FILED UNDER
POSTED ON
Welcome to Fruitful Fridays!
As my wife began The Restored Orchard and shared her vision with me, I was excited at the opportunity to support her in her endeavors. One thing that we both agree on is that when a husband and wife can study God’s word together, it brings them closer. With that being said, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to partner with her in spreading the gospel, and from there “Fruitful Fridays” was created. I will be dropping in to share what the Lord gives me. My prayer is that a different perspective will be able to specifically minister to men of God.
We are currently in the first week of the Advent season. This is an important time in Christianity because, while the world is focused on buying gifts and putting up Christmas decorations, and maybe even figuring out travel plans to spend the holiday with family, this is the time that we are preparing to celebrate Jesus’ birth. From the children’s plays at church to Sunday school classes, we are taught that at Christmas we celebrate His birth and at Easter, we celebrate His resurrection. We often think of these holidays as separate events instead of one continuous story that leads from one point to another. The reality is that God sent his Son, Jesus to be a sacrifice that would cleanse us of all of our sins.
One of my absolute favorite shows is the First 48. The premise of this show is that when a murder happens, the police have 48 hours to investigate and try to break the case because, after that period of time, the cases become harder to solve for various reasons. As of late, however, it has been a little more difficult to watch that particular show. As a father of two boys, I couldn’t imagine either one of my boys being on either side of one of those tragedies. As a matter of fact, I have said there is truly no greater love than that of a parent. When deciding to have kids, you unintentionally cause yourself worry for the duration of your life. The world is such a dangerous place and accidents inevitably will happen and sometimes they can be very serious. That possibility strikes such fear in most parents if we are being honest because even when your children are adults, they are still your babies.
Our all-knowing God sent his son, a literal part of him, down to earth and wrapped him in flesh with the exact intention for him to die for our sins. This was no accident; they knew how the story would go (not “end” because that wasn’t the end) and still, he came. I honestly get a little sad when my boys are gone with their grandmothers (who love them immensely) for more than a couple nights, I could not imagine sending them to a place where they would be hated, abused, betrayed, whipped, and ultimately killed. We are all very familiar with Romans 6:23 which says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life” and, of course, John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life.” Our natural nature to sin was so bad that death was the only possible result but by Jesus being the perfect sacrifice he gave us the gift of eternal life and all we have to do is accept him. So, as we navigate through the Advent season, and ultimately Christmas, we should remember not only the well-known saying that “Jesus is the reason for the season” but that because of His birth, God was setting the path to save us from certain death. As we prepare to celebrate the holidays and give each other gifts we should also remember that we have already received the best gift we could ever ask for, the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Share this post
I know that most people are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, but December always reminds me to slow down and reflect. It’s something about the cold weather that forces me to cozy up and sit still… I believe the stillness opens
With a little over 30 days left in the year, it’s easy to put a pin in new ideas or projects until the new year. As tempting as enjoying the pause may be, there are some things that we have been called to do that require our action now. Spiritual callings require our steadfast attention, not temporary devotion when our schedules allow. In this season, the Lord has been challenging me to finish well.
In a culture that values purpose and spiritual gifting, it’s interesting how quickly we toss them to the side when we’re fatigued or distracted. We yield to the flesh instead of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We abandon how we show up out of convenience; missing opportunities to share the Gospel or be the hands and feet of Christ. Simply put, we fail to finish well.
El Roi. The God who sees me. When we talk about Hagar, we often refer to this tender exchange. This exact moment in the wilderness when she encounters God… when she accepts correction and instruction to return to a tense situation… when she receives the promise concerning the son in her womb… when she recognizes that she is seen and known by name. Yes, this is a pivotal moment, marked with such a significant name, and as I began to walk through Hagar’s story, to be seen, is so much deeper than watching someone visually.
“Are you going to try for another one?”
The ink on our marriage certificate wasn’t even dry before people began to ask when my husband and I were planning on having children. This seemingly innocent question was often met with ‘we don’t know’ outwardly, but inwardly it reinforced the shame of not being able to conceive a child.
I am the one in four.
If you or someone close to you is in need, we would be honored to lift you up in prayer. We believe in the power of prayer to bring peace, comfort, and reassurance during times of hardship. Our community is ready to join together and pray as we trust in God’s love and unending grace.
