my chicken "coop"
Today's post is based on Galatians 6:7-8: 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (NIV)
I heard a sermon on the radio last week from Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who is now with Jesus in Heaven but the topic was this verse and the crux of the message was this:
Chickens come home to roost.
Boy, do they.
I've mentioned this before and talked frequently about the things that have happened in my life. I had a chance to share these verses with someone today; shared the concept of "Cognitive Dissonance" as well (don't know how much good it'll do, Pastor Karl, but I shared it anyway) too. It's odd, but far more than I care about the personal situation this person and I share, I care enough about this person to want to see them in Heaven at the end.
Today, I'm asking you to think about this important Scripture passage and ask yourself about your own "chickens". Can you imagine having everything you've ever done wrong thrown back at you in a year? If you did, what would change in you?
I'm also reminded of the several places in the Bible where God tells us he chastises those He loves. I've learned from this and it's my hope today that each person will take this word of God to heart. My point is that if we say we believe and our lives don't reflect those beliefs, then we should be asking ourselves, "Are we mocking God?" We may not think so, but in the end if we're not living the word, or living by bits and pieces of the word, then isn't this the case?
I have many miles left in my walk to get where I want to be and I have room for much improvement in living God's word. It's not always easy to do but I know what I need to do to fix my one little area I need to work on and I'm trying to fix that. With God's help, I'll be able to get back to where I want to be but it's literally going to take working more hours to do that and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to do that. We live, we learn, we grow.
I finally have cleaned out my own personal chicken coop. I reaped what I sowed and I'm planting new seeds. Part of that will be seeing if a plant I planted several years ago will grow again. It may be like my rose bush that didn't survive the winter. Last year's branches are dead but the roots didn't die. There is slow growth at the root and green at the bottom. One branch grew up from the root. Just one. Or the plant may not survive, and given the conversation I had this morning, I suspect this will be the case. I can't change that; but I did change me. That's OK, the chicken coop that is my life is clean and new chickens will come to roost in the years that come.
There are some other things going on in my life that are quite interesting to me. I'm living in the light so I want to caution folks to remember that we're to help our neighbors, which includes our friends, and that I live in a very large house. I have a friend coming for a visit out of the blue who is looking for some new opportunities. It kind of came as a surprise to me, but my friend is a good Christian who has helped me grow and learn the importance of proper vs. improper relationships and I have the best chaperones in the world: My faith, my love for God and Jesus, my mother-in-law, and my job (12 hour days this week and weekend overtime to boot!). Remember the post earlier in the week about the duck and things you can't see.
Sharing these all-important verses with you is just as much for me as for you. These are things that I need to remember. Here's another all-important fact. God doesn't change. I need to remember that, too. My friend reminds me of these when we talk.
If we live our lives in ways that go against God's word, me mock Him. Those chickens WILL come home to roost. That's why, in advance, I'm sharing this with y'all today. It's a lesson learned the hard way and one I don't intend on repeating anytime soon.
God bless,
Coop
I heard a sermon on the radio last week from Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who is now with Jesus in Heaven but the topic was this verse and the crux of the message was this:
Chickens come home to roost.
Boy, do they.
I've mentioned this before and talked frequently about the things that have happened in my life. I had a chance to share these verses with someone today; shared the concept of "Cognitive Dissonance" as well (don't know how much good it'll do, Pastor Karl, but I shared it anyway) too. It's odd, but far more than I care about the personal situation this person and I share, I care enough about this person to want to see them in Heaven at the end.
Today, I'm asking you to think about this important Scripture passage and ask yourself about your own "chickens". Can you imagine having everything you've ever done wrong thrown back at you in a year? If you did, what would change in you?
I'm also reminded of the several places in the Bible where God tells us he chastises those He loves. I've learned from this and it's my hope today that each person will take this word of God to heart. My point is that if we say we believe and our lives don't reflect those beliefs, then we should be asking ourselves, "Are we mocking God?" We may not think so, but in the end if we're not living the word, or living by bits and pieces of the word, then isn't this the case?
I have many miles left in my walk to get where I want to be and I have room for much improvement in living God's word. It's not always easy to do but I know what I need to do to fix my one little area I need to work on and I'm trying to fix that. With God's help, I'll be able to get back to where I want to be but it's literally going to take working more hours to do that and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to do that. We live, we learn, we grow.
I finally have cleaned out my own personal chicken coop. I reaped what I sowed and I'm planting new seeds. Part of that will be seeing if a plant I planted several years ago will grow again. It may be like my rose bush that didn't survive the winter. Last year's branches are dead but the roots didn't die. There is slow growth at the root and green at the bottom. One branch grew up from the root. Just one. Or the plant may not survive, and given the conversation I had this morning, I suspect this will be the case. I can't change that; but I did change me. That's OK, the chicken coop that is my life is clean and new chickens will come to roost in the years that come.
There are some other things going on in my life that are quite interesting to me. I'm living in the light so I want to caution folks to remember that we're to help our neighbors, which includes our friends, and that I live in a very large house. I have a friend coming for a visit out of the blue who is looking for some new opportunities. It kind of came as a surprise to me, but my friend is a good Christian who has helped me grow and learn the importance of proper vs. improper relationships and I have the best chaperones in the world: My faith, my love for God and Jesus, my mother-in-law, and my job (12 hour days this week and weekend overtime to boot!). Remember the post earlier in the week about the duck and things you can't see.
Sharing these all-important verses with you is just as much for me as for you. These are things that I need to remember. Here's another all-important fact. God doesn't change. I need to remember that, too. My friend reminds me of these when we talk.
If we live our lives in ways that go against God's word, me mock Him. Those chickens WILL come home to roost. That's why, in advance, I'm sharing this with y'all today. It's a lesson learned the hard way and one I don't intend on repeating anytime soon.
God bless,
Coop
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