Life Shared

Knock Knock

2019-03-28T07:19:00.000-05:00

Knock knock.

Who's there?...

Hopefully you still are(;

Most of us have been locked out of something before. Maybe it was our vehicles, house, online accounts... name it. In any of these situations we are usually trying to accomplish a goal and are prevented from doing so because we lack the 'key' needed for access. This can be extremely irritating because often, our very sustenance is jeopardized since we can not access that which we need. And sometimes, others even suffer because of our inability to gain entry.

Which is a topic all its own.

Jesus said in the gospel of Luke Chapter 5, 'ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.'

Do you also find it interesting that He chose to state 3 different ways of making a request... ask, seek, knock. My initial question is, why? If Jesus was speaking of making a single request, why illustrate it in 3 different ways? If you're familiar with the passage you know that the scripture doesn't specify. I believe these directives to be in reference to one request. That is each and every request we make to God. I believe they are a progression of what trusting God with our request(s) looks like...our faith in action if you would.

...Asking is our prayer or conversation making our request known with the father

...Seeking is us searching(living) expectantly for what we've asked for

...Knocking is us requesting to enter when we have found what we've asked for...

or better... when God has provided or brought us to the doorstep of what we've asked for

The caution would be that sometimes we don't know what to ask. When there is a barrier between us and something we need, we don't always know how to get rid of it. Which is where knowing God's voice and when he'll say yes come into importance as I've written about previously.

It's been some time since Life Shared last communicated with you. I apologize for the absence and would like to 'knock'....hoping to find you on the other side. Hoping to find you still living in Christ, tackling today while looking forward to tomorrow. Our father has good gifts he wants us to have. In order to receive these gifts we must pursue them by taking the actions of faith mentioned here. Further, we must understand that we can have direct access to the father thru Christ, and we must also be aware of what our need is enough to articulate them. (Luke 5:11-13)

Let's ask , seek, and knock for our gifts & to be that gift for others in 2020

What are you experiencing when it comes to receiving from God?

Helping the growth within, come out

Rodney

P.S.- You can become a part of the Life Shared Gang by subscribing via email or feed reader to get
post updates (1-2 a week) and other resources as they become available. Your information will only be used for the purposes of this blog. If you're on a mobile device, click 'view web version' and those options will be to the top right & bottom of the page. For desktop users, those locations are the same. Thanks for sharing your time here!

Perspective, Vision- Lessons From a 4yr. Old and a Friend

2015-03-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

If you've been a parent for umm...at least a week, you've undoubtedly been taught a life lesson by your little one. They bring such wisdom, without ever knowing it. My son at four years of age now, has given me some amazingly insightful nuggets that I think about periodically.

Like when he and I were headed home from one of our usual stores. For some reason, I chose to go home a different way that day and my observant little man, noticed. He first asked me why? If you don't know, this is a toddler's most favorite word in the dictionary...literally. I'm not sure what my reply was because I really don't remember why I took an alternate route. I just did. This 'new' route, was probably more convenient, and while familiar to me, it was new to him. As he looked around, he became abnormally amazed. Not at some glorious lights or fun looking kid places, there was really nothing of excitement to mention on this particular street, just businesses, cars & some convenience stores. Not even a golden arch! Just normal stuff. It wasn't normal to him though. He began to shout out all the things he was seeing as if he'd long dreamed of them.

He gave me... a new, set of eyes that day.

Fast forward a few months, to a conversation with a friend named G. You know how all young boys dream of being a pilot one day, he actually is a pilot. A real pilot of real, full sized planes. Well, in random conversation, I asked him how work was, you know, man talk. And I was enlightened even further by his response as he said with the biggest smile, "It's great, the view is always changing!" Wow! First, I'll admit, I was a bit jealous because when I go to work I typically see the same old things. But I quickly became happy, because he was happy & I began to piece together that I was being taught something through my four year old & my friend about perspective & vision .

What I Learned From My Son About Perspective

1. There is freedom in breaking away from the usual. Routine things can blind you and rob you of invaluable excitement.

2. Doing things differently, opens you up to new experiences. Doing the same things will always bring, the same results.

3. Even the smallest change can make the ordinary, extraordinary. Don't be afraid to change even the 'little' things, because they can breath new life into... your life.

4. Sometimes, it takes someone else to help us see things in ways that we couldn't visualize on our own.

What I Learned From My Friend About Vision

1. The pilot is in control & his view... should be your view, just from a slightly different angle.

2. When the view is changing, you're making progress towards your destination. You're getting closer. Gaining Ground.

3. When the view is changing you can now, explore more options. Don't put blinders on yourself. By keeping your sights active you become exposed to potential opportunities that you would have otherwise missed because you had a stationary focus.

With God All Is Visible

It has been said that the only thing constant is change. I would have to agree with this statement. In fact, I believe it's so true in life, that instead of embracing change with anticipation of what good it can bring, it causes us to simply...wait... for inevitable change that may or may not be attractive to us. It's the difference between being alive, and living. They're completely opposite ideals. Anyone who is breathing air under there own capacities, is technically alive. But to live, implies that you are in pursuit of the most full experience available to you. A no regrets kind of experience... With God, all things are visible. When we base our perceptions upon the reality that we are passengers under the guidance of an all seeing pilot, we are more likely to see with a new set of eyes. We will surely try not to be too focused on an isolated situation because we know that there is movement taking place behind the scenes. We won't be afraid or ashamed of our minute advancements, because we're aware that any forward advancement, is good, advancement.... If you've become imprisoned by the routines of life, break free. Recognize that The Pilot, will share his view with you. And in that, is new life, opportunity & new eyes for life. Like my son you'll be amazed by the many fresh sights that flood your peripherals, because like my friend, God's view is always changing!

Scripture References: Hebrews 4:13 & II Corinthians 4:18

What would you add about perspective & vision?

Hopefully this helps the growth within, come out

Rodney

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Seasons of a Seed an Introduction to Seedtime and Harvest Post #2

2015-03-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

If you missed the introduction, this is the second writing on Seedtime & Harvest, the true requirement of seedfaith, you can get that here.....
What we'll be looking at in this post is what I call the Seasons of a Seed, hence the title(:

When most of us think of a seed we think of a relatively tiny, tightly sealed up package that you can put in the dirt and grow something. TADA! I can see how it would be natural to think that when we plant, something will grow. After all, isn't that what's supposed to happen? Well yes & no... The law of nature is not that every seed will grow...to maturity...to harvest... it's that theoretically, every seed has the potential to. Still, that growth, is only after a process has taken place. There's more to it than cover it now, discover it later. I referred to Galatians 6:7 in the first post to show an example of how in certain terms, the bible teaches the seedtime/harvest; seedfaith principle. In fact Genesis 8:22 states that as long as the earth endures, seedtime & harvest won't cease, but you can probably guess that literal seed & literal reaping...is not at all the concern. You see this when you cover the full context of the Galatians passage. So with that thought, let's look at the Seasons of a Seed together.

Seasons of a Seed

1. Rowing Season
      As I mentioned, my wife and I planted a garden. It was only about a 3'x3' section in our back yard. But let me tell you, there was work involved with this little thing! We had to till it, de-weed it, section/row it, plant the seeds etc. and fence it off so our chihuahua wouldn't dig it up! All this just to get the seed in the ground... So this first season, that of 'rowing', takes great effort on our parts. So too with sowing & reaping from God, we will have to put in some work before we can expect anything in return. Thanks Adam & Eve... Listen to what Proverbs 20:4 says about this season, "Sluggards do not plow in season, so at harvest they look and find nothing." Don't be a slacker!

2. Rainy Season
      Once the seed is planted, & is covered with dirt, it must receive the correct amount of moisture or rain. This season along with those that follow, is completely out of our control. Sure we can channel existing waters & choose our plant sites wisely, but ultimately, it's up to God to provide the rain. As scripture indicates, we must only be faithful while we wait. See Lev. 26:3-5; Duet. 11:13-14; 28:12. Reaping from God requires waiting on the timing of his provisions.

3. Rooting Season
     This next season is crucial. After the rowing, & rain, the seedling then begins to root. As the roots stretch their ways into the soil they both enable & sustain growth. Which at this point is still hidden to the naked eye. It is perceived, yet unseen indeed.

4. Revealing Season
     Once the roots have made themselves a part of the earth, the plant increases in size beneath the surface & finally pokes through the ground, this is the revealing season. There is now a visible sign that the effort made to place your seed into the soil, will likely bring good result. And so it is with us, we must continue inward growth even when we don't necessarily see the benefit of our energy.

5. Replenishing (harvesting) Season
     Finally, the plant has grown to maturity and there is a harvest! There is something that happens when a plant reaches full grown status. For those such as wheat & the like, it is now that they can re-populate new seed. Thus the name of this one is the replenishing season. It is during this time when fresh seed is gathered & can again be dispersed to repeat the process again. You know the saying 'blessed to be a blessing.'

When we look at the seedfaith principle in light of these 5 seasons, it's obvious that nothing comes without some good old fashioned elbow grease and patience. Even when it comes to God. So the takeaway I want us to have is not that anyone is a false teacher or swindler... It's simply that there is a process when it comes to planting yourself into the fertile soil of the word... that it doesn't always happen overnight and that if you stick with it, you'll see the promise come forward.

What Season Are You In

I believe that we can all be found in one of these 5 seasons. It may be that we are working hard to prepare our 'soil'. Or maybe we've done the work and we're waiting on God to open up the floodgates. There could be the sometimes painful internal only growth, as our character is being rooted in his word. Maybe we've passed the first three and are actually getting some first-hand sunlight, able to see some progress now. And if we're fortunate enough, we will wind up fulfilling our purposes, thus being capable of bringing others into the cycle of sowing for God. Whatever season you find yourself in, know that there is life in it. It may be difficult, long, baren even. But there is life, there is purpose, there is hope. You're in God's hands and btw, he invented gardening so he's pretty good at it. So be confident of this, that he who begun a good work in you, will complete it.

What about you? What season are you in?

Are there other seasons you've found yourself in?

Hopefully this helps the growth within, come out

Rodney

P.S.- You can become a part of the Life Shared Gang by subscribing via email or feed reader to get
post updates (1-2 a week)and other resources as they become available. Your information will only be used for the purposes of this blog. If you're on a mobile device, click 'view web version' and those options will be to the top right & bottom of the page. For desktop users, those locations are the same. Thanks for sharing your time here!