A TIME FOR FRUITFULNESS & REPLENISHMENT
Aloha!
Ecclesiastes 3:5 “A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.”
“Being fruitful as followers of Jesus requires seasons of productivity and seasons of replenishment. We can trust that God is at work no matter what season we’re in.”
Each season has a purpose and they all play an important part in our lives. I’m sure we all would like to stay in some of the “feel good” seasons longer! It would also be nice to delete or skip the uncomfortable seasons. Each season helps us in our growth. Trust God in every Season!
We have different fruit trees in our yard. The Haas Avocado tree normally produces fruit in December and January. After they’re all picked, we prune the tree. It’s not long before you will see buds and new growth. The baby avocados look like little green marbles and they may grow up to 3 pounds each by picking time. It takes months for them to grow to that size. Over time, they take in nutrition and grow. When they’re ripe, we pick them. After all are picked, we prune to prepare the tree for growth again. The cycle continues.
Jesus came a part, from the crowds and his devoted disciples, to be alone with His Father. This was a time of replenishment for Him. We also need to spend time with the Lord in sweet communion receiving from Him. We are renewed, strengthened, and encouraged during these times of refreshing.
After we’ve received from the Lord, we are then able to share with others. It was never meant for us to keep Jesus to ourselves. When our cup is full and we’ve had sweet communion with the Lord, then we are ready to share what He’s given us with others. You can’t give what you don’t have.
It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. You can be pulled in so many directions that you feel like you’re Stretch Armstrong. There’s a time to say, “Yes,” and there’s a time to say, “No.” There’s a time to be very active and fruitfully productive and other times to be less active and be rejuvenated.
Pray and ask the Lord where you need to serve and give to others; and where you need to slow down and be replenished.
“In the end, God brings growth. No matter what our role, God works through us and in us. Even in times when growth and fruitfulness seem impossible, God takes care of it.”
Psalms 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-whatever they do prospers.”
Matthew 14:23 “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,”
Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
SONG: 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) – Matt Redman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E
Mahalo,
“TIMES OF REFRESHING” Garden Bible Study in Hawaii
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