them like precious treasure. Help us to see the price our sins have extracted from us and to be done with them. Help us to repent and embrace the cross and the freedom it brings. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#JesusChrist #disciple #theBible #parableofthefigtree #cancerofhiddensin #repent #costofsin

Parable of the Fig Tree: Removing the Cancer of Hidden Sin

“And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"”         Luke 13:6-9 NASB

This is the fourth day in our "fig tree" series, although I've written about fig trees before because mine has been such a problem over the years. If you're just joining us, here are the links to the previous posts in the series: The Fig Tree With No Fruit and Living Like a Barren Fig Tree, and Cut It Down, as well as links to other "fig tree" posts: The Come Back Tree, The Lesson of the Fig Tree (One of my fav's), and My Daily Fig. (They'll open in a new tab)

The parable above is being lived out with my own fig tree this week, as it has refused to bear fruit for the last two years. No, that's not completely accurate. It's had a few figs, but they've failed to ripen. The lush harvests of the past years are gone. No fig jam this year. No fig preserves.

Yesterday, I made the decision to cut down the tree. My goal was to remove the diseased part so that the healthy part could make a strong recovery. The further down the trunk we cut, the more we realized the extent of the disease. You can see from the photo above that the trunk has a deep split as a result of disease. It wasn't visible from the outside because the bark covered it.

There was more disease in the tree than I realized. Only severe, radical pruning can save it. 

If we could cut ourselves open and glimpse our hearts, would we see a deep infestation of sin? Would we find that we have carefully disguised sin-sickness inside us, hidden it behind an attractive "bark" exterior? 

Would we find those less-visible sins like critical, judgmental spirit, covetousness, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness? Even when we hide them behind a smiling exterior, hidden sins still do a work of destruction in our lives.

Do we want to bear fruit? If so, we must be sure our "inside" is as healthy, spiritually, as our demeanor looks to the world. A big smile cannot erase the destruction sin can cause. Laughter cannot eliminate the gnawing cancer of bitterness or unforgiveness. 

There is only one treatment. Removal. Those sins to which we cling must go, so let's be done with them. Let's ask the Great Physician to do the work only He can do.

The objective of removal is not to leave a gaping hole. The objective is for the Great Physician to fill that hole, once occupied by sin, with the Holy Spirit's presence so that we can bear good fruit that lasts.

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Our Father, our Great Physician, do your work in me today. Remove the cancer of hidden sin and purify my heart. Make me more like you so I can bear fruit that pleases and glorifies you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple #JesusChrist #Bible #bearfruit #parableofthefigtree

Parable of the Fig Tree: Cut it down

“And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"”         Luke 13:6-9 NASB

This is the third day in our "fig tree" series, although I've written about fig trees before because mine has been such a problem over the years. If you're just joining us, here are the links to the previous posts in the series: The Fig Tree With No Fruit and Living Like a Barren Fig Tree, and links to other "fig tree" posts: The Come Back Tree, The Lesson of the Fig Tree (One of my fav's), and My Daily Fig. (They'll open in a new tab)

Today, we're looking at the phrase "Cut it down!" 

My favorite theologian, Matthew Henry, interprets this quite differently than I do. In his opinion, the owner of the vineyard sees the unfruitful tree and pronounces a judgment on it. "Cut it down!" Henry compares that to a spiritual judgment for the one with no fruit. He opines that the judgment sends the unfruitful one to eternal hell. His interpretation may well be correct, for his commentary has stood the test of time.

On the other hand, Matthew Henry may not have cut down a fig tree before, but I have. 

My experience with cutting down a fig tree is that severe pruning is radical, but can be life-saving for the tree. Several years ago, my fig tree stopped bearing fruit. When I cut my tree down, it came back better than ever. 

We pruned  that same tree (once again not bearing fruit) yesterday. After the pruning, it was obvious that the tree has some diseased branches. Today, we will cut the tree down again. All the diseased branches will be cut away and only that which is healthy (mostly the roots and stump) will remain. With the disease cut away, the tree will have another opportunity to grow and be healthy. I will be shocked if it doesn't bear fruit next year. 

The word translated as "Cut it down" is ekkoptō. In Romans 11:22, 24 this same word is used to indicate a metaphorical"cutting off" that results in removal of spiritual blessing. 

I believe the "cutting down" is a kind of judgment, given with the hope that the tree will respond by becoming what it is supposed to be. There is precedent in Scripture for this, as Israel's sin often precipitated calamitous judgment. When severe judgment came, the people responded by returning to God. 

In an amazing way, judgment can be mercy in disguise.

The tree in the story was planted by the vineyard owner and care was provided by the owner. It was his tree. When the tree failed to produce fruit, he judged it and planned to cut it down, but the vineyard keeper offered mercy instead, with the hope of fruit after additional care. 

Both judgment and mercy for the tree had one goal in mind: FRUIT. 

Our lives are the same as the pitiful tree in the story. The goal for our lives is not showy leaves (physical beauty/fine house/fancy cars/big bank accounts). 

The goal for our lives is FRUIT. 

Our Heavenly Father expects to see evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. When we fail to produce fruit in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we risk a divine fruit inspection with a potentially painful result. 

The treatment for no fruit may be mercy (more fertilizer, digging around the roots) but prolonged lack of fruit will result in judgment. 

God misses nothing. He knows the condition of our hearts and the condition of His church. He knows how much fruit of the Spirit we bear. It may well be that the body of Christ in the U.S. has been "inspected" and found wanting. I have great concern that mercy has been given to us with little change. 

We have chased after inspiring books rather than "THE BOOK". We have sought a purpose-driven life rather than a Spirit-driven life. We have attended church rather than "being" the church.

As disciples, we are to follow our Master, and there is only one Master. Jesus Christ. No one else will do.

We would do well to do a fruit-inspection of our own. How much fruit of the Spirit is evident in my life? In yours? 

I've inspected my heart over the last few days and found serious deficiencies in a few areas. The work of repentance and change is underway. It's time for us as disciples to allow a serious fruit inspection with the goal of becoming fruit-bearers. 

We have a choice. Bear fruit or risk judgment. Which will it be? Time is short. We must choose well.

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Our Father, forgive us for our fruitlessness. Remove the barren branches in our lives. Strengthen us to bear the fruit of the Spirit and become the church you intended us to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#fruit-bearer #FigTree #judgmentormercy #cutitdown #disciple #JesusChrist #Biblestudy