Can I be transparent and say that I have not opened up my Mac Book to write in MONTHS and I desperately wanted to finish this piece from last Summer, so here goes…

After such a powerful Sunday service hubby and I went to go and take our responsibility to cultivate our land. I put on tons of OFF spray, put on my working boots and walked out to the back yard to help my husband clean-up land that we now own.

North Carolina is so beautiful, the trees, the nature, our garden, the birds it’s all so breath taking! In that moment the organizer in me looked at our property and said it’s not right… it is not where it should be. It’s looks nice with just a quick glance but the organizer (a bit of perfectionist as well) in me said we need to look at this deeper. There is more to do. There is more potential in this ground, it’s not where it needs to be. It is time to clean up! It has not been cultivated properly. We started after lunch and it was 93 degrees out. The Floridian blood in us kept going without even thinking about it. The weather here is definitely different than in Central Florida. We grabbed the rakes, blower, tarp and a wheel barrel and headed to the back of our property.  We had a “plan” and started to dive in. The more we raked the more we uncovered LAYERS of leaves. I was shocked at how many layers really were there. I raked and raked and raked some more and it was a struggle to get to the dirt. Our arms were getting a workout for sure. Our hands were starting to form blisters, but we kept going. We had a goal in mind and it was to get all of the leaves in the back picked up and moved to where they belong. We worked endlessly that day and even the days that followed. It was not easy but there was a burden in me. I must cultivate the land. I am not satisfied with mediocre landscape. The land that God has blessed us with has so much potential, it just needs someone to unlock it! 

Isn’t that the same in the Kingdom of God? There is so much potential out there, the earth is crying for folks that would be willing to do what Jesus commanded us to do. “GO and make disciples of all Nations…” (Mathew 28:19). Go and cultivate the land. Building up disciples is not an overnight job. It takes pruning, discipline, correction, love, commitment, and more. We must be willing to understand that though the ground is not easy it will be worth it all. Enhancing the Kingdom of God is worth it all. Not for my gain but for the gain of Heaven! Enhancing His Kingdom lessens the confusion (or like the weeds that choke up the flowers and the trees) allows believers to grow, allow them to see their purpose and identity. Cultivating the land that God has given us means looking around the neighborhood that you live in and your work place and saying Yes I am committed to praying. Yes, I am committed to being a light. Yes, I am committed to loving like Jesus. Yes, I am committed to standing up for biblical Principles. Yes, I am committed to being more and more like Jesus! Will you partner with me beloved and say yes to Mathew 28:19- it is time that we cultivate our land for Jesus. Far too long has the church of America been complacent. “The land looks good enough, let’s just turn a blind eye…”  No! No! No! We need to be able to understand what God’s word says: Go (action), Make (action), Let’s go and make disciples, let’s be willing! And not be willing to just go an Make disciples of other BUT beloved lets be willing to be discipled ourselves. Let’s be willing to cultivate our personal land. That is so important and so vital! 

 Listen one year later I look at our property and still say, it’s not finished yet. There is so much more that we would like to do and will be doing. It takes time, but I can see the ground. The layers and layers of leaves are gone. The weeds are being brush killed and pulled by the root more and more. We can see progress! We are not finished yet and that stands true for us as believers as well. We are not finished yet, there is still a harvest out there waiting to be cultivated and more – we are not done being cultivated on by Jesus Christ himself. We are not done once we receive salvation- there will always be something to work on. As Stephen Covey stated:  “Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” The investment is and will be worth it!  Go and Cultivate the land.