Promise for Today - Seasons In His Time

Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

The Bible tells us that there are seasons in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (NIV).

The fact that life is made up of seasons means that life also includes times of waiting. Between the “then” and the “now” (or the “now” and the “what’s coming next”), there is always a delay. This irritates most people. It can be frustrating to make a deposit, investment, or plan and not have it instantly come to fruition.

But fruit ripens slowly. Would you rather eat a vine-ripened tomato or one that has been picked green and ripened later in storage? There’s no comparison between a vine-ripened tomato, which was allowed to grow slowly, and a tomato that was picked prematurely. If you pick too soon, you miss the flavor.

In money management, you always reap in a different season than you sow. And, by the way, not all fruit ripens at the same time. When you grow peaches, they’re not all ripe at once. They come in little by little; you pick a few a day. When you start planting and following God’s money management principles, you’re not going to see all the results tomorrow. It’s going to come in over time. You’re going to have to wait to reap in a different season.

But while you’re waiting, God is working. When you’re waiting for the fulfillment of the efforts or money or energy that you’ve put into something, you may think nothing’s happening. But, oh, it’s happening! While that seed is hidden in the ground, it is slowly germinating. And when that seed bursts with God’s blessing on it, it will continue growing and growing. One day a little shoot will stick up out of the ground, and then you will see that it’s working.

But until then, you need to trust that God is working, even when you can’t see the fruit of your labor.

Plants take time to grow. There’s no such thing as instant maturity. No farmer goes out, plants the seed in the ground, comes back an hour later, digs it up, and expects it to have grown. You’ve just got to let it be, and let God grow it in his time.

Talk It Over

What have you been waiting on God to bring to fruition in your life?

How have you grown spiritually as a result of having to wait for that harvest? What has God taught you as you’ve been waiting on him?

Why do you think God makes you wait to reap what you sow?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

       Lord, we know You are good, and Your timing is perfect. Even when we cannot see the full picture, we trust that You are working all things together for our good. Help us to let go of our own timetable and to wait with patience, knowing that You are never late and that Your plans are good. If impatience begins to stir in our hearts, remind us that You are faithful and that Your provision will come at the right time. Give us the strength to remain steadfast, even when progress seems slow, and to trust that Your protection may be keeping us from something that is not right for us.
      Teach us to be patient like the farmer who waits for the harvest, knowing that in due season, blessings will come. Renew our strength and courage so that we do not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we will reap when we don't give up.
     We come before You with a heart full of hope and trust, surrendering our plans, desires, and unanswered prayers into Your hands. Thank You for the peace You give, and for the hope that fuels our patience. Help us to be grateful for what we have now while trusting in what You are preparing for us. Keep our hearts from comparing our season with others, for each of us walks our own path. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen    

Promise for Today - Where Are You?

The Lord is nearer to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

What if you’re exactly where you need to be?

In 2026, it feels like we’re constantly being told what will make us happy. A bigger house. A nicer car. A better job. More influence. More success. That promotion. That relationship. Better neighbors. While there’s pressure from all sides, the message is always the same: “The grass is always greener...”

Monday night, a storm rolled through our house, and it hit our little garden pretty hard. Especially our jalapeños. (My favorite thing we grow.)  The wind snapped branches, flattened the plants, and, sadly, we had to remove a large section. Months of growth…Gone in one night. 
Disappointing.

It wasn’t all bad. In the next bed over, we had recently planted green beans. They hadn’t even broken through the soil yet. While the jalapeños were taking the full force of the storm, the beans rested safely beneath the surface—hidden, protected and completely out of harm's way from the wind.

As I stood there looking at both beds, I couldn’t help but wonder…

What if we spent less time wishing we were somewhere else and more time trusting God with where we are? Content.

 
Sometimes life feels like the jalapeños. The winds come. Things break. Dreams fall apart. We feel crushed by life: Devastated. When that happens, I cling to these words:
"The Lord is nearer to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)

The reality?
God draws nearer to us in our brokenness. Regardless of how we feel, He’s not absent in the storm. He’s especially present there.

But, man, there are other times that life feels more like the green beans. Hidden. Unseen. Waiting. Expecting. Wondering when it’s finally going to be our turn. Questions like: “Does God care about me!?” “Does God see me!?”

Maybe—just maybe—that hidden season isn’t God holding us back.
Maybe it’s His loving kindness.
Maybe He knows we’re still developing roots.
Maybe He’s protecting us from pressures we’re not ready to carry yet.

Praise God in the moments I so desperately wanted to get out of the developing season, He was kind enough to say “not yet.”

The truth is, neither season is wasted. Both are good. And maybe you’re exactly where you need to be.

 
Whether you’re weathering the storm or waiting beneath the surface — God is still at work in you. Not every season looks like it’s producing fruit. But what if the fruit it’s producing is not seen, but felt?
Like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Written by Christopher Glotzbach, Muncie, Indiana

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
                          Whether I’m waiting for breakthrough, enjoying seasons of peace, standing in the middle of a storm, or picking up the pieces afterward, help me remain in You. Teach me to be content where You’ve planted me. Exactly where I am. Exactly how I am. Knowing I won’t be here forever.
Increase my trust that Your timing is better than mine. Keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, because You are worthy of it all. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Day 2 of 40 Days to Easter - Evangelicals and Lent

For the next 39 days leading to Easter, I will be posting from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Tonight features excerpts written by Whitney Hopler (Crosswalk.com)
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Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success. 

Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. 

We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Psalm 118:25-26

Lent is often overlooked by evangelical churches that eschew the liturgical calendar in favor of following their own themes for sermons and activities. And evangelical churches that do follow liturgy sometimes give short shrift to Lent. Still, many evangelicals do observe Lent, and often do so in ways that they find lead to significant spiritual growth.

Kathleen grew up observing Lent in traditional ways through her Catholic church - such as fasting and attending worship services filled with solemn ritual. Everywhere in church, she was surrounded by reminders of the 40-day season of reflection and penitence leading up to Easter. Yet now that she's a member of an evangelical church that barely mentions Lent at all, Kathleen's Lenten seasons have actually become more meaningful for her.

"Even though it's not called Lent in my church and there are no special rituals, it's a very special reflective time," she said. "Reading the Gospels and concentrating on Jesus' life - how He was both the son of God and the son of man - really puts the heart of my faith before me as I get ready to celebrate Easter and the salvation He gave us."

Every year, members of a church in Virginia, produce an approximately 60-page Lenten devotional filled with their original essays, poems and drawings. Each church member - from children through seniors - is invited to participate. Then a copy is mailed to every household within a five-mile radius of the church - about 28,000 homes.

"The effort has proven fruitful for community and church members alike," said the church's pastor. "In sharing it with the community, it helps us express our faith in a way that genuinely moves other people. And in our own congregation among those who have contributed, I've seen a greater willingness to talk about faith with other people."

Investing the time to observe Lent is spiritually worthwhile. Time is a very scarce resource for many people today due to the frantic pace of life and all the distractions. Lent gives us a way of setting apart time to focus on the cross, and the cross goes to the heart of what our faith is all about. Reflecting on what Christ did on the cross, [reflecting] on our salvation - that's so important to take the time to do...

Lent is an important time for people to discover more about Christ and forge stronger relationships with Him, said one pastor. During Lent this year, his church will host an "Alpha" group for seekers to explore whatever questions they have about Christianity.

"I see Lent as a door - an entryway - for people to connect or reconnect with Jesus," he said. "Our culture is so focused on an event rather than a process. Even as evangelicals, I think we've been trapped by the idea that salvation is a one-time event, like a sale that we've got to close. But often, it's a process in which people ask questions again and again and again and approach God again and again and again to consider faith. We're hoping to use Lent as a way to help people consider Jesus and take the time they need to process all He's done for us, so they can discover a faith that's real."

Unlike the joyless deprivation some people think of when they think of Lent, the season can actually be a quite rewarding and exciting time. There's a sense of preparation, of anticipation, and a sense of savoring what Jesus did for us. The church calendar invites us to take our time and conform it to Jesus' time. We take a season like Lent and we enter into Jesus' life and all that He dealt with on Earth, and then we can better deal with everything in our own lives because we've connected with Him.

One church member advised that no matter how we observe the Lenten season, we should strive to live with attitudes of humility, repentance and thankfulness all year long. "I try not to get hung up on certain seasons," she said. "It's important to remember the cost of Easter, and I try to do that during Lent, but also every day of the year."

Prayer:

Lord,
         Help me to dive into this season of Lent with intentionality and purpose. I want to know You better, love You more fully, and accept Your grace more readily. Draw me closer to You, day by day. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Seasons of Life

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

It is true that life is made up of so many seasons. As Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 NLT enumerates,

A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

Now, this next statement is just my opinion - I believe we carry grief for as long as we live on Earth. I don't mean to say that you will be in deep mourning for the rest of your life. No, I believe that grief has multiple stages and seasons just like life, but it's not something you just "get over" or "get past" and it's done, never to be thought about or experienced again - as anyone who has ever lost a loved one can testify.

For instance, in my own life, my mother died almost 25 years ago. I go for long periods of time and don't think about her, but early today, I missed her and cried for her like it happened yesterday. That's what makes me say that grief is for as long as we live... until Jesus comes to take us all home and we are reunited with our loved ones who have died in Christ. 

Verse 11 of this same chapter reads, Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. It's true, we cannot see the whole scope of God's work, but we do know and can believe that He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. 

If you're grieving right now or in a rough season of life, wait on the Lord. He will show up. He will carry you. You will get through this. Seasons do change.

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for Your Word to instruct and teach us how to live in each season. Thank You that Your Word carries us through all of them. Breathe fresh life into the eternity You planted in our hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Changing

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2:20-21 NLT

In most of the U.S., Daylight Saving Time ends tonight (clocks go back an hour). And even though we technically get an extra hour to sleep, I don't like when the time changes back because daylight just seems to disappear... The seasons are changing - winter's coming. It won't be long before we're hearing, "Tis the Season..." It's not surprising when you really think about it. All of life is seasonal. 

One thing I have learned from living this long. God - my God - created the seasons. And He created it so that Spring always follows Winter.

During the dark of the winter season when everything looks grey and bare, there is the hope of Spring. During the dark of the seasons of life, there is hope in the Light of the World and the new life we find in Him. He is faithful. He will see us through. It's a season... and He made them all. 

Seasons change. God does not. Praise His Holy Name.

Prayer:

Father,
            Blessed be Your Name, O God, forever and ever, for wisdom and might are Yours. You change the times and the seasons; You remove kings and raise up kings; You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. We know that You direct them all, and we trust You in all of them. Help us, Father, to walk boldly in the path You have put before us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

One Season Following Another

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

It's winter in south Texas - at least that's what the calendar indicates. However, a balmy 76 degrees Fahrenheit does not equal winter weather in the USA; although there is a storm front expected tonight that may usher in some cooler temperatures. Personally, I like mild warmer weather. I hate snow - much to the dismay of my youngest grandchild. (I'm sure the difference in age has everything to do with that.)  I have found myself wishing part of my life away by hoping to quickly advance to Spring which is unequivocally the best season in Texas... well, in my humble opinion, anyway. At any rate, we all have our favorite seasons. 

What about our seasons of life? Unlike Earth's seasons which range from 3 - 6 months long, hard life seasons seem to stretch on indefinitely sometimes. So much so that when the Spring arrives we may miss it because we're still focused on the bad "winter". Have you ever done that - been so caught up in the tough stuff that you miss the good? We have to take our eyes off the circumstances and look to Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Remember that Heaven is our goal and every day that passes means we're one day closer to eternity! 

Hebrews 12:2&3 in the Message read, Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! 

Seasons come and go; even bad ones eventually end. We need to be ready for the final season. Are you?

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for choices of where to live in climates we prefer. Thank You for seasons that change even if it's only from hot to less hot. Help us to leave past seasons behind and to look forward to Heaven. Thank You for always teaching us no matter what the season and help us to stay focused on what You want us to learn in the current season. We don't want to miss any of it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Seasons

Daniel answered and said:“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2:20-21 NLT

Think about how many times in the last week you've heard someone mention something to do with seasons. 
Football season. 
Seasonal allergies. 
The holiday season is upon us. 
The seasons are changing - winter's coming. It won't be long before we're hearing, "Tis the Season..."  It's not surprising when you really think about it. All of life is seasonal.

In most of the U.S., Daylight Saving Time ends tonight (clocks go back an hour). And even though we technically get an extra hour to sleep, I don't like when the time changes back because then I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, and I know that winter is coming. My least favorite season...

Now I know, in South Texas, winters are not anything when compared to those north of the border. However, I don't live north of the border for that very reason. Winter was so long last year that August was almost over before I mentioned how hot it was one day. This time of year should be low-to-mid 70s, that's our normal seasonal weather - not the 40-something degrees they're calling for in the 7-day forecast. I hate sudden changes like that. 

I hate it more so when it's a life season that is suddenly changed - sickness, loss, death. Catastrophic. Devastating. Overwhelming... except for the grace of God. One thing I have learned from living this long. God - my God - created the seasons. And He created it so that Spring always follows Winter. 

During the dark of the winter season when everything looks grey and bare, there is the hope of Spring. During the dark of the seasons of life, there is hope for the Light of the World and the new life we find in Him. He is faithful. He will see us through. It's a season... and He made them all.

Prayer:

Father,

         Blessed be Your Name, O God, forever and ever, for wisdom and might are Yours. You change the times and the seasons; You remove kings and raise up kings; You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. We know that You direct them all, and we trust You in all of them. Help us, Father, to walk boldly in the path You have put before us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Changing of the Seasons

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 NLT

In South Texas, we sometimes dream of changing seasons. We only see pictures of beautiful leaves or else we have to travel to see them. Those trees are not in our yards. Here, we jokingly tell you we have two seasons: Summer and Lesser Summer. Right now, it's still summer. It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit today. TODAY. No kidding. It's October! It was so humid this morning that I thought I was going to need snorkel gear just to walk to my car. I walked outside and my face melted off into my hands...  

That's okay, though. In another 6 weeks, when the rest of the country (north of our border) is freezing and enduring winter weather, we will be soaking up our lesser summer. We're ready now.

And that's just like life. Some days, some times, some seasons are harder than others. The good news is times and seasons are known to change (in most places). The BEST news is, God does not. His love doesn't change. His ways don't change. His expectations of us don't change. His Word doesn't change. His plans for our lives don't change, either. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

No matter the season in life, we can weather it as long as we follow Christ (pun intended.) Seasons change. God does not. If you need a season to change, pray. Tell the Father. And be sure to thank Him.

Prayer:

Father,

            We thank You for being with us and leading us through all the seasons of our lives. We thank You for the peace that You promise us - peace which exceeds anything we can understand. No matter the season, guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus. Help us to keep our thoughts fixed on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Help us to think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Strengthen us to keep putting into practice all we have learned about You and received from Your Holy Spirit. Be with us, Jehovah Shalom, according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Seasoned

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

What does it mean to be seasoned? If your first thought turns to food, I understand, but that's not where I was going with it. (smiling) Although, that is an illustration we can all relate to.

We understand that a seasoned soldier or a seasoned teacher is one who has been through the battles - been through lots of seasons - one who has learned how to survive through the change. The question is - how were they seasoned? Were they salted to perfection or over-salted? Was the blend of the multiple seasonings allowed to bring out the flavor of their lives or did they sit in them too long and become bitter?

Top chefs know the remedies for correcting mistakes made with seasonings. However, even they say some mistakes just have to be tossed and then they start over. Our good news is that even if our seasoned lives have become irreconcilable to life as we know it, God can and will fix it, if we ask Him. His Word tells us He makes all things new and God is trustworthy. We may have to soak in something for a season, but if we are following Christ, we will come out of it with a sweet savor. 

Prayer:

Father,
          Sometimes the seasons and seasonings of life seem overlong and overpowering, but we choose to trust You in all of it. We invite You into our lives to stir up our souls and make us into Your already planned process so that we can be properly-seasoned witnesses of Your faithfulness. Cause us to be an appealing sweet savor to reveal Your love to those around us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen