Ephesians Week 6

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 Ephesians 5   5  1  Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children   2  and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.   4  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.   5  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [ a ]   6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.   7  Therefore do not be partners with them. 8  For you were once darkness, but now you are light i...
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Feeding fruit trees or feeding thorny plants?

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Are you feeding a thorny plant when you think you are feeding a real fruit tree? I was. 

 8 years ago, a sweet old lady shared several plants with me... for free.   She gave me a few butterfly bushes, monkey grass, a couple of apple trees, ..etc.   I was especially excited to have the apple trees.  I planted them in full sun, fertilized them each spring, watered them during drought, ... I was just sure that I would have apples in a couple of years.   I trusted what this little old lady said.... I trusted  that those trees were apple trees.   Surprise!  When I went to prune some lower branches of those two apple trees yesterday, I realized they had HUGE thorns on them. 
I knew of no apple tree with thorns...
so I went to trusty Google.. News?  No apple tree.   They were   Callery trees. Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana, is an ornamental pear with wicked thorns.... a FALSE apple tree!   
(It is the large tree to the right) 


I have a fairly green thumb.  I love to garden.  I love to be outside.  I read and research how to take care of my garden,  Yet.... I was tricked.   I do not think this sweet, old lady meant to trick me... .I think she too was tricked.   So, what did I do?  I stopped taking care of the lie.  I stopped fertilizing it..  I stopped watering it.  I stopped caring for it.  Today, I took a tree saw and stopped  caring for a lie. .... I cut those two Callery trees down.  Those trees didn't do what I thought they would do.... give fruit.  
Lesson?   Nancy Leigh DeMoss has a book called "Lies Women Believe".  She says all sin begins with a lie (like in Genesis).  We hear a lie.  We dwell on a lie.  We believe the lie.  We act upon the lie.   To counter the lie, we must take these steps.  We have to recognize it as a lie... and find the truth, hear the truth, dwell on the truth, believe the truth ..and act upon the truth. We need to question every thing.  We can be tricked by well-meaning believers, and by  believers without such good intention. Don't let someone plant a lie into your mind. Don't let someone plant a lie into your heart.   What do we do?  We have to stay in God's word so we can discern everything. What do we do if a brother or sister in Christ says they have a "word" for us? We have to ask: Does this line up with God's word? Does this line up with what I know of God?  Of course, roses have thorns.  Just because someone tells you something that is painful, it doesn't mean it isn't true.  You have to stay grounded in His word to KNOW!    If you still aren't sure...after reading, searching for His wisdom, asking Godly people you trust, and praying,    then search God's word again. Stay grounded in His word..and you will be a lot less likely to care for a lie (a false tree) for very long.  

Proverbs 17:24

A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.


Phillipians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.     

      1 Thessalonians 5 
Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.

1 John 4: 4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.


Comments

  1. Vicki MillerApril 23, 2013 at 1:00 PM

    Great spiritual analogy. What a bummer though! Are you going to buy an apple tree? Your yard looks so pretty. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vicki MillerApril 23, 2013 at 1:00 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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