BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

1 Corinthians 7:17

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Bloom where you’re planted.

It’s been a saying I have carried with me for the longest time.

The idea is that the Lord will place you in many different circumstances through your life, professionally and personally. Many of these would not be our choice if we had it but that’s a part of the amazing work God does to mold and shape us into being the people He wants us to be.

In my case, I spent most of my life serving in the United States Navy, twenty eight and a half years to be exact. This career found me assigned to five different ships. I was also at various shore based commands before being selected to lead at the highest senior enlisted level possible for my final seven years. My tours included a stint in Washington, DC, as well as Djibouti, Africa. Each job was different in the scope of my job and responsibilities but one constant was in place no matter where I was placed.

I had the chance to bloom wherever the Lord planted me and I did because I allowed Him to make it so.

You see, understanding and knowing your place in life means that you see God moving in matters constantly. He is always present and ever dictating the path we travel. After all, He did say that He knows the plans He has for us. It’s up to us to submit to His will and way, allowing Him to carry out His promise made in regard to His plans, that they were designed so we might ultimately prosper and have hope for a future.

As we consider how this applies to our study of 1 Corinthians, we see the Apostle Paul as “Exhibit A” when it comes to the matter of seeking to excel, no matter where the Lord placed him. The faithful, dedicated Gospel-spreader was sent by God on four missionary journeys which served to fulfill Jesus’ proclamation that His salvation message would be taken to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As we read his many epistles in the New Testament, we see how the places Paul went were all unique in their own right and this required Paul to use different approaches in order to share the good news with others. Across the board, we find the apostle having success because He placed his trust in the Lord who planted him in places so he could bloom while serving at the will of the Master Gardener (John 15:1).

Because of this, Paul could speak with authority when he wrote the following words to the church in Corinth:

Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 1 Corinthians 7:17

Note here that Paul’s rule was not just for the Corinthians but rather all churches and this means it applied to all Christians.

What was the rule?

They were to live as a believer, to live as a person in and of Christ, through whatever situation the Lord placed them in. The idea was that the Lord had called them into certain circumstances for His purposes and so the Christian believer needed to bloom where they were planted, allowing God’s will to be done. It was true in the Christian churches and their congregants in first century A.D. and it remains true today.

So the questions are, “How well are we doing this? How well are we embracing the life situations God is bringing us into and letting Him show us to not just survive but thrive?”

There’s another saying I have used for many years.

The Lord will never bring you to something He isn’t going to bring you through.

Remember this as you are placed in different circumstances by the Lord and trust Him. For if you do, He will give you the strength and guidance to bloom in the place where He has planted you, and it will all happen for His honor and glory.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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