Walking the Dog

This is a transcription of a voice entry

I made an interesting observation as I’m walking Holly (my dog), in relating it to a relationship with Christ, in that she tries to sprint ahead of me and I need to correct her, and I get to a point where I need to stop in order for her to settle down and stop and wait for my guidance and direction.

It’s like how I want to sprint ahead with my own pursuits when Christ might be stopped behind me and I need to go back and look for Him in order to determine what the proper path is for me.

I correct with verbal cues and a tug on the leash. One of the other things is that when Holly sees a rabbit, she wants to spring off, like how when I pursue something other than Christ, I lose sight (and all sense) of Him – He may be stopped and I might be chasing a rabbit. It’s also interesting that when I correct her and I stop, that even once she’s calmed down and we start walking again, she’s still looking for that rabbit, even though it’s no longer visible to us, she still wants to chase after it anyway.

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Follow up voice entry:
The other observation I had was that in training Holly, I feel a need to ensure that she will follow my guidance and direction in first sitting and staying still (waiting for me), and then if she will follow me and let me guide her in walking before I start trying to run with her, because if she can’t behave and walk straight beside me while walking, what will she do if I’m running? She could cut me off, she could pull me in another direction, and it’s a lot more dangerous for me with her running if she’s not being obedient to me, than it is if I’m walking.

So does Christ wait for me to stand still and wait for me to come to Him and then once I’m with Him, does He start by walking with me. As He sees that I don’t sprint ahead or easily distracted then He’ll start running with me? I think that’s the case.

Surfing

I was looking out at the waves today from my campsite and realized how much differently a surfer must look at / observe / study a wave than I do. If I surfed, waves would take on a new meaning for me.  Right now they represent relaxation.. maybe a nice sound for falling asleep to in my tent.

But to a surfer, each wave must represent an opportunity!  Watching a perfect wave from afar would represent loss.  Each wave they catch representing the chance for their greatest surfing experience.  They sit on their board with expectation and hope while waiting for their wave.

How does that relate to prayer and communion with Christ?  Each prayer should be waited upon with eager expectation of something great.

What else??  Prayer to one who knows the true joys of it takes on a whole new meaning.  What else???

It would be great to have a section of analogies like this on BoW.

I am Dirt

Soil cultivation

Healthy plants start with good soil. The soil must be the right consistency in order for the plant to take strong root and it must contain the right amounts of the right nutrients based on the type of plant.

In terms of a relationship with Christ, the person’s heart (soil) must be one of genuine humility and repentance. Do not be afraid of the word repentance; it simply means that you are decisively turning your back on sin and choosing a relationship with your Creator and Savior, over the temporary and false pleasures of the world (sin).

Our Heavenly Father will cultivate your heart if you let Him. Do not harden your heart against Him and He will continue to work with the soil of your heart in preparation for Christ.

The right nutrients may be the resources that the person has available to them as they take root in their relationship with Christ. There are many distractions (weeds) in the world, that have potential to choke out and cause a person’s relationship with Christ to whither. Just as an unkempt garden is one of weeds, so is an unkempt life one of sin and spiritual trouble. The right resources (access to God’s word, a church body, Biblical instruction, etc) can make all the difference in that person keeping their soil clean for the Father’s plan to unfold.

Planting

When the soil is cultivated, the seed must be selected and placed into the soil. The selection of the seed will determine the type of fruit you will harvest. If you do not actually select the seed, and instead let any seed fall on to your soil, you will not get the fruit you intend.

The only truly good fruit of the spirit comes from the seed of Christ. Once the person has a humble heart and repents of their sin (the choices, actions or non-actions, that have come in the way of their relationship with Christ), the next step is to choose the right seed (Christ) and ask the Father to plant Him within you (come into your heart). The Bible calls this process Justification.

Growth

The plant grows from a partnership / relationship between the inherent properties of the seed and the conditions around the seed: the right amounts of water, sun, pest control, weeding, pruning and time.

The properties of the ‘seed’ of Christ are perfect. Under optimal conditions, His seed would produce Himself through you (the soil). That is why, through the process of growth, you become more and more perfect, as He becomes more and more apparent as the controlling force in your life.

Growth in your relationship with Christ involves Bible study, worship, prayer, and obedience. Each of these is vital to the health of your relationship with Christ. Just as a plant cannot grow with sun but no water, your relationship with Christ will not grow as it is supposed to with Bible study and no prayer, or prayer but no worship, etc.

With true ‘planting’ of Christ, based on true humility and repentance, you will thirst to know Him. You can know Him through Bible study (going to Church once per week is not enough), worship, and prayer. As you get to know Christ, you will naturally become more like Him. The Bible calls this process Sanctification.

Obedience is the process of weeding the influence of the world from your life. You will not likely be able to avoid the weeds entirely, so Christ is your strength to recognize the weeds for what they are, so that you may pluck them out. Obedience starts with loving God enough to hate sin enough to consistently repent of it. You won’t be perfect, but God truly sees your heart and will bless true repentance. Obedience then grows into trusting God enough to ask Him what His will is for your life – and then actually listening and obeying. Obeying is a strong word – think of it as following the guidance of the wisest person you will ever know (He knows past, present, and future), and that person loves you more than any other person can love any other person (He created you to have relationship with Him, and He had His son die on a wooden cross to make it possible despite your consistent disrespect and disregard for Him before you were truly saved).

Do not be afraid of pruning – it is actually the key to a better yield of fruit. The Father will prune you, you can be sure of that. How you respond to that pruning, and the timing of your response, will determine how quickly you go from pruning back to growth. A plant does not look at a pruned branch and give up – it seeks to grow in new and more productive ways. You can trust that our Heavenly Father knows exactly when and how to prune you specifically to foster growth – and it’s all in the interest of a better relationship with Him, bearing fruit (glorifying Him), and fostering others relationship with Him and their fruit.

The best way to learn something is to write down your experience and re-read your notes from time to time. This process is seeking His face, it’s about learning who you really are meant to be.

Fruit

Fruit is the whole point. Fruit could refer to actual fruit or flower. This is why you plant and tend, for the beauty of the fruit. The beauty of the fruit glorifies the one who made it possible; the one who cultivated the soil, planted the right seeds, allowed for the right amount of sun and water, and provided opportunity for optimal growth.

The fruit is a natural result of the conditions around the plant; the plant doesn’t have to try to produce the fruit, it produces what it was supposed to produce since it was a seed.

The fruit of a plant also offers new life, as fruits contain seeds for new plants of its kind to fall to the ground around the plant (near or in soil that is already right for its kind), and new life may sprout and provide greater yield in the next season.

Spiritually, the same description applies. Your fruit as a Christian is apparent in how you affect those around you. If your relationship with Christ is blossoming, you will see the affect of Christ on those around you – your relationship with Him will be evidenced by those around you and their relationship with Him.

Do not focus on the fruit, as it will be a natural product of the relationship itself. If it feels forced, then you likely need to tend to other things (see the first 3 stages above).

The fruit of your life glorifies God. The Bible calls this Glorification.

Conduit For Christ

This is an analogy that could be helpful in viewing my life as it relates to what Christ intends to do with it. Read the rest of this entry »

First things first

I’ve been “working so hard” trying to live out what I felt I was being called to do, but I feel more lost now than ever. I feel like I’m grasping for anything rather than being guided by the Lord.

I prayed:

How do I make the most of my life?

Read the rest of this entry »

Sin

Sin is like the bubonic plague – in order to be cured, you need a transfusion from a person who was exposed but did not succumb.