October’s Theme - Lessons from the Season
Week 1 Unpleasant conditions may occur, but you can become a “snow bird”.
Week 2 The nights are longer, but the morning does come.
Week 3 Look at the harvest and learn the secret to blessing and abundance.
Week 4 Protect your fruit tree for the winter and prosper!
Week 1 Unpleasant conditions may occur, but you can become a “snow bird”.
On September 23, autumn officially began and on December 21, it will officially end. During those ninety days, numerous changes will occur, depending on where you live. In some parts of the country, autumn is perhaps the season during which the greatest transformation takes place. Many of the trees which were so green and lush in September will become beautiful bouquets of orange, yellow, and red by October, and then brown and bare by December 21.
I always looked forward to the beautiful fall foliage when we lived in Tennessee, but dreaded the period of time during which the trees would be bare for many months and the cold weather would move in. Now that I live in Florida, I am experiencing the seasons in a different way. The seasons come and go with more constancy because of our proximity to the equator and the greater directness with which we receive the sun’s rays. Many “snow birds” will soon be packing up and moving south.
What do you do when the seasons of your life begin to change and you find yourself in a cold, depressed state of mind? Maybe things are not what they used to be. Perhaps you are experiencing a decline in your finances, your health, your circumstances, or life in general. If so, it’s time to become a “snow bird.” You don’t have to stay where you are!
There is a place where you and I can go for refuge when the extreme changes in our lives have left us “so cold it hurts.” This is the time to move even closer to the Son and experience His constancy and warmth when our current season is just too much to handle.
Notice the word “forever” in the following verses.
“My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”
(Psalm 73:26 NKJV).
“For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death” (Psalm 48:14 NKJV).
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89 NKJV).
Notice the one thing mentioned that cannot change regardless of our circumstances.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV).
Notice the consistency of God and His omnipotence
"For I am the LORD, I do not change; . . .” (Malachi 3:6 NKJV).
“The LORD shall reign forever . . .” (Malachi 3:6 NKJV).
“ How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:3 NKJV).
“ But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;. . . ” (Hebrews 1:8 NKJV).
Do you need some stability in the midst of unwanted change and transition? Are you ready to become a “snow bird”? A good way to start the journey is with praise.
“ Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). (emphasis on underlined words mine)
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 2 - The nights are longer, but the morning does come
Autumn will officially end at midnight on December 21, but sometime between December 20 and 23, the shortest day and the longest night of the year will occur in the northern hemisphere. This point at which the sun is at is greatest distance from the equatorial plane will mark the beginning of winter. During this current season of transition, the nights will get progressively longer.
The writer of Psalm 130 was apparently experiencing this season in his life when he wrote verse six.
“My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning -- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:6 NKJV).
This season of long nights is characterized by much time spent “waiting for the morning.”
I learned a life lesson in waiting one year as a classroom teacher. While teaching a lesson on the life cycle of animals, a coworker and I decided to hatch chicks in the classroom. A parent of one of the students obtained an incubator and some eggs from a farm for us to use. The eggs had to be turned twice a day and the temperature and water level in the incubator had to be regularly checked. Each weekend, my coworker and I took turns taking the large, cumbersome incubator down two flights of stairs as we took it home to turn the eggs twice a day. We followed a meticulous procedure of caring for the eggs for twenty one days. Then, the waiting really began because the shells didn’t crack and the chicks didn’t come out. The eggs never even moved. There was absolutely no sign of life in any form in that incubator. After waiting about five more days, we had to face the inevitable reality that there would be no chicks. We had nothing to show for our effort and wait! We had painstakingly cared for what had become rotten eggs. The student’s mom decided to investigate and went back to the farm where she had obtained the eggs. She returned to our classrooms with good news and a new batch of eggs she claimed were fertilized . She said, and this is how she phrased it, “Those eggs didn’t hatch because they didn’t have a father.” That was her way of explaining to third graders that the unhatched eggs had been unfertilized, but that there was hope the new batch would hatch.
A part of me dreaded going through the twenty one day process again, but somehow her assurance that the new batch of eggs had a father gave me hope. My hope became a reality about three weeks later when the eggs began to roll around the incubator, the shells began to crack, and the baby chicks fought their way out of the shells to the delight of the students. I will never forget the look on those student’s faces as they watched the birth process from start to finish. Most of all, I will never forget how I felt when the transforming reality of that parent’s statement sunk in. She was right. When there’s a Father, there’s hope!
The night will still be long. Turning, tossing, and waiting will most certainly be involved. Disappointment may even set in, but when there’s a Father, . . . “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5 NKJV).
“Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV).
A Prayer for those Long Nights:
“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You” (Psalm 143:8 NKJV).
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 3- Look at the harvest and learn the secret to blessing and abundance.
We typically associate autumn with harvesting and reaping. Close observation of the processes related to the harvest reveals the key to abundance and blessing in our lives.
My grandfather told a story of his childhood days that I still remember to this day. One Good Friday, his dad told him he had to plant the acre of corn next to the creek before he went fishing. His instructions were to drop the grains of corn one foot apart. He did as instructed until he was about two thirds of the way through, when he took a few minutes to rest and walked to the creek for a look. While there, he saw a trout strike. He rushed back to hurriedly finish the task of planting the corn. His steps became faster and longer. Instead of dropping the seeds twelve inches apart, he was soon dropping them two feet apart. After finishing quickly, he discovered he had some seed corn left and a decision to make because his dad had given him just enough to plant the acre. He went down the end of the turn row, dug a little hole, and buried the rest of the seed. Happily finished, he was soon on his way to the creek to fish. Everything was fine until the corn plants began to come up eighteen to twenty four inches apart with a patch of corn all by itself at the end of the turn row.
My grandfather learned a lesson about the difficulty of hiding what we have sown.
Do not be deceived:
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7 NKJV).
I remember planting radishes as a child. Though the radishes germinate in 3-12 days, they need 25-35 days to reach maturity. I remember becoming impatient after a week of waiting. I saw the signs of germination and dug up the first radish in the row, only to be disappointed. I waited a few more days and dug up the second radish in the row. My mom soon discovered I was methodically digging up my garden, one radish at a time. She encouraged me to continue watering and caring for my little garden and to wait. At the time, 30 days seemed like a year, but she was right. The time eventually arrived to collect the radishes and celebrate the fruit of my labor. In the midst of my celebration, I was keenly aware that I didn’t reap anything from that part of the garden I had prematurely dug up.
I learned a lesson about the fruit of doing the right thing when I have nothing to show for it and about the disappointment that comes when I prematurely take things into my own hands.
Have you been praying for a child who is not showing the signs of the maturity you are waiting to see?
Have you been doing the right thing for many years, but you haven’t reached your dream yet?
Have you been sharing Jesus through word and example with one who doesn’t seem interested?
Do not be discouraged:
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).
Every seed doesn’t germinate, but none will if we lose heart and quit. Remember last week’s devotion. When, there’s a Father, there’s hope.
The season of the harvest reminds us of the blessing and abundance that will come when we keep watering . . . nurturing . . . praying. . . working. . . doing good.
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 4 Protect your fruit tree for the winter and prosper!
Keeping fruit trees healthy depends on a simple regimen of year-round care, and autumn is the time to prepare your tree for the winter.
Young fruit trees need a tree guard.
Young fruit trees need a tree guard placed around the trunks to prevent hungry mice and rabbits from nibbling the bark off the tree during winter, when other vegetation may be slim.
Trunks of fruit trees in areas maintained by snow cover need to be “sealed off” with paint.
Those who garden in an area that keeps snow cover through the winter, may paint the trunks and lowest branch angles with white latex paint to prevent sunscald. The heat produced as the sun’s rays reflect off snow causes the bark to expand. When the sun sets and the bark cools, the bark splits, leaving an area that is susceptible to disease or pests.
You and I were created to be fruitful.
You and I were designed to produce fruit. In His teaching on earth, Jesus often used analogies from the natural world He created to explain concepts from the spiritual world over which He also reigns.
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1 NKJV).
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4 NKJV).
Jesus is the vine through which we draw the essentials for life and fruit bearing. Our responsibility is to abide or remain. Unless we stay connected, we cannot bear fruit.
The winter season will also surely bring its own set of hazards to threaten our fruit bearing potential. Instructions for preparation and protection are given in Psalm 1.
We, too, need a tree guard.
”Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;” (Psalm 1:1 NKJV).
The counsel of the ungodly often moves in and takes residence through the things we see, hear, and read. The path of sinners becomes our path when we linger a little too long in the presence of circumstances that are detrimental to fruit bearing. The seat of the scornful, mocking, sarcastic, and arrogant becomes our seat when these unhealthy influences have found a resting place in our hearts and begun the deterioration process that follows.
We also need to “seal off” our heart from those things that would bring deterioration.
”But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2 NKJV).
Then, we can enjoy the prosperity that follows!
”He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3 NKJV).
Practical application:
Is there anything you are seeing, hearing, or reading that would be detrimental to your spiritual health? Determine to avoid it.
Select a verse from the Bible, write it down, and start memorizing it. It will soon find its way into your actions and reactions - and before you know it, you will be producing fruit.
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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