Embrace the Within no. 12

“Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord.

They will not fall away,

for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.”

Embrace the Within.

Do you feel that today? I feel that verse from Psalms 40 today. We are living a blessed life if that is what we want to live. God allows us to be as blessed as we want as long as we love and trust in God. And that is an important thing to remain focused toward in this day of increasing complication and turmoil.

This week has been quite the blessing. I am starting to pick some good looking tomatoes from the garden and continue the harvest of black-eyed peas. The fall crops are growing well and I began tying up the squash plants in the three sisters plantings I began a few weeks ago. I have a few sunflowers going well and the peppers are producing as well. God is blessing the garden BUT I still have to put in work on my own.

My garden doesn’t keep growing well by itself. I have to get down in the dirt of the raised beds and tie up squash. I have to get down in the dirt and weed out unwanted plants and trim dead branches and leaves. I have to get down in the dirt and plant the seeds. My job is to bring order to the plants so that they achieve their full potential. Plants can grow anywhere they want BUT my deliberate actions help them flower and produce more abundantly. My work in the garden is a blessing to the plants in the garden, a blessing to myself, and a blessing to others.

When we are planting seeds of God’s love and mercy, we are doing a blessing. When we are helping Christians grow and mature in their understanding of God’s scripture and truth, we are doing a blessing. When we are pointing out things that need to be changed and fixed in ourselves and others in Christ, we are doing a blessing. We are bringing a more fruitful and more abundant garden to God as an act of worship.

So, I will rest today and think about all the planting, pruning, weeding, and working I need to accomplish this week. And I will enjoy the blessings that come in service of the Lord’s garden.

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin

Embrace the Within no. 11

“My struggles are a testimony to the glory of God.”

Embrace the Within.

Up a little early this morning because I have a soul burdening my heart and I don’t know just how to get through to this person. I can tell that his heart is not where God wants it to be, however, he doesn’t see things that way. Dude feels like I am a person that has, “ . . . got his head stuck up his own ass and his self-grandizing himself just to placate his own ego because he used to children being Amazed by his intelligence when grown adults who are educated actually look at your logic and laugh.” And maybe he’s right about me from wherever he is in his walk with God.

BUT, I did what I am supposed to do and I told him where I thought he was wrong in his walk with God. I am praying for him and showing love despite his hardened heart. And that is a struggle I am going through right now. A struggle against a heart that thinks it is aligned with the heart of God. And I think a lot of us find struggles with folks that need to work on their hearts. I know it’s difficult to minister to someone else’s heart when they are attacking your heart. I can feel it, dudes. It is no easy task to keep a heart of love in the face of the opposition to that love. BUT we have to let go and let God work because I have no power to change anyone’s life. Only God has the power to work on my heart, his heart, and your heart.

And that is what I wanted to discuss and not my specific struggle. I don’t know about you BUT there isn’t a struggle that I go through that doesn’t bring me closer to God. And that is a great thing to find focus and gratitude when we are struggling and working to be more like Christ. I like to keep that idea in the front of my mind. That my struggle is going to be tough and they are only going to get more difficult as I go BUT in every struggle I face, God is going to get me to the other side of it and use that struggle to get me closer in my walk with God. And I don’t think I celebrate the growth as much as I should.

So, I want to spend today being thankful that God allows me to struggle. If I wasn’t struggling then God wouldn’t be working on me. If I wasn’t struggling then I would probably be off the path. Just like any video game, the bosses get more difficult and the path more complex as you level up and move forward. God wants to level up my faith and grace through even more and more difficult bosses and traps. I have to rely on God’s scripture, truth, and grace in those times that I feel that the game is getting too tough. I have the fellowship and love of brothers and sisters to help strengthen me in my walk as well.

I want to celebrate that struggle not that I feel that struggle makes me feel good or that struggle is easy BUT that struggle is important for growth. I pray you find strength and hope in your struggles.

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin