From Julie's Keyboard:
Hello Friends,
It's Harvest time once again! The "autumn leaves are falling all around," as we sometimes sing with our little ones. Among the amazing principles of life that God has set in motion are "Seed time and Harvest," just as we find in the life of the believer in Christ.
Jesus said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." (ref. John 16:24) We know that to get that well desired harvest, there must be some planting and fertilization of those seed. As the farmers are bringing in their crops, the tallies will soon be known. The success will be a product of those actions taken in the season of Spring when those seed went into the soil.
Isn't this true with the heart of man? In the parable of the Sower, we know that the ground in which the seed is sown has everything to do with its outcome. The garden of the heart must be prepared to produce a harvest of fruitful works. Just as that farmer tills his soil and prepares it with nutrients to enhance those plants, the believer in Christ must submit to the Master Gardener a heart desirous of His preparations.
On a personal note, this year I decided to have a new garden spot. My brother broke the ground for me and I proceeded to plant it after my own thinking and preparing as the soil appeared so rich. However, this year's crop was the worst I've ever experienced. It can only be due to my failure to prepare the soil as I knew I should. Once again the principle of not reaping what hasn't been sown will apply here. There are no shortcuts around what must be done.
The life in Christ must be a life with a new heart prepared with the workings of His Spirit that will make us productive in the bearing of fruit for His Kingdom. May we submit to this preparation with well cultivated hearts in Christ. Then the expectations of a great Harvest are eminent.
P.S. Next year's garden will be better prepared!
Have a Blessed Week,
Julie
_____________________________________________________
"We the People"
Hello Friends,
It's Harvest time once again! The "autumn leaves are falling all around," as we sometimes sing with our little ones. Among the amazing principles of life that God has set in motion are "Seed time and Harvest," just as we find in the life of the believer in Christ.
Jesus said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." (ref. John 16:24) We know that to get that well desired harvest, there must be some planting and fertilization of those seed. As the farmers are bringing in their crops, the tallies will soon be known. The success will be a product of those actions taken in the season of Spring when those seed went into the soil.
Isn't this true with the heart of man? In the parable of the Sower, we know that the ground in which the seed is sown has everything to do with its outcome. The garden of the heart must be prepared to produce a harvest of fruitful works. Just as that farmer tills his soil and prepares it with nutrients to enhance those plants, the believer in Christ must submit to the Master Gardener a heart desirous of His preparations.
On a personal note, this year I decided to have a new garden spot. My brother broke the ground for me and I proceeded to plant it after my own thinking and preparing as the soil appeared so rich. However, this year's crop was the worst I've ever experienced. It can only be due to my failure to prepare the soil as I knew I should. Once again the principle of not reaping what hasn't been sown will apply here. There are no shortcuts around what must be done.
The life in Christ must be a life with a new heart prepared with the workings of His Spirit that will make us productive in the bearing of fruit for His Kingdom. May we submit to this preparation with well cultivated hearts in Christ. Then the expectations of a great Harvest are eminent.
P.S. Next year's garden will be better prepared!
Have a Blessed Week,
Julie
_____________________________________________________
"We the People"
We as Christians in America have a tendency to complain when we are restricted in our public worship and expression of our faith. When Christians hold public office they are expected to keep their faith to themselves.
Then we cry foul and try to fight for our Constitutional rights, warring against those whom we have offended with our faith. But is it really their fault? I think President Garfield had some divine insight for us. When we are tempted to complain about those in authority and power of Government, let us remember:
"Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature . . . . If the next centennial does not find us a great nation. . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces." ~ James Abram Garfield. 1876, in a speech commemorating the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
This is a government of the People and what a wonderful gift it is in America to choose our own leaders. But it is also a great responsibility! If our society is growing increasing secular and resistant to Christian and religious expression, President Garfield indicated it would be because the people had tolerated it to be so by not aiding in the political process or had become so themselves. I think for us now it stems from both causes, our people have become less Christian in their world view, and the Christians to a large degree have become complacent, and tolerate it by not taking part in the political process, leaving the controlling powers to the opposing view.
So, what has happened to us as a nation? We simply are not the same people we were during President Garfield's time. The Christian world view was dominate in our society, and frankly, religious expression in the public square was not only none offensive, but expected by the majority of our people.
As a result our Constitution and our laws are now viewed through a different lens, we now see and understand the wording differently than when it was written. Freedom carries with it now a different meaning because the lens we are looking through gives us a different view of what society should look like.
Our Government is changing because "We the People" are changing. Except there comes a spiritual revival across our land to renew in us the faith of our fathers, we will not return to the America of our past history. Only the God of our Fathers, the Lord Jesus Christ can do this; and He may only do this if we pray and ask Him to.
We can fight and demand our rights, we may win a few, but in the end the will of the people will prevail through our electoral process by those they choose to lead, create, and enforce the laws we will be governed by. We can do more than pray, but not until we have prayed!
We once stamped the name of God in the granite of our monuments, on the face of our coins, even the face of our currency carried His Holy Name, declaring in whom we as a people placed our trust. In public offices and schools of learning in our land was displayed the law of God to remind us who we were as a people. Now to many of us are offended by the very Name we trusted and the law upon which our society was build. May God in His great mercy bring us back to rest upon the foundation that has given us so much freedom in this wonderful land we call America.
May God bless each of you,
David
Then we cry foul and try to fight for our Constitutional rights, warring against those whom we have offended with our faith. But is it really their fault? I think President Garfield had some divine insight for us. When we are tempted to complain about those in authority and power of Government, let us remember:
"Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature . . . . If the next centennial does not find us a great nation. . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces." ~ James Abram Garfield. 1876, in a speech commemorating the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
This is a government of the People and what a wonderful gift it is in America to choose our own leaders. But it is also a great responsibility! If our society is growing increasing secular and resistant to Christian and religious expression, President Garfield indicated it would be because the people had tolerated it to be so by not aiding in the political process or had become so themselves. I think for us now it stems from both causes, our people have become less Christian in their world view, and the Christians to a large degree have become complacent, and tolerate it by not taking part in the political process, leaving the controlling powers to the opposing view.
So, what has happened to us as a nation? We simply are not the same people we were during President Garfield's time. The Christian world view was dominate in our society, and frankly, religious expression in the public square was not only none offensive, but expected by the majority of our people.
As a result our Constitution and our laws are now viewed through a different lens, we now see and understand the wording differently than when it was written. Freedom carries with it now a different meaning because the lens we are looking through gives us a different view of what society should look like.
Our Government is changing because "We the People" are changing. Except there comes a spiritual revival across our land to renew in us the faith of our fathers, we will not return to the America of our past history. Only the God of our Fathers, the Lord Jesus Christ can do this; and He may only do this if we pray and ask Him to.
We can fight and demand our rights, we may win a few, but in the end the will of the people will prevail through our electoral process by those they choose to lead, create, and enforce the laws we will be governed by. We can do more than pray, but not until we have prayed!
We once stamped the name of God in the granite of our monuments, on the face of our coins, even the face of our currency carried His Holy Name, declaring in whom we as a people placed our trust. In public offices and schools of learning in our land was displayed the law of God to remind us who we were as a people. Now to many of us are offended by the very Name we trusted and the law upon which our society was build. May God in His great mercy bring us back to rest upon the foundation that has given us so much freedom in this wonderful land we call America.
May God bless each of you,
David