Thursday Thoughts

March 14, 2024

Hooray! Its gardening time again. As I write this I have a pickup truckload of garden debris ready to go to the landfill. There are probably four more big loads after this one. Oh, how I love to get the gardens ready for the growing season. After the clean-off, I will go get a couple of loads of compost to top-dress the beds and add some other fertilizer before the mulch goes down. For us gardeners, it is an exciting time of year!

 During Lent, I have written about our heart attitudes, our relationship with Christ, living our lives as an act of worship, and ripping away any mask that would reveal who God wants us to be. Today I want to talk about adding something into our spiritual lives. As we examine and do some spiritual housecleaning during Lent perhaps we got rid of some things that were holding us back. Just as plants need nourishment perhaps we need to add something to help us grow.

Gardeners know that plants dont do as well as they could if the soil is not fed. Yes, they might survive but I dont know any gardeners who are happy with plants just sitting in the same spot, surviving, not putting forth much growth, and no flowers, fruit, or vegetables. Do you ever imagine God looking at us, his beloved children, and wonder why we are not putting forth the effort to grow? After accepting Christ, are we guilty of sitting in our spot and not growing? We are safe now, we reassure ourselves. But is that all that is asked of us? Three words that I keep in front of me each day on my prayer list are trust, obedience, and thankfulness. The reason for the daily reminder is that I either struggle with them or take them for granted, do you ever do the same? Lets look at each one for a moment to see how they help us grow.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

By understanding that we are not in control and leaning on Gods promises, we will grow wise and strong. Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Proverbs 3:13-14 In a fickle world it takes fortitude to trust in anyone or anything. The only person 100% trustworthy in our lives is the love of Christ and his sacrifice that covers us with grace.

My middle sister and I were always, (well most of the time), obedient children. The Look from my mother was all it took for us to straighten up and fly right. Poor behavior consequences were not something we were willing to gamble on. Now my youngest sister, on the other hand

What is spiritual obedience? It means hearing Gods word and acting on it. It means completely surrendering to Gods will and basing our decisions on what he has taught us. How do we show obedience? Jesus replied, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.John 14:23 We must be willing to do what he is telling us to do even though it may not be popular.

We were taught Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Do we give thanks even when times are trying? Even though I try to wake up with thanksgiving on my lips and go to sleep with prayers of thanksgiving in my heart, I cant begin to be thankful enough for all I am given. If we are cognizant of all the goodness that our Lord has provided for us we would live our lives with praise and thanksgiving each day.

Whether you are a gardener or not, you can appreciate all the beautiful plants coming back to life this spring. As we see plants come back to life, are we alive to the urging of the Holy Spirit to grow and develop into who God wants us to be? Now is the time to add something to our spiritual hearts to make them a beautiful offering to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

                                                                     Blessings,

                                                                           Becky

Bridgewater UMC 

Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!  

219 N Main Street

Bridgewater, VA 22812

Call Us : +1 (540) 828-0890

Email Us : adminasst@bridgewaterumc.com