Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW190017A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Family Worship. 01:13 We are so glad that you have joined us this evening. 01:17 It's always a busy week at 3ABN, 01:19 but we're always looking forward 01:21 to the Sabbath. 01:22 The Sabbath hours here we are Friday evening, 01:24 and we're looking forward to the blessed hours 01:27 that God has promised during the Sabbath. 01:30 We know that you probably had a busy week, 01:32 don't know exactly what you've been doing. 01:33 Sometimes you're writing emails and stuff to us, 01:35 we get a little glimpse, but here at 3ABN, 01:38 there's always programming that's happening, 01:39 trips or places that people have gone to 01:41 and coming back from, 01:43 meetings and all kinds of exciting things, 01:44 because God is continually growing the ministry of 3ABN. 01:48 And we again just always say thank you for your support 01:51 and prayers for the ministry of 3ABN. 01:54 That's a blessing to join you because you are family. 01:56 We have our family here around the table 01:58 and I know you're going to introduce them 02:00 to everyone in just a moment. 02:01 But this evening, 02:03 we're gonna talk about gardening. 02:05 And that doesn't really sound like maybe a Sabbath topic 02:07 that we should talk about that 02:08 but it's actually gardening in our own souls and the growth 02:11 that God can do in each one of our lives. 02:13 And relating that to a seed, 02:15 and watering, and cultivating the soil. 02:18 I know that I enjoy gardening. 02:20 You do too, especially the flower. 02:22 He's actually much better at gardening than I am. 02:24 I enjoy it, but he actually produces fruit, 02:27 which is a good thing. 02:28 Well, you know, I've had some of the plants die. 02:31 We were just talking... 02:32 Well, Tim's on the set, we haven't introduce everyone 02:34 but, Tim, we were talking about plants, 02:36 your blueberry bush is thriving. 02:38 It is. Mine unfortunately have died. 02:41 And we've tried them two times and they've died. 02:42 But there's other plants that are growing flowers 02:45 and that sort of thing. 02:46 But there's powerful lessons in the book of nature 02:49 that God wants for us to learn 02:50 so that's what we're gonna be talking about this evening. 02:51 Amen. 02:53 I'm excited about this program and about the topic 02:54 because God wants to grow His fruit 02:57 in each one of our hearts and lives. 02:59 And we're still thankful that you have joined us, 03:02 you're part of the 3ABN family. 03:04 And we have our 3ABN family around the table with us. 03:07 We're gonna start on this side with Dee, 03:08 Dee Hilderbrand, production coordinator. 03:11 But, Dee, it is always a joy to sit on the set with you, 03:14 and to work with you at 3ABN too. 03:16 I love working with both of you. 03:17 I love working with everyone. 03:19 We have such wonderful people here 03:22 and we pulled together, and work together, 03:24 and we're all producing fruit together. 03:27 Everybody has their own little job. 03:29 And together we produce. 03:32 Do you've been a 3ABN, 03:34 I wouldn't say since the beginning 03:35 but close to it. 03:36 Twenty two years. 03:38 That's a long time. 03:39 But they're gonna have their 35th anniversary, 03:41 so I missed out on those early years. 03:45 You have your big part of 3ABN and a lot of people know you, 03:48 whether they ever met you in person, 03:50 but I know you work with a lot of the guests 03:51 that are coming in at ASI and things, 03:54 so a lot of people know 'Dee Hilderbrand, 03:56 a senior name all on the Kruger's for many years. 03:58 They see the name sometimes. 03:59 That's right. Thank you for what you do. 04:01 Dee does a great job, we love working with Dee 04:03 and she's just a joy here at 3ABN. 04:04 She kind of keeps me in line to with the schedule. 04:08 Well, no, I don't mean in a bad way 04:11 but, you know, we have lots of schedules 04:12 because of all the program 04:13 and all the networks, Tim, and Praise Him, 04:15 and other networks Dare to Dream, and others. 04:18 And so Dee is always working with Jorge my assistant 04:21 on, you know, the schedule 04:23 and what's coming up months down the road, 04:24 weekly schedules, 04:26 it's a big job, so I appreciate it. 04:27 I gently nags, at least I try to gently nag. 04:30 Well, does, doesn't it? 04:32 That's fabulous. 04:34 You think of yourself much pretty. 04:35 Okay, go ahead. 04:37 Over here we have Tim Parton who is our friend, and brother, 04:40 and general manager of 3ABN Praise Him, 04:43 and we always love it 04:44 when we can have family worship with him. 04:46 Yeah, it's been a long time 04:47 since I've been with the Morikone's. 04:49 I always enjoy a family worship time with you. 04:52 So thanks for inviting me 04:53 and I'm looking forward to this study. 04:55 Always, Tim, it is a blessing. 04:57 We appreciate the gifts that God has given to you. 04:59 But, you know, it's not just the talent, 05:01 it's who you are as a person 05:02 and that's what we really appreciate is you. 05:04 And so yeah, what a blessing you are, 05:06 thank you for the good work 05:07 you're doing with the Praise Him Network as well. 05:09 Yeah, it's a real privilege. 05:10 Because this is worship and music is a part of worship 05:13 and we're gonna do a song here in a moment 05:14 but I know, you know, 05:16 that's the main thrust for the Praise Him. 05:18 And I think that's really key 05:19 because people can get in worship 05:21 throughout the week. 05:22 You know, as well but especially on Friday night 05:24 as we head into the Sabbath hours. 05:25 Why is music so important, Tim, you feel for worship? 05:27 Oh, my goodness. 05:29 Well, to me music is just a way, 05:30 a great way of expressing myself 05:33 and, you know, because it is the gift 05:35 that God has given me. 05:36 I remember just as a kid, 05:38 I would just sit in the dark and play the piano 05:41 and it wasn't about practicing. 05:43 It wasn't, you know, I was just... 05:45 If I felt like no one was watching, 05:47 and sometimes my dad would sit on the couch. 05:50 And in the dark, 05:52 we would just sit there and I would just play 05:54 and so still to this day, every once in a while 05:57 to steal away into the studio we're at the sound center, 06:01 and just turn off the lights and just play. 06:04 It's a great way for me to connect with the Lord 06:06 and just, you know, 06:07 just kind of speak my heart in a way 06:09 that no other way I've found that works for me. 06:12 Everybody has their way 06:13 maybe of expressing yourself to God and worshiping 06:16 but music always does it for me. 06:18 And I think also with music, 06:20 I'm not very good because I'm not a musician. 06:22 So the right terms, Tim, on this, 06:23 but, you know, there's the tune, 06:25 hope that's right but then there's also the lyrics. 06:26 Sure. 06:28 You know, those together, it's just a powerful thing. 06:29 You know, the words, the praise to God, 06:31 what He's done for us, it's very powerful. 06:33 Yeah. Amen. 06:35 And sitting next to Tim and next to Greg 06:36 here is Robert Pierce, 06:38 and you are a newer addition we could say 06:40 to the 3ABN family, working in production, 06:43 you wear several hats in production, 06:45 but we are so blessed 06:46 not only by what you do at the ministry here, 06:49 but your spirit and your walk with God. 06:51 So thank you for coming on the set with us. 06:53 Thank you for having me. 06:55 That's really interesting to go from behind the cameras, 06:57 behind the scenes to, 06:59 you know, coming out here and being on set. 07:01 I'm humbled, and grateful, and appreciative. 07:04 We appreciate you, Robert. 07:05 'Cause, I mean, you put a lot of effort, 07:06 you know, you go for perfection 07:08 which many of our employees do here 07:09 and it's a real blessing. 07:11 But you're always so willing to learn so many things. 07:13 And I wanna say, 07:14 push the envelope in the right way 07:16 some people that may take it as negatively 07:17 I meant that positively. 07:19 You know, you and many of the staff here 07:20 and we appreciate that so much. 07:22 God has given you many skills and talents. 07:24 And it's really neat how you and I met, 07:25 you know, several years ago. 07:26 I believe, you know, back in the day 07:28 now looking back, that was providential. 07:31 Our first meeting which has been 07:32 five, six, seven years ago, 07:34 and how God has brought you here, 07:36 and he live just down the road from 3ABN 07:38 and it just amazes me 07:40 the talent, you know, so close here, 07:41 just right down the road for a number of years 07:43 and we just didn't know it. 07:44 And here God tapped your heart and brought you here. 07:46 Sure, absolutely. 07:48 Couldn't have foreseen the Lord's moving. 07:52 And, in fact, I remember 10 years ago I moved here. 07:55 And drove to Thompsonville, little town here. 07:58 Five hundred and fifty people. 08:00 And I remember driving down the road 08:01 and looking off to the right and I think, 08:02 "What in the world is that?" 08:04 It's a huge building with satellite dishes 08:06 and all the stuff. 08:08 I was like, "What in the world is that?" 08:10 3ABN, what does that stand for? Very interesting. 08:12 Out of middle of nowhere, 08:14 you know, for those who have visited 08:15 it's, we really are out in the middle of nowhere. 08:18 But the Lord brought me here. 08:20 For people, just real quick. 08:21 Do you have a family, a wife Tammy, 08:23 you have how many children? 08:24 Four kids. And one grown grandbaby? 08:26 One grandson. 08:28 And he's as much fun 08:29 as they always said grandson would be. 08:32 That's right. Yes. 08:33 How old is he now? 08:35 He'll be two in July. 08:36 So he's just starting to talk a little bit, 08:38 got some words coming out, got some communication. 08:41 So that's really fun. 08:42 Is he saying grandpa yet? 08:43 He calls me papa. 08:47 So yeah, that's a blessing. 08:48 Amen. 08:50 Well, we should probably have prayers before we start? 08:51 We should. Absolutely. 08:52 We're so glad that you have joined us. 08:54 We hope your families around the TV, 08:57 hope you have your Bibles. 08:59 Join us for music 09:00 and for just a study of God's Word. 09:03 Amen. Yeah, let's open in prayer. 09:04 Dee, do you wanna open in prayer 09:06 and then we'll have some music next. 09:07 Please. 09:09 Our dear Heavenly Father, 09:10 we just thank You for these beautiful hours 09:11 that You have given us that we can come together 09:14 and come closer to You as a family. 09:17 That we can open our hearts with You and for You, Father, 09:20 this is the time that You inhabit, 09:22 and that You grow closer to Your people. 09:25 And we just thank You for this time, 09:27 and for the blessing that You give us. 09:29 That each of us learn something today 09:31 and share with each other 09:32 and grow as Your sons and daughters. 09:34 And we just thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 09:36 Amen. 09:38 Yeah, fantastic. 09:39 We're getting ready, Tim is on his way to the piano. 09:42 This is, this is live. 09:44 This wasn't prerecorded with piano. 09:45 He's gone over to the piano, 09:46 we're gonna sing a wonderful hymn 09:48 entitled Day By Day, 09:49 the words will be on the screen. 09:51 So sing along with us. 09:52 I love this song. 09:57 Day by day, and with each passing moment 10:03 Strength I find to meet my trials here 10:08 Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment 10:13 I've no cause for worry or for fear 10:18 He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure 10:23 Gives unto each day what He deems best 10:29 Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure 10:34 Mingling toil with peace and rest 10:40 Help me then, in every tribulation 10:45 So to trust Thy promises, O Lord 10:51 That I lose not faith's sweet consolation 10:56 Offered me within Thy holy Word 11:01 Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting 11:07 E'er to take, as from a father's hand 11:13 One by one, the days, the moments fleeting 11:18 Till I reach the Promised Land 11:26 Amen. Amen. 11:28 Don't you love this? 11:30 I love the part of reach that Promised Land. 11:32 That's right. Amen. 11:33 Because it also mentions about the toils and the things 11:36 that we go through and trouble in this life, 11:38 none of us are immune 11:40 to that in our lives, but God is there. 11:43 Yeah. Pain and pleasure. 11:45 It's part of the growing process, you know? 11:47 Day by day, that's why I like that. 11:48 It's just, life is so daily. 11:50 It's not year by year, is it? No, it's not. It's no. 11:54 Moment by moment. 11:55 It's second. Yeah, exactly. 11:57 Thank you, Tim, for playing the piano. 11:58 I appreciate it. 11:59 Amen. 12:01 So we jump into our topic of Christian growth. 12:03 Let's look at a couple of scriptures here to start with. 12:05 And then we'll talk about the cultivation process, 12:08 and the planting, and the watering, sunshine, 12:11 and all of that process of growth we have. 12:14 Not only in the physical world in the garden, 12:16 but in the spiritual as well. 12:17 So let's look at 2 Corinthians 5:17. 12:18 So I love that scripture, yes. 12:20 This is probably one of my all time favorite scriptures. 12:26 I just did some women's retreats recently, 12:27 and this is our theme scripture. 12:29 So every single program by the end 12:32 I think we had it memorized. 12:33 Yes. 12:35 2 Corinthians 5:17. 12:37 Who has that? I have it. 12:39 Good. I love this one. 12:40 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 12:43 he is a new creation. 12:46 Old things have passed away, 12:47 behold, all things have become new." 12:50 That speaks so heavily to me because I guess when, 12:55 you know, the more God has forgiven the more you love 12:58 and he's forgiven me so much. 13:01 And the chance to be a new creation, 13:06 I need that so much because the old was so bad. 13:10 I think that's important to what you just said, 13:13 the old was so bad. 13:14 The fact, how long have you been a Christian? 13:16 Only about 20 years and I'm pretty old. 13:19 But even at 20 years, that's a long time 13:22 and I know a lot of people who have forgotten 13:24 what they were forgiven for originally. 13:28 You know, we were all forgiven. 13:30 You know, there's nothing like that new car smell. 13:34 But I think a lot of us have lost that. 13:36 Because this verse says, 13:38 "If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation." 13:41 Some people have been Christian so long, 13:43 they forgot what new smells like, 13:46 what new looks like. 13:47 Wow, that's powerful. Yeah. 13:49 And so they forget. 13:51 And that's why it's important to pray 13:53 that restoring me the joy of thy salvation 13:58 that bring back the new again. 13:59 Yeah. 14:01 The whole, that's the important thing. 14:02 Even though I said 20 years, I better correct that. 14:05 It's been about 30 years. 14:06 I lost track of time 'cause I'm at 3ABN 22 years, 14:09 I'm excited. I was thinking that. 14:10 I was a Christian when I came here. 14:12 I was surprised, been five years. 14:14 But anyway you know I'm joking. 14:16 No, it's been about 30 years. 14:18 But the majority of my life was spent as an old person. 14:23 And even though I don't do, I never dwell or look back, 14:27 occasionally it kind of rises up 14:29 and it kind of pops into your head. 14:30 And it's like, "Oh, thank You, Lord." 14:33 You know, and you drive it out 14:35 that you have that new life, a new creature. 14:38 Well, the importance is that you remember 14:39 what new smells like? 14:41 Oh, yes. 14:44 I know you've got this nice iPad here 14:46 so you can change versions. 14:47 So the NIV, do you have that actually 2 Corinthians 5:17. 14:52 I'm just kind of curious as to like what the, 14:55 you have on this one, you can bring up any version. 14:56 You have NIV for that. 14:58 Yeah, so 5:17 What does that say from NIV? 15:00 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 15:02 the new creation has come, 15:03 the old has gone, the new is here!" 15:05 With an exclamation point. 15:07 Old is gone, the new is here. 15:08 Yeah, amen. Here and now. 15:10 Yeah, that's great. 15:11 Do you have the Amplified, Tim, I put you on the spot. 15:13 Did you bring Amplified? 15:15 Yeah, it's real similar, I mean, 15:17 "Therefore if any person is in Christ, 15:19 he is a new creation, 15:21 the old previous moral 15:23 and spiritual condition has passed away, 15:25 behold, the fresh and new have come." 15:28 Yes. 15:29 Yeah. Amen. 15:30 So the key there is to what be in Christ? 15:33 Yeah, I think that's what we're talking about here 15:34 is that Christian growth. 15:35 But I like that, that yours says spiritual 15:37 and it lists moral, it lists all areas. 15:38 Spiritual condition has passed away. 15:41 Yeah. 15:42 You know, in the Greek for new is kainos, 15:44 which is not new in time. 15:48 It's new in quality. 15:50 And so to me, I love that about this. 15:53 It's also translated in English, you know, 15:56 and in the Hebrew, the word is chadash, 16:00 but it means the same thing. 16:02 It's new in quality not new in time. 16:04 In Psalm 51, where it says, 16:07 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, 16:09 and renew a right spirit." 16:10 The word for renew is the same, as this word for new. 16:13 So instead of meaning, 16:15 God creates something entirely new, 16:16 what it really means 16:18 is He takes the old and He renews it. 16:20 You know, He take the quality changes 16:22 what we used to be the person is still the same, 16:25 but we just have new habits, and a new thought process, 16:28 and everything becomes transformed or new. 16:32 You're still outgoing or you're still shy, 16:35 you still are you 16:36 but you are the best you that He created you to be. 16:40 Nice. God's vision. 16:42 I'm thinking about, I kind of like building, 16:44 so for me it's like doing a remodel then. 16:46 I don't just tear the whole house down, 16:48 but I'm actually just redoing it, 16:49 doing some new paint, or refurb a little bit. 16:52 Yeah, that's good. 16:53 I like that. It's powerful. 16:55 Fresh. Yes. 16:57 Should we move to Isaiah? 16:58 Absolutely. Okay. 17:00 And then we gotta go to cultivation of the soil. 17:01 Yeah. 17:03 We're gonna go to the painful part. 17:05 That's right, that is a little painful, 17:06 isn't it, preparing the soil. 17:08 Isaiah 43:18, 19. 17:13 Who has that? 17:14 "Do not earnestly remember the former things, 17:16 neither consider the things of old. 17:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing! 17:21 Now it springs forth, do you not perceive and know it 17:25 and will you not give heed to it? 17:27 I will even make a way in the wilderness 17:29 and rivers in the desert." 17:30 Amen. 17:32 Yes. Yes. 17:33 Basically, that, to me almost seems impossible 17:35 to put a river in a desert. 17:37 So God can take something that's impossible 17:39 and make something, I think, worthwhile. 17:41 And I believe that's key for all of us. 17:43 You know, you may be at home 17:44 and you feel your life's worth nothing, 17:46 you have nothing to give, 17:48 but God can do something powerful in your life. 17:52 And I like that too, that God, 17:55 wherever we're at, accepts us wherever we're at, 17:58 and He expects us to obey what He's shown us. 18:01 And to go forward, 18:03 and not to just think about the past always 18:04 and be discouraged about where you've been, 18:06 but look that God can do something new in your life. 18:09 You know the desert, 18:10 it can look like it's just a desert, 18:13 but it can rain and it will bloom forth beautifully. 18:17 So even if you feel like a desert, 18:19 if you let the spirit rain upon you, 18:20 you will bloom forth, brand new and beautiful. 18:23 Amen. 18:25 Amen. It's beautiful 18:26 because often we might feel like 18:28 we're in a desert place, you know, 18:30 in life or in the journey we go through. 18:32 Just this week I went through a desert experience, 18:35 you can say one of those. 18:37 Oh, one of those days and you just think 18:40 this is, God can still pour something new. 18:42 God can still bring something beautiful, 18:45 even if it looks dry or it looks barren and dusty, 18:49 God can bring forth something new 18:51 which is just precious. 18:54 I know we try not to date these programs too much, 18:56 but where they had that lots of rain 18:58 in California out west 19:00 where it tends to be desert and they talked about... 19:02 Again, it's the great poppy bloom 19:04 of all those wild poppies out. 19:05 Have you seen those out there? 19:07 I haven't seen it, I just saw some pictures 19:08 that happened this spring 19:10 from all the rain that they had, 19:12 I guess all those valleys 19:13 and stuff out there in California 19:15 where it tends to be kind of barren, 19:16 looking just like, come to life and just all this orange, 19:18 it's just incredible. 19:20 Absolutely barren. 19:21 For sure there's life there. 19:23 Yeah, for sure. 19:26 So when you get ready to plant some. 19:28 Okay. You're starting, sorry. 19:30 No, I'm just thinking, 19:31 yeah, Dee, like you're saying this can be kind of painful, 19:34 the cultivation process. 19:36 In springtime here in Southern Illinois, 19:38 I like that because there's, you know, the tractors 19:40 and, of course, I like heavy equipment 19:42 and, man, they go out there in the field 19:43 and that ground that kind of gets compacted. 19:46 They take their little disks or little plows 19:49 and they start plowing that soil up 19:52 and there's a reason they do that. 19:55 Why did they plow the soil 19:57 in preparation to plant the seed, 19:58 do you think? 19:59 That's why they do it. 20:01 In preparation to plant the seed 20:02 you have to get the air. 20:04 You can't stick that seed down. 20:05 I just answered my own question, didn't I? 20:07 You did. But that was good. 20:08 And it's not just big equipment. 20:09 If I don't have big equipment, 20:11 I'm just planning little things and I have to take this spade, 20:15 and I drive it into the ground and loosen up. 20:18 And make it light, and loose, and airy 20:20 to get the seed down in there, and the water, so it can grow. 20:23 The seed can't grow if it's locked like in rock 20:26 and some of our ground feels like rock 20:28 around here sometimes. 20:30 But it takes strength to dig up that ground. 20:34 Yeah. The power of the Lord. 20:36 The personal, you got it. 20:39 God has His own. 20:41 I don't think He uses a big... 20:43 Sometimes you may have to use like a big cultivator. 20:45 But even more often 20:47 I find Him using like a little spade, 20:49 and I'm getting right 20:51 in the nitty-gritty, personal crevices 20:53 that He needs to get my attention. 20:55 And if He wants me to go there sometimes. 20:58 He's just run over me the tractor. 20:59 Yeah, right. That's true. 21:00 You may feel like you've been run over by a tractor. 21:03 But yeah, that's true too, anyway. 21:05 I think it's true. 21:06 Right, exactly. 21:08 The scalpel. Yep. 21:10 But it's important, I believe, to till the soil 21:12 like you're saying to, Tim, 21:13 because that's where it gets 'cause the seed, 21:14 if you just lay the seed out, 21:16 I mean, there's some seeds that would do this, 21:17 you laid it out on the table might somehow come to sprouting 21:18 if you got a little moisture there, 21:20 but most of the time, 21:21 the seed needs to be put and planted into something. 21:24 You know, there's the parable 21:26 that Christ gave of the sower and the seed. 21:28 Was it in Luke? 21:30 I think I wrote that down here in Luke 8. 21:31 That's why He takes our stony heart out, 21:34 and puts a heart of flesh in there. 21:37 So it is soft and can be planted 21:39 to grow what He puts in there. 21:41 So how do you think then God plows us? 21:42 We're talking about the soils we know about planting a seed. 21:44 So how do you think God plows us? 21:48 With the gentlest hand that we allow. 21:50 So what would that be? 21:51 I mean, what would be something in our life 21:53 that would be maybe a plowing apart? 21:55 Now sometimes if... 21:57 Sometimes don't we kind of go along 21:59 and we're kind in a rut or something, 22:02 and God can get our attention several ways. 22:08 There's been times when I thought 22:09 maybe God was telling me to do something, 22:12 and I didn't do it. 22:14 And then later there was this regret or you saw, 22:16 "Oh, I should have helped that person 22:18 or I should have done that." 22:19 So I think He gets our attention 22:21 by letting us see something that He was going to let us do. 22:26 And we were so hard hearted 22:29 that we didn't pay any attention 22:30 and didn't do it, so that's one way. 22:32 That's a small way that He can get our attentions 22:36 through big things like illnesses or death. 22:40 I mean, it can... 22:42 It's the gamut of whatever we need, 22:44 whatever it's gonna take to get our attention, 22:47 but it's usually something 22:50 that is not pleasant in our life. 22:52 It gets us out of our comfort zone. 22:54 There's some of the plowing that God can do. 22:56 Any other thoughts about plowing, 22:58 how our lives can be plowed? 23:00 I think this point in my life 23:03 being older and being around a while, 23:05 I often experiences not, "Oh, I disobeyed." 23:09 I heard God and I decided not to do it. 23:10 But it's much more for me 23:12 that just kind of closed my ears. 23:14 I don't want to listen right now, you know. 23:16 So that often leads to God getting my attention 23:22 in ways and that, to me, that's what I think of 23:23 when I think of this plowing as it. 23:26 He wants to do good work in me 23:28 and oftentimes I'll not be ready for it 23:30 or be unwilling. 23:32 It's not that I'm out doing bad things, 23:35 but I'm just not attuning my ear. 23:37 I'm not listening. 23:38 And the plowing for me at that point 23:41 is some circumstance or some remembrance. 23:45 God will either, 23:46 He'll get my attention usually in a way that is necessary. 23:50 I think one time He said last time or something 23:52 that the volume that's necessary 23:54 to get your attention. 23:56 So that's a good incentive to be, 23:59 to tune your ear to the Lord as quietly as you can. 24:02 That's good. 24:04 Maybe we get into where we're kind of 24:05 taking our relationship for granted, 24:07 maybe we're not doing bad things. 24:10 We're just kind of going along 24:13 with how we've always gone along and not grown. 24:16 So what happens if you don't grow? 24:18 If your blueberries are not growing, what happens? 24:20 Yeah, that's a good point? 24:23 I think He uses our friendships too, 24:26 till we kind of, I know, 24:28 with you and Jill, it's fun to know each other, 24:31 work with each other enough 24:34 to where we can be involved in each other's life 24:36 and speaking into, you know, and we can share things 24:39 and so sometimes I think He helps us grow. 24:42 And that's why it's important to cultivate friendships. 24:45 You're right. That's good. 24:47 The words, where we can speak into each other's lives 24:48 and not be offended 24:50 or not take it offensively when I see something in you 24:54 that I think that could stand improvement, 24:58 especially when you show signs of maybe something 25:01 that you're going through. 25:03 Yeah. 25:05 No, that's a good point, Tim. 25:06 Yeah, here God is using us as human beings 25:08 to actually speak into someone else's life. 25:10 I like that. That's loving each other. 25:13 Proverbs 27 says, "As iron sharpens iron, 25:15 so one man sharpens the countenance of his friend." 25:18 So God does some cultivating and some sharpening, 25:22 but we help to refine each other as well. 25:25 You know, that's powerful. 25:27 And use the person as a tool. Right. 25:29 I was gonna say that to add to my comment, 25:31 God's voice sounds remarkably like my wife a lot of times. 25:35 Yeah, that's sweet in other words. 25:37 Yeah. 25:38 You know, I think cultivation even for me personally, 25:40 could be like, you know, in the devotions, 25:41 you know, I can read a text one day, 25:43 and then I'm going through it again, 25:45 several months later, read the same text, 25:46 and it's like, oh, so to me, 25:48 it's almost the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 25:50 I think sometimes then, you know, 25:51 trying to plant that seed, trying to till that soil up 25:53 just so I'm like recognizing that, 25:55 wow, "I'm trying to plant a seed here, son. 25:57 You know, listen, I'm trying to speak to you 25:59 through the Word, through friends. 26:02 Yeah, to me that's cultivation too. 26:03 It's just the conviction of the Holy Spirit 26:06 stirring up the soil. 26:08 Don't you love how you read a scripture once 26:10 and God shows you one thing 26:11 and then six months down the road 26:13 you read the same scripture and it's entirely new 26:16 or what you glean from it 26:18 or what the Holy Spirit convicts you up. 26:20 I was thinking, we're talking cultivation. 26:21 I know we need to go to a scripture here. 26:23 Let's look at Hosea. 26:26 But as we turn to Hosea, 26:28 do you think cultivation is a one time process? 26:30 What I mean by that is cultivation the first time 26:34 when I accept Jesus as my Savior? 26:36 You know, does He cultivate my heart 26:38 before He first plants that seed in my heart? 26:41 And we could say born again 26:43 or born a new or is cultivation a process 26:46 that happens on a daily process? 26:50 It's daily. 26:53 How does the land work in the physical world? 26:56 Can you just plow up the ground once 26:58 and it never needs to be plowed again? 27:00 You got to go down the rows and get the weeds out. 27:02 The weeds out, yeah, that's correct. 27:03 Yep. 27:04 So that's still cultivation too. 27:06 Ongoing... And I believe that... 27:07 Go ahead. No, after you. 27:09 Well, I believe that God has also planted... 27:11 We have the initial seed, 27:12 let's say of, you know, the conversion experience. 27:13 But there's always these little seeds 27:15 that God is planting 27:16 and wanting to plant in my life. 27:18 It's just a great thing, I guess, I don't know. 27:19 But then so He tried to plant new things. 27:21 So that's where the soil needs to be fresh 27:23 and kind of tilled up, 27:24 then like you mentioned, Tim, taking out the weeds 27:26 and that for the stuff that's maturing. 27:27 Go ahead. 27:29 It was same thing when Jesus says 27:32 to, was it Peter about washing his feet, 27:35 and he says, "Well, just give me a bath." 27:36 The whole thing. 27:38 And He said, "No, just the feet is that all you need." 27:40 So you don't have to go out and till up the whole field, 27:43 just go down the rows in between 27:45 and around the plants that's going. 27:47 So, yeah. Oh, that's good. 27:48 You pick the right verse obviously for this, 27:51 talking about the fallow ground or the unplowed ground. 27:53 That's right. 27:54 Yeah, you wanna read that, Robert. 27:56 Well, Hosea 10:12, 27:57 "Sow righteousness for yourselves, 27:58 reap the fruit of unfailing love, 28:00 and break up your unplowed ground, 28:03 for it is time to seek the Lord, 28:04 until He comes and showers His righteousness on you. 28:08 That's a good verse. Wow. That's great. 28:10 What does your say, Tim, the Amplified? 28:11 Yeah, it just says, that one part says, 28:13 "Break up your uncultivated ground, 28:15 for it is time to seek the Lord to inquire for and of Him 28:18 and to require His favor till He comes 28:21 and teaches you righteousness 28:22 and reigns His righteous gift of salvation upon you." 28:27 So perhaps we have ground that we don't recognize 28:31 as uncultivated and He points it out to us. 28:36 Oh, you have this little piece over here then. 28:39 The back 40 as I say, till up the back 40. 28:44 Yeah, you've got the front done. 28:46 Let me show, 28:47 let me shine a light back here in the back 40 28:48 and so he was laying back there. 28:51 And that's what could be painful 28:53 and hurts a little bit, 28:54 but that's we have to learn to. 28:55 'Cause you're already a Christian. 28:57 That's true. 28:58 Yes, I think to answer your question. 29:00 As far as, you know, do we, is it just a once cultivation, 29:03 I don't think so. 29:04 What do you think? No, I agree. 29:05 I think it's, 29:07 I think you definitely are cultivating in the beginning, 29:08 we know it's the goodness of God 29:09 that leads us to repentance. 29:11 So for us to even desire God, 29:12 it means the Holy Spirit's working in our heart. 29:14 And that's a beautiful thing. 29:16 And then we accept Him as our Savior but then 29:19 that cultivation process is continual. 29:22 It's a lifetime. 29:23 It is a lifetime allowing Him to cultivate. 29:27 If we're lucky or if not we're lucky, 29:29 if we're smart, if we will pay attention to it, 29:33 those who again who don't take a clue from God, 29:38 you know, that things need to be weeded. 29:41 Yeah, because there are those who don't, you know, 29:43 and they, they've just stopped bearing fruit 29:46 because they've let the weeds anyway. 29:49 Yeah, choke them out. So, yeah. 29:51 That's how we stay new with the cultivation constantly. 29:55 Right. 29:57 I always look it as the Three R's 29:58 when we look at this whole section, 30:00 sowing righteousness, reaping in mercy, 30:01 breaking up the fallow ground. 30:03 To me it's recognition, 30:04 it's repentance, and it's revival. 30:06 That's good. 30:07 So first of all you have to recognize 30:09 you need your fallow ground plowed up. 30:11 You know, we have to recognize 30:13 that we need God to do some cultivation. 30:15 And the Holy Spirit is the one who shows us. 30:18 So the Holy Spirit does the recognizing, 30:20 if we're willing to let Him show us. 30:23 And then the Holy Spirit's 30:25 the one who draws us to repentance. 30:27 So and then the Holy Spirit's the one who brings revival, 30:30 so it's all about God is just me allowing Him 30:34 to plow up the ground, 30:36 me allowing Him to do that work inside. 30:40 That's a good point. 30:41 So really, we're not the ones that do the plowing, right? 30:44 No, He has to do it. 30:47 I think sometimes we may try and plow other people 30:49 or we try and do a little plow in ourselves 30:52 and make the road all crooked and not very straight. 30:57 You damage. 30:59 For the next verse, you picked out Jeremiah 24:7. 31:01 Oh, yeah, let me turn their real quick. 31:03 Robert's on a mission. 31:06 I love that one too. 31:07 Listen to this, I'll give them a heart to know Me. 31:09 Jeremiah 24:7. 31:12 This is the Lord speaking, 31:13 "I will give them a heart to know Me that I am the Lord. 31:16 They will be My people, and I will be their God, 31:18 for they will return to Me with all their heart." 31:21 Wow. Whole heart. 31:25 That's when I'm broken hearted is when I realize 31:28 that I'm not where I'm supposed to be, 31:30 or I hurt somebody else, or I hurt, 31:31 and really you hurt the Lord 31:32 no matter who you hurt, you hurt the Lord. 31:35 And it's like, "I want to come back 31:36 with all of me with my whole heart, 31:38 take my whole heart, all of me needs renewing." 31:44 And I'm just so grateful 31:47 that He returned that I can return to Him 31:50 with my whole heart and He accepts my whole heart, 31:54 even though that whole heart is not what it should be. 31:56 Yeah. 31:58 I love the verse before 31:59 because it goes with the planting as well 32:00 in verse 6, 32:02 "I will build them and not pull them down, 32:04 I'll plant them and not pluck them up. 32:07 Amen. 32:09 Yeah. 32:10 You start off talking about gardening. 32:12 I had a brooder pluck up one of my apple trees. 32:18 Several years ago I planted two apple trees 32:21 and for some reason 32:23 I don't know I think one withered, 32:25 one of them flourished and is flourishing. 32:27 In fact, this last week 32:29 had all the beautiful apple blossoms on it. 32:32 But the other one is withered, not that far apart really. 32:37 Isn't that the same with people? 32:38 Put the same love and care I think to both of them, 32:42 planted them the same. 32:44 And that's a good object lesson for me, 32:46 it's just. 32:48 I don't know. 32:50 I don't understand gardening enough to know 32:51 what exactly happened physically 32:53 but metaphorically 32:54 it was a very interesting lesson for me. 32:57 Two trees planted side by side, one flourished and one didn't. 33:02 With people it's the choices that we make. 33:06 Speaking of the planting process, 33:07 should we look at the planting? 33:09 I think we should. 33:10 So we're talking about cultivating the soil. 33:12 Let's look at John 12:24, 33:13 the planting process 'cause that's important. 33:15 Nothing ever grows unless you first plant it, 33:18 so that's important. 33:20 Yeah, you can just till up the soil nice, looks pretty, 33:22 without planting your seeds. 33:24 Free from weeds and I think it's even. 33:26 I got some volunteer dandelion 33:27 that I did not plant and they come up. 33:30 So I don't have to... 33:33 That's the weeding process. 33:34 You bounced that. Okay. 33:37 But they say that those dandelion greens 33:38 are good for you, so I don't know. 33:39 See, that's right. Yeah, though they say. 33:42 So you can actually eat the yellow flower too? 33:44 They say so, yes. 33:46 And the leaves. After you. 33:48 Don't go home and eat dandelions. 33:50 I always tell them they can have all they want 33:52 out of my yard. 33:55 So John 12:24. 33:58 Isn't this interesting? 33:59 Yeah, you read, Tim. 34:01 "I assure you most solemnly I tell you, 34:02 unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, 34:06 it remains just one grain. 34:08 It never becomes more, but lives by itself alone. 34:12 But if it dies, it produces many others 34:14 and yields a rich harvest." 34:17 I want to just go ahead and read 25, 34:18 'cause it's so close. 34:20 "Anyone who loves his life loses it, 34:22 but anyone who hates his life in this world 34:23 will keep it to life eternal." 34:25 Amen. It's powerful. 34:27 So, the Lord has really shown me 34:32 a lot about death lately. 34:34 And how, you know, we are dead to our sins, that reminding me, 34:40 you know, I have friends who are battling addictions, 34:45 and, 34:47 you know, I try not to be 34:50 really over spiritual with it, 34:55 but I just, you know, say as a Christian, 34:58 "I am dead to my sin." 34:59 That means I'm dead to it. 35:00 You know, if a dead person doesn't know anything, 35:02 then I don't know to sin. 35:05 But I've got to take that on, I've got to die to it. 35:09 I've got to, you know, 35:10 I've got to sign the death certificate myself 35:13 and say, "I'm not gonna do this anymore." 35:14 So in the same way, 35:18 we have to die to ourselves as verse 24 is saying, 35:23 "If it dies, it produces many others 35:25 and yields a rich harvest." 35:27 So anyway. Yeah. 35:29 So when we die to ourselves, 35:31 it's really God who produces that produce, 35:33 that rich harvest 35:35 because it's His seed living in us 35:38 that grows abundantly. 35:40 'Cause we really can't produce anything on our own, 35:43 it's the Holy Spirit and God who produces it. 35:46 I mean, kind of sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? 35:48 Actually, something die to live and to produce more. 35:51 I mean, you think about those people 35:54 in different parts of the country, 35:56 even up here in the US, 35:57 but they have seeds and it's like, let's say corn. 35:59 Okay, do I eat the corn because it's food 36:02 or should I plant some of that in order to make more? 36:04 Well, I know when I plan it, it doesn't make sense 36:07 it's like my food going into one kernel 36:08 at a time in there. 36:10 It's like, wow, I could eat that little kernel of corn. 36:12 But when you plant that kernel of corn, 36:14 and it dies, or as rots, so to speak, 36:16 and puts that little root down, 36:18 then before you know that little shoot comes up, 36:19 and then that corn stock, 36:21 they plant corn behind our house, 36:23 it grows 10 feet tall or so maybe even 12 feet tall. 36:26 And then sure enough, 36:27 there comes that ear of corn and then wow, 36:30 I don't know how many kernels are on that ear of corn. 36:32 Do you guys know? 36:34 Anyway, it's a lot more than one 36:35 because they planted one. 36:36 And then you have multiple ears of corn 36:38 and now that you have so much more. 36:40 And like you're saying, Tim, 36:41 you know, for us to die when we were all in agreement. 36:45 It can be a tough thing. 36:46 It may not make sense like why am I dying to myself, 36:49 but God can then make more fruit. 36:51 Yeah, and we can produce tremendous amount of fruit. 36:54 Because they make those packages 36:58 at down at the Rural King here in Illinois we have them 37:00 and they have these racks of seed packs. 37:04 And the picture is so beautiful. 37:08 So I could take that home and just set it on my shelf. 37:11 And there's I mean, it's just a pretty picture. 37:16 Yeah. 37:17 So that thing has to go in the ground to die. 37:19 And that's just like us we have to die. 37:24 Yep, anyway. 37:25 That's why spiritual things 37:26 have to be spiritually discerned 37:28 because they seem so strange to secular earth. 37:32 They're backwards of God's ways. 37:36 Opposite, yeah. 37:37 You gonna say something, Robert? 37:39 It wasn't really relevant. 37:40 I was gonna say it in my mind, 37:41 I was gonna go look at few times beforehand, 37:43 I looked up how many, 37:44 what the average number of kernels on it. 37:46 Yeah, on ear of a corn I can see your wheels turning. 37:49 Wheels turning. Yeah. 37:51 But it is interesting when we make those choices. 37:55 Do I plant the one kernel and grow a lot of fruit, 37:58 or do I hold on to this one, this is mine, it's mine. 38:03 So do I hang on to self or do I blossom? 38:07 You know, it's interesting to me 38:08 and I love the Book of Romans. 38:10 It's just one of my personal favorite books. 38:12 And if you look at Romans Chapter 7, 38:15 there's that whole battle 38:16 between what I do and what I wanna do. 38:21 So I want to do right but yet I'm not doing right. 38:24 And yet the things I don't wanna do, 38:26 I end up doing. 38:27 And he ends it with saying, 38:29 "Wretched man that I am, who can deliver me 38:31 from this body of death." 38:32 And then, of course, Romans 8 the Holy Spirit comes in 38:35 and we see the transforming grace 38:37 and power of God in the Christian's life. 38:40 But if you look at Romans 7:17, 38:42 this talking about this whole thing of death, 38:44 "It is no longer I who does it, but sin that dwells in me." 38:50 So on the one side, it's not even me doing the bad 38:53 it's because I allowed sin 38:55 to take up residence in my heart 38:57 and if you contrast that with Galatians 2:20, it says, 39:01 "I'm crucified with Christ," 39:03 there's that death to self and sin. 39:05 "Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me." 39:10 So the one case it's not me doing it, 39:13 it's sin that's living in me. 39:15 Over here, it's not me doing anything good, 39:18 it's Jesus that's living in me. 39:21 And the difference 39:22 is who takes up residence in our heart. 39:25 We're willing to die to self to have that planting process, 39:29 but then it's God living in us, 39:32 God's producing fruit, He's doing it. 39:34 It's not me gritting my teeth 39:36 and trying harder or doing more. 39:39 It's letting Him live. 39:40 The more we relax into the Lord and die to self 39:44 and just commit to that, the easier it is, 39:49 the more you walk in that life, the more you want it. 39:53 I do not wanna go backwards, 39:55 I don't even want to go back to what I was 10 years ago. 39:58 I appreciate what God is doing in me. 40:04 And it's what and who I want to be. 40:08 Because the closer you draw to the Lord, 40:10 the more you become like Him, 40:11 but the more you wanna be like Him. 40:15 So then you wanna die, you want to cultivate, 40:18 you want that cultivation. 40:21 I love having God use my friends and co-workers 40:25 to grow me. 40:27 I wanna listen, 40:29 and nobody hesitates around here to say now, Dee. 40:34 But it's you do it out of love. 40:36 And I wanna pay attention because and I love it. 40:39 Somebody said to me not too long ago, 40:43 that they could see a change in me 40:44 and so that's God also planting 40:48 into your life water to help grow. 40:52 So He doesn't just cultivate, 40:55 He plants the water to grow that makes you wanna grow more. 41:01 But that is interesting, you know, 41:03 there is that that seed of weed in there 41:07 because again as I'm looking out my window, 41:11 I'm seeing these dandelions, 41:12 I'm thinking nobody planted that, 41:14 you know, you got all this grass, 41:15 this grass is growing along. 41:16 Along come some weed, I'm thinking, 41:18 "How did it that even get there." 41:19 And so that sin it's not me, it's that sin that... 41:26 Satan is a roaring lion. 41:28 Yeah, but this seed of weed... 41:32 Sinful nature we're born with. 41:34 Yeah. 41:36 And yet we want Christ to be the overbearing, 41:39 overpowering source of course in our life. 41:43 But if you water and plant the grass, 41:46 the grass can outgrow the weed 41:48 if you don't let the weed get out of control. 41:50 If you let the weed get out of control, 41:52 it will take over the good. 41:54 But if you will keep that grass growing 41:58 and keep the good growing, you can overpower the weed. 42:02 But you have to be paying attention 42:06 I was thinking to the seed packs, 42:07 Tim, you unpackaged it, 42:09 like you mentioned Rural King, 42:10 well, you go to Rural King, right? 42:12 You know, the springtime all those seed packets 42:14 and you look at all those pretty pictures 42:15 like you're mentioning, Tim, 42:17 and, you know, you can see I mean there's like beautiful, 42:18 a watermelon, and squash, and tomatoes, and lettuce, 42:21 you know, you wanna like buy all of them 42:23 because like, "Wow, this is gonna be really good." 42:25 But you know if I just take those seed packets 42:27 and just sit them in my window 42:28 and don't do anything with them, 42:31 well that's not gonna give me anything. 42:32 I'm not going to get any lettuce, or squash, 42:33 or tomatoes, or anything. 42:35 So I have to do something, 42:37 I have to actually take the seed out and plant it, 42:40 and then we start getting a harvest just something grows. 42:43 Through our own lives, you know, 42:44 we can look at other people and say, 42:45 "Well, look at Mary, look at Tim, 42:48 well, they got so many talents, they're doing so well. 42:51 I'm just sitting back here." 42:52 But, you know, we ourselves can also become something 42:55 because easy to look and compare ourselves 42:56 is what I'm getting at amongst ourselves 42:57 and other people, 42:59 but God wants us to do something 43:00 in our own lives. 43:02 Take action, when He's speaking to us, 43:03 do some cultivation. 43:05 Let God plant those little seeds in our life 43:07 and let them come to a positive fruition. 43:11 See, I could be just very jealous of Tim, 43:13 I love music. 43:15 But I'm not, 43:17 God did not give me that talent. 43:19 So I could just sit back and say, 43:20 "Well, I can't do music so I'm not gonna do anything. 43:24 You got a lot of gifts, Dee. 43:26 I know, but everybody has a lot of gifts. 43:28 That's the point. 43:30 Do not covet other people's gifts, 43:33 pay attention to your own gifts. 43:36 Don't look at other gifts, 43:38 let God cultivate in you what He planted in you. 43:43 Not what He planted in someone else. 43:46 And there's too many people that wanna be somebody else. 43:51 Be yourself. 43:52 So once you plant the seed, 43:54 then it has to get some type of moisture, right? 43:56 You want to do watering. 43:58 Because you can put it in a dry ground 44:02 and it takes an awful lot if you just put it 44:04 with no water, no moisture, whatsoever. 44:06 For seed to sprout, to have seeds need moisture. 44:10 And it's really neat 44:12 if you've seen some of the time lapse, 44:13 if you ever seen time lapse, 44:14 you could see the sprout, isn't that neat? 44:16 You see swells, and also you can see 44:17 the little green thing come out, 44:19 you know, one leaves, two leaves, three leaves, 44:21 then there's the stock, it needs water. 44:24 What do you think the water is for us spiritually? 44:26 What is water? 44:28 Dee, you're trying to raise your hand? 44:29 You don't have to raise your hand, 44:31 just say it. 44:32 It's the Holy Spirit. Okay. 44:33 You have any scripture for that? 44:35 I think right. Let's see. 44:37 I'm in John 7:37. 44:40 Okay. 44:41 If I'm on the right page here, 37. 44:46 "On the last day, that great day of the feast, 44:49 Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 44:50 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.' 44:55 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 44:57 out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 45:01 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, 45:04 the Holy Spirit 45:06 whom those believing in Him 45:07 would receive for the Holy Spirit 45:09 had not yet been given there." 45:11 But this is where we flow the Holy Spirit and the water. 45:16 Amen. 45:18 Yeah, why do y'all think water is important? 45:21 What is it... 45:23 I mean, obviously we know it's important for the seed. 45:25 It nourishes the soul and water is life giving. 45:30 It is life giving. 45:32 Do you know what water does to a seed? 45:33 I don't, so I'm asking you. 45:36 I'm not a scientist or nor really a farmer 45:38 but to me it actually makes the seed 45:39 actually get soft, 45:41 you know the shell get a little bit soft 45:42 and then allows it... 45:44 I don't know how God does it to me, it's a miracle 45:46 that there's life in that seed 45:48 and it allows the shell the whole become soft, 45:51 and somehow it gets a little bit of life into it. 45:53 And it wants to put the little shoot out 45:55 because what's amazing to me it's buried in the soil 45:57 so it's not getting light, right? 46:00 But it's interesting that the root goes down 46:01 and the little shoot comes up to try and get light, 46:03 which is the photosynthesis 46:04 and the sunshine that we're gonna talk about. 46:06 But to me the water is actually with the softening of the seed. 46:09 I like to think and this just kind of popped into my mind, 46:12 no pun intended either way, 46:14 but like with popcorn, 46:16 you know, it's the moisture whenever the... 46:19 The kernel. 46:20 Yeah, in the kernel, that once it gets hot, it pops. 46:24 And so I think the kind of the same way 46:26 and so I'm trying to, 46:28 you know, correlate the spirit, 46:30 you know, allowing that, 46:31 the Holy Spirit in our lives to, you know, make us... 46:35 Open yourself. 46:38 Yeah, break through that shell, so to speak. 46:41 Yeah, that's good. 46:43 Maybe those of you at home can... 46:45 Let the Holy Spirit let us know. 46:47 Let us know right in. 46:49 He uses other people to do that too 46:51 because watering is when you also encourage someone else, 46:56 the Holy Spirit impresses upon you. 46:58 "Oh, that person looks like 47:00 they could use a word of encouragement." 47:01 A word of encouragement is watering too 47:03 and it's through the Holy Spirit. 47:05 And so it lifts you up and it expands. 47:09 So that when you're thirsty it satisfies you physically, 47:15 if you get thirsty and you drink water, 47:17 that's the only thing that's really satisfying. 47:19 Right. 47:21 Good. No, go ahead. 47:22 I was just thinking obviously, 47:23 you know, once the seed actually sprouts? 47:25 and comes through, that's not it. 47:26 It doesn't need the water just for that. 47:27 So we're not talking just watering 47:29 to get the seed going, 47:30 but we need to continually, 47:32 you know, water. 47:33 You ever water your plants, Robert? 47:34 Occasionally. 47:36 That means they need a little more watering. 47:38 You have all these stories. 47:39 I was just thinking my 19 year old daughter 47:41 she loves cactuses and desert plants, 47:43 so she had them all arrayed. 47:46 She recently moved out 47:47 and left her cactus collection at home 47:51 and my wife and I managed to kill her cactuses. 47:53 Certainly some of them. No way. 47:54 Not sure how we did that. You probably overwatered them. 47:55 Did you overwater them, you think? 47:57 No. Under water them. 47:59 I'm not sure. 48:00 Neglect, either way. 48:02 I say, I'll put a little green thumb 48:03 when you grow cactus, right? 48:05 Yeah, I'm not sure. 48:06 Yeah, but all plants need some type of water, 48:08 some like cactus don't need water, very little, 48:11 but everything needs, you know, some type of water. 48:12 Yeah, my little African violet, if you overwater it, it'll die. 48:16 It needs the right amount. 48:19 And the Holy Spirit knows the right amount, 48:24 but water is always... 48:28 Water is what it takes for the continual growth. 48:31 The Holy Spirit, we cannot lose the Holy Spirit 48:33 or we lose our connection to life. 48:36 That's a good point, Dee, 48:37 'cause the Holy Spirit knows how much water, 48:39 you know, if you plant like here, 48:40 there's a lot of soybean and corn. 48:42 And if you plant it and you get a heavy rain, 48:45 it'll actually make the soil so hard 48:47 once it dries out 48:48 that the seed actually they call it suffocating 48:51 is what the farmers here told me. 48:52 That it suffocates 48:53 and the seed can't even get through the soil, 48:55 and that's where it gets too much rain. 48:57 So I like what you said 48:58 the Holy Spirit knows just the right amount, 49:00 what type of plant we are for cactus, 49:02 or for an apple tree, or I don't know... 49:04 A blueberry. A blueberry. 49:06 Yes, cherries. 49:07 God knows exactly what we need and how to water us. 49:10 That's good, Dee. 49:11 And watering also is coming together 49:13 to worshipping together. 49:15 That's why it's important to fellowship together. 49:18 I know some people say, 49:20 "Well, I don't need to go to church to be a Christian." 49:21 Well, no, you don't. 49:23 But first of all, 49:24 you get watered by worshipping there. 49:26 If you go there and you worship 49:28 and the Holy Spirit falls upon you, it's watering. 49:31 But you water each other too. 49:34 Fellowship is very important for the growth 49:36 and the watering of each other. 49:39 Now, the studies have been... 49:40 I spoke with Jill earlier, 49:42 the studies been really challenging for me 49:43 because I've never really pictured in my life 49:46 and growth in Christ in terms of quite this... 49:49 Yeah, planting. Plants. 49:51 It's always been more 49:53 in context of Jesus is the vine, 49:57 we're the branches. 49:58 And so my concept of growing 50:00 has always been post to ground and seed and all that, 50:04 it's always been more 50:05 in terms of the vine and the branches. 50:07 And so it's been interesting 50:10 diving into this and breaking it apart 50:11 like you did, it's really good. 50:13 I guess I've just always 50:15 ties in with the Holy Spirit as I've always seen my recipe 50:20 for success and growth 50:21 in the Christian life has been being, 50:25 you know, I'm three parts basically 50:27 body, soul, and spirit. 50:28 And my body and my soul power in it. 50:33 And we've talked about this complicated 50:34 trying to unpack that, but basically our body and soul 50:36 are not very good masters. 50:38 They're good servants, but they're not good masters. 50:40 And my spirit, 50:41 full of the Holy Spirit is a great master 50:43 and should be the master and should be, 50:45 you know, controlling body and soul 50:49 subjugated to my spirit. 50:50 When I somehow get that aligned right, 50:53 that's when I'm most successful. 50:55 That's when I'm hearing the voice of Lord. 50:56 That's when I'm growing. 50:58 And so that's going through this kind of construct 51:01 the seed, and the watering, and the cultivating, 51:04 and all those things really been interesting 51:05 and fruitful for me. 51:07 No pun intended. Fruitful. 51:08 Well, it's good, Robert. 51:10 See, John. Go ahead. 51:12 It's been very helpful. 51:13 So I thank you for allowing me to join. 51:16 This has been very interesting and eye opening. 51:19 John 6:63, it says, 51:22 "It is the Spirit who gives life, 51:25 the flesh profits nothing." 51:27 The words that I speak to you, that's the Bible. 51:31 "I speak to you are spirit and they are life." 51:34 So the words, the Holy Spirit, they are alive. 51:37 Amen. 51:39 And if you take that along 51:40 with the words or spirit in life, 51:41 I think of Ephesians 5:26, it talks about, 51:43 "God cleanses us 51:45 with the washing of the water of the Word." 51:47 So the word that He speaks to us is the spirit, 51:50 but it's also the living Word. 51:53 And so I think about the Word of God 51:56 has to me equal part in this growing process. 51:59 We need the Holy Spirit desperately 52:02 in that growing process. 52:03 But I also need to spend time in God's Word 52:06 because when I read His Word, it changes me. 52:10 And God uses that in that watering process 52:13 and that, you know, soaking the soil 52:16 and helping the plant grow. 52:17 And it brings sunshine into our life. 52:19 Jesus, the Son of God is the sunshine 52:21 that grows us too. 52:22 Amen. 52:24 We have much more, we have sunshine. 52:25 So this is not the whole growing process. 52:27 We have the sunshine, the weed care, 52:28 and then we talked about the harvest and fruit, 52:30 but we are not gonna have time. 52:32 We might have to do part two. 52:34 We may, let's do that 52:35 as they're growing, planting, harvesting. 52:36 I tease Jill when I saw this, 52:38 I said, "Jill, you know, we only get to spend an hour." 52:41 But I think, you know, God wants fruit 52:43 to come from all of us, 52:44 you know, that's the key. 52:46 And so it's not just for ourselves, 52:48 to nourish ourselves 52:49 but to give fruit to others, and to be an example. 52:51 I like what you mentioned about the Word. 52:52 There's a lot that can be found in God's Word. 52:54 That's the cultivation of Holy Spirit speaking to us 52:56 as listening to him. 52:58 Should we have some short prayers here 53:00 as we close? 53:01 We hope that you've enjoyed the study. 53:03 And hopefully you pray with us here, 53:04 bow your heads and have your own prayers. 53:06 We pray here. 53:07 Dee, do you want to start this evening, 53:09 we'll just go around the circle. 53:10 My dear Heavenly Father, 53:11 we just ask that our hearts will be open to You, 53:13 so that You can plow the ground 53:15 and plant the seeds in us, Lord, 53:18 because we want to draw closer to You 53:20 and we'll spend the Sabbath hours with You 53:23 growing and being watered and we just thank You, Father. 53:28 Father, I thank You that Your Word is practical. 53:32 Thank You that Your Word is life. 53:35 Thank You that You can work in my life. 53:38 And as I allow You to, 53:41 You can make things obvious to me 53:44 that I need to work on. 53:45 I appreciate Your patience, Your guidance. 53:48 Thank You for not throwing me away, 53:50 not throwing me into the compost pile. 53:52 But I just pray that 53:55 You will give me the wisdom to continue to grow in You 53:58 and to do all the things 54:00 that I know Your Word commands me to do 54:02 and Your Spirit reminds me to do. 54:04 So, I want to be pleasing to You. 54:07 And thank You, Father, for this time together. 54:10 I love You, Lord. 54:12 Lord, thank You that You called me 54:14 and all of Your disciples to be followers of You, 54:17 to be disciples. 54:19 I thank You that You've equipped us 54:22 with all that we need to do that, 54:23 and You've not left us alone or astray. 54:28 You've given us Your Holy Spirit. 54:31 And, Lord, I pray for myself 54:32 and for all the people watching. 54:35 And we will tune our ears to hear Your voice, 54:40 and follow Your commands. 54:42 Lord, fill us with Your Holy Spirit 54:44 even more than we know how to practice. 54:48 I just thank You today, Lord. 54:50 You've given us what we need, 54:52 to fulfill Your commission and Your commands. 54:55 And I pray that we would all love each other. 54:58 Yes. 55:00 Thank You. 55:02 Thank You, God, You're on the throne. 55:06 Thank You for Your mercies that are new every morning. 55:08 And that You are the one 55:10 who draws us with Your courts of law. 55:13 Right now we just respond to, 55:15 Lord, we ask that You would come in, 55:18 that You would plant Your word deep in our hearts 55:21 that we would allow You. 55:25 I asked that I would allow You to do the hard work necessary, 55:29 Father, that I could die to myself and my sin. 55:34 And by the power of Your Holy Spirit, 55:38 that You would do a new thing, 55:39 God, where there's deserts where it's dry and barren. 55:43 Lord, we ask that 55:44 You would bring forth fruits in abundance. 55:47 I pray for my brothers and sisters at home right now. 55:51 And, Lord, You know what they're going through. 55:53 You know what's in their hearts. 55:55 You know the pain and burdens that they carry. 55:57 We ask Lord Jesus would lift them. 56:00 Would you fill them 56:02 with the sunshine of Your presence? 56:04 Would Your Holy Spirit rest upon them? 56:07 God, where they are right now 56:09 and that they would know that they are loved, 56:12 they would know that they are chosen, 56:15 and that You call them just now as Your son and daughter. 56:20 And we thank You. 56:22 Father in heaven, Lord, we thank You 56:24 for this time of study in Your Word. 56:28 And, Lord, in my own life, 56:29 I want to allow You to break up 56:31 that hard, compact clay soil, Lord, in my heart. 56:37 Lord, thank You so much 56:38 for being willing to plant those little seeds. 56:40 And You're there knocking at my heart's door. 56:43 I know everyone's heart's door. 56:45 You're not forcing Your way in, You're just knocking politely 56:49 and then You want to plant those seeds. 56:50 And, Lord, we want them to grow, 56:52 and to flourish, to water them, 56:55 to allow the sunshine of your love 56:56 to shine down on us, 56:58 and, Lord, that we'd be fruitful. 56:59 And, Lord, that we'd be able to share with others Your love, 57:03 and Your goodness, and the plan of salvation. 57:05 And You love each one of us. 57:07 We thank You and in Jesus' name, amen. 57:09 Amen. 57:13 Hard to believe our time's almost all gone. 57:15 Thank you so much, Tim and Robert. 57:18 And, Dee, thank you for sharing with Family Worship. 57:21 And we thank you for joining us as well. 57:24 What a privilege to come into your home. 57:26 What a privilege to call you family. 57:29 We're all part of the family of God. 57:30 Know that we love you and pray for you. 57:32 Happy Sabbath. |
Revised 2019-05-23