Lord of the Harvest

When Elizabeth came into my life last Dec, I really had no idea about the life & weight she carried for me. It was my response to the Lord’s gentle nudging from within that had me get her from the local nursery, but little did I know that a journey of sorts had just begun.

Over the months, I saw her go from a beautiful, bright red-leaved plant to a dry, dull green-leaved survivor that honestly, was quite discouraging.

After a 3-week battle where I shifted her in and fought for her, I knew I had to let her go.

So I prayed for her, committed her to the Lord and sowed her as a seed in the ground before finally bidding her adieu.

Friend, how often do we hit a curveball like this in life, and then think it’s all over when it’s actually only a new beginning?

Had I simply dumped Elizabeth on the pavement, it would have been a different story. But committing her to the Lord as a seed buried in the ground has fetched me a completely different result.

A few weeks later, I began to notice the entire landscape & geography of my living space shift. The Lord had been working within me, through me and also on my behalf in a way that has served to release a most beautiful, diverse and buoyant plant family in my life!

All this to say that should you have lost any thing/person dear and precious to you, then take heart. All is not lost.

As surely as I grieve with you, I also simultaneously encourage you to sow the thing/person as a seed in the ground, for Jesus is faithful to receive your seed, honor it and multiply it. In the kingdom of God, what is dead and buried is often used to raise a harvest of righteousness and bring in newness of life that could never have been anticipated.

For me, it looks like a brand new plant family springing up to life in the wake of one seed – Elizabeth – that was an unwitting sacrifice. For you, it can look completely different. But what we do have in common is the perfectly righteous God we serve who can and who does use all things for our good and his great glory!

Don’t hide it, deny it or bury it.

Sow it – for he is the Lord of the harvest.

Hallelujah!

🪴🌱🌻🌿

Glory

“Death, burial and Resurrection.”

It was perhaps around Thursday during the Holy Week when the Lord washed the disciples feet, thereby demonstrating the full extent of His Love which finds authentic expression in what Pastor Bill Johnson often says,

“Rule with the heart of a servant, and serve with the heart of a king.”

Jesus always used His authority to build up, never tear down. He released life and light wherever He went. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He opened blind eyes and unstopped deaf ears. He cleansed the lepers and cast out demons. He dignified women and ate with tax collectors. He taught in the synagogue and freely forgave.

And on Thursday, He stooped down to now wash the disciples feet.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.” (John 13:3-4)

It is astonishing and refreshing to learn that an awareness of His Identity as the Son of God did not lead Jesus to demonstrate any sort of worldly flamboyance which was not uncommon in those days for a king, but rather it led Him to serve.

He perfectly exemplified the heart of the servant-king that He was.

Not only that, He also encouraged His disciples to do the same.

And He encourages us too.

The Kingdom of God always works in paradox, sometimes too mysterious for us to comprehend. And what I’m learning is that what we can’t necessarily wrap our minds around, we certainly can choose to receive with our hearts by faith.

We may never understand the kind of Love that compelled the Lord to go to that Cross at Calvary, wilfully die a gruesome death both, ‘as’ us and ‘for’ us, and then on the third day, be raised again from the dead.

All so that we could receive a forgiveness of sin, an authentic hope for our future and life everlasting with our Father in Heaven.

We may never understand this kind of Love, but we are free to choose to receive it.

Revel in it. Bask in it. Glory in it.

He paid a most unreasonable price to ransom us and redeem us.

And there is perhaps no better way for us to honour this kind of Love, other than simply learn to receive it like little children.

Little children who belong to the family and the kingdom of God.

Sons and daughters that were on our Saviour’s mind as He breathed His last on that Cross.

So He could release a fresh breath of Heaven into us when He rose again.

Death could not hold Him. Hope could not be left buried or entombed. For He is Risen.

And He is alive.

He is breathing right now. Into you. Into me.

A new life. A resurrection life. An ascended life.

A life He paid with his own for us to receive.

Like little children.

Sons and Daughters that are marked with glorious divine destiny that have The Father’s fingerprints all over.

So as we head into the last three days that mark the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord; let us, like Him, remember whose children we are, where we come from and where we return.

For when all is said and done, He will get the Glory.

Because He paid a mighty price for it and as His Children, may we never settle for anything less than God’s best.

On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Glory!

So glad.

“Your difficulties have shaped you, but they will not define you.”

Trials and tribulations, in my experience, come at some really unexpected times. When we seem to finally have settled reasonably well in the season we find ourselves in and everything seems more or less in control, that’s perhaps when. Something completely unforeseen happens and our emotions tend to spiral out of control. Our soul seems to want to question,

“How can this be?”

Our need for justice seems to be greater at such times, than the desire to be gracious and patient. We want to sort out the issue at hand and if we aren’t careful, we will inevitably find ourselves indulging in what the Bible calls, ‘works of the flesh.’ Instead of taking a moment to still ourselves deep within, we seem to want only one thing,

Resolution.

But what God is teaching me is so very different. Jesus did not promise us a ‘perfect life.’ He promised us ‘perfect peace’ in the midst of our lives. He let us in on this eternal truth,

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Our Father informs us in the Word that we are called to be ‘in’ the world, but not ‘of’ it. He tells us to let our lives so shine before men that they may see our good deeds and give glory to God. He commissions us as salt and light in a lost and broken world. He tells us,

“You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

Clearly, the implication here is that in a world that is sin bent and fallen, we will experience trials and tribulations in some shape, way or form, from time to time. Though our instant reactions can be likened to that of the Israelites where all they did was grumble, murmur and complain; I’m so glad that by the power of the Holy Spirit we now have access to the royal privilege of being made in the likeness of Christ.

So how did Jesus handle pressure and problems?

When He was betrayed by Judas, He endured. When He was abandoned by His disciples, He endured. When He was falsely accused by the religious leaders of the time, He endured. When He was brought before Pilate, He endured. When the crowds shouted, “Crucify Him,” He endured. When He was unjustly beaten, mocked and ridiculed; He endured. When He was flogged beyond recognition, He endured.

I have been so astonished at the revelation that Jesus was so secure in His Identity as the Son of God, that He refused to take matters into His own hands. The Word of God says,

“when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23, CSB)

He believed God to vindicate Him.

Jesus knew who He was and was deeply committed to seeing the Father’s purpose be fulfilled in and through His life. For the joy of seeing you and me as His Beloved, He endured the agony of the Cross and despised its shame. When mistreated in ways beyond articulation, He remained still. Instead of seeking vengeance, He trusted in the vindication of God.

“As is He, so are we in this world.” (1 John, 4:17)

Friends, I’m learning with each passing day the vital importance of one eternal truth,

“I am not an orphan. I am a child of God.”

Though Jesus was persecuted, crucified and buried in a tomb; He rose again. Death could not hold Him for He is risen and reigns forever. Consequently, I live with the awareness that my Father is alive and well. He is well able to vindicate me every single place where the enemy may threaten to come in to steal, kill or destroy. All He has to do is say the Word and it is done.

That’s my Father.

So what’s my response?

I resist the temptation to make things right in my own strength because I belong to the One whose name is Righteous. I don’t deny my hurt, pain or perhaps even the feeling of being betrayed. Instead, I acknowledge them in the Presence of the most Perfect One. I don’t bury what needs to be healed and made whole in the warmth of His love and in the light of His truth. I don’t trust my emotions to guide me. Instead, I trust in the Holy Spirit. I don’t let the enemy defile my heart with the toxic waste of unforgiveness and bitterness. I draw strength from the One who IS my Strength and graciously let go.

I open my spirit to learn whatever it is that the Lord is trying to teach me and cultivate in my soul.

Trust, forgiveness, peace, patience, surrender.

For I know that even though He doesn’t cause my pain, He wants to heal it and use it for His glory.

Allow me to repeat myself.

Somewhere I’m just so glad that we have access to the royal privilege of being transformed into His likeness.

So glad.

Happy Easter!

The Cross at Calvary
The price that was paid for me
By who we call, “Jesus Christ”
His Love that bled for me.

So I could have a brand new start
The only thing in His Heart
He willingly took all the darts
In wholeness, and not in part.

It was a garden with a new tomb
Carved out of rock
To lay The Rock on whom we stand
Could He be buried in the sand?

Darkness seemed to loom
The disciples filled with despair and gloom
But Heaven was already fighting
So we would never have to remain in hiding.

The women prepared spices and perfume
To anoint the body who could not be contained in the tomb
The Angel of The Lord rolled the stone away
And rendered the tomb empty where He once lay.

For He rose again
Our Resurrected King
Holding the keys to Eternal Life
Running in my veins even now as I write.

The mystery of the ages now revealed
In who we call, “Jesus Christ”
Our Messiah, our Abba, our Father
Besides Him, there is none other.

He is Risen
In His Name, salvation is our portion
The tomb remains empty so our lives can be full
With the anointing of His Spirit, who never ceases to pull.

Pull us into the Hope that our lives hinge on
A hope that never disappoints, never fails
For the victory that was won
Was won once and for all and therefore, shall forever prevail.

✝️❤️

Prayer 💖

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

(Ephesians 3:14-20)

It’s one of my favourite passages, and thought I’d share it towards Easter.

Blessings.

Amen👑

You announce Your Presence
Bold and unafraid
Standing tall, yet humble
For a King like You needs no parade.

They may have expected a lot of fanfare
But You came as a babe
Wrapped in swaddling clothes
Your one purpose being to fulfil your oaths.

The ones You took before time began
With Our Father, to redeem all humanity
To reconcile, transform and mould
All that love You into the image of The One who carries all the glory.

You were hidden in obscurity
Most of Your lifetime here
Yet You retained Your integrity
For Your Purpose had a timing to which You had to adhere.

But when the time did come
You made history, and rearranged our Destiny
Took our pain and sorrow
Rose again with the hope of a brighter morrow.

In the light of Your sacrifice, we live with a hope unmoved
Our feet planted on solid ground, lifting our hands to You
Calling on Your Name to feel Your Presence again
Gently wrapping it up with a warm, “Amen.”
❤️

The Great Defender

Like a beam of light
Uncontainable
Spreading its radiant rays to the left and to the right
Is only a tiny glimpse of Your indisputable power and Your glorious might.

As You break through the clouds
And come forth in all Your splendour
What was once dark and gloomy
Is now under the majesty of The Great Defender.

You stand up for our cause
And as we feel You move, we pause
Reflecting on Your Faithfulness through it all
For You never let us crumble nor fall.

Your Grace holding us
Your Presence healing us
Your Love liberating us
Your Resurrection Power at work within us.

It’s a power so unfathomable
Words fail me
For it’s so untameable
That it never fails to quiet me.

In the quietness of Your Presence
Are found brooks of bliss
Where my soul echoes with the resonance
Of Your loving voice that I cannot miss.

So should the clouds come
I know that I rest in the power of Your Love
Ever so gentle, always tender
After all, You are my Great Defender.

The Cross has the final say

When He cried, “It is finished,”
It was only the beginning
The beginning of what He will finish in and through us
For it was for us that He cried, “It is finished.”

Whether a movement or a moment
Expressed in loving kindness
“It is finished” will find His way
Without a trace of shyness.

Three words that set us free
Three words that set us on fire
For Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Never ever do they retire.

Constantly working, relentlessly loving
Readjusting, realigning
For it’s the victory of, “It is finished”
That brings about an intertwining.

Of Spirit and soul
Always meant to be one
Woven seamlessly together
Nowhere else do we need to run.

Having experienced The Love that stood alone
For all humanity to have Hope.
Leaves us forever changed
As we embrace the Divine Exchange

“It is finished,”
He may have cried
So we lay aside our pride
and declare the Truth
For we know, “He is Risen!”

A victorious hybrid.

“Humility is freedom and surrender is strength.”

When we follow Jesus, we recognize we are following The One who humbled Himself so much that He became obedient even to the point of death, and that too, death on The Cross. That humble act of obedience is the very essence of what we mean by the crucifixion of the flesh as believers in Christ. Its a gradual process that helps us grow into a more authentic version of ourselves. It is a journey where we begin to see for ourselves that perhaps compassion really is a better choice than anger, asking for forgiveness when necessary is better than having to defend oneself or blame others, sowing in peace is better than striving in flesh, giving grace is better than harboring grudges, trusting the purposes of God is better than having it our way; and as I write, the eternal Words of Jesus come to mind,

“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26,NIV)

Jesus is the Lover of our souls and died for it. He died for our freedom in order that we may learn to live on Earth as He did. It is the trenches of unforgiveness, bitterness, shame, negativity, rebellion that holds us in shackles, when Christ came to set the captives free – free in our hearts, minds and souls, and therefore, in life.

The more I live, the more I am aware that there are times when we have to fight for this freedom and make conscious choices to become the very embodiment of grace, mercy, gentleness, kindness and love in a world that more often than not, is anything but. Complaining about our circumstances fetches little, but taking them to The Only One who can do something about them, is where we learn to walk in victory. This requires a spiritual posture of humility before The Lord where we allow ourselves to come undone in The Presence of Him who looks at us when complete compassion and perfect love. He already knows our state, and is waiting with open arms to take us into the warmth of His Embrace in order that we may leave healed, restored, revived, renewed and set free.

This, to me, represents a prolific picture of the relationship between our posture of humility before The One who is Victorious in order that we may walk in His Freedom, freedom FROM the shackles of shame, regret, brokenness and bitterness; and INTO the wide, open meadows of faith, hope, love, peace, rest and trust. This is a freedom that we experience deep within our souls as we surrender to the Love of The Father. This surrender is not a sign of weakness or defeat, but of strength and victory for The One we are surrendering to is already victorious. Death could not hold hold Him, for He rose again with the keys to our freedom. However, this freedom is a gift from God that we walk in everyday, while simultaneously it is also a decision we make to walk in the fullness of every single day. He has set our souls free and nothing can change that, but it is also our responsibility to make wise choices that will help nourish the spiritual condition of our souls. Slowly friends, even I am learning the paradox of God.

In short, humility is a posture of strength that causes us to surrender to the very embodiment of Victory, Jesus. Humility says, “not my will, but yours.” Humility says, “I’m only a tiny drop in the ocean, yet so precious that You died for me.” Humility says, “now that I am more mature than I was, I feel like a child who knows nothing, all over again.” Humility says, “I can’t Lord, but You can.” Humility says, “I surrender all, Lord.”

And THAT surrender, friends, is what takes us from strength to strength and glory to glory. That surrender is opening our hearts to God in a fresh, new way that allows His Love and Light to break in and break out. That surrender is trusting God with every detail of our lives and allowing His Spirit to guide us forth. That surrender keeps us in sync with His leading in every season of our souls. That surrender reintroduces us to the power of walking in the Love of God as we navigate our journey here on Earth. That surrender empowers the crucifixion of the flesh paving the way to a resurrection of the spirit, a process that not only sees us walking in the Word of God, but in the ways of God.

Suffice to say, humility is freedom for it is the very point where our spirit is empowered to surrender to the power of The One who though reigns as an Eternal, Everlasting God; was humble enough to descend from Eternity to Earth simply because He is the kind who leaves the ninety nine to find the one, every single time; a detail that wins my heart over, every single time.

So, I humble myself today before Him and surrender all that He has given me in order that He may breathe on it afresh, till His fire falls on my heart and paves the way for the next move of His Holy Spirit.

I pray you would do the same.

Amen.

Salt and Light.

“I am Your Child before I am Your Church.”

The more I walk with The Lord, the more I realize how much He values relationship. He will allow situations and circumstances to manifest, and then invite us to listen to His Voice in order that we may discern what it is that His Spirit is doing in and through the manifested circumstances. I am slowly coming to a point where I recognize that the stronger my relationship with Him, the more I am in sync with Him which allows me to see, think and act the way He does in order to see His will manifest in through whatever it is that I may be experiencing. Perhaps, this is the reason we call our lives as believers a grand adventure with The Lord.

The way we were drawn into a relationship with Jesus is the way it is sustained. His Love is what won our hearts over, and it still is His Love which continues to. In a world rife with chaos and turmoil, we are often spurred to be the salt and light. After all, that is what Jesus has called us to be, and my journey reveals to me that the extent to which we allow ourselves to bask in His Light is the extent to which we can authentically be the light in our tiny part of the world. So, before I “do” anything, I am slowly learning the vital importance of “being” in His Presence. I love how The Bible makes this clear,

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, King James Bible)

This leads me to believe that God is more interested in our “being,” than our “doing,” for He understands that from the overflow of our fellowship will inevitably flow the desire, the resolve and the power to be the salt and light. This is where our striving ends, and our surrender to Him puts us in a place of being able to receive like a child, and as a child. This where we learn to receive His perfect love, unconditional acceptance and matchless grace. This is where we encounter Presence and allow it to transform us into a Child that knows how to host it. This is where our weakness meets His Strength. This is where our wounds begin to heal and our souls finds revival. This is where our hearts start to melt as His Love begins to well up from deep within. This is where authentic transformation in Christ begins.

My experience tells me that our journey is purely relational and transformational, the fruit of which is for the world to savor. We can give only to the extent we receive. It is therefore, important to realize that the foremost thing is to receive the love, the grace, the mercy, the forgiveness, the kindness and the goodness of God in fullness and abundance every single day of our lives. This not only keeps us tethered to His Presence, but takes us deeper and deeper into a relational walk with Him; from the abundance of which can freely flow the goodness that our world needs to see and receive.

As His Child, I first want to receive His Love first thing in the morning. I want to allow His Love to heal me, strengthen me, lead me, guide me and then, compel me. I want to let my “being” with Him define my “doing.” I want to yield more and more to the leading of His Spirit as opposed to what I may have thought is the best way to lead my day. I want Him to take centerstage in my life so that every move and every decision is assured of a favorable outcome. I want to first feel His Heart towards me, and then let that heart reach those that are near to me.

So, I told Him last night that I was first His Child, and then His Church. I want to be the lamp that He can put on a lampstand, but first I want to taste of His Love and Light that can be found only when hidden within His splendor shadow. I want to be the salt and light, but first I want to be salted and lit up from within. I want to be a world changer, but first I need my inside world changed. I want to be sheep among the wolves, but first I want to know what it is to be shepherded well. I want to be who He has called me to be, but first I want to encounter The One who has called me in the first place.

I guess what I’m trying to say is quite simple. In our walk with Christ, our foremost responsibility is to value our relationship over anything else. It is in the relationship that we forge that we get to know Him, and the more we know Him, the more we know ourselves and what it is that we are called to. As I write, the words of Jesus, after His Resurrection as He promised The Holy Spirit to His disciples, come to mind;

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49, NIV)

It is abundantly clear that the more we receive “power from on high,” the more we are empowered to be who He calls us to be: the salt and light of the world, His Children and then, His Church.

So be it.

Amen.