It's The Little Things

He's so cute!

No he isn't! He raids my garden where I have worked so hard. My garden that feeds us with organic fruits and vegetables. He doesn't just nibble. He gorges himself leaving me stems, worthless unfruitful stems. 

Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom. ~Song of Solomon 2:15ESV

Song of Solomon tells us about the little foxes that spoil the vines that are in blossom. No fruit will come if the blossoms are destroyed. Cute little foxes were destroying the vineyard. 

Solomon used this analogy to tell us that the little things that creep into our lives or that have never been removed, will eat away at the blossoms in our spiritual lives that are about to bear fruit. What kind of fruit you may ask? The people who we desire to come to the Lord, our family, our friends, our coworkers. People are the fruit of our labors in the Lord. 

How are little foxes spoiling our labor? Could it be because we are holding on to the little sins and allowing the cares of this world to spoil our testimonies? 

And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 

~Luke 8:14ESV

I want to challenge us to refocus our hearts, our minds, and our actions so that we might have the mind of Christ and chase away the groundhogs and foxes in our lives that ruin our testimonies. 

It is this refocusing that will change our homes, our friends, our coworkers, and yes our nation.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

~Colossians 3:12-17 ESV 

 Father God, help us put away the things that eat away and destroy our testimonies, the anger, the wrath, the malice, the slander, and the obscene talk from our mouths. Teach us to be truthful in all our dealings and whatever we do, to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. For it is in his name we pray. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Do you have a testimony of Jesus? Do you have a time and a place when you asked Jesus's forgiveness of your sins? If not, today can be the day of your salvation. You can begin to make a difference even as a child in this crazy world we are living in. 

Even a child makes himself known by his acts,

    by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

~Proverbs 20:11 ESV

Queen Esther's cousin Mordecai told her God put her in the position of queen for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). She could influence the king in the time of fear and trouble for the Jewish people. You are no different. God has you here, in this time, and this place to do the work he has planned for you. I pray you are answering his call and not letting the little foxes of this world destroy your testimony before it even has time to blossom.

Blessings, Gail

Pruning for an Abundance of Fruit

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5

Spring is coming on fast here in the Upstate of SC. This week my husband cut deadwood out of the apple trees. My garden was finally dry enough to turn under. The peach trees are blooming along the roadside. Everything is recovering from the dead of winter.

To get the best from the apple trees, the garden, and the peach orchards people have to be involved. God put Adam and Eve in a garden to tend it. He looked for a shepherd to be king of Israel. Many of Jesus' parables are about agriculture. In Isaiah 11:1 He is referred to as the Branch and in John 15, He is the Vine. Jesus says the Father is glorified when we bear fruit. 

To bear fruit we must be attached to the Branch. Sometimes there is deadwood in our lives that need pruning out. Pruning trees, tilling the ground, those are acts of kindness for a tree or a garden. Sure plants and trees can put down roots and still grow but not in the way they could or should. The tilling and pruning open the way for gardens and trees to grow and bear an abundance of fruit. Acts of kindness toward others can open doors of relationships where we can be the witness that bears fruit for God's kingdom. 

Father, help us examine our own lives that we might prune out those things that would hinder our witness. Help us replace the deadwood with acts of kindness that builds relationships and lead to opportunities for a witness. 

Hey Kids: 

What acts of kindness are you using to build relationships with others?

Here are some ideas:

• Help a neighbor clean up their yard after a storm.
• Bake some muffins or cookies for a sick neighbor.
• Sit with someone at lunch or recess who is alone. 

We would love to hear your ideas. Please share them in the comments below. 

Blessings,

Gail