STAY CLOSE TO THE SOURCE AND GROW!
Psalm 76:1-3 - “In Judah ("Praised") is God known: His Name is great in Israel ("God Prevails"). In Salem ("Peace") also is His tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion ("Parched Place"). There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.”
Think about it - He is known when He is truly Praised. His Name is great because He Prevails. His worship is Peace. His Dwelling is in the Parched Places in need of His refreshment.
Psalm 28:7 - “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him.”
The LORD is - MY strength (material, physical, political, social - external and internal strength to function complete within the pressures of this present life) and MY shield (defense, buckler, protection); MY heart(the seat of my character, emotions, and thus decisions) finds Him the perfect source of trust, “In Him”; and I am helped (supported, undergirded): the result is a surge of exaltation and praise in MY song that is about and toward Him.
He provides everything to allow MY heart to thrive and My life to give life, fully alive. So why do I settle for dormancy? Why do I quit in defeat? Why do I allow discouragement? And why do I entertain dark desires? Why do I listen to the powerless advise of negative woe wishers?
Interruption - distortion is unavoidable. BUT - He is able! BUT - We are fragile. It is hard to encourage a heart that never hears the words “I love you”, never hears words of intimate endearment. And, oh by the way, there are scars that will be delivered via expressions that devalue and degrade. Do we speak love? Do we speak gratitude? Do we give praise? Do we bless with value? Do we seek peace? OR have we boarded up the lips of our hearts in disappointment and anger?
The heart needs strength and protection so that it can trust, exalt and praise. This is the flowing stream or "water" course of a healthy flow of life. How do we feed that to others? The power of life and death is in the tongue. What are we delivering?
Take a risk and bring value to others no matter what is thought of you. There is so much discouragement in our day... information that sells seems to lean towards the ugly and the awful revelations of the worst possible news.
Good news is quickly becoming a rare and inconvenient commodity that is quickly fading even in the congregation of faith. There is a slanted grace message being heralded from the pulpit, but a death sentence in pews, aisles, hallways, meeting rooms and exit doors. The "failure" and "embarrassing falling" of the saints is greeted with a pious personal disappointment and a disgraceful public shunning.
The meetings of the saints have become a time to pretend to be perfect while we grow more and more numb by the harboring of untreated infection. We live in fear of being known for who we really are on the inside... instead of being seen as one primed for the rescue and redemption.
The Church is finding itself in specially sealed storage/shipping bags prepared for destinations that are not where we are. We are told that we can bring it all to the alter, but in so doing we are made to feel dirty and exposed; the promised cleansing is just another step into a baptism of expositional nakedness. Where is our Father, our robe and our ring? Instead there is a stripping of our dignity, tatter rags for covering, and shackles of shameful identification are locked onto our lives.
Then we hear "Go into the world, and preach the good news!" How obscene when we have been so abused: Upon delivery to the world in need, we have either been reduced to beggars ourselves, or our fruit of the Spirit is so dry and withered (waning and much in need of water and light) that we have nothing but bagged, dried, withered and rotting roots to offer.
We were told and believed that this marriage to Christ, this amazing grace Salvation, was to bring a thriving, and abundant life; not a zip-lock "rot in the fridge" type of dying life. When will the world hear - "I am sorry!" - "You are forgiven!" "Thank-you!" - "You are welcome!" - "I love you!" ? If our lips refuse to take the Risk from Above and truly, openly love for the sake of Jesus - what will be left of those around us, who are so in need of His love through us?
A dormant plant can only stay contained for a determined period of time before it rots in its shipping container. If the price has been paid for the plant, we will bring it to water, light and life with a full sense of urgency?
Psalm 28:7 - “The LORD is MY strength and MY shield; MY heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore MY heart greatly rejoiceth; and with MY song will I praise Him.”
Take ownership of His Love Venture!
It is mine, and yours.
HLFA,
Jeff