God is moving y'all....
I was out in the garden this morning. I'm on vacation so I slept until my body woke me up, which was until 6:30. I was up at 4:30 having nightmares which was weird because I don't normally have nightmares. God woke my friend up at 4:30, she said she was praying for me this morning.
But back to the garden.
I wanted to spend some time in the garden in my bible this morning so I opened up a devotional that I had sitting on my nightstand but had not opened for quite some time. The study lead me to Colossions 1. (Side note, I like to always find out what the area was suffering with in each book that Paul wrote so I can understand the context - They were struggling with false teachings - among other things...) so I read and wrote and started pruning my tomato plants.
Y'all, they were OUT OF CONTROL and needed some serious haircuts - like those people you see that haven't cut their hair since Covid... need a trim up. I cut back so many leaves that were causing shade and sucking nutrients for nothing, they were bad per se but they weren't assisting in the growth of the plant. And actually were hiding the tomatoes (fruit) from getting the sunshine they need to ripen and from being seen to eat. They would have rotted - RIGHT THERE ON THE VINE.
So I cut back a lot. I couldn't believe how many tomatoes there were. UNBELIEVABLE. I thought of myself and how when I have things that are not the best for me, it can block me from seeing the things THAT ARE GOOD. When that happens I am cranky and I definitely am not thankful. And I don't see people and things the way God sees them. <<OUCH>>
Also I had to put some stakes in the ground so that I could hold up all the growth that's happened. I had to reroute some of the vines so that they would grow in a more productive way. I want my plants to get the best light, the most water and nutrients. So I stuck one stake in the ground and it didn't go very far. I was like whoa. That soil is HARD. I am going to got get some water. And don't you know that stake went right in. And I thought... whoa that's me in the morning if I am not getting the LIVING WATER. The very things I need to help hold me up, grow in the right direction can't get in their because the soil is dry and hard. <<OUCH>>
The thing is that even though all those things are true. His grace is available. He keeps speaking, guiding us to what He knows we need and what we need to grow.
I know of a few things I will be cutting out for awhile. Habits that no longer serve me. I will keep praying for direction for myself and others.
Colossians 1:1–29
1 Paul, aan apostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God, and Timothy cour brother,
2 To the dsaints and faithful brothers1 in Christ at Colossae:
eGrace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 fWe always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of gyour faith in Christ Jesus and of gthe love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of hthe hope ilaid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in jthe word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed kin the whole world it is lbearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you mheard it and understood nthe grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from oEpaphras our beloved pfellow servant.2 He is pa faithful minister of Christ on your3behalf 8 and has made known to us your qlove in the Spirit.
9 And so, rfrom the day we heard, swe have not ceased to pray for you, asking that tyou may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all uspiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as vto walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, wfully pleasing to him: xbearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 ybeing strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for zall endurance and patience awith joy; 12 bgiving thanks4 to the Father, who has qualified you5 to share in cthe inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He dhas delivered us from ethe domain of darkness and transferred us to fthe kingdom of ghis beloved Son, 14 hin whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 iHe is the image of jthe invisible God, kthe firstborn of all creation. 16 For by6 him all things were created, lin heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether mthrones or ndominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created othrough him and for him. 17 And phe is before all things, and in him all things qhold together. 18 And rhe is the head of the body, the church. He is sthe beginning, tthe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For uin him all the vfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and wthrough him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, xmaking peace yby the blood of his cross.
21 zAnd you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, adoing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled bin his body of flesh by his death, cin order to present you holy and blameless and dabove reproach before him, 23 eif indeed you continue in the faith, fstable and steadfast, not shifting from gthe hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed hin all creation7 under heaven, iand of which I, Paul, became a minister.
24 Now jI rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh kI am filling up lwhat is lacking in Christ’s afflictions mfor the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 nof which I became a minister according to othe stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 pthe mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 qTo them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are rthe riches of the glory of pthis mystery, which is Christ in you, sthe hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that twe may present everyone umature in Christ. 29 For this vI toil, wstruggling xwith all his energy that he powerfully works within me
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