faith perspective

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.

Life By The Spirit

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In the coming days I will explore what I think it means to live by the Spirit.  In the Book of Galatians the apostle Paul is writing to the people in Galatia about how to live a Spirit filled life.  Because God has blessed each of us with free will, we all have a choice regarding how we are going to live our life.  What attitude are we going to have?  What perspective are we going to take, a positive one or a negative one?  Nobody else can decide these things for us unless we allow them too…that happens to be a struggle for many of us.  We let the words and actions of others dictate how we feel and act.  When we meet with God daily and begin to seek life in a new way and let the Holy Spirit flow through us the results can be transforming.  In the picture above what would life be like if you decided to go through that opening…….?

“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.”

                                                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-23

I will be back tomorrow to discuss the first fruit…Love.

Peace.

What is it about Time?

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What time does it start?  What time does it end?  Is it time to go?  What time are we meeting them?  How long will it last?  Do you know what time it is?  We are constantly focused on Time…In the beginning God only spoke of two times, day and night and it was good.

When we came into this world as infants we didn’t wait to be born until a certain time…we weren’t regulated by the numbers on a clock for anything in life, as a parent of two I believe I can say no infant cares about the time on the clock.  During life the world begins to impose its will of Time on us.  “We are trying to get him on a normal sleep schedule”…”He should be walking by now”… as we grow we start to have a ‘schedule’ or ‘routine’ to follow.  The human race has been very specific about when everything should happen in your life.  Then as we age into the late stages of life the details of Time and the pressure of the schedule begin to fade away slowly until we are on our last few breaths and once again we are not concerned about what Time it is…

So when we are physically closest to God at birth and death we seem to have very little need to be so stressed about Time, then why do we choose to let the world dictate what Time we should be there and when we need to be here?   Don’t get me wrong I don’t expect the world to live in chaos, completely unstructured.  Take a moment to think about our world though, every new thing created by humans is designed to save you time!  Why?  What are we saving it for…to fit more stuff into a schedule that is already overflowing with commitments and promises we can barely keep up with now?

When is it time to slow down?  When will we choose to be present in life and not focused on what’s next?  I always love a huge snowstorm…why? Because the world gets really quite…and several ‘activities’ on the schedule get cancelled.  Then you get to sit and just spend time with whomever you are with at the time and the world finally seems peaceful if only for a moment.

The Bible has plenty to say about Time…you can find great information in the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament.  One of my favorite verses in this book is this…

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’…”

                                                                                                                                Ecclesiastes 12:1

This verse is one of the reasons I want to spend so much time working with the youth in our church…the earlier in life we have a firm foundation of faith the more “Time” we have to live out God’s plan for our life.

Peace.

Faith Is a Journey

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Even when we feel like asking like a child “Are we there yet?” …we need to continue on the journey of faith.  Just like going on a trip you will have highs and lows, sweet surprises and unfortunate disappointments.  You will encounter unexpected events as well as amazing grace.  The title of this blog explains my perspective of the journey.  Remember to “Take Your Faith With You” wherever you go.

Think about when you are going to take a trip…do you plan and gather resources?  Typically you pack a bag, at least one.  Sometimes people make a checklist to be sure they have everything and sometimes people just grab a few things and head out.  Do you bring a map or I guess now it would be a GPS capable device as a guide?  When you are on the trip do you spend time regretting not taking a turn or trying to change something that didn’t go well on the trip?  Or do you continue to press on…knowing that things will be ok, looking for ways to improve yourself and your decision making in order to have a better experience for yourself as well as others with you on the trip.  Do you find that when you are lost or not sure where to go that the map/GPS is helpful in guiding you to a better situation?

For me every day is another day on the journey to discover more about and engage in faith with life.  I start by consulting the guide book or spiritual GPS called the Bible.  For any thoughts of worry or concern I offer them up to God in prayer, this helps me remember to keep a positive perspective on the events in my day…it reduces stress, frustration, etc…I also pray to help me see his work in the world and to bless every interaction with others in my day.  Just stating such a prayer each morning helps me remember God throughout the day.  When others share good news or bad news I praise God either for the blessings of the good news or for wisdom to see what he wants us to learn from the bad news.

Through it all, as a human, I stumble and sometimes I fall down completely…I still get mad, I still feel frustrated and I still feel sadness at times…I am not a robot.  We all still have all of our emotions…the difference is how we choose to respond to those feelings and emotions and whether or not we share those feelings and emotions with God.  After all, he created us…he knows us better than we could ever imagine.  The hard part is learning to trust him more and more and including him in your daily walk for every situation good or bad.

The more I have engaged in this behavior the more I am amazed how he guides me to do more for others and how wonderful you feel when you really stop focusing on how everything affects me or makes me feel.  The focus on self alone is the work of evil and will keep you from God…he created each of us for far more than we could know and the only path to discovering that is to walk with him to ask him questions, to speak with him.  To take direction from the spiritual GPS…here is a good instruction to start with…

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

                                                                                                                            1 Corinthians 16:13-14

After that start reading everyday…the book of Proverbs is a great place to start in the Old Testament.  I pray that each day we all can work on inviting and trusting God to guide us and be with us every step on our journey to the life everlasting.  Amen