One Key
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19b)
“Meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 and 1 Timothy 4:15)
“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 16:19a)
I recently received a message from a praying friend and in that message she shared how she was reminded that God gives us keys of knowledge which we need to protract in order to recognise His seasons, blessings and guidance.
Then these scriptures from Matthew and Philippians came to mind together… bundling a message about keys to me. I encourage you to read the texts in full, then look at 1 Timothy 4 and bundle a message for yourself. There is an important key within!!
A Second Key
I am in a place of seclusion right now. Some grief, some anticipation, some perplexing about how I discern things of relative importance but have little outlet to share them. I wonder why?
I’m experiencing a bit of wilderness and a bit of ease: at the precipice of futility, I realise anything I do without the Lord’s prompting or leading is a waste of time. I have talents and have tried to use each and every one of them. But they do not seem to yield.
What did Jesus say to the fruit tree?
“Now in the morning, as he (Jesus) returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.” (Matthew 21:18-19)
That gives me concern. What if I am the fig tree, bearing no good fruit for him?
Then however, when the disciples asked Jesus how the tree could die so quickly he said one of my favourite, most inspiring things.
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:21-22)
Isn’t that so encouraging? We can feel dry or withered, hopeless or in a wilderness and yet, we simply have to ask and he will respond.
To have mountain-moving faith is one of my greatest desires. In fact, I trust the wilderness is a preparation for that faith. And so, in my weakness I say, “help me, Lord, to entrust everything to you.”
In all our seasons, good and bad, we need to remember that sort of prayer: “Help me, Lord, to entrust everything to you.” And he will.
That surrender is a key, and out of it comes the fruit that will not yield futile, human effort, but timely, inspired fruit that will last for eternity.
