A GARDEN OF OPPORTUNITIES

         Much, if not all, of what gets planted in the natural world does not have a choice in the matter. The Seed does not have any choice in when it is planted, where it is planted, how it is planted, who plants it or the purpose of its planting.

    Now a tree or any other healthy plant will contain a strong root system. There are usually tells or signs in nature if a tree or plant is healthy and this reflects on the root system. The environment the seed developed under - the favorable conditions that kept the growth process flowing, proper soil and few weeds are all contributors to a healthy tree or plant.

    The human being has Seeds that he/she can deposit every day - words and actions. The difference here is that people have the power of the deposit or the planting. Once our word-choice or act has been decided and seeded, either on purpose, casual conversation or in jest - the seed is planted.

    Many human words and actions will have a lasting impression - some positive, some negative. The roots of a lot of word-trees go down deep and are permanent. We need to make good choices before we speak or act so that our seed is productive. 

    In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of The Sower. In this illustration, Jesus mentions the farmer "scattering" the seed in the various places - the path, the rocky places, thorns and good soil. So, the intention of seeding in all these areas is noble, but the reception, development and results are going to be different.

    To combat this perhaps we should do a little prep work in the field first. Perhaps we should get to know people in each category that is listed here by Jesus and loosen their soil with conversation about God. Maybe fertilize their environment with kind deeds. Just choose to be there for each kind of person.

    The one along the path may be confused or disoriented. He/she may be on the verge of having their joy snatched away by the enemy. Choose to be there for these people.

    Those that are experiencing rocky times, whether it be financial hardship or relationships need counsel and simple venting to someone. Choose to be that ear for those who need to cry out.

    There are many who are feeling the pain of life - physically, mentally and spiritually. These thorns need to be pushed back and wounds tended by our choosing to be that comfort.

    The individuals who are having a solid life with many blessings need to keep thanksgiving on the tip of their tongues. We need to be there for these people to assist in this development and get them involved in the previous three scenarios as soon as possible.

    The land could use some plowing before the seed goes out and in for maturation. Getting to know someone and setting a foundation of genuine care and authentic relationship is crucial to planting God-inspired words and actions. Be careful of The Seed(s) you plant, God through us plows, plants and grows His Garden Of Opportunities. 

HIS LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

         I was sitting in on a business class recently where the professor mentioned organizations usually don't have leaders that are good managers and managers that are good leaders, you most likely will have one or the other and hopefully you have the right role in the correct business position (i.e. CEO, Program Dir., Staff Manager, etc..).

    Although it may be rare, I believe leadership and managerial qualities can both reside within a person of the highest authority and responsibility at any organization. 

    A leader coming from a previous managing background or position would seem healthy and supportive for the leadership role. Managing before leading means delegating responsibilities within a team, assuring cohesiveness on the squad and supplying the group with the tools to keep them productive. All these managerial duties are hands-on or personal and are an important foundational element as a leader.

    When a leader comes from a managing background, he/she is now in a state of example-ism, if you will. Within and outside the company the leader is tasked with being the correct example to lead the organization successfully forward. And as a help, the leader  may pull from the manager experience, but this time as leader, he/she may suggest certain people to take lead on a project. Many times leaders have made the decision for an individual, group, project or company, they just have to lead the team to the same conclusion; get them to arrive on the same page.

    The best leader that led by example and managed perfectly according to the business plan was Christ Jesus. The Business Plan was two fold - to seek and save the lost, plus destroy the works of the devil (Luke 19:10; 1 John 3:8). 

    He displayed, in words and deeds, His Kingdom compassion toward others, no matter their societal standing, as a requirement of The Business Lifestyle. He also managed many disciples, twelve in particular, that gave up their occupations immediately to follow Him. But not only did they follow Him, they joined Him in fulfilling His mission, though the full extent of it was veiled to them until the Resurrection. "Even Jesus knew that He could not change the world alone. Whoever forms a team to carry out the best ideas wins. Jesus formed a team." (p.90-91, Jesus CEO, Laurie Beth Jones)

    The wonderful news that came with the fulfillment of Christ's mission was the solidification of The Disciples belief in Jesus as Lord Messiah at His Resurrection and the paved way for The Business or Kingdom of God to grow and expand with other like-minded people. Jesus physically had to leave to begin sitting by "The Chairman of The Board", also known as Father God. However, He sent The Holy Spirit to continue leading The Business and its people in all truth. Jesus also entrusted the employees, workers, managers and leaders of His business with great responsibility - to continue and even do greater things than He did. "Jesus did not hoard or guard the power of His office. He kept teaching and sharing and demonstrating it so team members would learn that they, too, had the power to do what He had done." (p.151, Jesus CEO, Laurie Beth Jones)

    An interesting tidbit about Jesus was that He managed from the inside out, not outside in. He did not allow outside influences govern how He might manage His team. For example, when taking care of the five thousand hungry people, Jesus did not bring in cooks from around the area nor send His disciples to a cooking seminar. He got them involved right then and there with Him and He miraculously provided the surplus needed. He kept the managing within the team going outward. 

    Other examples of Christ managing are with Mary and Martha, plus the sending out of the seventy-two disciples to spread the news of the kingdom of God being near. We can see that same kind of intimate, managing care when He counsels Mary and Martha's fuss over who is doing the right thing - working or chilling out with The Lord. Then in Luke 10, we see Jesus managing a larger team as He delivers explicit instruction to seventy-two disciples about witnessing concerning the Kingdom of God.

    Whoever said, "Do as I say, not as I do." was the worst leader ever. We have the importance of words as an example to follow in a leader, but when there are no words the visual sense, the observable power takes over and the leader better be leading by example. When we are kids, we mimic the behavior of our parents or adults we deem as leaders or in authority. We do not grow out of this, for when we arrive in the workforce and decide on a faith lifestyle, leaders and leadership is key in following an example and keeping us moving. Managers deal mainly with what has been already decided from a leadership team and delegate  assignments to the correct individuals to oversee them accomplished. 

    Jesus was and is the best Leader-Manager Combo ever. If we ever desire to be effective for The Business/The Kingdom and fall in line with the training as future priests and kings ruling with Christ, then we must learn from His Leadership And Management.

SUBSTANCE AND EVIDENCE

    The King James Version of the Bible speaks about Faith by saying,

• "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

    The New International Version translates that same verse -

• "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

    One can break this topic of faith down by having a question and answer session with this verse.

    What do we "hope for"? God's promises for our lives to be fulfilled.

    How are God's promises connected to our faith? The tangible, track record of God or God's faithfulness is the "substance" of faith. Having these two in tandem - God's track record of faithfulness in our lives and His future promises is the first half of Faith.

    The second half of Faith is very similar to the first - "the evidence of things not seen". What are the "things not seen"? Now-a-days, the occurrence is rare that we see angels, but many times we hear and read of the results of the miraculous intervention by someone who vanishes later or a literal supernatural being. 

    Another thing not seen is the Holy Appointment and arrangement for any one of us to meet who God wants us to meet. For those undecided on Christ, God moves in His mysterious ways, unseen, to finally work a conversation between that person and a believer into their life. Then a possible invitation to church. Then a possible invitation to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Then a possible acceptance and beginning of their own Christian Journey. 

    The start, the courting of the heart and mind, and the result are best seen when we look back and observe God's dealings. But sometimes if we are aware enough and pay attention to God's leading, not only for an unsaved soul, then we might see as it happens, the proofs, "the evidence of things not seen".

    This is faith, to realize our faithfulness is trash and attempt to do better every day, but know that His faithfulness is tangible as we walk with Him. His track record with us is the core to trusting Him with the future promises He has made to us in His Word. In addition, if we have our spiritual antennae up and attentive, we may gain a glimpse of the behind the scenes workings of God as He gives us proofs or evidences of "things not seen". 

PRACTITIONERS OF CONFIDENTIALITY

 

One of the problems this world has and Christianity has that can be remedied immediately is the lack of Confidentiality. Anybody can observe this issue in relationships of friends, family, the government, but dare I say - The Church.

I would like to strongly recommend to Christians who regularly pray that you NOT mention another person in prayer concerning a Confidential matter. Some churches and Christians use prayer groups and "Prayer Requests" as a Gossip Line within the community. This has potential for emotional and relational damage, especially if someone uses private information as a personal advantage. 

Many times the stigma of just having a "Major Concern" can return to the person with the problem because a believer shared an "unspoken need" of another. Again, I would strongly encourage you NOT to do this because this is just as bad, at least in my book, as violating an agreed upon Keep of Confidentiality. 

Stop the potential damage to relationship and damage to the person with the issue, by not sharing personal, private, confidential or what would probably be deemed confidential information. Keep it to yourself and God. Allow the person with the issue to share if they see fit.

My personal rule that I have lived by since youth and suggest to you today is - unless told otherwise, keep every public or private  conversation and their information - Confidential. This avoids a lot of headaches, stress, strife and trouble.

Scripture has the following to say about it - 

• Proverbs 11:13 - "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret."
• Proverbs 25:9 - "If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another's confidence."
• Proverbs 17:9 - "Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."

The lesson we should learn is how to be better Trustworthy people. To the persons who have the issue, they need somebody to Confide, hence the word Confidentiality. Their hunt is for that trustworthy person in their life they can entrust with the burden of their issue and no one else. 

The alleged trustworthy individual(s) must then be mature enough to grasp what is being asked of him/her. They have to do an excellent job of not forgetting, slipping-up or purposely violating that trust as Practitioners of Confidentiality.

LOVE ME TENDER

 "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley. Performed on Twitch Sings platform by me and Joliet4. Enjoy.

HERO

The following is a video I want to share of the song "Hero" by Mariah Carey. This was done on the Twitch Sings platform where one person (usually on the left) records their half of the song and the other person comes to that person's presence on Twitch Sings and completes the other half (usually on the right).

This is me and BatSam. Hope you enjoy.

SET YOUR HOPE UPON CHRIST JESUS

In the movie "Shawshank Redemption" Red says to Andy - "Hope is a dangerous thing my friend, it can kill a man." Andy replies, "Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. And good things never die."

God gave the world Hope thousands of years before Christ arrived. Many Christians who study the Scripture know of Old Testament passages that reveal the prophetic word of Jesus' miraculous birth, His life, suffering and death for the redemption of all. 

However, how many of us know or research the Old Testament passages that foretell Christ's resurrection? Paul mentions this prophetic support  of Christ's resurrection in the O.T. in his letter to the believers in Corinth.

• “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, . . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (1 Cor. 15:2, 3-5).

Without the resurrection of Jesus, we just have another man claiming to be The Messiah. However, Jesus did rise from death, Hades and the grave, plus He fulfilled Old Testament passages that said He would. Isaiah 53:10 said "he will see his offspring and prolong his days..." after He sacrificially gave His life for ours - "though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin".

• "Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand."

One cannot "see" and live on after being "an offering for sin" if their was not a bodily resurrection.

In a second Old Testament passage, David utilizes his prophetic anointing and states - 

• "...my body also will rest secure,
  because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. (Psalm 16:8-10)

Notice that David is at peace for when death comes knocking. He says, "my body also will rest secure" creating an image that his body is a deposit or loan to the grave, meant to be taken back "because you [Christ] will not abandon me to the realm of the dead". However, David goes a step further and proclaims that as for the "Faithful One", not even "decay" will be seen on Christ's body before He rises - "nor will you let your faithful one see decay".

As a final example of Old Testament prophecies foretelling Christ's resurrection, part of The Lord's response in Matthew 12 to the Pharisees demand for a sign was that of an analogy to Jonah's predicament in the belly of the great fish for three days. 

• "'For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth' (Matt. 12:40). As Jesus explains, Jonah and the big fish is an analogy of the death and resurrection of Jesus, though Christ is a much greater prophet than Jonah. Craig Blomberg is insightful: 'Just as Jonah’s time in the fish would have proved meaningless had he not been spit up onto the shore to continue his appointed ministry of preaching repentance to Nineveh, so also the crucifixion is not the decisive sign of who Jesus was, for his subsequent rescue from death is what vindicated his ministry and enabled his mission to go forward'” (https://credomag.com/2013/03/the-resurrection-of-christ-in-the-old-testament/)

Isaiah saw the major highlights of Christ's coming including His resurrection. David foretold Jesus would not be in the grave long enough to acquire decay. Jesus brought back to remembrance the story of Jonah and used Jonah's time in the belly of the great fish as an analogy and/or sign for His great mission - victory for us all through Him.

All of these Old Testament words are fulfilled events of Hope in Christ's first coming. In addition, not only did He fulfill the Hope of Salvation for everyone, but He also established another Hope - the resurrection and/or glorification of the body. Paul explains this to the Romans like this - 

• "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved." (Romans 8:22-24)

We have always had Hope since Genesis. Right after we messed up with God, The Lord declared His Word of Hope as He spoke to the serpent of old, He said, "he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Gen. 3:15)

Now that Christ has come, lived, died, risen and ascended - He continues to give us Hope.

Christ has told the Disciples and all believers - 

• "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-4)

Later, Paul elaborated on this Return in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 - 

"...so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope - 

Let me pause here and insert the fact - when our last breath escapes our lungs and we no longer are part of this world, The Gavel falls in judgment on - What have you done with Jesus in your life? For those who have rejected the free gift of Salvation by Christ for their lives there is no hope, only damnation to eternal separation from God. Isaiah describes the finality of the lost like this - "...those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your [God's] faithfulness." Isaiah 38:18

For those that will have chosen Christ and His lifestyle - eternity blesses them with ruling and reigning with Christ, being married to Christ, having a new name, living in a new body, in a new city, on a new Earth, in a new Heaven without any sin, curse or pain. The decision for either of these locations and experiences is now - "I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2)

Now, Paul continues the 1 Thessalonian 4 passage by injecting the reader with The Hope that will help believers endure and persevere from Christ's ascension forward. 

• "For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words." (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

Christ sealed the deal for everyone's spiritual, physical and mental salvation, empowerment and glorification after He rose from the dead and sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within believers. Peter said it nicely when he stated -

• "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3)

Our hope is not just some wish or whim on the haphazard expectation that we might see what was promised. Instead, we have a track record of faithfulness by God to the great witnesses of our faith and all other believers willing to die for their testimony. The Christian's Hope is based on a solid foundation in the past, "an ever-present help in time of trouble" (Psalm 46:1) as we live now and the guarantor of all our future promises, for everything is "Yes" and "Amen" in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). Everything depended upon The Head Crusher (Gen. 3:15), The Savior, The Firstfuit of those who have died (1 Cor. 15:20) and still does. 

"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming." (1 Peter 1:13)

Set your hope upon His promises, set your great expectation upon Him, The Hope - Christ Jesus.