“Therefore, I urge you , brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2
(This photo was taken in August of 2015 on a lake in central Minnesota)
Jesus said while speaking to his disciples…
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Luke 11:9-10
(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving the north shore of Maui)
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Ephesians 4:2-6
(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving on the north shore of Maui)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your 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
(This photo was taken in August of 2014 on a lake in central Minnesota)
Two very important aspects of faith are patience and persistence. Patience to know that God is working in our lives according to His plan not our own ideas. Persistence to seek guidance from God to understand His plan so that we work together for His glory and our salvation. The verses below do not say you will get what ever you want or you will get the answers you desire or that every opportunity you want will come your way. One of the hardest part of transformation is to read the verses of God’s Word from a God centered perspective and not a self-centered perspective. May God’s peace be with you.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8
(This photo was taken in June of 2012 while driving through northwestern Wisconsin)
“Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.”
Psalm 86:1-13
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 and is a view from Pike’s Peak in southern Colorado)
We tend to get off course pretty easily in our everyday life…there is so much demanding our attention. Spending time daily in the Word with our Lord is the best way to get instructions about life and our purpose.
“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
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling through Nebraska)
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.
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.
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.
Take Your Faith With You 