December 11- Flourish- Pruning
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. Isaiah 18:5
Pruning is necessary for managing the growth and fruitfulness of plants. When a tree has too many branches, the nutrients get spread too thin, which renders the tree less fruitful. But cutting off branches is painful. Leonard Sweet explains the importance of this practice, saying, “No one likes the process of pruning and the pain of loss, but fruit only grows on new wood.” Consider how this relates to life.
What if we pruned our calendars? Might we shift from doing a long list of good things to engaging a shorter list of better activities? And how about our free time? Might we move from having somewhat meaningless hobbies to engaging in focused activities that bring meaning and bear fruit?
But how does pruning happen in everyday life? It happens in conversation and contemplation. When we or others speak vulnerably about the ways God challenges us, it convicts us to adopt new practices. We also experience this when we spend time with God. Pruning is God inviting us to live with greater purpose and intention. He whispers to us to jettison some patterns of living and to give ourselves to things that bear fruit.
Holy Spirit, show me the dead wood in my life that needs to go. Cut it off so new growth can come. Be gentle please. Amen.
As you pray, journal what you hear. Confess to God what needs to go, and chart a course to position yourself for new growth and fruit- fulness. Do it today.
December 12-Flourish- Fruit that Will Last
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last... John 15:16a
Recall the last time you purchased a pot of flowers. You looked at the various options. You picked up different pots and looked closely at the blossoms. Then, you picked the one you wanted. Imagine another scene. This time, you want to pick out a fruit- bearing plant. But while examining the options, you see no fruit on the branches yet, not even little buds. Fruit is nowhere to be seen. But you choose one anyway.
God did the same for you. He chose you. This is not one of those “too good to be true” posts. It’s true. God picked you when you were fruitless for a purpose. He appointed or chose you to produce fruit that lasts. Such fruit is healthy and abundant.
That’s God’s plan and purpose for each of us! Though we might not bear any fruit today, there’s fruit in our future. For a plant to grow, it needs time, water, nutrients, and sunlight. A healthy plant also needs periodic pruning. Sometimes God allows circumstances to affect the fruit we produce. Other times, He works through people. Either way, our most fruitful times come after we trust Him and the plan he has for our lives.
God, thanks for picking me to bear fruit that lasts. Give me patience to trust You for my good and Your glory. Amen.
Identify a person in your life that might help cultivate your growth, like a gardener nurtures a plant. Ask that person to meet regularly to build a relationship. Why? Tell them you want your life to produce fruit that lasts.
December 13-Flourish- Sow Day and Night
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:6
As we conclude the second week of FLOURISH, we get wise input from Solomon. He advises us to sow (or plant) day and night because outcomes are uncertain. Robert Louis Stevenson offers similar wisdom for us: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
What’s the lesson for us from Solomon and Stevenson? We must not define success based on outcomes we cannot control but focus on faithful activities we can control. Our job is to plant the seeds God has given us. What seeds do you have? What resources, abilities, opportunities, and relationships do you have that are like seed entrusted to you for playing a part in God’s bigger story?
Once you determine what seeds you have, the next step is to decide how and but focus on faithful activities we where you will sow them day and night. Is it time for another pause with the One who supplied your seed?
God, show me what seeds I have and where to sow them. Amen
Enjoy some solitude today. Journal about the seed that you have on one page. On the facing page, write where God might want you to sow each seed. After pausing, go to the store and buy a packet of seeds. Plant and care for them and journal what you learn in the process.
December 14-Flourish- Trouble
For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. Job 5:6-7
When we face difficulties, it is easy for us to blame God or think that it is unfair that He picked us to go through the crisis. How should we think about all this? Consider two thoughts to help you and others flourish despite the reality that life is filled with trouble.
First, trouble helps us develop deep roots. As Winston Churchill said, “Never let a perfectly good crisis go to waste!” Trials build strength within us to weather the storms of life. A plant that has not endured trials does not develop deep roots and can be quickly overcome by a sudden gust of wind. In this light, we must welcome trials. They make us stronger.
Second, trouble happens to us for our good. Yet, our tendency is to avoid trouble rather than embrace it as it makes us uncomfortable! When we run from trouble, we miss out on the opportunity to learn lessons for ourselves and others. No wonder the Bible teaches us to count it all joy when we face many kinds of trouble. God allows it for our good.
God, forgive me for blaming You for troubles in life. Instead, help me to grow roots and learn lessons for helping others. Amen.
The age of a tree can be determined by the rings of its trunk. Older trees have many rings. Each one reflects a year of weathering storms and enduring the elements. Consider your rings. What trouble have you experienced which has helped you develop deep roots and learn lessons? How might reflecting and sharing your story help others grow?
December 15-Flourish- Overflow
Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
The aim of this book is to help readers do more than survive. We want you to thrive. We pray you not only grow strong and live long like the olive trees on the cover but that you also overflow with thankfulness. But what does it mean to overflow with thankfulness?
The Apostle Paul knew something he wanted the rest of us to know and experience. When our roots go deep in Christ, our lives grow strong and our faith matures. We also discover that we have all the living water we need in Christ to flourish. As a result, we overflow with gratitude to God.
Do you overflow with thankfulness? Before you answer, go water a plant. What happens when you do? You give it what it needs to grow. Now go give it some extra water and what happens. It overflows, right? In so doing, it supplies water for the plant next to it.
God loves it when we develop deep roots to grow us strong in Him. He also smiles when we overflow with gratitude and thankfulness.
Christ, help my roots grow deep in You. Make me strong. Cause me to overflow with thankfulness to bless those around me. Amen.
Notice that when water overflows, it tends to trickle rather than flood. Ponder this. How is blessing others like a trickle?
December 16-Flourish- Display
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:3b
The glory of the oak tree is the One who made it. Consider these widely known facts about oak trees. They live about 1,000 years and can grow to nearly 150 feet tall. Each tree produces 10 million acorns over its lifetime. Yet only one in 10,000 acorns becomes an oak tree.
While there are more interesting facts we could explore, what do you learn from these to help you gain insights about flourishing? At least two amazing insights emerge to us.
One relates to growth and the other reproduction. Regarding growth, the Bible tells us that when we follow God’s ways, we grow in wisdom and stature. Like the oak tree, God can make us grow tall and display His splendor to a watching world.
Related to reproduction, though only a few acorns form new oak trees, we must not grow weary in planting seeds. We don’t know which ones will grow into strong trees. So, spiritually speaking, our role is to sow truth in the lives of the people around us and trust God to take care of the rest.
Lord, help me display Your splendor like an oak tree. Amen.
Research what an oak tree looks like. Go find one in a park. Sit under it. If you can’t do this activity, perhaps locate a picture of one on the internet and use your imagination. Think about how God wants you to be like the oak tree. Now, muse about how each of us can live like an oak tree. As a park filled with oak trees can be the splendor of a city, so also can each of us display God’s splendor.
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. Isaiah 18:5
Pruning is necessary for managing the growth and fruitfulness of plants. When a tree has too many branches, the nutrients get spread too thin, which renders the tree less fruitful. But cutting off branches is painful. Leonard Sweet explains the importance of this practice, saying, “No one likes the process of pruning and the pain of loss, but fruit only grows on new wood.” Consider how this relates to life.
What if we pruned our calendars? Might we shift from doing a long list of good things to engaging a shorter list of better activities? And how about our free time? Might we move from having somewhat meaningless hobbies to engaging in focused activities that bring meaning and bear fruit?
But how does pruning happen in everyday life? It happens in conversation and contemplation. When we or others speak vulnerably about the ways God challenges us, it convicts us to adopt new practices. We also experience this when we spend time with God. Pruning is God inviting us to live with greater purpose and intention. He whispers to us to jettison some patterns of living and to give ourselves to things that bear fruit.
Holy Spirit, show me the dead wood in my life that needs to go. Cut it off so new growth can come. Be gentle please. Amen.
As you pray, journal what you hear. Confess to God what needs to go, and chart a course to position yourself for new growth and fruit- fulness. Do it today.
December 12-Flourish- Fruit that Will Last
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last... John 15:16a
Recall the last time you purchased a pot of flowers. You looked at the various options. You picked up different pots and looked closely at the blossoms. Then, you picked the one you wanted. Imagine another scene. This time, you want to pick out a fruit- bearing plant. But while examining the options, you see no fruit on the branches yet, not even little buds. Fruit is nowhere to be seen. But you choose one anyway.
God did the same for you. He chose you. This is not one of those “too good to be true” posts. It’s true. God picked you when you were fruitless for a purpose. He appointed or chose you to produce fruit that lasts. Such fruit is healthy and abundant.
That’s God’s plan and purpose for each of us! Though we might not bear any fruit today, there’s fruit in our future. For a plant to grow, it needs time, water, nutrients, and sunlight. A healthy plant also needs periodic pruning. Sometimes God allows circumstances to affect the fruit we produce. Other times, He works through people. Either way, our most fruitful times come after we trust Him and the plan he has for our lives.
God, thanks for picking me to bear fruit that lasts. Give me patience to trust You for my good and Your glory. Amen.
Identify a person in your life that might help cultivate your growth, like a gardener nurtures a plant. Ask that person to meet regularly to build a relationship. Why? Tell them you want your life to produce fruit that lasts.
December 13-Flourish- Sow Day and Night
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:6
As we conclude the second week of FLOURISH, we get wise input from Solomon. He advises us to sow (or plant) day and night because outcomes are uncertain. Robert Louis Stevenson offers similar wisdom for us: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
What’s the lesson for us from Solomon and Stevenson? We must not define success based on outcomes we cannot control but focus on faithful activities we can control. Our job is to plant the seeds God has given us. What seeds do you have? What resources, abilities, opportunities, and relationships do you have that are like seed entrusted to you for playing a part in God’s bigger story?
Once you determine what seeds you have, the next step is to decide how and but focus on faithful activities we where you will sow them day and night. Is it time for another pause with the One who supplied your seed?
God, show me what seeds I have and where to sow them. Amen
Enjoy some solitude today. Journal about the seed that you have on one page. On the facing page, write where God might want you to sow each seed. After pausing, go to the store and buy a packet of seeds. Plant and care for them and journal what you learn in the process.
December 14-Flourish- Trouble
For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. Job 5:6-7
When we face difficulties, it is easy for us to blame God or think that it is unfair that He picked us to go through the crisis. How should we think about all this? Consider two thoughts to help you and others flourish despite the reality that life is filled with trouble.
First, trouble helps us develop deep roots. As Winston Churchill said, “Never let a perfectly good crisis go to waste!” Trials build strength within us to weather the storms of life. A plant that has not endured trials does not develop deep roots and can be quickly overcome by a sudden gust of wind. In this light, we must welcome trials. They make us stronger.
Second, trouble happens to us for our good. Yet, our tendency is to avoid trouble rather than embrace it as it makes us uncomfortable! When we run from trouble, we miss out on the opportunity to learn lessons for ourselves and others. No wonder the Bible teaches us to count it all joy when we face many kinds of trouble. God allows it for our good.
God, forgive me for blaming You for troubles in life. Instead, help me to grow roots and learn lessons for helping others. Amen.
The age of a tree can be determined by the rings of its trunk. Older trees have many rings. Each one reflects a year of weathering storms and enduring the elements. Consider your rings. What trouble have you experienced which has helped you develop deep roots and learn lessons? How might reflecting and sharing your story help others grow?
December 15-Flourish- Overflow
Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
The aim of this book is to help readers do more than survive. We want you to thrive. We pray you not only grow strong and live long like the olive trees on the cover but that you also overflow with thankfulness. But what does it mean to overflow with thankfulness?
The Apostle Paul knew something he wanted the rest of us to know and experience. When our roots go deep in Christ, our lives grow strong and our faith matures. We also discover that we have all the living water we need in Christ to flourish. As a result, we overflow with gratitude to God.
Do you overflow with thankfulness? Before you answer, go water a plant. What happens when you do? You give it what it needs to grow. Now go give it some extra water and what happens. It overflows, right? In so doing, it supplies water for the plant next to it.
God loves it when we develop deep roots to grow us strong in Him. He also smiles when we overflow with gratitude and thankfulness.
Christ, help my roots grow deep in You. Make me strong. Cause me to overflow with thankfulness to bless those around me. Amen.
Notice that when water overflows, it tends to trickle rather than flood. Ponder this. How is blessing others like a trickle?
December 16-Flourish- Display
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:3b
The glory of the oak tree is the One who made it. Consider these widely known facts about oak trees. They live about 1,000 years and can grow to nearly 150 feet tall. Each tree produces 10 million acorns over its lifetime. Yet only one in 10,000 acorns becomes an oak tree.
While there are more interesting facts we could explore, what do you learn from these to help you gain insights about flourishing? At least two amazing insights emerge to us.
One relates to growth and the other reproduction. Regarding growth, the Bible tells us that when we follow God’s ways, we grow in wisdom and stature. Like the oak tree, God can make us grow tall and display His splendor to a watching world.
Related to reproduction, though only a few acorns form new oak trees, we must not grow weary in planting seeds. We don’t know which ones will grow into strong trees. So, spiritually speaking, our role is to sow truth in the lives of the people around us and trust God to take care of the rest.
Lord, help me display Your splendor like an oak tree. Amen.
Research what an oak tree looks like. Go find one in a park. Sit under it. If you can’t do this activity, perhaps locate a picture of one on the internet and use your imagination. Think about how God wants you to be like the oak tree. Now, muse about how each of us can live like an oak tree. As a park filled with oak trees can be the splendor of a city, so also can each of us display God’s splendor.
Posted in Daily Devotionals