Sowing Requires Patience

There are expectations of reaping immediately from that which we sow. The reality is that we will receive when the harvest is ready.

My wife is an amateur gardener. Really more of an experimenter. We only have a small yard in a housing subdivision and therefore do not have the room to have a real garden. We only have room for a couple things that will feed the two of us for a meal or two. She will plant in the right time, tomatoes, peppers, and other items that will really just accent our meals. The one thing she is very well aware of is that these things take time. One of the items she relishes to see develop is her lemons. If you don’t know, lemons take months, not days or weeks to develop. It can take 6 months from the flowering to the ripening of the lemon. And Lori waits patiently, checking in on the lemons daily, even as there will be little to no change noticeable each day. The same can be said with everything else we sow.

I have to remember to just sow that which is good in the eyes of the LORD and know that He will cultivate and ripen those things to the point of harvest time. I am not able to rush them along and in the process I may be saddened and working through some hardships of my own only to realize the glory of the LORD at the point of harvest.

“⁵Those who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

⁶He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.”

— Psalm 126:5-6 (ESV)

When it is time for the harvest, I will shout and be completely joyous as the reaping can now begin. I will have realized the glory of God, in His time and not my own. I will have gone through the times of waiting and caring and cultivating.

Notice in the verses above the sweetness that is realized in the reaping. That sweetness is due to the ripening that could only have been realized thanks to the time it took. Lori’s lemons are so much sweeter thanks to the time waiting and caring and cultivating them. The anticipation of the harvest created even more flavor than would have been found with the simple grocery store purchase of lemons.

I have to remember that the sowing of seeds for the LORD is just the beginning. There is the time of waiting and caring and cultivating that will bring the seeds to the time of harvest and then I will be able to full enjoy the sweet glory that comes with the realization of God’s Work being completed for His glory and not my own.

What are you out there sowing? Are you looking for the immediate growth and the ability to reap as you sow? What if you were to sow and things wait and care and cultivate the seeds that are the work of God and experience the sweet glory at the time of harvest?

Do You Expect Different Than You Sow

I have shifted gears a bit in my study to look into the word “sow”. I am wanting to learn more about what I am giving and receiving and the first passage I am reading in is found in Job.

“⁸As I have seen, those who plow iniquity

and sow trouble reap the same.”

— Job 4:8 (ESV)

I see here that when I give or sow I will get back or receive more of the same. Expecting for to be different is just that, expecting. Reality will be certainly different than my expectation. I will not ultimately receive that which is the opposite of what I am giving.

That last sentence above is something that I have to dive into a bit more as it may be a bit confusing in the beginning of what we reap based on what we sow. I see too often where the immediate return on the sowing of something is deceptive. I think of those who commit crimes who find themselves with a sudden windfall of great things like wealth and power, only to have it all come crashing down some time later when they are found out to have sowed in the realm of evil. The same can be said for those who are doing the will of the LORD where they sow great service and love for others only to not see any return immediately after, who are cared for later in their lives by someone giving that love back to them.

I have to be careful when looking into the reaping of what I am sowing and know that the immediate return may not be the return that is from the reaping at all. I have to remember that it is not about the return or the reaping that the sowing is done. I should not expect really any return other than the thanks from God for doing the work. I have to remember that it is not about me and that God will provide the return based on His plan and not my expectation.

My work here of sharing my thoughts on my Bible Study are an example of the expectation not meeting reality. I originally was hesitant in sharing my thoughts as I believed they were for me and not for others. Someone convinced me to share out of accountability to a small group and as time went on, I was more and more comfortable with my sharing. Yet, I was not getting any real acknowledgment of goodness that I was reaching people, and I gave thought to not sharing any longer and just keeping my thoughts between God and me. And then a friend caught me in the grocery store and one of the first things said was how he was continually impacted by my sharing and I was reinvigorated to continue. And now I am working on additional ways to share.

My expectation was one of immediate recognizable return and I believe maybe to be puffed up with how much I was doing. God in His infinite wisdom said no and that I was doing what was asked of me and I would be rewarded in the time and way that He saw fit. I was simply to sow and allow God to do His part and I would reap in due time.

I will reap what I sow. Sometimes that return on my giving will not be immediate and yet I must continue with the sowing as the LORD has instructed. I will reap that which is right and due based on my fulfillment of the work assigned me by God. I simply sow that which I have been entrusted and allow the LORD to do His work and provide the harvest He has for me in His time.

What is it that you are sowing and expecting something different than what you receive? Are you seeing a return on your giving that does not seem right, in the moment? What if you were to just do the work and allow God to provide the return in His time as opposed to expecting things to go the way you want them?

Singing, Demonstrating the New Self

This morning I was brought back to Colossians and the passage of putting on the new self. That self that is steeped in Christ and His example of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love. I have to remember that as a follower of Christ, that I have been given this new self freely and have accepted, and therefore I am to demonstrate this new self.

“¹⁶Let 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. ¹⁷And 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 3:16-17 (ESV)

And there it is, the ways in which I demonstrate this new self, teaching, admonishing, singing, and doing everything in the name of Jesus. These are outward signs of the new self and everyone should be seeing those. I have to let people see the LORD in me. I have to demonstrate His love and that I am indeed a new self and not falling into that old self that is steeped in the world.

I have studied and written about avoiding temptations as opposed to trying to overcome them. In that it was revealed to me that in order to avoid, I have to be active in something else. What a better way to avoid the old self than pouring myself into the new self that I have accepted as a gift from God. When I am doing all that is in the name of the LORD, it will be very difficult to find myself in the old self doing the things of the world. Napoleon Hill, writer of the book “Think & Grow Rich” said;

“Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time. One or the other must dominate. It is your responsibility to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind.”

And he is right. I have to take note and focus on the new self and demonstrating Christ and in the process, will avoid the old self all together.

Singing gets the attention of others. Singing is bringing praise to the LORD. Singing gets us started. What a better way to demonstrate to all that we have a new self than to sing praise and thanksgiving to kick things off and then that praise and thanksgiving will lead into the continued demonstration of the new self which is filled with the Spirit and overflows with the fruit of the Spirit.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” — Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

What are you demonstrating to the world? Are you allowing your old self to come through? What if you put on your new self and demonstrated that new self at all times to avoid the old self altogether?

Singing From What You are Filled

There are a lot of things that go on in our lives. We are provided for, blessed with, shackled by, and persecuted, and all of that can happen in the span of a day or less. I have had all of these rendered in the span of just an hour or so on certain days. It is not easy navigating all that goes on and I can certainly get lost in all of it as I progress through the hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The thing is that I have to look at what I am putting first. What am I using as my anchor in all of the uncertainty that comes up.

“¹⁵Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” — Ephesians 5:15-21 (ESV)

And there it is. There is, well, what I was describing. I have to look to the anchor and Paul says it best here, that anchor is with what I am filled. I should be “filled with the Spirit” and then I will know where I am and how I should act. When I am “filled with the Spirit” I will come from a place of Christ’s example and will love regardless of what I am experiencing at the time. I have to slow down as be deliberate (as I have written in my bible) and verses 15 and 16 indicated above.

And it does not stop there, I have to “be filled with the Spirit” and carry that to others and display it for all to see. I have to show all what is in me and that should be the example of Christ in all that I do.

I admit that I have not always displayed the example of Christ. I have shown the ugly side of the situation I am in and for that I can only ask for forgiveness and work to be fully “filled with the Spirit”. I have to be “filled with the Spirit” and display the Spirit of the LORD in all that I do. I am still working on it, and admit that, after all, I am a sinner and will always be a sinner.

But, I am also a child of God and have been saved by Him and have been given salvation and accepted and therefore have Him in me. I now have to allow Him to not just be in me, but fill me to the top. And not just fill me, but spill out of me so that all others can see and experience the love of the LORD. I am to sing out with that which fills me and that which should be filling me is the LORD.

What are you filled with today? Are you allowing yourself to be filled with all that seems to happen in the world? What if you put all of that aside and allowed yourself to “be filled with the Spirit” and then sang out from the Spirit for all to know the goodness that is the LORD?

Lead with Singing

Not long ago I wrote about singing continuously and a part of that is to open with singing praise and thanksgiving to God. This morning I was again reminded to come to the LORD first with that singing. I am to lead off with singing.

In church services as I have known are generally, with few exceptions, opened with singing. In fact, that opening is labeled the call to worship. In this opening, there is singing of praise and thanksgiving to get the heart in a place that is open to the receiving of God’s Word.

“¹Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

²Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!”

— Psalm 100:1-2 (ESV)

I have to remember to first come to the LORD with gladness in my heart and praising Him for all that He has done and will do. I have to be open to receiving that which He has for me. In business, when there is a difficult conversation to be had, the first thing done is to first build some rapport with the others so that they are free to receive that which is being brought to them. So, NO it is not just a religious thing to sing praise and thanksgiving to open the heart and mind.

There is plenty of time to express needs and wants and give requests to God. He wants to hear from us. I have to remember that He also already knows that which I am going to say and therefore my saying it does not need to be reverberated constantly. I have to let the LORD know of the adoration I have for Him and that I know that He will provide that which I need and be thankful for all that He has already provided. That all comes in the form of song of praise and thanksgiving to Him as I come to Him.

As I noted earlier, in church services, we are called to worship with singing of praise and thanksgiving. When we pray, Jesus tells us to open with adoration and thanksgiving for all that has been provided. I have to remember that God has already done way more than I could imagine for me. He suffered and died so that I would not have to. He rose again and provided salvation to me as a free (yes free) gift and all I have to do is accept. I believe this is all worth my praise and thanksgiving and what better way than to sing.

How are you opening your communications with God? Are you immediately jumping to all that you need Him to do for you? What if you got your heart right by praising and thanking Him through song first and letting Him know that you are ready to receive all He has for you?

Praying or Singing, Direct to God

This morning I am continuing my study of the word “sing”. I was reminded in my reading that I am to remember to direct both my prayer and singing to God. Not for the world to see specifically, but for God to witness.

“¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” — James 5:13 (ESV)

I see in the verse above that I am to pray when suffering and sing when cheerful. There is not a mention of public or private matters here, although in verse 14 it is mentioned that we should call on others to pray for us in times of need. Our communication with God is a private matter and should be kept so, but whether praying or singing, it should be to God not to others.

My relationship with God is one that is between He and I. I am to be intimate with Him. I am to be private with Him. I am to be alone with Him. I am to find my place and spend time with Him. And just as the Lord’s Prayer indicates, I should be praising and asking during those times. Even Jesus spent time in solitude with God. If the Garden of Gethsemane He went ahead alone to pray. On the cross He was alone with God. Jesus is the example of my relationship with God and that is to be a private one with He and I.

I know what you might be thinking, what about when we are in public, should I sing and pray for all to see if this relationship is indeed private. Well, yes. I have to remember that even when I am in public, I still have a personal relationship with God. When speaking with Him I am always just speaking with Him. It is not about who else hears, it is that God hears me. I may be in public and others can see and/or hear me, but the conversation is a private one and meant for God and me. I have to remember that I am not here to make myself look good, it is about doing the work of God and doing it to impact others. Even in the corporate worship service, it is not for others to necessarily see, it is about the intimate relationship with God that I should be concerned. In public others will certainly be there, but the prayer and singing is between God and me.

When you are praying and singing, where is your communication directed? Are you working to ensure that others are able to see and hear you? What if you directed your prayer and singing to God and Him alone, regardless of where you might be?

We Sing Praise and Thanksgiving

Yes, I know that I have written recently about singing praise and frankly when reading and studying singing, it is always about praise and thanksgiving. Isn’t that how it should be. Shouldn’t the singing to our LORD be to praise Him for who He is and to thank Him for what He has done. I should be lifting Him up as He has done with me.

“¹Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.”

“⁷Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre!”

— Psalm 147:1 & 7 (ESV)

Yes, there are songs that are for me asking the LORD, but the ones that make the biggest impact are those that are centered around praise and thanksgiving. I have sinned and the LORD has accepted me. I have turned away from Him and He has waited on me to turn back. I continue to sin and He looks past it and loves me. Praise to Him for His wonderful love and thanks to Him for giving me the chance to be a part of the Family of God.

I think about my before and after salvation. Before salvation, I was searching for something that would make be whole and something that I could be a part of that would be comforting. I was lost and was looking to be found. I was asking for rescue and not sure where it was going to come from. After salvation, I am thankful for being found. I am thankful for being a part of something that is comforting and I now feel whole.

Now that I have been saved and have that something to make me whole and am able to feel comforted, I am to be singing praises and thanksgiving and not asking for deliverance. I am to bring glory to the LORD and marvel at His awesomeness and not be looking for more. I now know that He is enough and all else I need He will provide.

I know that there are time that I will ask for from the LORD. I will find myself in need at some point and will ask for assistance and for deliverance. In those times is when the LORD will provide as He always has and will continue. For Jesus said:

“⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

The above is true, the LORD will give when we are seeking to find. I have to remember though, that the seeking is for deliverance, not for what I want. God knows what it is that I truly need and my asking is from the heart and should be asking for His will to be done, not my wants to be fulfilled. I will be delivered and then the praise and thanksgiving begins again and should be continuous as the LORD has delivered and will continue to do so, even as I am not deserving.

What singing are you doing? Are you singing always in the desperate attempt to receive? What if the vast majority of your singing were in praise and thanksgiving for all that the LORD has done for you?

Sing Continuously in Praise

This morning as I read in Psalm, I was reminded that I am to sing praise to the LORD continuously. I am studying in Psalm 89 and noticed the first 18 verses were the praises for the LORD. There is not any asking for anything, it is just praising and it all begins with verse one and the acknowledgment of the steadfast love of the LORD.

“¹I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.”

— Psalm 89:1 (ESV)

I have to remember to sing of His love to all and at all times. I have to open with praise and thanksgiving and be sure to stick with it. Jesus taught us to pray with The Lord’s Prayer and it opens the same as this passage in Psalm, with praise to the LORD.

“¹Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ ²And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

‘Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.’”

— Luke 11:1-2 (ESV)

I am to start everything off with bring praise and glory to the LORD. In my singing I praise Him first and for a while. I am to give Him the glory that He deserves before all else. I am to lift Him up above all else.

I know that when I do lift Him up continuously, my mindset changes and I am less likely to be concerned with my own wants and will be more inclined to ask for those things that will guide me more in the direction of doing His will. The selfish requests are subsided and I am able to focus on the tasks that the LORD has for me. I take away the self and move to serving others. I am thankful for the life given and content in what I have received and can now spread that life to others knowing that I am doing the work of the LORD.

Singing to the LORD is the expression of our relationship with the LORD. That relationship is not one sided and for the LORD to give and we ask for more and simply take what He provides. I have to remember that I am to be giving as well, though there is nothing the LORD “needs” in order to make in the world as He is the LORD after all. But, I do have an important thing to give and I have to remember to make it a center of my relationship with Him, praise, glory, and thanksgiving. I have to remember that I can give praise, glory, and thanksgiving to the LORD for all that He has provided me. I have received wondrous gifts and must be thankful for those gifts. I have to remember to lead with that praise, glory, and thanksgiving and not just for a moment, but make it the focus of my relationship with Him. When I am thankful for what I have received, my wants are minimal and I focus on service of others as opposed to myself.

What do your conversations with the LORD look like? Are you giving more time to asking for something and less to thanking Him? What if you sang praise, glory, and thanksgiving to Him and allowed those to dominate the conversation, how much different would you daily outlook be?

Sing as a Nation, as a People

“⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

⁵Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!”

— Psalm 67:4-5 (ESV)

Something I realized this morning that I had just put to the back of my mind and heart, we are to sing for joy and praise the LORD as a people and nation, not just independently. We have forgotten that this is a corporate thing and not just a personal thing. I have to remember to do the praising and singing with others and spread that praising and singing to the people and urge them to join me.

I am a very private person. The world does not need to know about me and what is specifically going on in my life. Yes, I blog here and share stories and events, but not to the extent of being overtly specific. I am in the right here as I do keep things to myself that are going on, at least not to share them publicly. With my praise however, I have to open up and be more outward in my expression so as to bring others in. I have to lead others in singing and praise and worship of Christ and be the catalyst to corporate worship.

We are lost as a nation as it pertains to the worship of God. We are no longer in fear of God. We have found the individualism of the social world and are, in some cases, running from God as opposed to running to Him. Yes, we still give optics to Him as we attend church for all to see. We even make it known through social media that we are serving or giving so that everyone will see us. But when it comes to dedicating to all that is to follow Christ and in all arenas, I feel as though we are less than genuine and will lean to the side of social acceptance as opposed to outward praise and worship of God.

We have to get back to the business of God. We have to get back to following Him into all arenas. We have to, as a nation, as a people, get back to singing for joy for all that He has given, done, and will give and do. We have to come together and get back to following God for He is our comforter and guide. As noted, we have to do this as a nation, as a people, as a family. We have to corporately sing and praise the LORD in all that we do.

What does your singing and praising of God look like? Are you approaching it in your own individual way? What if you joined with the people, with the nation and sang, praised, and worship the LORD and did it in all arenas?

Sing to Be Heard

This morning I am reading in Psalm 33 as I study the word “sing”. I do believe that singing is a great way to display emotion in something. It is also used to get the attention in a group or with an audience. Singing is intoxicating to those around you. Singing is powerful and I have realized this morning, it can be used to be heard.

“¹Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!

Praise befits the upright.

²Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;

make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

³Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

— Psalm 33:1-3 (ESV)

In the above verses, singing is used in the same means as shouting and play of an instrument. Think about it. When you are walking in the park, do you even notice and/or stop when someone is speaking to another person, not likely as I know that I do not. But, what about if you hear someone playing an instrument, or singing aloud. My attention is grabbed and I may even stop to listen or at the very least, question what is going on. I know that when I am in a church service, everyone perks up when the organ is played or when someone, let alone the choir begin to sing. They have my attention.

Singing is powerful and can be used for more than just expressing one’s self. Yes, it is a great outlet for the self expression and should continue to be used as such. I am reminded this morning that is not the only thing singing for which it can be used. I know now that when looking to gain the attention of others and to be heard, opening with song is a great way to accomplish this.

Now, I have to place a disclaimer here. I am looking here at the one side of the coin and that is singing as a way to spread our message of love and praise. Singing is powerful and in the wrong hands can spread the wrong message, but it is still a very powerful way of getting attention and a way to be heard.

I break out a little song in my training classes in the interest of having a little fun and keeping the environment light. I guess I did not really give it a lot of thought as to the grabbing of the attention of the group and my wanting to be heard. I guess I do, and for that I am grateful for the dumb luck of my actions. Singing accomplishes the goal of bringing attention to the subject and grabbing attention of those in attendance so that one can be heard. I have to remember to use my singing to be heard and what I am to be singing should be my praise of the Lord Almighty.

What are you singing for? Are you singing to display your emotion only? What if you use the power of singing to not only express yourself, but to be heard as you spread the gospel?