Blessings, God's own time, and "the domino effect".

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  -Hebrews 10:36(KJV)

No desechéis, pues, vuestra confianza, la cual tiene una gran recompensa.  Porque os es necesaria la perseverancia para que, habiendo hecho la voluntad de Dios, obtengáis lo prometido...  -Hebreos 10 

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Bienaventurados sois cuando os vituperan y os persiguen, y dicen toda clase de mal contra vosotros por mi causa, mintiendo.

-Matthew 5(KJV and Espanol Moderno)

When you pray, wait on God, listen, be patient.  Trust in God's plan, trust in God's timing.  When the time is right, God is there.  God's time is always the right time, and when you are ready, his blessings will be there.  Your end is joy and peace.

In my own walk, it's taken sometimes years, and sometimes hours, and yet other times, instantly, healing, peace, hope, and prosperity.

God might change one little thing, and you maybe you notice, maybe not, but soon enough, the "domino effect", a cascade of consequences that brings about peace and happiness.  One seemingly insignificant little change can often bring about that bigger, larger, more important goal.

We have only to abide, and wait, for God's own time to coincide with whatever we petition for.

the vines and the rain. a rumination on Biblical vineyard husbandry

The blessing has two parts; the soul seemingly has two parts: light and dark.  Christs mentions the believers as vines.  Unproductive vines are lifted up(cast away, is said in the King James), while producing vines are pruned to be even more productive.(Matthew chapter 7)

We all struggle, but there are the "productive", and those that are farther behind in the struggle:  God has comfort for either condition, and all have a function in the natursl world.

As with the rain early, which was good time for reflection, God gave the natural world something it needed to live, and now, mild temperatures and diffuse sunshine, dilluted by some thin cloud cover.

I could see the burgundy leaves of our plum tree, in the sunshine.  The leaves with their deep hue, and the obverse shade, but the trick, the miraculous is the mirror of light on the leaves that were touching the sunshine: call them productive vines, as Christ said of the better believers.  Sure he loved them all, but he also knew some needed yet more assistance in their spiritual walk.

Faith. Job and the old Devil.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

-Matthew 11 

I was reading commentary on Job, and the author was flustered with the material, positively astounded that Job's friends took him to task so.  They accused him of sin, of course, with no evidence and assumed that God was visiting wrath on poor Job.

But quite not.  It was the work of the Devil, of course, and in the end, God lifted up Job and restored everything from prior, back into Job's life.  That's a sown seed: Job's faith.

Matthew 6:14 Christ on Forgiveness.

I take this from this RSV, Matthew ch6 v14.

"..if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you..."

Point 1) Some of the prosperity denominations go after Mark ch 11, with the "faith to move a mountain..."

Point 2) Some soft pastors like Joyce Meyer know enough of human beings that they know we have a lot of trouble sometimes forgiving others.

WHAT IF:

what if we used our faith, applied it to forgiveness.....  "Lord help my unforgiveness....."

 

Thomas Nelson Verse of the Day, and Christ's advice to leaders.

 

Christ's word about #leadership, that a basic tenet of leading well, is actually to support the team, to support the working staff, such the First appears quite often last.

Some misunderstand these principles, thinking that the manager does the same work as the employees, but know, the manager is like a utility, enabling the staff to do the work, by facilitating and aiding them, however might be necessary.  This is made much of in #projectmanagement, that managers sometimes plan on taking on themselves, a portion of production, as if they were line employees too, but then the same managers are constantly called-on by the staff, such that they don't get a significant portion of work done, for lack of quality time on the production line.

Matthew chapter 6. Jesus on Prayer and Fasting.

"...when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

-Matthew ch 6