Tied to the Stake

Yesterday, I tied up our maturing tomato plants to their stakes so they would grow upward instead of dragging the ground. As I tied the vines over and over again, the Lord formulated questions to my heart:

Do you have a stake in the ground concerning Me? Who do you say that I AM? 

And are you tied closely to Me? Growing, maturing, and bearing fruit?

When it comes to knowing and understanding the Lord, it is important that our stakes in the ground are deeply and securely planted. Otherwise, the first heavy rain or gust of wind will cause our faith to wobble and then weaken. We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ (Eph 4:14-15).

Three non-negotiable-truths that I have deeply rooted in my heart are these:
God is good. God is love. God knows best. No wind, no storm, no scorching heat, nothing, will affect these hallmark beliefs that have developed in my heart over time. Interestingly, the presence of trials, not their absence, is what precipitated the strong hold I have on these core truths.

Putting your stake in the ground about who God is comes through gleaning from His word, not the world's view of God.  Then abiding in His word causes usto grow, mature, and bear fruit. All along the way, we must be tied closely to Him--we need Him to hold us up. We cannot dothis Christian life without Christ! How odd to think that we can, yet so often we inantely do. We go days (weeks, months) without reading His word; as a result, our bonds to His truths become untied, and we droop to the ground.

Christ follower, I urge you, choose to be tied closely to Him for your good and His glory!

Only be very careful to observe the commandment…to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Joshua 22:5

When I found him whom my soul loves; I held on to him and would not let him go… (Song of Sol. 3:4)

As I finished my little project in the garden, I said a big prayer to God in Heaven: Dear Lord, You are good. You are love. You know best. Please, with Your gentle cords of strength and power, I ask You to tie me to Your Stake. Amen