Take My Hand Inspirations
 |
| Jesus with His disciples after Resurrection |
Fruit of the Spirit Series
IT’S RAINING! An
Easter Promise
A disciple is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master (Matthew 10:24). And you will be hated by all [those with an unbelieving, worldly
character] for My name’s sake. But he who endures to
the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22).
 |
| Pruning The Grape Fruit Tree |
Ouch!
Oh the pain of the pruning processes! Developing the Holy Spirit’s Fruits of
Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering (Patience), Kindness and Goodness takes a lot
of cutting off of branches and other “impurities/imperfections”, especially so
that the tree—signifying you, your character, behavior, and ultimately the
quality of your life here on earth--will grow better into a glorious future.
 |
| Into a glorious vineyard! |
Don’t
you want to grow better and flourish with Holy Spirit Fruit? Before bearing that perilous road to the Cross at Calvary, Jesus' last words to His disciples were: I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He lifts up; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit (John 15:1-2). “Well then, Lord, keep on pruning me!” But our Lord—who suffered and came out
victorious over death, hell and the grave—is good and merciful, and will not
let us suffer more than we can bear (Lamentations 3:22-26; 1 Corinthians 10:13). THAT IS WHY HE DIED FOR YOU!
Sometimes
it seems like all we are experiencing is cutting—cutting remarks from insiders
and outsiders; cutting in our money matters; cutting challenges with our
spouse, children and extended family members; cutting in the workplace; cutting
in the church; cutting at school—cutting, cutting, cutting.
But
the Master Pruner knows that too much cutting can destroy our potential for
growth and fruit fruition unless …
There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come and now honor Thy Word.
 |
| Money is a blessing when used godly. |
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!
There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.
Listen: The showers are a promise of
love. They are drops of
mercy refreshing our pruned (freshly cut) souls, reviving us again to stand
strong surmounting hills (problems) and coasting through valleys (stress and
anxieties). The showers are His Promise (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 10:22),
His Plan (Isaiah 6:8; John 3:16),
His Purpose (Matthew 10:24; Mark
16:14-18) for your salvation.
So,
when it gets too tough, dear Christian, confess all your worries, heartaches and cares to your Heavenly Father and
call on the name of Jesus! Jesus!
Jesus! Help me now. The haters, my money, my health, my
education, my marriage, my in-laws, my children, my parents, my job, my
dormitory, my classes, my everything, I give it all to you!
Now
make an Easter promise to the Lord: Dear Lord and personal Saviour, I promise to trust and obey you, Lord; and let You
have Your Way in my life rejoicing that you are perfecting (pruning) all that
concerns me. (Psalm 138:18).
Even
when The Master Pruner takes a time out to stop pruning us, we inflict unnecessary pruning on
ourselves because we are so used to pain.
We have gotten so used to pain, that we cannot enjoy the rain. Unyielding pain and suffering are not God’s
promise, plan or purpose for our growth.
© 2018 by Take My Hand Inspirations, a
division of PepParadise Society Ltd Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior
written permission of the publisher. The
only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Unless otherwise stated, all scripture
quotations are from The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
“There Shall Be Showers of Blessing”, Daniel W. Whittle, 1883.(Based on
Ezekiel 34:26; Psalm 115:12; Genesis 32:26).
Most of the paintings selected is
retrieved from “Black Art” search engine.
Take My Hand Inspirations
