Patience...by Nina Keegan Owens

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31)


Have you ever heard that old expression, somethings are just worth waiting for? Or how about, just take your time...Don't be in such a rush...what's your hurry? Or the ever popular Rome wasn't built in a day?....

Why are we all in such a crazed hurry about everything? Why can't we just have a little more patience? Maybe, for some of us, a lot more patience?

I love to cook, I am boastfully 100% Italian, so of course, I love to make all sorts of wonderful homemade pastas and sauces with all the usual Italian suspects; garlic, wine, plenty of asiago cheese, and olive oil. I used to cook often with my extraordinary, petite, Italian, grandma when I was a kid. We never measured anything. A little of this, a pinch of that.. "just eyeball it"...she would say as the wonderful aromas would waft from the pot gloriously simmering something amazing on the stove top. No recipes were ever followed, to her cooking was just common sense. She made it look so simple. I never saw her take the easy way out, cheat a little and just buy the noodles, nothing from a box or can would do. She had no microwave or dishwasher, yet she took her time and patiently created fabulous Italian meals from scratch and with love every single day.

Admittedly, if I am ever planning to make one of her made from scratch meals, I assure you, it is a holiday or a very special occasion. I consider ALL that work to be a huge deal. It is certainly very time consuming for just an ordinary, everyday, meal. I want dinner on the table quick and the mess to be cleaned up even quicker. I lack the patience required to make such a feast on a daily basis, yet my grandmother created them every day patiently and without complaining.

What has changed over the years? We have become such a society of instant gratification. We want what we want, when we want it, and how we want it, and we want it now....

We do every thing lightening fast, we have drive through everything, fast Internet, even faster phone service, Instant this, quick that. We grumble and routinely complain over waiting even for the shortest period of time.

(Proverbs 14:29) A patient man has great understanding but a quick tempered man displays folly.

(Colossians 3:12-13) Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

We lack patience, not only in our everyday lives, but we have an even harder time waiting on God and His perfect timing when we are needing answers to our prayers.

It is so difficult to be going through a tough time when we have been praying relentlessly, quoting scripture, and just believing for God to show up armed with all of His answers. Then we fail to see Him at work and we don't hear from Him. We feel like He is being so silent. He is not answering our prayers. He's not showing up to help us."Where are you God?" we demand answers. We get so frustrated and discouraged because we feel like God is taking way to long! We even try to take matters in our own hands and tell God how to fix it for us the quick and easy way of course. "Well God, if you would just do it this way"... we even try to convince God that our plan is actually better than His. Our plan is faster too, who needs all this waiting around?

We don't want to wait and perhaps learn something valuable and important in our trials of patience. Learning those lessons sooner than later could catapult us to a higher calling, a new place in our lives, a much better place....One where we are gathered fully in our strength and ability through patient understanding. Our self discipline grows immensely when we are waiting faithfully on God. We are more peaceful in our wait when we sit patiently knowing that we have already prayed and now we will trust. We have asked, now while we wait, we can praise and thank God so graciously that His answers are on the way. Our heightened fears and anxieties begin to descend as we place our trust in God's timing.

God is always faithful and will always answer our prayers in His impeccably perfect timing. His answers may be decidedly different than we may have thought, for reasons only He knows. We must grow then in our wisdom and knowledge of knowing that He holds all the cards. He's pulling all the strings. We can rest then in our declaration that He is taking care of it all! He cares about every last detail of our existence. nothing is to small or to hard for our mighty creator. His righteous hand is covering it all! His way,His timing. We must gain patience while weathering these trials. God's plan will always be infinitely better than anything we could ever devise on our own even on our best and smartest day.

How many times in your life have you ruined something by rushing it? I have even ruined a whole load of laundry simply by not taking the time to remove a pen from a pocket. Doing things hastily typically will require us to repeat the process , this time correctly and patiently or it will cost us precious time and effort in clean up and frustration. Losing our patience is a test that when failed steals our joy!

That's precisely how God works! He's getting it right the first time, every time! He is behind the scenes writing the script for our story. He's dotting every i, and crossing every T. He leaves no stone left unturned when it comes to us, His precious children. Rest assured ,with a healthy dose of patience you will realize God does all things for the good for those who love Him! You will eventually be able look back and see that His timing was infinitely perfect. You will gain a testimony and a future reference when you have stood the test of time. We need to fully trust the mighty hand of the Lord with all things and through our patience and our waiting we will grow in hope and more importantly faith.

God is always faithful! He is so incredibly patient with us! Wait calmly on Him and with a good attitude. Stay joyful. Do not throw in the towel to soon. You may be so very close to seeing your prayers answered and your victory come to pass. Hang in there. God may not be early but He is never late....


But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
(2 Peter 3 : 8)

Thank you Heavenly Father that through our struggles we will endure with patience knowing that your timing is perfect and you are faithful to always answer our prayers. We praise you in Jesus name!
Amen

Living in Excellence by Nina Keegan Owens

(Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might...


When my kids were little, I used to talk them often about their grades and school work. Our talks were about them always striving to do their very best no matter what. Whether or not they enjoyed their class, or were struggling in it, I expected them to try hard and give it their all.

I have always believed if you give things your all, regardless of the circumstances, and if you continually do your absolute personal best always and in everything; then amazing things will happen as a result of your hard work, dedication, and excellence.

It's the classic law of reciprocity. We will get back exactly what we put in. We reap what we sow! Hard work pays off. God is always watching, He's never asleep, never on vacation. He is the rewarder to those who are deserving, and to those that seek Him daily and want to do what is good and pleasing to Him. Living in excellence will always give you a leg up, it will open doors for you and bless you for doing your uncompromising best.

Stop doing just enough to get by unless just getting by is how you want the rest of your life to go. We can always do more, we can always better ourselves, there is always room for improvement. Set your mind to come up higher. Set better goals and reach for the stars. Get a bigger vision for yourself. We should never be completely satisfied with the status quo. We should always be growing in our abilities to better ourselves. If we are not always trying to come up a little higher, then we can sit contently on the sidelines while the world passes us by....

There's a difference between perfection and excellence. No one ever asks or expects anybody to be perfect, in fact, it is a bonafide impossibility. Nobody is perfect! Living with excellence, however, means always putting forth your best efforts, going the extra mile and putting your best foot forward even when no one else is watching.

(Colossians 3:23-24)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this scripture we are taught that no matter what we do, we should always work as if God was our boss, our teacher, our parent. He is after all our ultimate authority figure. He is who gives us our blessings and abilities. Why not use them to be a blessing to others by using wisely each of our capabilities. If we work hard and with unprecedented integrity, we will simply be blessed. God can see to it that we get what we deserve. He can give us His unmerited grace and favor so that we will never be overlooked. If we study hard, God can help us on that test. He can help us to be standouts for a promotion. He can give us favor for doing what's right. When we do what we can, God will do what we can't.

Living with excellence, means staying positive and focused, working hard toward your end goals, and taking pride in yourself, your home, your work. Take care of the things God has already blessed you with. Clean up your home, wash your car, and make sure you take care to always look your very best. Treat people fairly and with respect. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Try to eat healthier, get enough rest and plenty of exercise. Smile more, laugh lots and spend more time with in fellowship with our loving God. When we do our best to take care of ourselves, God can bless us with a long and healthy life complete with joy unspeakable , and peace beyond anything we have ever known.

Excellence requires self control, staying away from strife and letting go of pettiness and anger. It is forgiving those who have hurt us. Try harder in all things! Get to work or school a few minutes early, be prompt, not hurried, late and scattered. Be more helpful, generous,caring ,and kind. Do not be the person that disappears in the face of hard work, instead be the person that spearheads the Job. Volunteer when you can. Be a light unto those who may be inspired by you to pay it forward and bless others.

2 Peter 1:5
"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,"


When we do our best, even in the small stuff, no natter how mundane or whether or not you think it will or will not matter; we will open the door to favor, goodness, positive change, and growth.
Likewise when we take care of and appreciate all we have, God can trust us with more. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, so why not start with the most simplistic of things?

We are what we repeatedly do so with that being said, we can even turn bad habits into good ones just by faithfully taking the first few steps toward a better life. For example, by taking those few steps to be a little more neat, tidy and organized, you can eventually change those bad habits of being disheveled and messy and soon you will start implementing more and more positive changes and improvements. Just those few little steps can turn into miles in terms of how different your life will be. When you feel better about yourself and your surroundings, you will act the part and you will become a much happier, joyful and more productive person.

I have a friend that was a 2nd grade teacher for many years. She told me once that when they had "picture day" at school, and the children all would come to school with their "sunday best"clothes on and their hair all coiffed and styled to perfection for their anticipated portraits, that the children's behavior was always so much better on that particular day. She said it was as if they behaved according to how they felt. They were proud of themselves and acted like fine young ladies and gentlemen as a result.

I guess I for one, have just never really understood the point of mediocracy. Why not do everything that you can to perform to the best of your ability? Why not be fulfilled with a marvelous sense of achievement and accomplishment? Try to do any and all things with excellence! What do I mean by that? Do things right the first time. Don't go around taking the easy way out all of the time . Living in excellence means being a person of quality, having high standards and a moral high ground that is unsurpassed. Always do a little more than what is expected. Surprise people with your willingness and awesome attitude. If everyone around you is giving 100%, give 110%... Set in motion the perfect plan of goodness, prosperity, blessings and favor that God has personally designed for you by always striving to be a person of excellence . The blessings that will result from you living your best life now will be inconceivable!

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.


Heavenly Father,
We want to live a life of excellence that will make you proud. Please help us with ability, wisdom, and discernment so we can and will make wise choices and always try harder . We know you can give us the grace we need to be our best selves and to live our best lives.
In Jesus name we pray!

Amen!!!!

Christ is Christmas by Nina Keegan

(Isaiah 9:6)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

There's a wonderful old Christmas Carol that bids you tidings of comfort and joy during the Christmas season. When I think about that song, I realize that there is probably nothing I could think of that could be a better gift than just pure joy and comforting peace for Christmas and all seasons.

We are so busy in our days of Christmas, there's so much to do, to plan, we want everything to be so special for our families and loved ones, down to the last detail. We all would love to have the picture-perfect, movie like, Christmas we see in all the old classics we watch repeatedly each year. We agonize over the perfect gift for everyone on our lists . We brave the ever growing traffic, door buster store deals, and immeasurable mall crowds armed with our list in hand trying to check it all off. We are constantly wondering if we have the right sizes, the right colors, did we remember to buy all of the miscellaneous extras like loads of batteries and a plethora of scotch tape?

We bake trays and trays of all the old favorite Christmas cookies. We douse them with colorful frostings and Christmas sprinkles and perils of every imaginable kind.
 
We plan our Christmas feasts, so elaborate, and set our tables accordingly. Once a year, during this special time, we may even break out the china and the crystal, the fine linens and our best silverware.

We of course must attend at least one to many to count, holiday office parties and gift exchanges. We agonize over getting it all done and squeezing it all in.
Our homes begin to fill up as the kids are on break from school, our young adults return home from college and our out-of-town guests head our way for an overdue and welcomed visit.

We set in motion each holiday tradition that has been handed down from many generations before us and we add new ones that we make with our own families and cherish each year. We gather everyone around to decorate our Christmas trees with hundreds of tiny lights and fragile heirloom ornaments. We sing our favorite Christmas carols, and of course we cannot forget, standing patiently in the long and winding lines while waiting to visit with Santa!
We hang all of our stockings by the chimney with care, each one taking its rightful place and personalized with the names of our loved ones.

We spend hours wrapping our many gifts and purchases in heaps of beautiful foiled wrapping papers, tissue papers, ribbons, bows and colorful name tags.

Oh we forget no one, no stone left unturned. We've got Christmas covered from head to toe, top to bottom, and finally after all of our hard work; we declare ourselves to be officially ready for Christmas.

Have we really forgot no one? Haven't we left someone out? Did we stop and take time to remember the very reason for this most holy day of the year? After all, this fuss and celebration, all of the beautiful lights, candles, wrappings, gifts, toys and goodies are because of a baby, a special baby born on this day to save our souls from sin and sadness. Jesus, a baby born to be a king of all kings. He was born to bring us that sweet comfort and pure joy. He was born to give us peace on earth. It is His birthday...

2000 years ago when this wonderful king of all kings was born, He was born in a lowly stable, and placed in a manger of hay. He was surrounded by farm animals. There was absolutely no room for him anywhere, all of the inns were full yet the star shone so high and brightly above him. That blessed night in a city far from their homes, in the presence of this new born baby, shepards, and wisemen came to pay homage in celebration and honor of that tiny baby's birth. They came to kneel before him and praise him. They were witnessing the very first Christmas, a little baby, a miraculous birth! They witnessed the birth of the child that would change our lives forever. 

Somewhere along the line over the thousands of years that have passed since the birth of Jesus, we have lost site of the true meaning of this blessed holiday. For many it's the day of Santa and gift getting. We forget that Jesus is, was, and always will be the best gift we have ever, or will ever receive. Christmas should not be just one day, but a frame of mind for all our days.

It seems even today, 2000 years after his birth that there often is still no room for Him. This time it's not in the way of inns or hotel rooms, it's in the way of our hearts, and our souls.

We all should have a stocking hanging on our fireplaces with Jesus written on it boldly in beautiful glitter and gold. It should be the very biggest stocking we have and we should fill it with gratitude, peace, kindness, joy, unselfishness , a healthy portion of tolerance and of course, love towards one another. We should spend the entire year trying to fill that stocking so that is bursting at the seams and overflowing with the apparent goodness of mankind.

Instead of waiting for the new year to make our resolutions, and declare change over our lives,maybe we should offer them as birthday gifts for Jesus. This Christmas let's let Jesus know how we plan to be better people, how we all can do just one thing that could change the lives of others for the good. Let's show Him that Christmas will be in our hearts not only on this special day but each and every day! Let's give Him the happiest of birthdays. Let's make sure there is plenty of room for him today and always! Let us give the gift that will always keep on giving, the one size fits all, no returns, batteries, cords , instruction booklets, or receipts needed. Let's give the gift of love.. Happy Birthday Jesus, we love you!!!!!

I would like to wish each and every one of you tidings of comfort and joy and the very blessed and merriest of all Christmases!!

( Luke 2:2-15)
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill to all men.."

The Visit of the Shepherds

Luke 2:15-20
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

One Nation Under God by Nina Keegan Owens

There just are no words yet available to possibly describe the beyond horrific happenings that took place this past week in a tiny school in Connecticut. We as a nation our so deeply saddened and horrified over the unfathomable shootings of so many precious babies and teachers . Ghastly fear floods through the mind of every parent and paralyzes every person who has ever loved a child. We ask why? We who have children and have dropped them off at their elementary school doors day in and day out, have never ever imagined there could be something so horrifying that would change the face of our nation forever. We just cannot fathom the evil that could take the lives of these tiny children while they sat making christmas decorations in their classrooms.

We are numb... All we can do now is pray! We pray for answers. We pray for understanding. We pray for peace. We pray for the Lord to intercede as we pray for Him to hold each and every person tightly that they might know some kind of comfort....

Psalm 71
In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.


Look around us... My have times changed since the days of my youth. The world was different then... Things were simple then. We didn't worry about evil people looming in our malls and schools. We did not worry about terrorist attacks. We had no color coded warning systems representing levels of heightened security. We didn't have all the social media, internet exposure, graphic TV programs, video games glorifying violence. We didn't have horribly violent movies that make violence look so acceptable! It is everywhere.. In fact it is hard to escape...

When I was a kid, children played outside, never worrying about being abducted , we went to church every Sunday, people had family dinners. We ate together and had conversations. We said our prayers together, out loud, so God could hear us. Life, families, it was all so different then. What has changed?

God was everywhere! He was allowed in our schools. He was allowed in our parks. We were allowed to have nativity scenes, statues of God, and prayers in public. God was in our government! Prayer was everywhere! We prayed before football games, before baseball games ,we prayed in our schools every day as we said the Pledge of Allegiance ! We prayed before we ate our meals. Yes God was not ousted, He was there! We called on Him , We trusted Him with our families, and our nation! We were one nation under God! That is the founding principles of our country! That is why we were the strongest nation on earth. We looked to our country with pride ,we had integrity, people did the right thing. There was a level of pride, a code of ethics, values and a morality that is lost today from our nation's canvas.

I understand that America is a nation of immigrants, that we are a melting pot, that we all have arrived here from many nations all over the world. I also acknowledge the fact that there are many different religions and as many different nationalities; but we all came here from somewhere else to thrive in the land of the free. Many fleeing from their own countries and arriving here in the land of opportunity, the land of freedom, the land of civil liberties and equal opportunity. Many came here to escape oppression and great lack. Regardless of the reason people willingly came to this nation, to the nation that is ONE NATION UNDER GOD, period, end of story !! That is our national motto that is the great principle we as a great nation are founded on. How then is it that people of other nations and other religions come here and try to remove God from our nation when they came here knowing that we were already established as one nation, a nation under God? Why after our founding fathers fought so hard for what we have in this country, are we trying to change it all? Why would the premise of removing God and all His wisdom, protection, and glory ever even be entertained? How does anyone ever think that could be a good idea?

We must have God back ! When we take him out of the equation; evil comes in the back door! God can restore our nation if we would only allow Him to do so! There must be revival! We must turn back to God and ask him to bless us, to keep our nation strong. We must allow Him to be in our schools, to be in our government, to keep us safe and protected. We must ask God for forgiveness for how we haved lived and invite Him back into this wonderful nation and ask for His divinity and His guidance. God came that we might have life....We need that life here and now....

John 10:10
The thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.


<1 Peter 2:9 >
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, A HOLY NATION, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.


We as Christians believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior that he protects us and keeps us safe. There is Bible verse after Bible verse about letting God in and letting Him protect our lives, our families our nation; but there's also the evil one that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The more we take God out of our nation, the more evil there is waiting and ready to kill, to steal, to destroy our nation, our children our plans for Good. The Bible says that the evil one moves about the earth, he's a Devourer of the innocent! When we remove God from our world we open the door, wide open, and we are standing there left completely unprotected, no armor, we are left so vulnerable, evil takes over....

1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

We can overcome evil with good We are greater with He who is in us than he who's in the world. As it says in Isaiah 54, No weapon formed against us will ever prosper when we have God protecting our great nation. When He is sitting at the throne, when He is at the helm, we can allow him to govern our nation back to greatness. He can and will protect us and keep us. We can restore this nation back to health and breathe life and hope and happiness into a saddened world.

Lord we are so sorry that we have cast you out of our nation that we have left you standing in the outfield and not calling you into our daily lives and asking for your protection for our country. Lord we know your heaven is full of new baby angels that you've taken up to spend eternity with you. These little friends that once played together on earth, now with play together with you in heaven. Please bless these families Lord, bless and comfort the families and every single person involved in this unimaginable tragedy. Blanket them in peace and surround them with your angels as we as a nation cry out for your love, forgiveness and protection and as we plead to let you back in our nation. Thank you father ! We praise you! We love you in Jesus name!!! AMEN!


For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I dedicate this blog to all the families of those who have lost loved ones in the tragic events of Connecticut this past week. May the Lord give you peace and loving comfort for your hearts and souls. in Jesus name

Rooted In Christ by Nina Keegan Owens

I don't know a whole lot about the ins and outs of gardening, in fact, that whole green thumb thing, well... let's just say my thumb is more of the brownish variety. I love to plant flowers and selecting all the various plants and flowers to make beautiful borders and potted arrangements is not the problem, in fact, they actually can look quite professional when I finish planting even if I do say so myself. Then comes the hard part, keeping them alive!! Living in Texas, it's always so hot and plants are in constant need of water and require weeding continually. It is imperative that the plants have good soil, fertilizer, and of course as I've recently discovered, pruning! Ummm.....pruning?....

After a trip to the nursery armed with samples of my dead and brown, crunchy, plants and clippings from the,"there is still hope yet"ones; the diagnostician of sorts began a lengthy lecture on yes, pruning! Plants grow so fast and all year in Texas. They require pruning or cutting them way back so as they can go through a new growing cycle. I was actually told that cutting off all the pretty blooms can make the plants thicker, fuller and able to produce many more blossoms. Cutting off the plant when it is at its height of beauty did not seem to make much sense to me. However, who am I to question these professionals that know best and actually grow things for a living? Who knew that cutting off something beautiful on the outside of the plant is so good for its life and longevity. This process is vital to the production of a rich and beautiful harvest. So....pruning it is!

Pruning is defined as to cut or lop off superfluous or undesired twigs, branches, or roots, to trim away, and to rid or clear of (anything superfluous or undesirable).

Do you ever feel like God is in the major pruning business in your life, like He has just about lopped off all you can take? Maybe you feel like you have hit your bottom and there is nothing left to prune away. Do not be discouraged. God is just stripping away all the negative parts that are blocking blessings in your life and stifling your faith. Sometimes God must take us down to the bare necessities to remind us of what is important and that no matter what we are going through, we can fully rely on Him.

God is that professional pruner in our lives, He is our master gardner and He knows what is best in every area of our lives. We, like plants need to be shaped and groomed, pruned, watered and fed. Sometimes when we are in what seems like a stagnant, rough patch in our lives, where we feel like we are so lost and broken; we are just undergoing some needful pruning so that we can grow and develop in our walks with God. At those times in our lives, God prepares us for a new life, new blooms and the beautiful fruit we will eventually produce. Our branches must be strong, Our roots sturdy and deeply entrenched in rich soil, (the word of God). We need only to see the trees in winter, so bare, and so desolate, a harsh transitional time, a must for them to be brilliant in spring and so densely heaped full of buds and beautiful blossoms to realize the amazing transformation one can make. Even in the toughest climates, deep roots stay protected. We too will remain strong and protected when we are deeply rooted in Christ.

(John15:2) Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit.

The more deeply rooted we are in Christ the more beautiful our harvest will be. We must grow in our faith by allowing God to prune us and change us into who He has fearfully and wonderfully made us to be. We may not always like the pruning process, in fact at times it can be quite uncomfortable, but rest assured it is necessary for our spiritual growth and divine well being. The fruit we will produce from that pruning and spiritual growth is life changing. It is the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We not only should expect God to prune us, but we should invite him to do so and thank Him in the process. We should pray that God removes (prunes) away all things in our lives that are not of Him. You may be stuck in a relationship that is not God's best for you. You may have an addiction or stronghold that binds you. You may be hanging out with wrong people that could lead you astray and take you down the wrong path. You may just need to have negativity and unforgiveness pruned away. Negative people in your life are like weeds that choke off the beautiful vine. If the weeds are left to grow wild in our gardens, you will never have a beautiful, rich, harvest.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

God does not ever remove something from your life without replacing it with something bigger and better, God is in the restoration business. We must trust Him. He knows what He's doing and God never makes mistakes. Everything God does in your life has a divine purpose. Sometimes we have to suffer to evoke change in our lives. We may have to end a long term relationship, or endure certain hardships. We may not always understand what God is doing because we can only see a tiny pinpoint of our lives at a time but God sees an eternity. We could never handle all He knows and has planned for us at one time so he doles out precious nuggets to us on a need to know basis. Our Godly designed path may be foggy up ahead. We may only be able to see what's right in front of us but God goes before us making the pathway clear, He makes the crooked places straight. He clears the path of any debris that we could stumble upon. He weeds the path and makes it beautiful. He places everything we need in exact locations on that beautifully landscaped path. He always goes before us and gently guides us, leading us and encouraging us to be better. When we come upon rough waters and rocky terrain, well... it's during those times, He carries us...

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. Isaiah 42:16

1 Peter 1:6: So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

Give your life over to Christ. The master gardner that can turn you in to the most beautiful of all creations. Of all the lovely and amazing things God has made, it's you He is most proud of! you are created in the image of God! Let Him break off the dead branches that are a hindrance to your spiritual growth. Those trials and setbacks you face are temporary. They are only there to get us ready for a beautiful new season of spiritual growth, blessings and welcomed change. Keep yourself firmly planted and deeply rooted in the word of God so when you are in the midst of a trial, you will be well equipped to stay strong and grow immensely in the knowledge and wisdom of God's love.

Luke 8:11-15
"This is the meaning of the parable of the seed" The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Heavenly Father, we love and trust you with our whole hearts. We give our lives to you to prune away all things that keep us from being our best. We know that when you have stripped away all that is not of you , we will be a beautiful new creation full of joy and happiness. We thank you for loving us so perfectly!
In Jesus name we pray..
Amen!