I am not sure if the long drought has had anything to do with the 2012 Spring Weed Crop, but this is really an amazing season for weeds. If you happen to be missing a small pet try looking under the weeds in your yard first. The weeds in my yard are the healthiest I have ever seen them. The grass on the other hand is looking pretty weak and dismal. My wife is a strong believer in pulling weeds up by their roots and just working and working until you have all the weeds pulled. I on the other hand am a strong believer in doing whatever I can to kill them with poison. Over the years I have tried killing weeds with a number of different products of which some worked and some did not. Controlling weeds is a difficult thing to do.
Another thing about weeds is the fact that they don’t seem to need much encouragement to grow. Weeds will pretty much grow anywhere. It also seems that if you are successful in getting rid of them for a period of time they will come right back the moment you let your guard down. In order to keep your lawn completely free from weeds you have to keep working at it all the time.
Isn’t that the way life is? Spiritual weeds can take root in your life before you know it and if you don’t stay on top of them spiritual weeds can take over your life. You know what I’m talking about, spiritual weeds such as lying, cheating, gossiping, doubting God, lacking faith, materialism, greed….the list of spiritual weeds just keeps going.
In the same way that the weeds in your lawn can take over your yard the spiritual weeds can take over your life. If you don’t stay on top of your weed problem then you will eventually have nothing but weeds. Now to be fair, some weeds look pretty with their blooms and flowers, but they are still weeds. At first, some sin may look appealing but in time you will discover that sin is sin and it’s all ugly.
I also know people who don’t even try to keep their weeds pulled, they are satisfied with just keeping the weeds mowed. A mowed weed may look better than a nice tall healthy weed, but it is still a weed. One of the things I have learned over the years is simply this, if you concentrate on making your grass healthy by doing things that help the grass to grow you can eventually overcome a yard full of weeds with a nice grasses turf.
The creator of spiritual fruit encourages you to allow these things to grow in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Sounds like a formula for a spiritual garden paradise. So what are you waiting for…get growing!
Love God. Go Love Others.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Spring Training
If you follow Baseball you know that we are in the middle of Spring Training. I have never been to Spring Training so my understanding of that process is limited to what I have heard from those who have attended or those who cover the event for the media. Based on what little I do know I find Spring Training to be a very interesting process.
This is a time when baseball players young and old alike come together to discover if they have what it takes to play baseball at the major league level for the coming year. Rookies or minor leaguers who have been invited to Spring Training show up and give it their best shot hoping to make an impression to the management so they can get called up to the major league team. The old veterans show up with the goal to not lose their job to one of those young guys. They have to show management that they “still have it” and that they are still worth the “big bucks”.
It is interesting to see how some of the old guys come into camp. Some of them are in great shape from working out during the off season. They have worked on strengthening their legs or their arms or their core. Some have worked out with trainers and others have just spent time doing their own thing to get in shape. Then you have players who show up and they are by no means ready to play ball. They might be overweight or they may be recovering from an off season surgery or a nagging injury. Regardless of the shape they are in, everyone is hoping to make the team.
I find it interesting to watch pitchers and especially the young pitchers who are trying to develop a particular pitch which will give them a better shot at making the team or gaining a starting position in the rotation. Some of these young guys will come into a Spring Training game to pitch for two innings and only work on one or two pitches. Pitchers are a special breed in their own right.
As fun as Spring Training is, it does not count for anything other than making the team and getting the team ready to play the regular season 182 games. A player may do really great in Spring Training and they may make the team who takes the field on opening day, but everyone knows that the real test of your readiness to play Major League Baseball comes when your take the field or step into the box or take the mound in a real game. Division leaders and playoff contenders are not determined in the Cactus or Grapefruit Leagues.
Some Christians have spent a great deal of time in “training camp” . You have been to Bible class after class. You have heard sermon after sermon. You attend seminars and workshops at every opportunity. You have been in training for most of your life. The questions for you are this, are you in the game or are you just in training. If you are not ready for the game, then you have to ask yourself, why not? Is there something in your life that is keeping you from moving forward in your commitment? Is there a nagging habit or sin in your life that keeps you “out of the game”? If you are not ready, then get ready. God wants you in the game. The real work of a Christian is out among the people in your community who need to be shown the full measure of God’s love in their life. Ministry and outreach is … well it out there where the people are. So get out there! It is time for all of God’s people to take what they know and share Who they know with others. This is what you have been training for your whole life. Now Go Make a Difference today. Training Camp is over.
Love God. Go Love Others.
This is a time when baseball players young and old alike come together to discover if they have what it takes to play baseball at the major league level for the coming year. Rookies or minor leaguers who have been invited to Spring Training show up and give it their best shot hoping to make an impression to the management so they can get called up to the major league team. The old veterans show up with the goal to not lose their job to one of those young guys. They have to show management that they “still have it” and that they are still worth the “big bucks”.
It is interesting to see how some of the old guys come into camp. Some of them are in great shape from working out during the off season. They have worked on strengthening their legs or their arms or their core. Some have worked out with trainers and others have just spent time doing their own thing to get in shape. Then you have players who show up and they are by no means ready to play ball. They might be overweight or they may be recovering from an off season surgery or a nagging injury. Regardless of the shape they are in, everyone is hoping to make the team.
I find it interesting to watch pitchers and especially the young pitchers who are trying to develop a particular pitch which will give them a better shot at making the team or gaining a starting position in the rotation. Some of these young guys will come into a Spring Training game to pitch for two innings and only work on one or two pitches. Pitchers are a special breed in their own right.
As fun as Spring Training is, it does not count for anything other than making the team and getting the team ready to play the regular season 182 games. A player may do really great in Spring Training and they may make the team who takes the field on opening day, but everyone knows that the real test of your readiness to play Major League Baseball comes when your take the field or step into the box or take the mound in a real game. Division leaders and playoff contenders are not determined in the Cactus or Grapefruit Leagues.
Some Christians have spent a great deal of time in “training camp” . You have been to Bible class after class. You have heard sermon after sermon. You attend seminars and workshops at every opportunity. You have been in training for most of your life. The questions for you are this, are you in the game or are you just in training. If you are not ready for the game, then you have to ask yourself, why not? Is there something in your life that is keeping you from moving forward in your commitment? Is there a nagging habit or sin in your life that keeps you “out of the game”? If you are not ready, then get ready. God wants you in the game. The real work of a Christian is out among the people in your community who need to be shown the full measure of God’s love in their life. Ministry and outreach is … well it out there where the people are. So get out there! It is time for all of God’s people to take what they know and share Who they know with others. This is what you have been training for your whole life. Now Go Make a Difference today. Training Camp is over.
Love God. Go Love Others.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Goldfish
I find goldfish to be interesting. I have only owned one in my life and that was over 45 years ago and if I remember correctly that did not last long. A goldfish is one of the few pets that can be flushed and replaced seemingly without anyone noticing or caring. If you are a goldfish lover please don’t call or write about this to me, you should know by now that I am mostly kidding. Mostly.
What I find interesting is this… the goldfish that lives in a small fish bowl will stay small enough to live in that small space for however long it lives. Meaning that the goldfish will not out grow his environment. On the other hand you can take that small goldfish from the confines of the small table top fish bowl and put it in a pond or tank and it will grow to be a fairly large fish. Some reports have goldfish growing to be 30 to 40 pounds and almost four feet long. In theory there is no limit to how large a goldfish can grow if given the opportunity. The only thing that keeps a goldfish from growing is its environment or the size of the body of water in which it lives.
Spiritually speaking you and I are in similar circumstances when it comes to how much we can grow spiritually. Your spiritual growth is greatly determined by the environment in which you are living. So ask yourself this question, is your environment helping you to grow spiritually or are you living in circumstances which are inhibiting your spiritual growth? Think about that for a moment…
Do your friends help or encourage your daily walk with Jesus? Does your family support you in your desire to be faithful? Are the places and events that you frequent or participate conducive to spiritual growth? Do you want to grow spiritually? Be honest with your answers.
If you are wondering why God is not blessing you or why you don’t experience the same type of spiritual growth as other Christians you know then it is time for you to take a close look at your environment. The only thing keeping your from growing spiritually in your daily walk with Jesus is you and the circumstances you keep yourself living in.
Here is something else to think about. If your total Christian experience is the confines of a church building and participating only in “church events” such as Bible class and worship and other events and activities in which only Christians attend, then it is time for you to get out of the fish tank. God does not intend for your Christian walk to be in the confines of the church setting. Real spiritual growth happens outside the protection of the church building away from the spoon fed fish food.
So take that leap of faith out of the fish bowl and into the ocean and become what God has created you to be. God has an amazing adventure in store for you, but it’s out there….further than you can see, but not further than you can swim. Come on in… the water is fine.
Love God. Go Love Others.
What I find interesting is this… the goldfish that lives in a small fish bowl will stay small enough to live in that small space for however long it lives. Meaning that the goldfish will not out grow his environment. On the other hand you can take that small goldfish from the confines of the small table top fish bowl and put it in a pond or tank and it will grow to be a fairly large fish. Some reports have goldfish growing to be 30 to 40 pounds and almost four feet long. In theory there is no limit to how large a goldfish can grow if given the opportunity. The only thing that keeps a goldfish from growing is its environment or the size of the body of water in which it lives.
Spiritually speaking you and I are in similar circumstances when it comes to how much we can grow spiritually. Your spiritual growth is greatly determined by the environment in which you are living. So ask yourself this question, is your environment helping you to grow spiritually or are you living in circumstances which are inhibiting your spiritual growth? Think about that for a moment…
Do your friends help or encourage your daily walk with Jesus? Does your family support you in your desire to be faithful? Are the places and events that you frequent or participate conducive to spiritual growth? Do you want to grow spiritually? Be honest with your answers.
If you are wondering why God is not blessing you or why you don’t experience the same type of spiritual growth as other Christians you know then it is time for you to take a close look at your environment. The only thing keeping your from growing spiritually in your daily walk with Jesus is you and the circumstances you keep yourself living in.
Here is something else to think about. If your total Christian experience is the confines of a church building and participating only in “church events” such as Bible class and worship and other events and activities in which only Christians attend, then it is time for you to get out of the fish tank. God does not intend for your Christian walk to be in the confines of the church setting. Real spiritual growth happens outside the protection of the church building away from the spoon fed fish food.
So take that leap of faith out of the fish bowl and into the ocean and become what God has created you to be. God has an amazing adventure in store for you, but it’s out there….further than you can see, but not further than you can swim. Come on in… the water is fine.
Love God. Go Love Others.
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