Living 4 Him

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your own soul?” Matthew 16:26
NLT

Gardening season is going well at our house.  Plants are growing and starting to produce! We’ve been picking zucchini daily and we ate two small tomatoes from our early-picking Fourth of July plant on the 4th of July!  Most of the month of June was spent not just monitoring the plants, but also pulling the weeds poking up through the fresh dirt.  At least twice a week, we attack the invaders to ensure the plants can produce the fruit that is expected. 

Like the garden, our souls are meant to produce fruit, but often weeds invade and poison the progress of our souls.  Busy schedules, overwhelming worries, and our false beliefs take over unless we pull these weeds out and allow our souls to grow in the full light of God’s love.

For the next few weeks, we will make room to grow our souls by controlling the weeds that try to invade. . . . with God’s help. 

Schedules fill so quickly, packing our days with very little “down” time. Our hurried pace often pulls our attention away from God’s presence in our life. We face our tasks fixed on accomplishing or just getting through, but this mindset is a weed that crowds God out of our lives.

Jesus taught his disciples about the great need to bear their lives not on their own, but by following him. 

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”  Matthew 16: 24-27

Jesus asks us to consider:

What good will it be to finish all of your grocery shopping if you complain about high prices or crowds at the store the entire time?

What good will it be to find the perfect job if you constantly wish that the weekend would come sooner?

What good will it be to invite friends to dinner if you fret about every detail?

Jesus calls us to a better way; to pull out the weeds and make space for God. 

Seeking God in quiet times, using scripture to bolster our waning energy, praying to God in the midst of busyness;  these choices fertilize our souls with a stream of heaven’s stamina.

Making room for God in our days means we aren’t running on empty energy, but we are powered by God’s kingdom fuel.  His spirit runs on love, peace, joy and goodness, so as we pull the weeds out of our schedules and place them in God’s hand, he guides us to grow through our schedules!

In her book, Jesus Today, Sarah Young writes this encouragement:

I call you to lead the life that I have assigned to you, (1 Corinthians 7:17) and to be content.  If I have called you to a situation, I will give you everything you need to endure it–and even find joy in the midst of it . . . train your mind to trust My sovereign ways with you . . . search for Me in the details of your day, all the while looking for good to emerge from trouble and confusion . . . accept the way things are without losing hope for a better future. 

We can choose to be overwhelmed by our schedules or we can choose to be overwhelmed by God’s goodness in steering us through our schedules.

If your days become too full to find God, schedule an appointment with God  (or as many as needed) and let him pull the weeds clogging your soul. 

Reaching in (allowing God’s word to work in your soul):  Read through the scripture quoted above (Matthew 16: 24-27) and prayerfully consider any weeds that invade your soul as you go about your day.

Reaching out (taking God’s word into the world):  Pause frequently throughout the day (especially in stressful situations) and take three deep breaths.  Attach meaningful words (Father, Savior, Spirit; Peace with God; God is here, etc.) or uplifting images to each breath.