Faith

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

A Place Where You See God

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If you stop and think about it, where is that place in your life?  Is it a physical location or something different?  Is it in an act of kindness you have experienced or seen happening to another person or in a story you have heard about other people?

Sometimes it can be hard to find him…when I think about it and realize I haven’t seen him or been aware of him…I have learned not to ask God to show himself in some way but rather give me eyes and ears to see your work in the world.  For me, the key is where are we focusing our attention…if we are self-focused we will miss just about every opportunity to see God’s work in the world.  As we learn to focus on a relationship with God and others first we begin to acquire a new perspective.  This type of change in focus requires a commitment to change your routines and habits in life.  If we just try to work it all in to our current schedule and life we will fail…I speak from experience.

For many years I was consumed with my work and the company I worked for and my “position” in the social stratosphere.  I would work in “my time” with God on the weekend before getting down to business.  This life created several false idols for me, because deep in my heart I had not surrendered and committed myself to Jesus.  When I finally stopped pursuing my plans, my ideas for how things should be and truly dedicated daily time in devotion and worship…I finally started to see opportunities to connect with the world through God.  Some would argue that I have given up on living my life…my response is…you are correct in that I have given up trying to live my life my way and instead I am trying to live my life the way God has intended for me.  Of course, I am human and still make plenty of mistakes and have trouble with temptations but my life has never had more joy, more peace and contentment.

So where is it?  Where is the one place in your life right now that you see God?  Where is it that God has cracked a door or a window in your life and you just need to open it and step through trusting that no matter what happens God will be at your side and if you commit to meeting with him daily you will begin to experience life in a whole new way?

May God’s peace be with you

A Hymn and a Prayer

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When I awoke this morning a hymn and a prayer began playing in my mind.  This is not the first time this has happened.  It comes from my childhood and is another clear indicator to me that even when I was not paying attention to God he was working on and paying attention to me.  What an awesome God!  I share this particular hymn and prayer with you today:

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul. 

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy. 

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Amen

When You Don’t Know What To Do…

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Pray.  When things aren’t going your way…Pray.  When you are feeling great and everything seems to be falling into place…Pray.  When you are exhausted and worn out…Pray.  When you are energized and you feel like you can take on anything…Pray.

I have learned over time that prayer can be so much more than a list of thanks for this or that and please bless him and her…this is not to say that these types of prayers are not important, they are.  However, they should not be the only prayers we say.  One of the greatest joys of being a believer is the relationship you can develop with God.  Like any relationship in life it takes time and effort on our part.  Think about your best relationships in life…typically those relationships are with people you see often or people you speak with daily.  The same can be true with God.  If you make it a priority to spend some amount of time reading the bible and speaking with God every day I promise you will begin to feel a difference in every aspect of your life and when you are unsure about something or someone…talk to God about it he will help you see your way through.  As one of my favorite bible verses states…

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  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 you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

                                                                                                                        Philippians 4:4-7

So when life has you questioning “What do I do now?”…Pray

Peace.

A Message from a Parent…

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Children are a gift from God.  They come in several different sizes and styles.  They come from a genetic make-up, but that does not determine everything about their lives.  Having been a child ourselves does not give us everything we need to become a dependable mother or father.  We don’t have all the answers…our own experiences can help in many situations but not all the time.  As I continue to strive to live a balanced, Christ centered life here are some of things I have learned that may be helpful to other parents or at least good reminders…

Actions are more important than words

Listen as much or more than you speak

Work less sometimes to be with them

Attention should be equally distributed to all

You can be a friend, a guide, a coach or a counselor at times

Show them God working in the world and in their lives

This is by no means an all-encompassing list, however, it does cover many years of their lives.  You may have noticed the first letter of each statement when put together spell…ALWAYS.

ALWAYS pray for them

ALWAYS love them

ALWAYS forgive them

ALWAYS be there for them

ALWAYS trust in God for their well being

Lastly, be open to try new things and to have new experiences…often times that is the only way you both can see God.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

                                                                                                               2 Corinthians 5:17

Peace to you and yours.

Money…A Means Not an End

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Oh boy…here is a topic that seems to stir up an emotion charged response from so many people.  Whether that response is positive or negative the topic of money always comes with extreme human emotion.  So where does God stand when it comes to money?

Money is referenced over 140 times throughout the bible, not including references to other currency, and sin, in general, is the only issue that exceeds money in the number of times mentioned.  I have two verses that resonate with me:

“No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”

                                                                                                                                Matthew 6:24

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.”

                                                                                                                                1 Timothy 6:10

As with everything in our lives, it is a choice…..we can choose to focus all of our attention on where we stand financially or we can work on trying to balance our attention.  If we choose to praise God first and trust in him he will provide for us as he knows what we need.  The key to this is he is not looking to fulfill your wants but your needs and not on your time table but in time within his plan for your life.

I have tried the shortcut early in my faith journey…I would say to God, “please bless me with this amount of money and I promise I will do good things with it”.  God knew my heart at that time and knew I wasn’t ready.  In fact, you have heard about lottery winners who have had horrible lives after winning a substantial amount of money in one shot…..that is not God but evil providing those winnings as the evil forces of this world know how easy it is to distract us from looking toward God and will use everything it has to keep us away from God.

If you sit down and really look at your financial situation and look at the needs of your life…shelter, food, water, clothes…and lift it up to God and truly trust in him you will be blessed.  If you are blessed with more than you need than begin to share it.  You were blessed to be a blessing.  If you think you don’t have enough to share start small by buying a coffee or a meal for the car behind you at the drive thru window.  If you need more ideas there is a great blog at http://projectlighttolife.wordpress.com/ that I follow and the author Christine has several amazing ideas about how to be a blessing to others.

In closing, don’t let money control your life…don’t let it be the master of your journey.  Appreciate what you do have and begin to find ways to share with others.  Find ways to put money to work for you and for God by giving and it will come back to you over and over again.

Peace.