STIR IT UP

STIR IT UP

Ephesians 5
²⁰At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Amp

1. Florida has a statue called the “Lemon Law” which deals with problems encountered when purchasing a new or long leased car. You know the kind of automobile that spends more time at the mechanic than with the owner. It consistently has problems, transmission, engine, brakes, etc., etc. the car is a lemon, its nothing but trouble. So you have the option of suing for a replacement or some other means of satisfaction.
2. In this life we are oft times presented with many lemons, but unlike the Florida lemon law we can’t sue life to get any satisfaction, normally we like to quote Philippians 4:¹¹Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. Amp

And on the surface this seems to be a nice piece of scripture to quote, but when life seems to be dumping lemons on you by the truckload, how can you be content, sometimes you just want to give, throw up both hands and just walk away from it all.

Points

1.)    Recognize the lemons in your life.

a)      That job where office politics not ability play the key role in advancement, where you have to deal with jealous, manipulative, backbiting co-workers

b)      Relationship that are failing, that marriage, that friendship, that kinship.

c)      Financial woes

d)      Health problems

e)      Church problems

And if you haven’t had any lemons in your life yet, keep on living, For Job declared Job 14:1 Man [that is] born of a woman [is] of few days, and full of trouble. In other words if you haven’t had no rain in your life wait awhile, one day dark clouds are going to form, then life will unleash a torment of lemons into your perfect little life.

2.) Why does god allow lemons in our lives?

There are a lot of answers that could be given, but let us just look at a couple of them.

a)      To be tested by God to see if we come through the fire will we come out as pure gold. If that was the purpose all of us would have to be tried again because of the impurities we still have. Jam 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

b)      Payback because what goes around comes around, you reap what you sow, this was the reaction of Job’ so called friends when life had thrown lemon after lemon(expand on this) at him

c)      If you would allow me to give my answer to this age old problem. In the book of Isaiah 55:⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD .
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In other words we really don’t know why lemons come into our lives we can speculate, debate but we really don’t know, doesn’t sound very preachy does it. But let us look at Proverbs 3
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  I believe that lemons are trust building tools, the word is trying to tell me to trust God when they mistreat me on the job, trust Him when relationships no longer work, trust Him when I’m broke , busted and disgusted and don’t know how the bills are gonna be paid,…..trust Him when my health starts to slip and the doctors just don’t know what to do………..trust Him when the Church won’t act right…….trust him when troubles start to fall like rain from the sky……..trust Him when he doesn’t feel near anymore ………….trust Him like Job who said Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him

2.)    so how do you give thanks in the midst of all these problems?

a)      You make lemonade out of all the lemons life has dealt you, but how?

b)      Here is the recipe, you’ve got to have the three ingredients ; water lemons and sweetener

In John 4:10 Jesus a declared to the Samaritan woman, who had many lemons in her life( expand on this) “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Life has already furnished you with the lemons, but they need to be cut up the book of Hebrews gives us the utensil we need Hbr 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,

God told Ezekiel in 3:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat [it]; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

Now you have all the ingredients together they need to be stirred up, you stir it up, how do you stir it up. When Job was going through he prayed, when David was being chased he prayed, when Jesus was about to be killed he prayed, when PAUL was in jail he and Silas prayed…..stir it up. when you pray you’ll be able to say in all things I give You thanks, thanks for my ups, thanks for my down, thanks when I’m going through, stir it up church, stir it up!!!!!!!!!!!!