We are at the end of another year. We approach the beginning
of both another year and a new decade.
It is the very time when everyone is either optimistic about the positive possibilities of a bright future ahead, or committing self-sabotage with negative thoughts or abuse and condemning themselves and others about the wasted opportunities, lost relationships, and squandered resources of the past.
It is the very time when everyone is either optimistic about the positive possibilities of a bright future ahead, or committing self-sabotage with negative thoughts or abuse and condemning themselves and others about the wasted opportunities, lost relationships, and squandered resources of the past.
God gives us seasons for reasons. We have seasons to mark
time, in order to measure change. We also have seasons to start afresh and have
something to hope for. In this season for me, (and you can grab onto it if
you want), I hear the challenge, not to plant any new trees this year, but to
cultivate and develop the seeds (ideas) that
He has already given me. My seed is the gift that God gave to me. In this
season, I am a slave to my gift. This is my time of cultivating it into fruit,
which will draw others.
Many times, we look forward in anticipation of another year,
waiting to see the harvest of the hard seasons and the results of the
sacrifices we have made in the past. We look only for produce, but do not understand
when we are given what looks like another problem. If we look closely, it is
another seed. We wonder why we have not seen our reaping season yet. It is
usually because you have already looked forward to planting another tree
instead of properly tending to the seeds you have in your hand.
I found something interesting about the writing of Matthew
located at 17:20. Many people comment and build sermons about having faith “the
size” of a grain of mustard seed. While on a Mediterranean diet, my wife and I
have bought and tried many different types of grains, seeds, nuts, etc. One day
it occurred to me that the black Chia seeds I had been adding to my food were
actually smaller than a mustard seed. So
could this explanation be the sole meaning of this message, simply in the size
of your faith?
I found that not all translations mention size, but simply having the faith “as” a mustard seed. Indeed, the size of
the seed is relevant to the massive tree it is destined to become. However, the
thing that I found interesting is that seed, any seed- is alive! It is full
of potential. You can have a package of seed, in a bag, pouch, or any type of
container, and it will hold for quite a while. The potential of the seed still
present, its purpose still intact. The purpose of one single seed contains the
potential of a forest! The only thing it is waiting for is to be placed in the
right environment.
The proper environment for every seed is Kingdom citizenship
and obedience to its principles. I plan to die empty, but the seeds that I
plant, I want to be fruitful and effective, not just numerous and ineffective. In
this New Year – DO NOT PRAY FOR MONEY! Look for IDEAS and execute them. You
don’t need more money. You need to manage the resources that you have in your
hand. Earlier in the book of Matthew that I referenced, in section 6:33, Jesus
said, all the things we need will be added (given without stress), once we
focus on those two things. Happy New You!
