STANDPOINT360

Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. Proverbs 13:3 NLT

Apt words for today. Reckless speech is being disguised as Free Speech. The personal responsibility each person has to think about the impact of their words is so important. Opening our mouths without taking time to discern the people, place and space that will be impacted is a dangerous action to take.

The phrase “I don’t care what people think” should not be substituted for “I am not responsible for my words and speech.” On the one hand, there is a set of convictions that sometimes require us to stand strong regardless of other people’s perspectives. On the other hand, there is a responsibility to be careful with our words and speech as we make those stands.

This simple verse of scripture speaks a clear truth: control your tongue and you will live longer. Continually open your mouth, and you will be in constant trouble.

This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer – the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah 48:17 NLT.

It is so easy to overthink God’s intent towards you and me. A good exercise is just to look at what God says about His purpose towards us. In this one verse we learn quite a bit:

Our redeemer: God is our redeemer. While there may be others who pose as a redeemer, there is only one true redeemer.

The Holy One of Israel: This is important to understand. “The Holy One” is a phrase that is about one truth. There is only one holy one. He is not “holy among other holies”. He is it. He is holiness, he is the essence of holiness. He is the source of holiness. He is the holy one. Of Israel: God chose to make himself known to the rest of the world by focusing on one people. The people of Israel. When Jesus, God’s son, comes on the scene he makes it very clear that what God established for the Israelites is available for everyone.

I am the Lord your God: This is a declaration. While the world may think that there are other gods one can be loyal to, at the end of the day, there is one Lord. He is God.

…who teaches you…: God teaches us. He is engaged with us. He is involved in our lives.

…what is good for you…: God is all about good. He establishes good in everything he does.

…and leads you along paths you should follow.: This is the image of a trail guide who is with us on the trail of life. He is literally leading us on the right trails through places where we could easily get lost and confused. He simply asks that we follow.

Let’s not overthink God and His purposes towards us. While He is completely God and absolutely Holy, he is not disconnected or distant. He teaches you and me. He guides us on the “trails of life”. He is with us.

“Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.” John 21:11

The disciples who fished were not having a good fishing day. Nets were empty. There was not much to show for their efforts. Jesus shouts from shore for them to try the other side of the boat. The results….a major haul of fish.

When Jesus shows up in our lives he brings “abundance” with him. Abundance is part of the essence of God’s character, He is unlimited in His ways and His capacity.

In contrast, you and I can strive away with our very best efforts and skills, and not see much results for all of our efforts. We can work to the bone with the idea that more effort will simply change the outcome. Exhausted and depleted in our own efforts, Jesus show up, and says “do it this way” and the results are overwhelmingly helpful.

Jesus’ abundance does not destroy; “the net was not torn”. In His provision, Jesus gives them the full amount of what the infrastructure could support – not more – not less. His abundance left things in good condition.

The truth is, Jesus knows what our capacities are in life better than anyone else. He knows what we can handle. He reveals who He is, in part, through his generosity.

You know how this story ends? Jesus invites the disciples to bring some fish and join him for a meal he has prepared for them on the shore of the lake. Jesus wants us to bring some of what He has provided to Him. He invites us to spend time with Him.

This week I was harvesting plumbs from three plumb trees, two varieties. It is a stellar harvest for which I am thankful. There has been plenty to share with family and friends. As I was harvesting the plumbs, the Lord reminded me of His faithfulness in my life and in the life of my family.

Several years ago Bev and I, along with our family, built a home. We thought it would be our “forever home.” It was a labor of love and joy to build and create with family and friends. We were putting down roots. Part of putting down those roots was the planting of three plumb trees, two varieties. It would be a few years before we would see any fruit.

Little did we know at the time that we were going to get hit with multiple “storms of life” that would rock us at the very core. One of the storms involved letting go of the family home we had worked so hard to build from the ground up. The roots we had put down into that piece of earth were pulled up.

During that time many questions swirled around like: God, why are we going through this?, Will we every recover from this loss?, How will we start over at this season in our lives?, What will the impact on our family be?

Personally, I was struggling with a sense of complete failure at multiple levels. It was a very difficult time. Thankfully, God had surrounded us with people who would thoughtfully walk with us. He never left us alone.

Among the roots being pulled up, were three little plumb trees. We carefully dug them out of the earth, transported them to the home we currently live in and transplanted them with care. Every year the trees have been growing. Each year they have been bearing a little bit of fruit, but not much… until this year!!!

This year, however is a different story. The trees are beautiful, fully formed and are well over 20 feet tall. The deer make their way into the yard for a delicious snack. The birds take rest in the branches. Even rabbits are found nibbling grass in the shade the tree provides on a hot summer day. And yes, the plumbs, two varieties, a bountiful harvest overflowing to share with others.

God teaches us that God restores. Over this past decade I have watched Him restore so many things that were hurt or damaged in a season of intense storms in our lives. He has covered our lives with forgiveness, grace and mercy. He has increased wisdom. He has surrounded our lives with people who genuinely love and care for us, and have demonstrated so with their lives.

In fact, He is providing a bountiful harvest exceeding what I could barely dare to hope for not too many years ago. Three plumb trees, two varieties. A generous harvest of blessing.

Plumb Perspective