The 
Phases of Faith
Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God.
Monday, April 26, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the ability to make choices that impact the dreams You have given me. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to be part of a local body of believers who is working together to fulfill Your dream of sharing the new life of Jesus Christ with the world—one person at a time. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and give me the wisdom to make the kinds of decisions and choices that will advance that dream, and the dreams You have given me in my life right now. I pray that You will use me to encourage others in their pursuit of Your dreams for their lives. Give me decisiveness in my living that I may avoid the disappointment of failing to act on Your dreams for my life. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen
God's Word For Me Today
Luke 13:6-9
6Then Jesus used this illustration: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’
8“The gardener answered, ‘Give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9If we get figs next year, fine. If not, you can cut it down.’”
Reflecting on God's Word
Have you ever been in a situation where you were unable to make a decision regarding something important in your life? How do you move forward in the situation?
What is the biggest dream you are considering in your life right now? What decision(s) do you need to make to see it become a reality?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
Why was the man in today’s text disappointed? (Luke 13:6)
What did the man propose doing in order to alleviate the disappointment? (Luke 13:7)
What did the gardener suggest the man do instead? (Luke 13:8-9)
Understanding God's Purpose
What does today’s reading have to do with making decisions that will fulfill God’s dreams for our lives?
Who represents God in today’s parable?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
In what area(s) do you need to make a decision to see God’s dreams come true in your life?
Thoughts...When Enough Is Enough...
Sometimes we put off making decisions, because we’re afraid of being disappointed—or because we’ve already invested a lot of time and energy into maintaining a holding pattern. Change is difficult for all of us—even those of us who say that we like change—and every decision involves change. In today’s parable the farmer planted a fig tree then waited and waited for figs. None ever grew. What would he decide to do? Eventually, he did what many of us do in such a situation: he took the opposite extreme—Fine! Just chop it down! That would certainly be a way of getting figs, wouldn’t it???? The gardener suggested an alternative: why not wait one more year. The gardener would fertilize and care for the tree, and if it didn’t produce any figs the following year, THEN they could cut it down. Sometimes when we wait and wait to make a decision, filled with disappointment, because we’re not getting any results, what we really need to do is develop a PLAN of action, rather than go to an extreme. Chopping down the fig tree would certainly have been a decision—drastic and permanent, and it wouldn’t have alleviated the disappointment the farmer experienced either. The suggestion of the gardener was positive. Let’s learn from it! What decisions will move you forward today?