Daily Bible Reading - Saturday - November 21st

All of us know that when working in a flower garden we eventually have to prune some of the flowers back in order to make them look better the next year.  We do that with tree’s too, we have to prune all the scrawny branches off and give it a nice cutting and then the following year it always comes back fuller and better looking.  Last year I remember when we lived next to Jan I pruned back a rose of Sharon that was right in front of the house, it was growing every which way, when I started to cut it I was afraid to cut it back to much but I wanted to make it look even and when I was done I had really cut it back, I thought I had cut it to much but Jan said you can’t cut those things back to far so I crossed my fingers and hoped it would come back and sure enough when warm weather came that rose of Sharon started coming back nicer then before.  God is like that with us, He has to prune us, get things out of our lives so that we can come back better then before, sometimes He only has to prune a little bit and sometimes He really prunes us a lot because we have a lot of junk in us, that’s what He’s done to me, when He does that it usually takes time but we will come back better and stronger then before.  It’s amazing how that works but God always knows how much pruning to do on us, like that rose of Sharon we can never really be pruned to much. When God does ALOT of pruning on us then watch out for BIG things to happen in your lives.   What an amazing, caring Father we have taking care of us.

Today’s Reading

Ezekiel 42:1-43:27
James 5:1-20
Psalm 119:1-16
Proverbs 28:6-7

Daily Devotional

Not long ago, I read about an executive who had worked for a large home improvement company for over 30 years. He helped build that company from the ground up, and now they have retail stores all over the country. But one day, the company had a corporate restructuring, and this man was informed that he was no longer needed. His job had been eliminated.

Of course, he was disappointed. He didn't think it was fair at all. But instead of sitting around thinking about what he had lost, he began to dream of new ideas and look for new opportunities. One day, he got a group of his friends together, and they started a new home improvement company. They called it The Home Depot. As you know, it was very successful, and now they have stores all over the world.

What this man thought was his greatest setback turned out to be his greatest opportunity. Without that adversity, without that layoff, he would have never stepped into the fullness of his God-given destiny.

Maybe you've gone through a loss and just decided, "This is as good as it gets." Today, I want you to get a new perspective. Realize you're in a pruning season, and God is positioning you for increase. He's getting ready to take you to a higher level. Remember, pruning always leads to blooming. But here's the key: you can't get bitter and fall into the trap of self-pity. Instead, stay in faith. Stay focused on God's promises. When one dream dies, learn to do what this man did, dream another dream. Start looking for new opportunities, new ideas, new friendships. Start expecting increase, favor, and promotion because your season of blooming is on its way!