Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 We must begin to think outside the box of our past experiences. We must ask ourselves – Now what? Eli Whitney stood and watched a cat pluck at a chicken through a fence. The resulting pawful of feathers apparently reminded him of cotton fibers and inspired him to invent the cotton gin. The transfer of an idea from one context to a new one is movement that took us from Law to Grace. The same transfer is here today to take from Church to Kingdom.
Our God is too prodigious to be limited to a doctrine or a denomination. We have programmed ourselves so tightly we really don’t leave room for the One who is all-in-all. A little preaching here… a little prophecy there… but we really get nervous if He tries to break us out of our routine. We don’t let God out of our box too much because He can ruin everything. Well, that must become our prayer: “Lord, break out of the box and ruin everything that is not of You!” God wants to take us from where we are to the place He has predestined for us to be.
A King wanted to teach his four sons about growth and progression so he sent each of them to the evergreen forests of Southern Nigeria to view the African Pear tree. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said, “the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.”
The second son said, “no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.”
The third son disagreed; he said, “it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful.”
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said, “it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.”
The King stopped the debate and explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen the same tree, but in a different season.
You cannot allow those who viewed your winter to ruin your spring! Progression says, “There’s more”. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. The beauty of your summer and the fruit of your fall are awaiting your endurance.
We must look to Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He is no longer the baby in the manger or the itinerant preacher. He hangs on the cross no more. The tomb is empty where he laid. He is now SEATED at the right hand of GOD with hair like wool, feet like bronze and a sword for a tongue. He is saying to the courts that convicted him, the soldiers who beat him and the devil who lost to him.. HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW…
Prayer Father, break out of the box and ruin everything in me that is not YOU! I will not be trapped here. Grow me up me to that secret place with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Go Deeper Prov. 2:6; Matt. 7:24-27; John 1:14-18; Phil. 2:5-11; Hebrews 12:1-2; Rev. 1:8,17,18
Our God is too prodigious to be limited to a doctrine or a denomination. We have programmed ourselves so tightly we really don’t leave room for the One who is all-in-all. A little preaching here… a little prophecy there… but we really get nervous if He tries to break us out of our routine. We don’t let God out of our box too much because He can ruin everything. Well, that must become our prayer: “Lord, break out of the box and ruin everything that is not of You!” God wants to take us from where we are to the place He has predestined for us to be.
A King wanted to teach his four sons about growth and progression so he sent each of them to the evergreen forests of Southern Nigeria to view the African Pear tree. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said, “the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.”
The second son said, “no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.”
The third son disagreed; he said, “it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful.”
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said, “it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.”
The King stopped the debate and explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen the same tree, but in a different season.
You cannot allow those who viewed your winter to ruin your spring! Progression says, “There’s more”. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. The beauty of your summer and the fruit of your fall are awaiting your endurance.
We must look to Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He is no longer the baby in the manger or the itinerant preacher. He hangs on the cross no more. The tomb is empty where he laid. He is now SEATED at the right hand of GOD with hair like wool, feet like bronze and a sword for a tongue. He is saying to the courts that convicted him, the soldiers who beat him and the devil who lost to him.. HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW…
Prayer Father, break out of the box and ruin everything in me that is not YOU! I will not be trapped here. Grow me up me to that secret place with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Go Deeper Prov. 2:6; Matt. 7:24-27; John 1:14-18; Phil. 2:5-11; Hebrews 12:1-2; Rev. 1:8,17,18