Year of Cultivation

I am not very fond of people who do the theme/number rhyme thing for each year. For instance, Debt Free in '03. Or More in '04. I have two reasons for not liking these catch phrases: 1.) they are hookey and 2.) they are a waste of time. I wasn't debt free in '03. As a matter of fact, I have never hit any of these hookey themes spot on. But I do believe years can have themes. Themes that come from God.

In early November, as I was driving home from church, I began asking the Lord what He wanted me to teach in 2009. I asked Him for a theme and He gave me a very clear one: cultivation. As I continued to pray about this one word theme that I heard, some things became clear to me.

First, I realized that I've grown this year. That was a comforting revelation. Sometimes when you assess yourself, you don't always see your growth. The second thing I realized was that I grew by accident. Meaning, life stimulated growth on it's own. The third thing I realized is that I wasn't deliberate about my growth. There were some areas in my life that I knew I needed to mature in, but I didn't put any real effort into maturing in these areas.

I began to wonder what my life would look like if I deliberately focused on the areas I knew I needed to grow. What would happened if I created the atmosphere in my mind and heart for God's word to change me? This is exactly what I plan to do. I planning to identify the area's of my life that the Lord revealed my immaturity and submit myself to His pruning. Ouch. So how about you? What would your life look like after a year of cultivation?

Whys

So I took a trip this morning through the Gospels in search of the Why Questions of Jesus. As you read these questions, think about how you would answer. (All these scriptures are from NLT)

And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.-Matthew 6:28

And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?-Matthew7:3

…"Why are you afraid?...”-Matthew 8:26.

…"Why are you thinking such evil thoughts?”- Matthew 9:4

…"Why did you doubt me?"- Matthew 14:31

…”Why do you people keep demanding a miraculous sign?”- Mark 8:12

"So why do you call me 'Lord,' when you won't obey me?”- Luke 6:46

"Why can't you decide for yourselves what is right?”- Luke 12:57

"Why are you sleeping?" he asked. "Get up and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you."-Luke 22:46

Although, I didn’t give any context to the situations Jesus asked these questions, they are still very poignant questions. They reveal our hearts, if we answer them honestly. I know God is stirring up our hearts right now. He wants to do a deep work in us and free us from things that we have been burdened with for years. But it starts with answering our whys and seeing what the answers expose.

How did you answer your whys? Add your comment here.