The Joy of My Heart

 

The law of seedtime and harvest operates in every aspect of our lives. If we plant God's Word in our hearts and allow it to germinate and mature, we will reap a bountiful harvest. This is God's best for us—His Word producing His life within us. 

 

Here are a few Scriptures I love reading and meditating on until I "see" them in my heart. These verses speak of those who are His, so I have personalized them and made them my own. If you take the time to meditate on them and make them yours, you will start to see them as your reality in Christ.

 

Psalms 23:6:  

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,

and I walk in your faithfulness.

 

Psalms 5:12:  

For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

you cover me with favor as with a shield.

 

Psalms 112:1-4:

Praise the Lord!

I am blessed because I fear the Lord,

   I greatly delight in his commandments!

My children will be mighty in the land;

   the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches will be in my house,

   and my righteousness endures forever.

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;

   he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

 

Psalms 103:1-5:

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

   and all that is within me,

   bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

   and forget not all his benefits,

   who forgives all my iniquity,

   who heals all my diseases,

   who redeems my life from the pit,

   who crowns me with steadfast love and mercy,

   who satisfies me with good

   so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

Psalms 34:8

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! I am blessed because I trust him.
    

Psalms 34:10

Because I seek the Lord, I shall not lack any good thing.

 

Psalms 37:3-4:

I trust in the Lord, and do good;

I dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

I delight myself also in the Lord,

And He shall give me the desires of my heart.

 

*******

 

Lord Jesus,  I find your Words and take them into my heart. I meditate on them and make them my own. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You came so that I may have life and have it more abundantly. It is your desire for me to prosper and be in health. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Therefore, I will speak your words of life. I will not waver at your promises through unbelief, but I am fully convinced that you are also able to fulfill what you have promised. Jesus, you are the Word and joy and rejoicing of my heart!

 

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His Word is Your Authority

 

 

What occurred the same day Jesus taught the disciples the principles of the seed of God’s Word?

 

Mark 4:35 says: “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’”

 

I don’t know if Jesus was testing them, but He gave them a seed. He said, “Let us go across to the other side” (Mark 4:35). He didn’t say, “Let us go halfway and drown.” The disciples received a seed from the lips of their Master. 

 

What happened? A two-hour boat trip turned into a fight for their lives. Instead of using the seed their Master had given them, they reacted in fear to their circumstances. They did all they could do in the natural and then became upset with the Lord. 

 

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

 

Jesus was with them in an open boat full of water (Mark 4:37). He was well aware of their predicament, yet he tried to sleep. They wanted Him just to wake up and do something.

 

How did Jesus respond to them? Did He apologize and say, “I was exhausted.” Instead, He said in verse 40: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

 

Jesus was telling them they didn’t need Him to still the storm. If they had believed the Words He had given them, He would not have had to speak peace to the storm (Mark 4:39). They would have had peace produced from within their own hearts, and the storm would have calmed.

 

The Lord fulfilled His part by providing them with the seed of His Word. Their responsibility was to take the seed and use it. Instead, they doubted Jesus’ love for them and believed He wasn’t doing His part. Similarly, we often ask the Lord, “Don’t You love me? Why aren’t You healing me or helping me?”

 

God has done His part; He has given us the Word. The ball is in our court. What are we going to do with it? Look at healing. What are we going to do with His healing promises? Are we going to plant His healing words in our hearts? Jesus taught that when we sow the seed of His Word in our hearts, it germinates and produces fruit. Healing is the fruit of His Word in us.

 

Many Scriptures tell us that God’s Word is healing to us. These are just two:

 

“For they (His words) are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:22).

 

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalms 107:20).

 

Someone can indeed experience miraculous healing without sowing God’s Word in their heart. Healing can occur through the prayers of believers and those endowed with the gift of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9), but it is not the best God offers. We should never hesitate to seek help; however, the most effective way to achieve healing is to embrace God’s words of healing and embed them in our hearts until they unleash their life-giving power within us.

 

The law of seedtime and harvest operates in every aspect of our lives. If we plant God’s Word in our hearts and allow the seed to germinate and its fruit to mature, we will reap a bountiful harvest. That is God’s best! Plant the seed of His Word in your heart before you encounter a crisis that requires its power to calm your storm. 

 

His Word is your authority. His Word is life.

 

 

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The Full Ear of Corn

 

In the parable of the sower, the seed represents the Word of God, and the ground symbolizes our hearts (Mark 4:14-15). God created our hearts to produce fruit when His Word is planted within them. Just as a seed must remain in the ground over time to germinate, the Word of God must abide in us.

 

Jesus said: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7, NKJV).

 

This does not guarantee that the Lord will fulfill any request if we meet certain conditions, especially if it contradicts His Word. God will not change to accommodate us. Our desires transform when we abide in Jesus, and His words dwell in us. When His Word resides in our hearts, it alters us to align with Him and will eventually yield fruit.

 

If you plant a seed and dig it up daily to check on it, it will die and never produce fruit. You need to have faith that the seed is doing what God intended. Some people put God’s Word in their hearts but question its faithfulness through their words and actions, then wonder why it hasn’t worked. You must allow God’s Word to dwell in your heart over time.

 

Jesus said: “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26-27, ESV).

 

When God’s Word is planted in your heart, it works effortlessly and automatically, but it takes time. We don’t have to understand how it happens; we should just plant it and patiently allow it to work. 

 

Jesus continued: “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (Mark 4:28, ESV).

 

There are various stages of spiritual growth necessary to maintain belief in God. Many are impatient and eager to skip the growth cycle and receive the complete harvest immediately. They may possess a vision they hold dear, but it will not materialize unless they have cultivated the ability to endure with patience and faith. When the vision does not manifest promptly, they feel disheartened because they had anticipated a bountiful yield.

 

If God has promised you something significant and you have never persisted in believing for something smaller, it will be challenging to endure patiently and faithfully for that more significant promise. You must understand that there is “first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” God’s kingdom follows laws similar to those that govern the fruit-bearing process of a seed. God will not provide you with the whole ear of corn if you haven’t first witnessed the blade.

 

Many don’t experience God’s best because they lack spiritual growth. They believe that since God loves them, He will fulfill their requests, irrespective of whether they have nurtured the miracle of the seed.

 

Lord Jesus, I want Your truth to manifest in my life. Thank you for calling a little girl playing with gum wrappers in church sixty-nine years ago. I heard Your Word coming out of Brother Ward’s mouth, and I put it in my heart. You have carried me through many long years of spiritually seeking you and growth that only inspires me to reach for you more. I have witnessed the miracle of the blade and the ear forming. I keep hearing Your Words and sowing them in my heart by faith. According to what I believe, you say I receive. Your Word is truth. Thank you, Jesus, for I have seen the miracles of full ears of corn, and I shall see more.

 

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Let Me Hear

 

In Mark 4, Jesus shared three parables illustrating that the Word relates to the kingdom of God as a natural seed does to a harvest. The first of these parables, the story of the sower, is essential for understanding the Word of God (Mark 4:13). 

 

Jesus said in Mark 4:3-9: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, yielding no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

The seed in this parable of the sower is the Word of God (Mark 4:14), and the ground is our hearts (Mark 4:15).

 

The first type of ground, or heart condition, that Jesus described refers to those who do not understand God’s Word. God’s Word must be understood before it can penetrate someone’s heart. If the Word is not understood, it will be like a seed scattered on hard ground. The birds will eat the seed, and there will be no fruit. 

 

The second type of heart condition described in this parable occurs when a person understands the Word and is excited about it but doesn’t take the time to get it rooted deeply inside. The Word germinates but cannot produce fruit because it doesn’t have a sound root system.

 

Roots develop underground, hidden from view. Most people desire the fruit, yet they don’t want to cultivate the root system required to produce and sustain it. A seed germinating in shallow soil will direct all its energy toward growth above ground, as there is no other option for its development. That plant may appear robust. However, when the sun begins to dry out that plant, no root system sustains it. Thus, the plant withers and dies. 

 

Many people dislike the root-building process. They seek to experience the visible benefits of the Word in their lives, yet they hesitate to spend time alone with God in His Word, allowing that Word to take root and become established within them. While we may see results from listening to someone else teach the Word, it does not root deeply within us. Only the Word that has taken personal root in our hearts will bear fruit when challenges surface.

 

This third type of ground represents people who have received God’s Word and committed themselves to it. However, being preoccupied with the affairs of this life chokes the Word sown in their hearts, resulting in no fruit being produced. Just as weeds steal nutrients and starve the plants, so do the pleasures of this life starve and steal the benefit of the Word in us. If allowed to dominate our thinking, the pleasures of this life will hinder the fruit that the Word could have produced.

 

The church has consistently grown during times of persecution, and it is the same for us. When we experience hardship, we set our priorities right. We realize our life is in Jesus (John 14:6) and not in things (Luke 2:15), and we focus on the Lord. God wants to bless His children with things (Psalms 35:27, Matthew 6:33), but an obsession with these things will choke God’s Word and make it unfruitful. 

 

The fourth type of ground in the parable was good. It yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. But a good heart, like good ground, doesn’t just happen; it has to be cultivated. This is why only one out of four people in Jesus’ parable brought forth fruit. Being a fruitful Christian takes a lot of effort, diligence, and patience. Many just give up, finding that raising weeds is quicker and easier than growing ripened fruit.

 

In this parable, the Word of God produced fruit, and the ground just gave it a place to grow. If we put God’s Word in our hearts, protect it, and prioritize it in our lives, the Word will naturally produce fruit. Satan has deceived many into believing that they lack the ability to be fruitful, but it is not us who bring forth fruit; it is God’s Word. When we safeguard the Word planted in our hearts, it will take care of the rest.

 

What is the condition of my heart, Lord? Its condition is crucial for good fruit to be produced in my life. Am I one of the three in the parable whose heart was unprepared, or do I continually cultivate my heart so that Your Word takes root and manifests in me? Lord, I can study the Word repeatedly, but if I don’t sow it in my heart until it is my own, it will never benefit me. I’m listening, Lord. Let me hear.

 

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Seedtime and Harvest

Seedtime and Harvest

 

 

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

 

As long as the earth remains, harvest is certain. Harvest always follows seed time, and every seed is sown with anticipation of a harvest. Seed time and harvest is a natural and spiritual law that has worked since creation. The seed you sow, naturally and spiritually, will eventually bring forth a harvest. 

 

Your life is a harvest and always reveals the nature of the seeds you have sown. Whatever you sow, you will reap, whether bad or good. Your attitudes, hopes, words, thoughts, and actions are seeds that have created your harvest. If you don’t like your harvest, you need to change the seeds you are sowing.

 

Peter wrote: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

 

The Word of God refers to itself as a seed. In forty-four verses of the New Testament, the Greek word “sperma” is translated as “seed.” This word is the same word that gives us the term “sperm.” Just as a child cannot be produced without sperm, a child of God cannot be produced without the incorruptible seed of God’s Word. All births originate from seeds, and being born again spiritually is no exception. The seed that brings forth salvation is God’s Word. Just as it would be foolish for a woman to expect to have a child without the seed of a man being sown in her, it is equally foolish to anticipate someone being born again without planting the seed of God’s Word in their heart (Romans 10:14-17).

 

Natural seeds sometimes decay and fail to produce life. However, God’s Word is an incorruptible and imperishable seed that consistently brings forth life. God’s Word is always effective. We must permit His Word to work in us, sowing, protecting, and nurturing it.

 

1 Peter 1:23 also states that the seed of God’s Word lives and abides forever. Its effectiveness has no expiration date. The words spoken by the Lord over two thousand years ago are still alive and active. When we mix His Words with faith, the result will benefit us (Hebrews 4:2). They will manifest the miracles of His truth in our lives. 

 

Many Christians believe and pray for God to intervene in their lives, yet they often feel frustrated when they don’t see results. This frustration frequently stems from a lack of knowledge about the Word. Without the Word, they miss the seeds of conception. To live a victorious Christian life, one needs a genuine revelation from the seed of God’s Word sown in the heart by faith. 

 

In Mark 4, Jesus taught three parables illustrating that the Word is to the kingdom of God what a natural seed is to a harvest. The first of these parables, the story of the sower, is key to understanding all of the Word of God. Jesus said we won’t understand any of His other parables without grasping the truths of sowing and reaping the Word in our hearts (Mark 4:13). For God’s Word to benefit our lives, we need to know how it works in us. 

 

Seedtime and harvest are truths of nature that cannot be altered by anyone. A person can cheat or manipulate what other people create. You might cheat the legal system and go free. You might manipulate your work situation and secure a promotion. You might change many things on this earth, but you cannot change the law of seed time and harvest in God’s creation.

 

What if a farmer didn’t sow his crop until he saw others reaping theirs? Regardless of how honest he might be or how warranted he was for not planting at the right time, he would not reap a crop overnight. The law of seed, time, and harvest cannot be manipulated or controlled. 

 

This is the reason why Jesus compared the way His Word works to a seed. There must be a germination process of the Word of God in your life. It takes time. It can’t be rushed or evaded. Just as a seed has to remain in the ground over time to germinate, so the Word of God has to abide in us.

 

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:46: “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.” This verse speaks of the first and last Adam. The first Adam was a natural man, and the last Adam was Jesus, who gave us spiritual life directly from God. For the Word to come to life supernaturally within us, there must be a natural action on our part. We must sow the seed of the Word in our hearts, nurture it, and act upon it by faith.

 

I know the Holy Spirit wishes me to grow in understanding. It is foundational for the truth of God’s Word to manifest in my life. He has reminded me of sowing and reaping in each verse I have studied and meditated on in the last few weeks. When I read Genesis 8:22 two days ago, I knew I needed to pursue this. I am praying about insights from the Word that He is bringing to life in me. I ask your prayers for the Holy Spirit to bring to my understanding His revelation of seedtime and harvest and how this spiritual law works in my life. 

 

Thank you for letting me share with you. 

 

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What Are You Worth?

 

Some individuals may claim they have little worth. Others may highlight their achievements, wealth, or titles. Some assess their value through their family, marriage, or children. For others, hard work provides a sense of worth.

 

What makes you valuable if you have no accomplishments, money, titles, or family?  If all you can point to is failure, despair, poverty, and illness, does that mean you have no worth? If we measure our value solely by material possessions, the person with the most possessions is deemed the most valuable. But this is not how God determines value!

 

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they” (Matthew 6:26)?

 

In God’s heart, all humanity is precious—not just humanity but everyone who has ever lived. You are so precious that Jesus would have died for you if you were the only person on earth! You are so precious that He has chosen to dwell in you, give you His life, fill you with His Spirit, and grant you His Name.

  

If you look at possessions or accomplishments to establish your value, you’re missing the point. Possessions can’t provide your true identity and worth.  Money, fame, or great deeds don’t measure your value. You are valuable simply because you exist, created in the image of God. Your life matters to God.

 

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9)

 

You may not feel loved, but you are loved. You may not feel special, but you are special beyond measure in God’s heart. Don’t let the world dictate your value. The world will discard you once it is done with you. The world doesn’t care when you find yourself wasted and trashed in life. 

 

God has chosen you and offered you His very life. Accept your value. You were worth the blood of Jesus.

 

 

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Handling Failure

 

“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail,” Jesus told Peter (Luke 22:32a).

 

Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him, but He didn’t pray it wouldn’t happen. Instead, Jesus prayed that despite Peter’s failure, his faith wouldn’t fail. Some might say that Jesus’ prayer didn’t work, but from God’s point of view, Peter’s faith didn’t fail. Losing a battle doesn’t mean you have lost the war. God doesn’t see us as failures. He sees us as learners. God can redeem the worst “failure” and work it for good (Romans 8:28). Failure occurs when you lose faith.

 

All of us will fail at some time. We live in a fallen world and don’t always live according to the Spirit. If we yield to our flesh, failure occurs. But failure isn’t fatal if our faith stays alive to God’s grace.

 

Your victory lived in the heart of God long before your failure happened. 

 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

God’s love never fails. Your failure does not change His love for you. Your failure does not change your identity in Christ. Your failure does not change your purpose.  

“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32).

 

The idea of conversion is mentioned in the Bible at least fourteen times (Psalms 19:7, 51:13; Isaiah 1:27, 6:10, 60:5; Matthew 13:15, 18:3; Mark 4:12; John 12:40; Acts 3:19, 15:3, 28:27; and James 5:19-20). The basic meaning of conversion is a turning or returning to God. When someone is converted, there is a turning away from sin and a turning to God. Repentance and putting faith in God are corresponding factors in conversion. The Scriptural basis for conversion is in the truth of the atonement. Although men fail, the truth of the atonement remains. When people turn to God in repentance and faith, reconciliation and forgiveness result. 

 

Paul described conversion in this way: turning “to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). And in witnessing to King Agrippa, Paul shared his conversion with the words Jesus spoke to him, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18).

 

In Luke chapter 22, Peter’s faith was shaken. He denied the Lord, but he didn’t lose his faith. Peter didn’t reject Jesus. What did Jesus tell Peter? His instruction to Peter was that when he “returned” to Him, he was to “strengthen the brethren.” Jesus told Peter to serve Him again after repenting his denial.

 

If Jesus had not given Peter this command, others might have doubted Peter’s ministry. Indeed, Peter himself must have doubted whether or not he was fit to serve because, after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus instructed Peter three times to serve Him by feeding His sheep (John 21:15-17). 

 

Even though you may have failed and received God’s forgiveness, do you allow your failure to keep you from serving the Lord?

 

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

 

When you think your sufficiency is in you, you live in defeat and despair. When you try to live from your own strength and ability, you limit God in your life. Allow God to be your sufficiency. Receive His love and forgiveness. Just as He restored Peter's purpose, let Him renew your vision and purpose. 

 

Jesus is praying that your faith will not fail.

 

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Awaken to His Presence in You

 

 

Are you tired of your “old” and trying to discover a “new normal?” What if the “new normal” Jesus has for you isn’t something to strive for but who you already are in Him?

 

Can you imagine knowing His voice as familiarly as your dearest friend? Can you envision a relationship with the Father where fullness is your reality and not just your objective? Can you picture yourself enjoying the same intimacy with the Father that Jesus had? You can experience this.

 

If you are born again, you are a NEW creation, created in righteousness and one spirit with Him. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell in you. You are their new temple (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24, 1 Corinthians 6:17, John 14:17, 23, 1 Corinthians 6:19). 

 

Many Christians try to persuade a far-off God to “come down” and bless or heal them. God does not “come down.” God dwells in each believer, and every blessing came with Jesus when He was victorious over death. God did not leave healing, provision, strength, joy, peace, love, authority, and faith in heaven with Him. God sent all of Himself to you in Jesus. 

 

“You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:10). You lack nothing in Jesus. 

 

Not only does the Healer reside within us, but He is also available through us to bless others. Peter demonstrated this at the Gate Beautiful when he told the lame man, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). 

 

Our life in Christ is not about convincing God to do something but believing and receiving what Jesus has already purchased with His precious blood. By His stripes, we “were” healed (1 Peter 2:24), and He “has” delivered us from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13). 

 

Everything Adam and Eve needed—and everything we need—was included in God’s initial creation. Adam and Eve never had to ask God for anything. They were designed to embrace what was available and exercise dominion over its growth. In the “new creation,” our renewed relationship with our Creator is even better. Our Creator, Healer, and Provider for every need now resides within us. Our needs aren’t fulfilled by pleading with God for something Jesus has purchased with His precious blood. Our needs are met by recognizing that they have already been restored to us in Jesus. 

 

Faith is your response to God’s goodness. His healing, provision, joy, peace, and power reside within you, His born-again child. Faith is ignited when the seed of God’s Word comes to life in your heart (Romans 10:17). His truths are ready to be harvested by faith.

 

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

 

You have your “new normal” in Jesus. You have no “lack” in Him. You must “see” yourself as God’s “new creation” in Christ. God gives life to your mortal body through His Spirit, who dwells in you. Your new life in Jesus is not about struggling to find God’s presence, healing, or provision. It is not begging for something that Jesus has already provided. Your new life in Jesus is about awakening to how present He already is.

 

 

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Are You Running Like Jesus?

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

—Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

 

We have a race to run. Sin in our lives will hinder our race and must end entirely. However, sin is not the only thing that hinders us. There are other things, less evident than sin, that can also hinder our race. Just as a runner must shed “weights” to achieve the best results, we must eliminate anything that deters and limits us from attaining maximum results. These deterrents may vary from person to person, but anything that occupies our time certainly weighs us down in our spiritual race (Mark 4:19).

 

We must run our race with patience and endurance. “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). This race isn’t a dash but a long, drawn-out, demanding, and grueling race. We must allow patience to work in us. To endure, we must patiently pace ourselves.

 

A runner has to have a goal or a prize to press toward. Jesus should be our example and should occupy our focus. He is the author and finisher of our faith. Our faith will never be complete if we don’t focus on Jesus. How did Jesus run His race? Hebrews 12:2 reveals that He focused on “the joy that was set before him.” 

 

Jesus endured pain and suffering like no one else ever has. He not only faced this in the physical realm as He bore the sickness and disease of the entire world but also suffered spiritually, literally becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Yet, He didn’t dwell on the suffering; instead, He focused on the prize of victory. That’s why He could endure such hardship with sinners against Him.  

 

To endure hardship, we must follow Jesus’s example and keep our focus on the good rather than the bad. We must “see” the spiritual rather than what we “lack” in the natural. During His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus concentrated on the “joy” of the spiritual instead of His “lack.” He poured out His agony to His Father and asked to fulfill His will in another way. Yet, Jesus put the suffering that was coming behind Him and centered His attention on the joy that His sacrifice would bring to you and me. Ultimately, it was our “joy” that He aimed to achieve.

 

The word “despising” in this verse was translated from the Greek word “kataphroneo,” and it means “to think against, disesteem” (Strong’s Concordance). “Esteem” means “to value or prize.” So, Jesus “disesteemed” or “devalued” the suffering He experienced and valued us more. What an incredible truth! You can only comprehend this kind of love in your heart.

 

Many people don’t realize they have the power to “esteem or disesteem” what happens to them. They proclaim that they are complete products of their environment and have no power to control their reactions. But this verse does not teach that. We can value the good and devalue the bad. We can choose to “see” our resources in the spiritual or “see” what we lack in this earthly life.

 

Whatever we focus on becomes larger and more significant in our lives while our hearts become increasingly sensitive to it. Conversely, what we fail to concentrate on begins to lose significance and influence, causing our hearts to harden in response. The importance and influence of any sin or weight becomes less the more we don’t focus on it. As a result, we determine the value or lack of value of things that occur in our lives. This explains why individuals experiencing the same situations may react differently. Some may fixate on the problem, while others can assign a different value to their experience and move on.

 

How are you running your race? Are you running like Jesus or concentrating on the negative rather than the positive? What value do you perceive in your life? Do you focus on your issues and what you lack, or do you recognize God’s infinite value and the good He brings?

 

 

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