View From My Seat

I love having the opportunity to re-preach Ty's messages to other people. Yesterday I was given the opportunity to tell two different people about this weekends message. The content seemed to fit their circumstances just perfectly. I love how God does that for us. For those of you that missed it, please don't forget about our free podcasts at www.cowboyjunctionchurch.com. Every message preached at CJC is found on our website. In the meantime, here is what touched me the most. Ty spoke on our life being similar to a tree that is meant to flourish and produce a harvest. But circumstances don't always allow for easy growth. At times in our lives we fill like we are doing the very best we can and pruning begins to happen. Now pruning is necessary but it initially hurts. Ty reminded us that God is not in the business of hurting us and He uses everything for our good. The scripture he pointed us to is found in John 15:2. It says,"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." When he explained this scripture in "Ty Bean fashion", I wanted to jump up and shout. When something is lost or cut off, God has plans for a bigger return. WOW!!!! I am holding on to this promise and I am remaining in the vine. Even fruit producing limbs get pruned on. Why? Because the greater harvest comes from what we gained in the tough times. I don't want to just bear fruit. I want my branches to bend. I want an overflow of whatever God has to offer. At the end of the service, Ty gave 2 scriptures that he encouraged us to make as our scripture memory. One of them being Galatians 6:9. I memorized it today and I am sure it will be useful in the days ahead. It says,"Let us not grow weary doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." In life, disappointments come. People hurt us and tough times can bring discouragement. But through all the pruning we receive, we can't give up. A great harvest is coming. More fruit than our tree can hold. God has promised to finish what He began in each of us. What the enemy meant for harm, God will make for good. Keep pressing on. Don't lose heart. And most importantly, stay connected to the vine.