Purity 409: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Purity 409  05/04/2021 Purity 409 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo of some thriving tulips in front of my home “down by The River”, was captured by me yesterday as I was leaving to go disciple and be discipled by a brother in Christ.  

I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for these tulips to fully blossom.  I give full disclosure of the fact that I am not responsible for these flowers on my property in any way, the previous owner’s family and God get the glory, but I was filled with the excitement for new life when they first emerged from the ground weeks ago.  

I watched their growth with hope and concern as the New York springtime’s shifting climate went from warm to below freezing and back again more than once.  While the orange/yellow tulips bloomed first a couple of weeks ago, the red tulips were still not fully flowering when I left for San Antonio last week.   So I was pleasantly surprised on my return, to discover that both sets of tulips had endured the weather and had fully matured despite the adversity.   

Of course my tulip friends’ journey is a great metaphor for our lives walking in the Spirit.  As Christians, we had to be given new life and literally be raised from the grave with Christ, just like these tulips had to emerge from what once was frozen tundra.  Like our tulips, we also had to grow and develop into our life in Christ. In the growth process, we had to face adversity from the world and the shifting climates that threatened to snuff out our newfound lives.   And of course, our growth and maturation in Christ has taken time and the differences in the rate of growth of my tulips also indicates that we all grow at our own individual pace.  

But no matter, the winds, the rains, or how ever long it takes, when we grow in Christ it is truly amazing.   What was dead has been raised to life! And regardless of the journey, the end result is a thing of beauty!

I realize that we are all on different paths and we all grow at our own rate based on how faithfully we follow the Lord and according to His timing.  You may just be poking out of the ground or you may be in full bloom but regardless of where you are today, let me encourage you that your walk with the Lord never ends and there is always room to grow. 

So keep walking and talking with God. Whatever season you are in or whatever stage of growth you are at, He will be with you and rejoice over you, no matter how long it takes for you to fully develop.

(An Audio version of this message is available at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, you can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D).) There is more content at the restricted blog. Follow me on Twitter or MeWe for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

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This morning’s meditation verses are:

Galatians 6:7-9 (NKJV)
⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
⁸ For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart

Today’s verses were drawn randomly from my stack of index cards but the card I drew was from a deck of 30 printed cards that I had received at a Christian Men’s Conference early in my Christian walk.  The 30 cards were originally contained on a key ring, with each card having a hole punched in the upper right-hand corner, to keep them all together for easy and continuous study.  I don’t know where the key ring is, and I know for a fact that I don’t have all 30 of the cards from the original set.  But this individual card is an encouraging reminder of the fact that I have been following the Lord for over 10 years now and it reminds me of the tremendous growth that I have experienced since receiving that deck of Bible verses way back when.  

The card only shares Galatians 6:7 & 6:9 but I couldn’t leave out 6:8 because it refers to our life in the Spirit leading to everlasting life.  

These verses in Galatians point to the reality of cause-and-effect relationships in our lives and how they have spiritual consequences.

For anyone enamored with the concept of Karma, I present to you the concept of “what goes around, comes around” as it is expressed in the word of God: you reap what you sow.  

Of course, Christianity has the added benefit of knowing who the “agent of Karma” is: The Lord God Almighty in the persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and it spells out the consequences for sowing to the flesh, corruption, and the consequences for sowing to the Spirit: everlasting life.  

If sowing to the Spirit is too vague a concept, the rest of the Scriptures make it clear that it is through faith in Christ alone that we can receive everlasting life.  

So put your faith in Christ and then live out your purpose according to God: to do good and to not lose heart or grow weary.  

What goes around, comes around but unless you come around to making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, you will not want to be going to where you’re headed.   So sow to the Spirit by following the Lord and live.  

I invite all to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue to share from Dr. H. Norman Wright’s “Experiencing Grief

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Wright’s books for your own private study and to support his work. If you need this title you can find it online at several sites for less than $5.00:

Chapter 24.
Saying Good-Bye to Grief

The disorientation of your grief will diminish. How will you know that your disorientation is about over? Several signs will indicate that you are adjusting and recovering.

One of the first signs is a sense of release. It's a turning about in the focus of your thinking. Instead of your thoughts being locked onto the memories of your loved one or wondering what they would be thinking or doing, it's more of thinking about living your own life now and for the future. You reach out more and feel as though you're living life. As one woman said, "My sorrow now feels less an oppressive weight, more a treasured possession. I can take it out and ponder it, then put it safely and carefully away." Another indication is the renewal of your energy. The fatigue begins to lift. You can renew activities that you wanted to engage in before.

A third change is your ability to make better judgments. It usually takes longer for this to occur than most expect. Decision making involves concentration, and those in grief find this difficult. Thoughts are jumbled, and staying focused is a challenge.

Finally, you find yourself eating and sleeping better. How long does this take? For many adults it seems to take eighteen to twenty-four months before these four indicators are present. But so many factors come into play to affect the amount of time recovery takes. (See chapter 25.)

Many ask for a specific road map for their recovery. Their questions are: What do I do? How will I know that I'm getting there? Here are some guidelines that may help:

• You are able to handle the finality of the death.
• You can review pleasant as well as unpleasant memories.
• You can choose to spend time alone and enjoy it.
• You can go somewhere without crying most of the time.
• You are beginning to look forward to holidays.
• You are able to help others in a similar situation.
• You're able to listen to your loved one's favorite music without pain.
• You can sit through a worship service without crying.
• You can laugh at a joke.
• Your eating, sleeping, and exercise patterns are returning to what they were before the death.
• You can concentrate on reading or watching TV.
• You're no longer tired.
• You can find something to be thankful for.
• You are beginning to build new relationships.
• You are beginning to experience life again.
• You are patient with yourself when you experience a "grief spasm" again.
• You are beginning to discover new personal growth from your grief.

Recovery involves many elements. Your diet is one of them. It may be difficult to eat at this time. Food has lost its taste but not its nutrients. You need a substantial and balanced diet. It doesn't need to have taste at this time. Your throat and stomach may resist but override them.

Exercise is another ingredient. It can reduce your stress and anger. You may need to write yourself a note to remind you or make a commitment with a friend to engage in exercise at least three or four times a week.

Rest and sleep may be a struggle, but because grief drains your energy, you need more of both. Look for various ways to fall asleep. You may need to discuss this with your physician if sleeplessness is an ongoing problem.

Perhaps this picture of recovery has been your experience:

Recovery from loss is like having to get off the main highway every so many miles because the main route is under construction. The road signs reroute you through little towns you hadn't expected to visit and over bumpy roads you hadn't wanted to bounce around on. You are basically traveling in the appropriate direction. On the map, however, the course you are following has the look of shark's teeth instead of a straight line. Although you are gradually getting there, you sometimes doubt that you will ever meet up with the finished highway. There is a finished highway in your future. You won't know when or where, but it is there. You will discover a greater sense of resilience when you know in advance what you will experience and that you're normal in your response.

And so as you continue in remembering, the pain will subside. Now it may be shouting, but someday it will whisper. The ache in your heart will go away. You may not think this possible at this point in your life, but hearing these words can make this time in your life more bearable. If you are a Christian, your grief is to be different. It's to be infused with hope. The foundation for this hope is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. "He is the Lord over every loss and every heartache. He is the Lord of all comfort and mercy. He is the Lord of resurrection, restoration, and regeneration. He is the Lord of life."

Hope will return to replace the despair. The dust of drought and dark clouds will change. There will be a smile instead of a frown, a calmness instead of being on edge. When? When you've gone through your grief and fulfilled your time. Knowing how long doesn't make it easier. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Eccl. 3:1, 4). "The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end" (Isa. 60:20).

Experiencing Grief.

----------------------------more tomorrow-------------------------

 

God bless you all!

 

Join our Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class via the mt4christ247 podcast!

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 Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship