I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet are ye able.
1 Corinthians 3:2
Lessons from those who have been through things we have not yet faced!
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IN THE GARDEN WITH MOM
One day a mother and daughter were gardening, they were transplanting, flowering plants for the third time.
Grown from seed in a small container, the plants had been transferred to a larger container: then transplanted into the garden. Now, because the daughter was moving, they were being transplanted once again.
As an inexperienced gardener, the daughter turned to her green-thumbed mother and asked, "Isn't this bad for plants"? They had dug them up more than once, shook the dirt from the roots and now they were moving them once again. "Won't it hurt these plants being uprooted and transplanted so many times?" she asked her mom.
"Oh No," her mom quickly responded. "Transplanting doesn't hurt them. In fact, it's good for the ones that will survive. That is how their roots grow strong. Their roots will grow deeper now and they will make stronger flowering plants!"
WAS MOM RIGHT??
The daughter thought and pondered the words her mother had spoken. Often, she had felt like those small plants -- uprooted and turned upside down. She endured the changes willingly, but at other times she was reluctant and usually, her reaction was a combination of both feelings.
She had worried if the moves would be hard on her. How much easier her life would be if things just remained the same. That's when her mother's words would resonate in her mind:
"That's how the roots grow deeper and stronger!"
Story: Courtesy of Chaplain Lisa Bohannon
TRANSPLANTS AND TRIALS
It seems to me that "transplanting plants" is similar to the trials that we face. Our sufferings are not pleasant to go through, however, they do serve a purpose!
We need to remember, that this world is not our home, it is not our final design or destination. We are in the process of being "transplanted" to higher ground, we are being fashioned and molded by the hand of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
We are being prepared for the ultimate and final changes in our lives. We are getting ready to go home, where we will be "transplanted" to a place prepared for us in heaven! God is in charge of this process by the circumcising of our hearts, He alone is making us ready for that day!
GODLY TRANSPLANTS
Man has made attempts to satisfy his debt of sin, by natural means, but it will not work! The "transplanting" offers of sacrifice and religious service does not work! We must stop focusing on service and instead allow God to change our hearts so that they will seek Him only!
God is relocating us and He is purging, cleansing us of our selfish expectations and personal desires. He is cutting away and cleansing us of our passions and thirst for this life here on earth.
TODAY EVERYONE IS A CHRISTIAN... OR NOT
Sin covers the sick heart of flesh and creates a barrier between the human heart and God. The word "Christian" has lost it's meaning and it's effectiveness. The word "Christian" no longer makes a Godly statement! And, the word "Christian" no longer means we are renewed and changed by the love of God!
When will we learn to fully surrender to God? When will we offer that acceptable sacrifice, that begins with a heart that is being "transplanted" and "circumcised" by Him!
Circumcision means to remove and purify spiritually. All too often we are more comfortable with "religious duties" rather than a personal relationship with God!
SPIRITUALLY UNDERSTANDING GODLY TRANSPLANTS
Without spiritual understanding, we become religious in nature so that our appearance seems godly, but our hearts, our love for God is likened to us being on "life support!" Only God can step into our lives ready to "transplant," or circumcise and purify our human hearts to make it a place where the Holy Spirit can reside!
It takes great faith to allow God access to the deepest secrets, and hidden part of our hearts!
The flesh and the sin that covers our hearts must be severed through discipline, obedience, holiness and a commitment to the Lord. The Holy Spirit within us is the only way we can overcome the things of this world.
So my friends, this begs a question. Are we in the process of being "transplanted" or are we "comfortable" right where we are??
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