Plant Jesus

Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

Psalms 22:30‭-‬31 NLT

If I could have one thing and nothing else, it would be that my family beyond me would be able to live together and not have to worry financially. I want my children’s, childrens, children to be able to stand on what was provided to them. I know that for some generations I won’t be able to see it, however I know that if that happens the legacy will live on. It would give me the greatest joy to see the branch that I was birthed from live on in stability and peace. A brother of mine told me that he wanyed to by some land to be passed on like it was for him. When he is gone he wants a tree to be planted in the middle of the land with his name on it. Just so his family will live on for generations knowing that the tree planted represents what was planted for them.

HERE IT IS…

Well I would tell my brother that I love the plan and would love to do something similar in my name as well. Here is how we should all plant pur own tree. Start with the tree that was planted in the beginning. Start with the tree that God birthed from the earth. Start with the tree that started the ability of choice. Move on to the trees that was in the wilderness for the children of Israel. Start at the tree that was used for the ark. Come up to the tree where the temple was built. Keep going to the tree that built the manger that he was laid in. To the trees that he used as he worked as a carpenter. Us the tree that a short man used just to get a glimpse of him. To end up at the tree that was planted to be cut down, carried up a hill posted in the middle of the earth that bared the name, King of the Jews. That was drenched in blood, bared the sins of you and me and rectified all that happen at the first tree. Start with Jesus and your name will live on through him. Give themJesus.

Hurry up and wait

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

2 Peter 3:9 NLT

When I was in the military there was a saying that we used that didn’t make since to me at that time. Now that it does I use it jokingly, but understanding it differently everytime. Our drill sergeant used to tell us to “hurry up and wait”. Then, as I heard it I would be the vocal one to say that it didn’t make since. I was the on that would get into discussions with my drill seargents on why it was a contradiction. It wasn’t until I had to hurry up and wait on God that it made since to me. See, sometimes we can be in such of a rush to do certain things that we don’t realize the reason we had to wait on it. Once we received what we were waiting on we realized that; 1. We appreciated that which we were waiting on much more than before. 2. That we actually didn’t need it anyway like we thought.

HERE IT IS…

Imagine this. If God gave you his promise when he revealed to you what he was giving to you would you have been ready for it? Now don’t get me wrong there are times that God will do what he said at the moment he said it. However, those times that we do have to “hurry up and wait”, are the times that God is giving us tome to get back to him in order to be able to fully receive what he is giving. Ok, don’t worry I missed it at first to. God can’t give you something new he has for you when you have not committed to what he has you to do in the first place. That job doesn’t come with out the interview process. The home doesn’t come with out the contract talks. The man/woman won’t come until you discover who you are. The waiting should bot be the problem. The waiting should be the preparation for the promise. Hurry up and wait…

Love gets you through

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:12‭-‬13 NLT

After a hard day, there is something that calms me down relaxes me and releases those things. When I get home after a long, exhausting, stressful day, I go and take a hot shower. I’m talking steam in the bathroom 20 mins after I’m done shower. What’s fun to me is when I look at the mirror and all the fog is on the glass and I try and wipe it away. I wipe the mirror and within seconds the mirror is foggy again. I wipe it away again and within seconds it’s foggy again. Sometimes I sit there and look myself in the eye and talk to the person staring back at me. Even though I know what I look like it’s hard to see who I am because of the heat and steam in the bathroom. I cannot see myself in the mirror because of what’s clouding my vision.

HERE IT IS…

Just like that mirror being foggy my vision and mind can get a little cloudy and foggy because of the things going on in my life. The kids acting funny, job is stressing me out, the doctors report wasn’t good, the spouse is working that last nerve. All that o try is not working because I don’t know everything. The scripture tells us that what we know is incomplete, but with God’s help and his coming I will be able to see through the issues, the steam, the stress, the drama, the problems. It’s God’s love for us that will see us through the hard times, the things that try to block our vision. It’s his love that will get us through. We have to be able to look at God to get us through instead of trying to wipe the glass over and over again.

Time to come out

This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare.

Isaiah 49:8‭-‬9 NLT

One of my favorite sci-fi movies is After Earth with Will Smith. In this movie which is set in the future sets us in a time where we have had to move to a different planet like earth because of some entities that feed off of fear. That’s the only time these entities can see you is when your scared. The son of will in the movie witnessed his sister killed by these entities because she was scared. The way you defeat them is something called ghosting which is when you are fearless in the face of the entity. He was not killed because she put him in a clear box to cover his fear and to not be seen. He grew up and tried to be like his dad who was the best but couldn’t, until he was alone in the face of danger.

HERE IT IS…

God tells us to come out in freedom and to come out of the darkness into the light. He is calling us to not be afraid because he is with us. It’s just like God to give you the assurance of what he will do to let you know that everything will be alright. Well in the movie the boy was faced with danger and showed his sister telling him in his ear, “it’s time to come out the box.”. I am just crazy enough to believe that God has whispered to is that it’s time to come out of the box. Not just to come out the box bit first come out in freedom in knowing that no weapon formed against you will prosper. Come out knowing you have the victory. To come out knowing that even though the come against you they will fall. What is God calling you out of?

Assignments

This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare.

Isaiah 49:8‭-‬9 NLT

In school when we’re assigned work we had a deadline to meet. We had to have homework in at the proper time. Projects in at the proper time. We had to have them in on time in order to receive the proper grade based on our work. The one thing that we over looked as kids is that even turning in homework we had to be mindful of who we were turning the homework into. I couldn’t take my science homework to my math teacher and ask if they could give it to the teacher. I had to make sure the the proper assignment was given to the assigned teacher. My work had to be in on time and to the proper teacher. Just as pastor has been teaching on purpose. My question to us is, who are you assigned to?

HERE IT IS…

GOD says, “through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again.”. Your assignment is not linked to what you think you should do. Nor is it advised to do what you feel is good. The teacher doesn’t assign work that she knows is easy, but instead to challenge you. I believe that as God was talking to Isaiah and telling him what he was about to do he was also referring to us in this present time. God is moving and assigning you to the people, places and things, that will push you to be better than you have before. How? Well with his help! In the text he says that he will;
1. Help you
2. Preserve you
3. Now he is about to assign you.
Don’t get caught up in the assignment and get mad, but I would encourage you to move and get to know the one who assigned you.

Shamar, preserve, keep

This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare.

Isaiah 49:8‭-‬9 NLT

The text says that on the day of salvation God will help us, then says he will protect us. When ever we think of the word protect, we think of something like guard, or block. Where as in the text the Hebrew word for protect is shamar, which in Hebrew means to preserve or to keep. So if we used it in this text God is telling us that he will preserve us, or keep us. Not only will God protect us, but God said that he will keep us, and preserve us. When we look at this God is telling us that he will do more than just keep stuff away from us.

HERE IT IS…

As a kid I can remember going to my grandpa’s house and seeing mason jars and wondering what they were for. What’s the difference between those jars and others. Well there is a air tight seal that happens when you put the top on. There are 3 parts to the mason jar. There is the jar to put things in, the top that makes the seal, and the top that screws on to keep it sealed. I can see God being our mason jar. God is holding us in his hand and keeping us, I can see the spirit to cover us and to seal us. In order for that seal to be tight, Jesus comes along and holds on to the jar to keep anything else from getting in. Once those jars are sealed we don’t open them until we are ready to partake because the contents on the inside are being cured and locking in its freshness and sweet taste. God is per serving you from all the mess you been through because he has something greater for you to do.

Hello?

This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare.

Isaiah 49:8‭-‬9 NLT

“He’s an on time God oh yes he is, oh oh oh on time God yes he is, may not come when you want him, but he’ll be there right on time, I tell ya he’s an on time God yes he is.” I cannot count the times that God has pulled me out of places, away from people, and out of situations just at the right time. And if we really think about it we would see how God’s presence has been there for us through galore than what we can recount. What I notice is that God did for us out of love for us. He told us that he would be there and he did just what he said. Here in the scripture Isaiah speaks of a man that will fulfill his word.

HERE IT IS…

The prophet says of God speaking, that he will respond to us in the first portion of the text. That hit me because in order for him to respond we first have to call out to him. We first have to do a few things. We have all been in that situation, but the truth of the matter is that we call on God when we get in those situations. Thabk God for Jesus that he didn’t say that we had to be so good or perfect for him to save us. I know for a fact that God will reach way down and pull you up out of what your going through. All we have to do is remove our pride and cry out to him and say God I need you now. He wants to hear from you. Call out to him and he will respond.

Limitless

AOh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

Romans 11:33 NLT

I have come to know that having alot of money, having alot of things, cars houses are great, but it it’s only temporary. I have seen and known people that have had it all plus some, and lost it. With just one wrong move, one wrong statement, one wrong decision that hangs in the balance that cam make all of that crashing down. I have also seen people lose it all, and still able to bounce back and receive what they lost back. How? The one thing that can’t be taken is the knowledge and wisdom of how you did it the first time. The people that I seen get their life and possessions back were the ones who understood the power of God and prayer.

HERE IT IS…

How can we try to figure out what God does? We can’t! What we can do is ask him for his wisdom and knowledge. We can ask for God to show us what we need to do. Because his power, knowledge, wisdom, and riches are limitless, we have the ability to an untapped market. Just by asking him to show us and to give us knowledge and wisdom the riches will come. Just knowing that God has control over everything shows me that he has the ability to move me in the direction of success. The great thing about God is that, even when I make a mistake and lose something’s, he is so just and righteousthat he will teach me from my mistakes and forgive me, then put me back in a place to receive it again. We have a limitless God, what does that make us?

Nothing

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

Romans 8:35 NLT

I have a condition called separation anxiety. It’s a condition where I don’t like being separated from something’s. For some it may be people. Others home, and some have issues with not having certain stuff with them at certain times. This condition for me is hard but you know the great thing about my condition? I have never had an anxiety attack.
How?

HERE IT IS…

I have never had to worry about not having, being without, losing it, misplacing it, or it doing the same to me. I can’t loose something that’s attached to me. I can’t lose something in me, apart of me, and even created me. All the stuff I’ve been through God has never left me, never left my side. Matter of fact, it’s not me that takes him, but rather he takes me everywhere. Nothing can separate me com the love of Jesus christ.

He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. 

James 1:18 NLT

What’s your most prized possessions? What is it that you are so proud of that you would not let anything happen to. It’s those things we protect and keep in great condition that we value the most. If ots broke, we fix it. If it is damage we repair it. If it’s not finished, we finish it. My dad had a (I think) 1972 ford Grenada back in Illinois that he kept in the garage because he just knew he was going to get it fixed. It was in there for years. It would run and quit. Start get fixed and quit. Then he had to let it go because of time and money.

HERE IT IS…

Just to know that God doesn’t run out of time, money, ability, to continue to work on us. We may get sick, he heals us. We may become damaged, he repairs us. We may stop working physically, mentally, spiritually, he never gives up on us. Out of all the things in the world that he has created that we marvel at. We saw that it’s beautiful, and stand in awe. We fail to see that God had viewed us as the most prized possessions. After all we have done. All the sins we have committed, he has never left us nor forsake us. He continues to show us all the mercy and peace and joy that we do not deserve. Why? Because your worth it…