Saturday, September 20, 2008

Phil's Kenya Devotionals~#1

Phil began writing devotionals for his Kenyan Team about a week and a half before they left. At the time I am writing this, I think they would be very close to landing in Kenya. I miss him. Today, when I folded his clean jeans, I held them close and kissed them. I am so happy for him, though. What an experience! I am going to enter a devotional or two of his every day while he is gone, in honor of him. I also think they are good devotionals, and that you will enjoy them, too.

Written Sept.6, 2008~ " Reading the Word: I am constantly reminded how our Lord used agricultural themes for examples of the Kingdom of God at work. At that time in history, planting and harvesting crops for "daily bread" was well understood by every person at every social station. Today, most consumers are distanced and almost completely disconnected from the supply side of the food they eat other than the knowledge it comes from the produce or meat department.

Two things to consider:

Jesus shared the parable of the sower. During the past week or two I have often had a scripture to share, or a word of encouragement, and just needed to take the time to pause and sit down and send an email your way. Know what? So many things are competing for the hours and minutes of each day, and the moments fly by without me realizing they are gone.

I feel as if the "cares of this world", to quote the parable, have choked the good seed of the Word. And it's not as if the "cares of this world" are bad things or unproductive. They are the things like running out the door to work in the morning or taking time to talk to a friend who went in for routine cataract surgery and when the surgeon touched his eye with the scalpel, his eye collapsed. The cares of this world are your mortgage, your job, the plans for our trip to Kenya, getting the car inspected, or helping your kids through school.

We are now only 2 weeks away from leaving for the missions trip. Let's not let the Word be choked in our lives, but purpose on a daily basis to be spiritually in touch with our Lord, and be prepared to do what He is calling us to do.

The second thing has to do with agriculture, since I do some farming whenever necessary. This year has been dry,
and the hayfields are sparse. After we harvested the wheat in late June, we planted grass type forage called pearl millet to cut for hay. Without rain, the millet didn't grow as well as it could have. Sort of like your yard, bet you didn't need to mow it much. But even when it's dry, the rain is coming. And when we get adequate rain, this millet grows very quickly. So anticipating the rain, the grass needs to be mowed, raked, and baled up to get it off the field to make way for the new growth after it rains. Even if the grass is short, and it hardly seems worth it to spend all that time and $4.00 per gallon diesel fuel for the tractor, the old growth will hinder the new crop and the quality of overly mature hay doesn't have the digestible nutrients necessary for the cattle.

Life Lesson:
Have Godly priorities, and don't let the cares of this world distract us from serving the Lord wholeheartedly. When we feel dry or unspiritual, and feel as if our prayers don't go past the ceiling, know that our Heavenly Father loves us dearly, and the rain is surely coming. Maintain our walk with the Lord, and ask Him if there is any old growth in our lives or things we are hanging on to that keep us from moving closer and trusting in Him. The process of getting rid of those old ways may cost something, but the end result is worth it."

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