Month: October 2013

Be a Light in the Darkness

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Today is a day some people express the greatest fears of darkness they have in the form of costumes and decorations.  Some are playful…some are of a dark nature.  In this world we will encounter people and events that are surrounded by darkness.  Do not be afraid…God gives us the Light.  When God was sending his Son into the world he put one bright light in the sky to show the way.  On this Halloween you certainly can celebrate in whatever way suits you and your family especially because we already know that darkness does not win in the end.  The Light of the world comes from God and his Son and they have already had victory over darkness.

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light and knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

                                                                                                                2 Corinthians 4:6

Show others his Light today.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Self-Control

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It does not surprise me that this is the last thing listed in the Galatians 5:22-23 writing about the Fruit of the Spirit…why?  Because as with all aspects of faith it all comes back to us…our attitude, our perspective and most of all our choices.  We are blessed with free will, free to choose how we will act in this world.

Free to choose Love or hate

Free to choose Joy or sadness

Free to choose Peace or fighting

Free to choose Patience or hurriedness

Free to choose Kindness or be mean

Free to choose Goodness or cruelty

Free to choose Faithfulness or distraction

Free to choose Gentleness or be unbalanced

Free to choose to use the Fruits of the Spirit using Self-Control

Our guide for all of this is Jesus.  God sent him so that reconciliation with God is always available.  He loves us and wants us to choose to love him.  Self-Control is not easy, I know from experience and I struggle with it as much as anyone.

Getting better at Self-Control is a choice in itself…it is choosing to live a healthy life style.  Start by doing devotions in the morning and/or at night every day.  Make those 5-10 minutes a priority and be quiet and calm with the Word every day.  Given time it will help…then look at how you are physically caring for yourself…be sure you are eating regularly, getting rest and sleep and take a walk for exercise.  When you feel things are out of control stop and pray.  All of this is possible for anyone; it does not take a large financial investment just commitment.  I know how the world we live in will try to distract and dissuade you from continuing…don’t quit.  Even when you fall down and feel like you are failing, God is still right there saying “I understand, my own Son experienced frustration and temptation in the world.  You are forgiven.”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

                                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-26

I pray we all we seek to live using the Fruits of the Spirit in all we do every day.

Take a look at the picture above one more time…choose to see what is on the other side through that opening…

May God’s Peace be with you

Life by the Spirit…Gentleness

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Having Gentleness in life is all about finding a balance.  Most of the world is about being tough, determined and pushing your way through this or that.  You must be strong to achieve…while all of these traits have value and can definitely be beneficial there are also times in life when tenderness and Gentleness are needed and very helpful.  They are typically more difficult times and these traits are not as common for some people.  The goal should be to have a balance of all of these traits…most of us are stronger in one type of trait or another and we feel more comfortable expressing and using that dominant trait, however, this does not mean we are incapable of learning and growing into the ability to possess a less dominant trait.

Learning and growing are hard and we need help often to recognize when to be Gentle and when to be tough.  The amazing part of a relationship with Jesus is that he can help us with whatever we need…if we let him!

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”.

                                                                                                                                Ephesians 4:1-2

This message is much different than the one we receive from our world.  In order to find the balance we strive for we need to have the messages in the Bible to offset the powerful messages we receive in everyday life.

Don’t go it alone today…seek out a relationship with Jesus…you can start by finding a quiet moment in your day and let him know you want to accept him into your heart today and pray for strength to speak to him again tomorrow and when you don’t know what to say to him…let him know you are listening for him to speak to you.

Tomorrow I will discuss the last of the Fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23…Self-Control.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Faithfulness

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So what does this look like or how can we practice Faithfulness?  If you were to look up the definition one of the choices to define it would be “complete trust” and another would be “loyalty”.  For me Faithfulness has two elements.  First is stating or committing to the fact that you Faithfully follow or believe in something.  The second element of Faithfulness is the actions that you perform that show your Faithfulness.

I think there is a popular phrase to describe this…”that is easier said, than done”.  It is always easier to say I am a Faithful to this or that than to do things that show your Faithfulness.  Because of this many of us are very particular in stating what we are Faithful too.  Look at relationships in life… Who would you say is Faithful to you?  Who would you say you are Faithful to? 

Faithfulness is critical in having a close relationship with others.  It means they can depend on you no matter what the circumstances.  You are available to spend time with them, you can be trusted and you are consistent in your interactions and when you have a close relationship with another person they give you the same Faithfulness.  This type of close relationship opens us up and makes us vulnerable, so if we are ever betrayed by someone it makes it even more difficult to be Faithful again.  There is only one relationship that you can rely on to be consistently Faithful and never let you down…that is your relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can trust him, you can believe he will do what is best for you and he will never ever leave you.  The key is learning to be Faithful to him.  Start with prayer…pray Faithfully…be consistent.  Do it everyday, give him thanks, praise him, ask him for help and sit quietly and listen.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality”.

                                                                                                                                Romans 12:12-13

Start and end each day Faithfully talking to God and practice turning to him first for challenges and problems or thanking him first for joyful moments.

Tomorrow we will discuss Gentleness.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Goodness

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So in striving to live a Life by the Spirit what does Goodness do for us?  That is what we are typically interested in…what will it do for “us or me”.  For starters, that perspective usually leads us away from Goodness because of the self-focus.  As with all the Fruits of the Spirit, we need to focus on our interactions with others and our relationship with God.  Some would argue that Goodness and Kindness are the same thing…for me the difference is Kindness usually involves some sort of self-sacrifice, giving up something of value for another and Goodness is choosing between doing Good versus doing bad things or doing nothing at all.

Choosing to do Good in this world can begin to feel frustrating as you are striving to contribute in a positive way and it seems others keep pushing you back or pushing you down.  Do not quit, often times when we do something Good we may not get to see the impact it had on someone and we need to be Ok with that…we need to have faith that whether we see the results or not it is better to do Good for others and for God.  The apostle Paul writes in the Book of Galatians…

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

                                                                                                                Galatians 6:7-10

Choose to sow some Goodness to your part of the world today and it will grow.

Tomorrow I will be back to discuss Faithfulness.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Kindness

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This is something we are sure we know it when we see it…Kindness.  It feels like the right thing to do, expressing it may not give the result or ending to something we expected or were planning.  Often in this world it shows up as something unique and different because it happens so rarely.  In fact, when acts of kindness randomly happen they end up going ‘viral’ as they say.  It gives me joy to know that Kindness is still something people recognize and they just have to be confident when they make the choice to be Kind it will be worth it.

A recent example is a high school runner who had performed well in an earlier race and was expected to do well in a longer race at an important state meet…nearing the end, as she ran, she passed a younger less experienced runner who had just collapsed and instead of continuing to run past her she stopped to help the competitor to her feet and carried her to the finish line even ensuring the competitor finished ahead of her…Kindness.  Helping others get to the finish line with us.

God wants us to do just that…help others to get to know him.  Share what we have learned about faith and a relationship with God.  Show others the light that shines within us before the Day of Judgment because we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

The day of the coming of the Lord will happen and right now God in his Kindness is patiently waiting for everyone to turn to him before that time…

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

                                                                                                                2 Peter 3:8-9

Share some Kindness with someone today, it may be the only light that shines in their life this day.

Tomorrow I will discuss Goodness.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Patience

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What does it mean to be Patient?  Often this word makes people roll their eyes and give a sigh…we all struggle to find Patience in this world.  As I have stated, the world keeps telling us to hurry up, get here, get there, buy this…save time by doing this or buying that…enough!  I think it’s time to get out of the rat race that encourages us always to look for more or something better…time to find contentment with what we have received and where we are in the world.  Am I saying give up?  Absolutely not…my point is more about surrendering your life to Christ instead of surrendering your life to this world.

Patience is all about slowing down the pace of life.  Those who trust in God know who is in control of their life…everyone still makes decisions and lives life each day, there is just a greater sense of calm because they start and/or end everyday committing all they do to God.  They strive to be more positive and look for the good in what has happened…does that mean everything is happy, happy, joy, joy?  No not at all…no matter what you choose to believe in this world we all have to face the same negative forces and evil that affects everyone because the human race has free will.  In the Bible Psalm 27 is a great resource for Patience and waiting for the Lord…

“I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”

                                                                                                                     Psalm 27:13-14

May we all find Patience starting this new week and change our perspective on facing our daily challenges.

Tomorrow I will discuss Kindness.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Peace

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Peace is a choice.  It is all about your attitude no matter the circumstances.  There are people that live what is considered a good life…they go to worship, they pray, they treat others well and they go about their daily business and life in a respectful manner.  This is just a small taste of living what could be a Godly life!  I know this because the above describes me for several years…I have read that this type of living can be described as living on the surface of the ocean.  There are many days when things are calm and peaceful but sooner or later storms will come and the surface can be very turbulent during those times.  Deep below the surface no matter what is occurring above there is serenity and Peace.

This is a calm that is known by some that have decided they are going to go diving in…this true sense of Peace that can be found in the most difficult circumstances of life is available to anyone willing to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

                                                                                                                                Philippians 4:6-7

I pray we all will seek a faith deeper than the surface in this life and choose the sense of Peace that comes from knowing and having a relationship with Jesus.  Amen.

I will be back tomorrow to continue the Fruit of the Spirit series to discuss…wait for it…Patience.

Life by the Spirit…Joy

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What is true Joy?  What does it look like?  How does it feel?  For me Joy is something that results from a sense of hope and peace.  As a simple example think of a the Joy a parent feels when an infant or toddler settles down and falls asleep…before that moment the home was busy with the child eating and having play time.  Depending on the age, the child may have been moving around from place to place in the home finding many things it should not be getting into…so when the moment comes at the end of a day and a child has fallen asleep there is a sense of peace.  As you look at the child sleeping peacefully you may begin to think about the future and what may come…that would be hope…hope for a better tomorrow, hope for what they will become.  The combination of this hope and peace result in Joy.

I use this example because in my experience there usually is more Joy in the world when little children are around…why?  Because there is hope for the future and often, not always, the adults nearby are less concerned about other things and they may be more at peace.  Now I understand that this is not always the case around young children and when there is not Joy it is on the adults to choose the attitude that creates Joy or they can choose the attitude that creates stress.

So how do we find hope and peace to create more Joy?  Let’s start with hope…hope is about goals and dreams.  What are your goals?  What are your dreams?  If you are not sure or you haven’t thought about it much, take some time to identify them.  Author John C Maxwell writes in his book “Developing the Leaders Around You” to fill in the blanks on 2 statements to help identify your dream…

If I had _________________, I would ________________.

The idea is if you had unlimited resources (such as time, money, etc) that you would pursue your dream.  After you figure out what your dream is pray about it.  If you know your dreams then offer them up to God and be open to God telling you he has a different goal or dream in mind for you…don’t worry it won’t be something you don’t enjoy…he made you, specifically for his plan for your life so you will like it if you let him lead you.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

                                                                                                                                Proverbs 3:5-6

The peace that leads to Joy comes directly from trusting that God is in control and no matter what happens in the end he his holding you and if you let him, he will lead you to places you never thought possible.  For me 2-3 years ago a thought about writing a blog about my faith…huh yeah right…yet here I am.  It is not perfect and it doesn’t have thousands of followers but if every post can impact just one person then I have done something he wants me to do.  I pray more of us will choose hope and peace and that we all will choose to experience more Joy.  Amen.

Life by the Spirit…Love

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Why is Love one of the first fruits?  Because all that we are and all that we have been given is because of God’s Love.

His grace comes from Love

His mercy comes from Love

His forgiveness comes from Love and

His peace comes from Love.

The apostle Paul understood this and wrote about it extensively in 1 Corinthians 13.  Many people know of these verses because they have heard it read at a wedding or maybe you had it read at your own wedding.  Hearing it and even knowing what it says is different than striving to live it in your everyday life.

Love is doing things for other people, not because you have to…because you want to.  All of the writing in 1 Corinthians 13 is about the behaviors of Love…having patience, kindness, not being rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not keeping record of wrongs…behaviors of Love…it always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.  These behaviors and ways of living are all choices that we all have.  God gave us free will because he Loves us…it is up to us to choose Love.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

                                                                                                                                John 3:16

People say what a terrible world, why does this evil happen, how can God let this happen…God doesn’t do bad things to people…people choose bad things and yet through it all God still Loves us.  So when I start thinking this way in my life I try hard to remember the only way I can make any difference in this world is by changing myself and my behaviors towards others…that is Love.

Tomorrow I will explore Joy.

Peace.