{"id":1979,"date":"2013-07-21T11:33:43","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T11:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=1979"},"modified":"2013-07-21T11:33:43","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T11:33:43","slug":"where-did-the-week-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=1979","title":{"rendered":"Where Did the Week Go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another week has passed and it\u2019s Sunday! It\u2019s time to get up, get ready and head off to worship. But before you go, I\u2019ll share a little story of a planter, some plants and growth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I must admit, I forgot about this planter this year and put out the old ladder that I\u2019ve used for years\u2026I need to remember it next year!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No Flowers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about purpose and re-purpose. I shared with my readers of the tool box I re-purposed and placed on my front porch. I had purchased an ivy plant, a spikey plant of some sort, and red geraniums to fill the tool box.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>After two weeks of diligently watering these plants, the geraniums had not changed. There were no new shoots. No prospect of them flowering. I was a bit discouraged. And besides, I found no beauty in non-flowering plants!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So I went to the internet to do some research. What was I doing wrong (besides the usual reasons for killing plants in my home)?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I learned three things about geraniums.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1) geraniums require 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to bloom \u2013 the plants sit in full shade all day long;<\/p>\n

2) geraniums do not bloom in extreme temperatures \u2013 it has been near or above 100\u00b0 daily since I planted them;<\/p>\n

3) geraniums love fertilizer \u2013 I have only watered these poor plants\u2026not a drop of fertilizer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like geraniums, we require some proper tending. Our Christian faith and walk depend upon it. If we look at the early church, we see exactly what God has provided for our spiritual nutrition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Acts 2:42 (NIV) says, \u201cThey devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.\u201d <\/em>Let\u2019s take a look at these four elements.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Apostles\u2019 Teaching<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus taught the apostles what He wanted them to share with believers. It was part of the commission Jesus gave to His disciples. \u201c\u2026teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 28:20 \u2013 NIV) It was imperative that the apostles preach and teach the Gospel to new believers. Today, we have God\u2019s Word so that we might know the full message of Jesus. Through its\u2019 words, we are able to gain knowledge and wisdom on how we should conduct our lives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fellowship<\/strong><\/p>\n

The new believers were to be encouraged by worshiping together. Being strengthened by the number of other followers helped them when they were faced with opposition. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) encourages us by confirming this principle. \u201cLet us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another\u2014and all the more as you see the Day approaching.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Breaking of Bread<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although this could be an ordinary meal, scholars believe this to reference the Lord\u2019s Supper. As we partake of this special meal, we remember what Jesus did for us and proclaim His gift of salvation until He returns. \u201cThe Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, \u2018This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.\u2019 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, \u2018This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.\u2019 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord\u2019s death until he comes.\u201d <\/em>(1 Corinthians 11:23b-26 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the first three elements of spiritual growth have been corporate in nature, this last element is a more private exercise. When we spend time alone with God, we are able to draw near to Him. We are able to know God intimately. Scripture repeats that we are to be in prayer mode at all times. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) says, \u201cPray continually.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Through this fellowship with God, our attitude changes. Our spirits are lifted. Our burdens are given to God. We celebrate our joys\u00a0 with Him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we draw closer to God using these four elements, we cannot help but grow and bloom. Our souls will receive sunshine (Jesus), the perfect climate (fellowship with believers and God), and fertilizer (Jesus\u2019 teaching) to encourage our growth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will not profess to be an expert on geraniums at this point. I only learned how to best care for them under the circumstances.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I cannot move this beautiful showpiece. I cannot control the weather. I can however provide the nutrients needed to produce healthy plants. I also can purchase artificial geraniums to create the image I was looking for. And that is just what I did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To leave a comment, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another week has passed and it\u2019s Sunday! It\u2019s time to get up, get ready and head off to worship. But before you go, I\u2019ll share a little story of a planter, some plants and growth.   I must admit, I forgot about this planter this year and put out the old ladder that I\u2019ve used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,296,15,25,26,19,30],"tags":[393,69],"class_list":["post-1979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asking-god","category-experiencing-god","category-knowing-god","category-praising-god","category-serving-god","category-thanking-god","category-worshiping-god","tag-acts-242","tag-spiritual-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1979"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1987,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979\/revisions\/1987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}