April 26, 2024

Thrive

June 1, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Here in this worn and weary land
Where many a dream has died
Like a tree planted by the water
We never will run dry

So living water flowing through
God, we thirst for more of You
Fill our hearts and flood our souls with one desire

Just to know You and to make You known
We lift Your name on high
Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives
Its time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive

Into Your word, we’re digging deep
To know our Father’s heart
Into the world, we’re reaching out
To show them who You are

Joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable
Love unstoppable, anything is possible

Casting Crowns
Mark Hall, Matthew West

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers!
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Psalms 1:1-3 HCSB

With God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27 NKJ

This sounds funny but, a lot of times, God speaks to me in sound bites (think Bumblebee from Transformers).  There is some uncertainty in my life right now and “we were made to thrive” (not just the words but the actual lyric) has been popping into my mind repeatedly.  I started to wonder what it really means to thrive.

Often, ‘to thrive‘ is associated with prospering, or to prosper.  If you took a poll, most people would probably say that to ‘thrive‘ or to ‘prosper‘ means having all you need and more…being able to live comfortably and have all the extras too…blessed beyond measure.  As I read this commentary by David Guzik, I thought “what if ‘to thrive‘ isn’t just about material things but is also about digging in and maturing spiritually?”

“It isn’t that the righteous man has a “Midas Touch,” and everything he does makes him rich and comfortable. But in the life of the righteous man, God brings forth something good and wonderful out of everything. Even tough circumstances bring forth something that shall prosper.”

Mark Hall says this song  “…is an effort to draw a picture of what a believer, a follower of Jesus, would look like if they dug into their roots and understood God and themselves more.”  As I looked for Scriptures about thriving, I found most of the Old Testament Scriptures use ‘thrive‘ in the context of plants:

  • the smell of water makes it thrive and produce twigs like a sapling.
    Job 14:9 HCSB
  • …may the people thrive like grass in a field.
    Psalm 72:16 NLT
  • The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree
    Psalm 92:12 HCSB
  • Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive…
    Psalm 92:13 HCSB
  • They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
    Isaiah 44:4 NLT
  • I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured and became very beautiful.
    Ezekiel 16:7 NKJ

In these verses, ‘thrive’ seems to be related to growth.  They speak to me of being firmly planted and deeply rooted, growing even in the hardest of times.  Enduring and beautiful.  Could it be that ‘thrive’ means to grow spiritually?  In his commentary on Psalm 1, Matthew Henry calls it “soul-prosperity.”

Is it possible that the rewards—the benefits—of thriving is “joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable, love unstoppable…?” Anything is possible.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Just Hanging Out

March 26, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM…

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door
I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine
I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine,
so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I AM the Vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:4 and 5 NASB

I wonder if you are like me…. When I read a passage like this one, I start to fret.

  • What if I am not producing enough fruit?
  • What if I need to be doing something else?
  • What if I am not producing ANY fruit? How do I start?
  • What if it’s not the right kind of fruit?  How do I know?

What if, what if, what if!!!

I was reading commentaries on this passage and I learned so many amazing things!  But a commentary written by Chuck Smith included this passage that seemed to answer all my ‘what ifs?’.

“The only lasting fruit is that which is produced as the result of the relationship with Jesus Christ.  And here again, the idea of fruit indicates to us the method of God. The fruit that comes forth from our lives is a very natural thing; it’s not forced.  That apple hanging on the tree is not out there struggling and striving and pushing and doing its best to get ripe.  All it has to do is just hang in there and it’s going to ripen.  And it’s going to come to maturity.  And I just need to hang in there, just to abide in Christ, and the natural result of abiding in Christ is my life is going to bring forth fruit.  One of the problems…today is this endeavor of forced fruit.…you’re being pushed into all kinds of activities, not really directed by the Spirit.  And this can become worthless expenditures of energy, unless God is behind it and God is guiding it and God is directing it. Unless you’re abiding in Him, you cannot bear fruit of yourself.  You cannot sit down and say, “Now, this is what I’m going to do for God this year. And these are the projects that I’m going to endeavor. And this is my plan by which I intend to fulfill this goal.”  That bearing fruit that God desires is the most natural thing that can happen to you as you abide in Christ.  It’s just a natural function.”

– Chuck Smith
click here to read the entire article

I have one purpose—to produce fruit.  If we are hanging out with Jesus, the fruit will come naturally!  Whewwww!  That’s a big relief. I don’t need to do more or be more.  I just need to hang out with Jesus more (“abide in Me…”) and let the Holy Spirit direct me.  Anything I try to do on my own is going to be a useless struggle and is destined to fail.  It would be “forced fruit.”  I am powerless on my own.

Philippians 4:13 AMP (one of my favorite verses) tells us:

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me
[I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him
Who infuses inner strength into me;
I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Christ empowers me!  And when I abide in Him, I have full access to all His power.  The fruit will be a natural result.  I like the way David Guzik * puts it: “Fruit bearing is impossible without abiding; but it is inevitable with abiding.”  Philippians 1:11 HCSB tells us when we hang out with Jesus we are “…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.” John 8:31 AMP reminds us “If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.”

We have two choices then: either hang out with Jesus or go it on our own.  If we hang out with Jesus, fruit comes naturally.  If we go it on our own, we will continue to struggle and begin to wither.  Not much of a choice really, is it?

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, I want to spend more time with You so that bearing fruit comes naturally.  I don’t want to offer You forced fruits from my own labors. When I begin to fret, remind me relax and hang out with You.  May Your plans be my plans.  Help me hear Your voice and follow Your lead. In Jesus’ name – Amen, It Is So!

* here is a link to David Guzik’s article on John chapter 15.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Door Is Our Protection

March 13, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM…

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The Door
I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The True Vine
I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Resurrection and The Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM.  The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *  

So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you,
that I Myself AM the Door for the sheep.
John 10:7 AMP

I AM the Door.
If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
John 10:9 HCSB

As I read this passage, my first thought was of Christ as the Door to eternal life.  In one of my digital media classes I created a photo depicting the Cross with a door in it and a highway sign that said ‘Heaven’ and pointed to the door in the Cross.  I used John 14:6 (HCSB) as my focal point for the image.

Jesus told him, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.

There is no other way to God but through the Door—Jesus.

Yet as I was studying commentaries on this passage, I came across a statement that made me pause.  Had I perhaps missed an additional meaning in this Scripture?  Had I stopped short without completely understanding the depth of this Scripture?

“In a “field” sheepfold, the shepherd actually laid his body across the entrance, to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves.” – David Guzik

(You can read the entire article here.)

I totally get the symbolism that Christ laid down His life for our salvation.  But I missed the part about Him being our protection. Christ is there to protect us from the evil one.  Further down in John 10 we read these verses:

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever!
No one will snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.
No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.
verses 28-30 HCSB

Psalm 121:8 (HCSB) tells us:

The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.

I love that!  Not only has Jesus provided us with the only way to reach God, He makes sure no one can snatch us out of His protection.   Amazing grace!  Such love is unfathomable.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Jesus, thank You for not only providing me with a way to have fellowship with God and eternal life but for protecting me from the enemy as well.  Thank you for never letting go of me or giving up on me.  In Your Precious name I pray – Amen, It Is So!


Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,