One of my favorite pastimes is gardening.  It is great exercise, I love to watch plants grow, and we enjoy the fruits of our labors. In almost every season, there is something fun to do.  In January there is the planning and anticipation.  In February I actually start seeds in little pots and then watch them grow during March.  In April I begin planting my spring garden (usually a little too soon), but I am so excited to plant peas and onions and greens as well as carrots and beets.  Throughout May and June we are getting the other plants into the ground—tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and okra; and we are harvesting some produce by then.

In July (NOW), the garden is exploding with produce.  I have to pick every day.  However, I spend most of my time in the garden performing other maintenance chores.  I am weeding, mulching, and staking the plants as they grow tall.  I am getting rid of pests so they don’t damage the plant or eat the vegetables.  I am cutting flowers so that they will continue to make new ones.  And I am continuing to prune and remove every dead or unnecessary branch so that the energy the plant is producing goes toward making new flowers and vegetables rather than trying to sustain something that will ultimately not be productive.

My particular battle right now is with two volunteer gourd plants.  Sometime back in May I noticed two sprouts that I had not planted.  As they grew, I began to realize they were gourd plants, probably from some compost I had used. These two plants are now monstrous, way taller than I am and they have now taken over one end of my garden and are encroaching on my beans and cucumbers.  I know from experience that these two huge plants might produce only four or five gourds.  And what do you do with gourds?  You don’t eat them.  They are decorative, but the ones I planted last year rotted before I could use them for anything.  Logic tells me I should pull them up before they destroy part of my garden; I know that it is silly but I am having a hard time with this decision.

I become very philosophical as I complete my garden chores.  I enjoy thinking about how Jesus used agricultural comparisons to explain spiritual truths.  He did that because agriculture was so prevalent that most everyone could understand immediately what he meant.  I think he also used agricultural comparisons because they are so appropriate.

For me, the pruning comparison is most appropriate.  I have had a history of taking on way too much.  Even good stuff can become detrimental if it becomes excessive and prevents you from spending time on what is best.  With plants, if you don’t cut off the less vital branches, then you might get a lot of vegetables that are small and less tasty.  If you don’t pull up unneeded plants you crowd out the good stuff.  However, if you are selective about which plants or branches you allow to grow, then you can get larger and healthier vegetables.  Pruning is not something I do because I hate my plant or because I want to hurt it.  It’s actually hard to cut back a shoot or plant that you have lovingly cared for that might grow into something.  However, we know that the best thing to do is to focus energy into what really matters.

Jesus said in John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

My prayer for all of us is that we will know our true purpose in Christ, that we will be open to conviction about where pruning in our lives is needed so that we can focus on our true purpose, and that we will have the courage to act on those convictions.

Blessings,

Judy

The big talk in the past couple of weeks has been the miraculous rescue of the soccer players from the cave in Thailand. We humanly wonder what they, and their parents, must have been thinking as the waters surged in and they realized they were trapped.  At least one of them had to think:  Why me? There is really no other logical way to explain the successful rescue of the soccer players other than the hand of God.  We would be remiss not to give God the glory in recalling the events of this story.

Why me?  How many of us ask this question when something bad happens to us?  Well, this is a great question because it gets to the heart of our purpose in life.  When we ask “Why?” we are presuming intent, and therefore purpose.  This is because God created human beings with purpose.  Here’s what the Bible says about our purpose:  “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-17 (ESV). So when you are experiencing problems, remember that God can use everything in your life to give glory to Himself, even the tough times.

Why me?  When we ponder the situations in life that cause us to ask this question, we should distinguish between immediate and long-term purposes.  The most famous scriptural example of this is Genesis 50:20, when Joseph’s brothers express their fear that Joseph will take revenge on him for how they treated him. Joseph responded, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”  We all probably experience difficult and even tragic events in our lives and we assume that God could have prevented them if he had wanted to.  When we ask “Why?” that means we know the foundational truth, which is that God has a purpose for what happened.  And because God is good, we know that God’s purpose is a good one because his purposes and intentions are always altogether good.  So the immediate consequence might have been caused by something evil, but as Paul said in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

So, “Why Me?” Is a great question to ask of God no matter what happens, good or bad.

God, what is your purpose in this? Lord, I know that you are to be glorified in every situation, so help me to know how I can best glorify you and be a part of the solution you working to bring about, and then give you all the glory. Amen.

Blessings,

Judy

Note:  My reference on this subject can be found at the following site from one of my favorite authors. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/purposes-god/

Satan does not want you to read this message.  He is going to do everything in his power to keep you from reading it.  I promise that if you don’t commit yourself and pray through this, you will not finish, including reading all the scripture references which are hyperlinked to make it easier for you.  The Holy Spirit has put this on my heart, and it has been a convicting message for me as I write it. I am praying that you read it to the end and take it to heart.  I would love to know what you think.

I pray that we have all accepted Christ as our Savior. The thing is, there is a war going on all around us—believers and nonbelievers alike–as long as we live on this earth.  Ever since Satan fell, even before the earth was created, he has been waging a futile war against God.  Only Satan doesn’t seem to realize that it is futile.

Satan conducts this war by trying to entice us to his side.  He presents evil as pretty and desirable.  But do not be deceived, he only wants your destruction 1 Peter 5:8, because by destroying you, he thinks he can win this war against God.  We are just pawns in his chess game, and he will use every deception possible to win us over.  Billy Graham preached a powerful message on how Satan tries to confuse us.*  However, the Bible is crystal clear that those things that Satan entices us with are sins (Mark 7:21-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:8-11). We are warned many times over, “Do not be deceived.”

Jesus’ response: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10.

The GOOD NEWS is that God sent Jesus to save us from this life of deceit and eventual destruction (John 3:16). Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).  You can choose life.  It’s not easy, because as we said before, Satan never gives up.  However, God never gives up on us either.  If we have accepted and truly believe that Jesus has saved us through his sacrificial death on the cross, then we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us to defeat Satan and protect us from his ways.  We have to call upon this power daily through prayer.  We have to educate ourselves through Bible study.  We have to protect ourselves with the Word of God.

This message is on my heart because I sense that the Mission is a real target for Satan.  He knows about our work here and our love for Jesus, and he is targeting us.  To bring us down would be a real feather in his cap.  Many of the people who come to us for shelter, food, clothing, recovery have been exposed to much wickedness.  It’s very convenient for Satan to ride in on their coattails and to attempt to dwell among us in some form or fashion.

While this may sound scary and repulsive, that is exactly why we are all here.  This is our calling.  Others may serve as missionaries to unchurched people groups or the most impoverished third world countries.  But Nashville Rescue Mission is our mission field.  We are a Rescue Mission, which is a very specific designation with the objective of serving those who have nowhere else to go right here in our own city, and to be the light, to present the Gospel message to the hurting and helpless among us. We must commit to protect this ministry, this campus, the people we serve, and ourselves, by daily putting on the whole armor of God. The wisest man who ever lived says: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23.

Paul gives us specific instructions in Ephesians 6:10-18 that we would do well to follow.

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

 ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

Finally, please know that prayer warriors are meeting twice weekly and praying not only over the individual prayer requests but also that God’s will be done at Nashville Rescue Mission.  Feel free to join us if you can, and pray from wherever you are if you cannot physically be present.

Tuesday, 2-3 pm, Women’s Guest Services Chapel

Thursday, 1:3-2:30 pm, Men’s Guest Services Chapel

Blessings,

Judy

*If you did not click on this powerful message, please do so now and read it in its entirety.

I know from your comments that you really like it when I write messages that include personal stories.  Because we are celebrating Independence Day today, I would like to tell you my personal story about liberty; however, I don’t have an interesting story about my freedom.  I have heard firsthand accounts from people who have had dramatic escapes from Rwanda and from North Vietnam, and who have now made their homes here in Middle Tennessee.  I have heard stories from my dad who fought in both WWII and during the Korean Conflict.  My own story is not nearly as exciting. I grew up in the United States with all the freedoms accorded to U.S. citizens.

My story, while similar to other lifelong U.S. citizens, is far from ordinary.  Did you know that according to Freedom House, only 39 out of 100 people worldwide live in a truly free country today, and this number is decreasing?  In fact, 71 countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties in 2017, with only 35 registering gains. This marked the 12th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.

It may sound trite, but I believe it is critically important that we never take for granted the freedoms we experience as U.S. citizens, and I think that the most important of those freedoms is our freedom of religion. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a governmental redress of grievances.  It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

The Bible also speaks of freedom.  Freedom is the opposite of enslavement.  In the history of the world, people in almost every nation have suffered from slavery.  It is abhorrent to consider that slavery could have ever been legal.  It is unspeakable that slavery still exists, both legal and illegal. According to many credible sources, human trafficking is the fastest growing crime on the planet, and second only to drug-dealing.

Many of us–I hope all of us–reading this message, enjoy the freedom of religion and other civil liberties. However, the fact is that we were all slaves to sin before receiving the gift of salvation from Jesus.

Regardless of any type of civil or physical restraint on our freedom, as believers we have true freedom in Christ. As Paul tells us: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1-2

Again, I want to say how critically important it is that we never take for granted the freedoms we experience, so what actions should we take to protect the freedom that we have as citizens of the U.S. and as brothers and sisters in Christ?

• If you have not accepted Christ as your savior, invite Him into your heart right now. Let me know if you want to talk about this decision.
• Express gratitude for the freedom we have as citizens of the United States, and most importantly, for Jesus’ victory on your behalf over the tyranny of sin, hell, death, and the grave.
• Take full advantage of these freedoms. Go to church.  Read your Bible.  Confess your faith openly. Vote, and vote responsibly for godly candidates.
• Take the initiative to protect others from enslavement of any kind. Actively support your church and its outreach efforts.  Promote the Mission’s life recovery program.  Support efforts against human trafficking.

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

In the words of Jesus paraphrasing Isaiah:  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

Have a blessed Independence Day!

Blessings,

Judy