A Seed’s Comfort Zone

It is easy to plant a seed.  The hardest part of planting a seed … is waiting for it to grow.  Even if it is just a glimpse that your work has not gone unnoticed.

We, as human beings, are much like a seed.  God has planted us in a nice soil.  The soil is rich.  Someone else is taking care of it.  It is being watered.  The sun shines abundantly.

The seed (us) begins to grow.  We are growing up through this nice comfortable soil.  It feels so good.  It has everything we need.  We made it through the birds attempts to pluck us form this soil.  In human words … Satan’s attempts to steal us from Jesus’ loving arms and distract us off path.

So, yes, we continue to grow.  Our roots weak and still a bit surface.  Our bloom is getting bigger ~ our stem will be entrusted with the fruits of our work, of our growth.

The soil still tends to us.  It protects us.  Keeps us feeling comfortable.  Our roots get a bit deeper.  Our stem grows closer to the top of the soil in search of the sun.  In search of the place we can bloom.

This is where most of us get stuck.  The last step before the breakthrough.  The top of soil.  Will we get there.  Will the seed of “us” break through?

God plants us in our mother’s womb.  The womb is meant to care for us, giving us the right nutrients, creating a comfortable place for us.  It is the start of the planting of our own seed.  Once a mother finds out she is pregnant, carrying the seed, she begins to wonder what purpose that seed will fulfill.  What is God’s plan for this precious seed?  She takes care of her body because it is the temple of the seed.  Satan tries to pick that seed by creating anxiety and uncertainty in the mother’s heart. Your life is about to change he whispers in your ear.  Money.  Sleep.

Will she see the seed through to the break through … to the bloom?

As “adults” God allows the Holy Spirit to plants seeds in our heart.  That seed is meant to grow into Jesus in our lives.  Satan tries to pick that seed by creating sickness, doubt, trouble, insecurity.  Your life will change he yells in your thoughts.  No more fun.  No more doing whatever you want to do.

Will you accept God’s call on your heart?  Will you have that breakthrough when you head dips under the water in baptism?

If the seed stops before it reaches the top of the soil, before it breaks through the soil, it will never see its fruit.  You must breakthrough in order to see your fruit.

How do you breakthrough?  How do you leave the comfort zone?  It is so comfortable ~ and the other side is unknown.  OH NO!  The Unknown!  It is what keeps us from the breakthroughs.

If all seeds stop at the top ~ never pushing through ~ there would be no fruit for anyone to eat, to grow.  No trees for the birds and animals to live.  No flowers for the bees pollenate.  No honey.  No air to breath.  This all leads to the death of the seed … all seeds.

At some point in our life, it comes to a place when it is our choice to push through ~ to take care of the our seed.  To know/faith/believe that the fruit will come.

And, in this faith, in this belief, tests will come.  Satan still wants your seed.  He wants to keep your seed from spreading ~ from planting other seeds.

These tests … God wants us to see what we will do with the test.  He already knows.  The beauty of His plan.  He wants us to see what we will do.  He wants us to see our faith growing.  He wants us to see that the seed will have fruit.  He wants us to know …

It brings confidence.

It grows our faith.

It plants more seeds in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.

When a mother is in the birthing room, she must push through her comfort zone in order to see their baby.  To see that seed come to fruition.

When you allow the seed of Jesus grow in your heart, and you push through the comfort zone to accept Him as your Savior, the fruit, the glorious fruit you will now see in your life is amazing.  When you leave behind your past self and follow Jesus into water baptism, pushing through the comfort zone of “What will people think of me?” or the devil’s whisper of “You won’t fit in any where.  No one will like you.  They will only know you as the Jesus freak,” you will go in the water as one person and come out NEW.  You are part of the Kingdom.  Your Father is King.  You will glow with confidence that find only in your new family.

If the mother didn’t push through … she would never know the love you feel when that baby comes out.  If you never accept Jesus, you will never know the love you will receive and newness you can become.

You are a seed … right now … sitting in your nice comfortable soil.  You are willing to grow only to the top of soil.  It is such hard work and so much trust is involved in pushing through the top of soil.  PUSH.  Push today.  And, the excitement you will see and find in your heart when that first glimpse of the bud, of the stem, pushing through.  It makes it all worth it.

Mama Said

Adam Sandler and sports fans can always turn to the move “Water Boy” for laughs and football. Some of the best lines in the movie come at the expense of the water boy’s mom.  She taught her son to fear things ~ really anything that could “hurt” him. And, controlled him with false information.

We may have experienced this in our own lives as well.

Lines such as, “Mama said football is the devil.” or “My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.”

(Of course, I am saying it in my best impersonation ~ in my head!)

In many ways she is right.  She just goes about it the wrong way and sometimes with the wrong information.  She feels her intentions are right.  Sometimes, we need to check our intentions.

To fight satan, we must first realize that he can use anything to his advantage.  Anything!  Even the simple, the innocent, or even what we feel/know to be good.  Yes, even when you think you are doing good ~ it can simply be a distraction satan has you focusing on.

The only time you can walk looking straight ahead is when your eyes are focused on Jesus.  If you are following anyone else ~ you better watch where you are putting your feet.

Now, this is not saying “don’t do anything; sit back.”  We (our country) have gotten into lots of turmoil from just sitting back.  Satan has put us in a stand still.  Do we take action or do we keep on believing what “Mama Said”?

Think about how satan has used our love for God.  Yes, he has used Christianity for his own work.

• The Holocaust:  People believed and convinced a nation that Christians were better than the Jews.
• ProChoice:  Well, God gave us free will.  Yes he did … but murder is still illegal.  If we use the free will argument … then we should accept murder, theft, rape, lying as simply free will.
• Acceptance of Sinners:  We know we are supposed to love everyone … not judge … that is God’s jump.  In this, we have been taught to accept the sin.  We can’t offend.
• ProLife:  Yes, I am pro life, but I would never stand outside an abortion clinic condemning, yelling, spitting on those who walked in.  There are more powerful and effective ways to show the importance of life.
• Saving Souls:  Do you get on your soap box?  I recently went to a concert, downtown Nashville.  A gentleman stood on his soap box shouting, yelling.  As I walked by, I heard the words, “You are going to hell.”  Really?  Do you know my life?  Do you know that I have accepted Jesus into my heart?  Just because I am going to a concert or a hockey game or walking Broadway at 4th of July … that makes me a person who is going to hell.  Do we treat others like this … judging them on where they are?

Today, it continues.  In such a way that we wouldn’t think twice.  Satan gets in our heads telling us we aren’t good parents if we don’t spoil our kids.  We stink as parents if our children have to go without that new phone, if we don’t put our kids in each and every activity (and then run them around like a crazy person), if we don’t say yes all the time. It is one thing to nurture and to guide our children to achieving their dreams; it is another to drop everything and do it for them.  What are we teaching them?  How are we teaching them to be good people?  What is more important ~ the homerun? the touchdown? the olympic medal? Or, that they love Jesus, are congruent, speak with love, show mercy, have compassion, and know how to take action with good choices?

Distractions.  Satan uses everything to distract.

What are we missing when satan distracts us?  When he gets us to focus on our own view of what is right.  Our view of God’s interpretation of Good and Evil, our own interpretation of fighting for God.

Where is your focus today?  Are you looking to fix the world?  Maybe … just maybe … you need to start with your own heart.  Then, you can move to strengthen the hearts of another.  If we focus half as much on serving with our hearts as we do trying to “fix” the world, our world would require “less fixing.”  Our impact would be multiplied!

Here is an example of “fixing” instead of focusing on serving. (Using strictly as an example.  Not judging.)

Recently, the county where I grew up had a wet/dry vote.  Yes, I grew up in a dry county.  They still exist.  Well, Marshall County was dry until very recently.  Not living there any more, I had not vote, but Facebook was lit up with many people’s opinions, thoughts, views, negativity, etc.

Now, I am not saying how I would have voted ~ but an argument here for all of those who voted, “No,” because they believe “alcohol is the devil,” that alcohol takes you further away from God, that alcohol is not “Christian.”

I am not arguing the typical, “Jesus drank wine.”  This is much deeper than that.  Here are a few questions for those “No’s.”

1. Do you eat McDonalds or other fast food?
2. Do you over eat, binge?
3. Are you buying and eating processed foods?
4. How about drinking soda (and lots of it)?
5. Sugar in your tea?  Every southerner takes pride in their sweet tea.
6. How about gossip?  In that small town, do you feel like you know someone’s business before they do?
7. Smoking?
8. Monster/Energy drinks?

What do these things have to do with Voting “No” to alcohol?

Your Body is a Temple.  And, once you accept Jesus into your heart, Jesus lives inside of you.  Does Jesus really need that smoke?  Does he need the excess energy drinks to live?  Is Jesus craving that McDonalds cheeseburger?  

A sin is a sin.  No sin is measure more than another. 

So as you spoil your child, as you stuff Taco John’s, McDonald’s, sugar, cigarette smoke into your body … as you say you want to help your brothers/sisters yet instead you are using it to get onto the gossip train … as you create debt, robbing Peter to pay Paul type of attitude so you can keep up with Jones … what are you really doing?

Are you living with the same mindset, making similar choices for which you have condemned your brothers and sisters?

Two books come to mind … James and Proverbs.

James is very clear.  Our words and actions must match up.  They must be congruent.

Proverbs is an amazing book.  Well, the entire Bible is amazing.  Love Proverbs 18:20-21.  It shares that our words have life.  They all create a fruit.  It is up to you whether your fruit is life giving or poisonous.  What do you want your words to create?  What kind of words do you spoken into your life.  Yeah … that what I thought.

Speak life.  Focus on your servant heart.  Be the change.  Focus your eyes, your heart, your actions on Jesus.