The discipline of self care is to appreciate ourselves the way our God values us. God is in us, when we accept His gracious gift of salvation, and delights in every inch of our being. Honoring self honors God. We need to nurture and protect our body, mind, and soul. How do we do this?
Psalm 139:14 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and that our body is God's temple.
Mark 12:30-31 and Deuteronomy 10:12 say the same thing....Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, strength and to love our neighbor as oneself.
In a nutshell we are told here to practice a discipline of taking care of ourselves, not only the physical body, but spiritually and emotionally as well. Yes, we need to eat right, drink plenty of water, and take care of our physical body by putting good things into it, but our emotional state is important as well. We all know the brain controls the body functions.....all of them. So, if our emotional state is out of whack, then the body is as well.
When I was in high school I suffered from panic attacks. This wasn't something I broadcasted to a lot of people. I had a close friend who knew of this, but my other friends and my parents didn't even know. That's how good I got at hiding things. My parents trusted me and cared for me, but I never felt the need to burden them with my problems, so I didn't. I can think back to that time in my life. I didn't know Jesus....I drank alcohol excessively.....I hated the world.....my attitude was so bad, I almost got kicked out of band. Now, I know band is a joke to most people, but I did like being in it. However, my senior year, I got pulled aside as one of the "downers" in the group. I was one of a few who was bringing negativity to everyone else, and the leaders were fed up with it.....so it was either shape up or ship out. The bad attitude I and a few others had was affecting the unity of the whole, and it was spreading like wildfire. What I'm getting at with all of this is by my emotional state being messed up, it affected my body. As a result, I suffered in silence most of the time of these panic attacks and the Jack Daniels didn't help anything either.
Now, it's important to take care of our spiritual health as well. Back in high school I knew nothing of a spiritual health. I didn't care to know about God or even trust Him. I was in a very bad way back then. I wonder now if I had known of Him, if my life would have been better? That's a dumb question....of course it would have. I am so thankful now to know of my Jesus. I do know now that our spiritual health is very important to our well being and is what this discipline is about. Reading, studying, praying, making disciples, knowing our God, going to church, praising Him,spending time with other Christians, and worshiping our God are all ways to stay healthy spiritually. One day we will all stand before a Holy God and give an account of our life on this earth......what will we have to say for ourselves and the way we took care of what God entrusted us with?
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
Disciplines #2
The discipline of being teachable? This is the fact that we can still learn something no matter how much we think we already know. That there are always people further along in their Christian journey than we are and that we have much to learn from them and God's Word. Something to remember is Jesus is always looking for teachable disciples.
Being teachable is a way of being humble....in my opinion. Someone told me years ago...."my wife taught Sunday school for years, so there's not much more I can learn". This man was older and felt he knew all he needed to from God as his wife had died and he was old too, but this isn't how we should ever think. When we humble ourselves and realize we don't know all we could know about God, we are open to listening and learning. Being teachable is being a lifelong learner who yields to the Holy Spirit and learns from God no matter the teacher or experience.
When I first started the job I have now, I knew nothing about patient care or healthcare in general. All I knew is I wanted to help people. The people who trained me were awesome in that they had so much patience with me and gave me lots of grace to learn. It took time and I know it wasn't easy to do for them, but I learned from them tremendously....and still continue to do so. If I would have went into that unknown job with an attitude that I knew everything and was not teachable in things I didn't know, I wouldn't have that kind of job anymore. Arrogance has no place with humility. The same is true with God. We have to be teachable with His ways also, and seeking out others who know more than us is key. I have a few mature Christians I ask questions to and want to learn from. I have found a few I trust in how they talk and teach me about God. Being in their presence and listening to them is fun for me. I have learned a lot over the years from them.
However, we are told all over the Bible to be careful of false doctrine, to open our ears to hear the truth. When we hear and learn, we need to check it to the Bible to make sure what we hear are legit things from His Word. Being able to spot false teaching is only possible when we know what the truth is. Spending time in the Word is key to all.
In closing.....be humble, be faithful, be teachable.
Further verses to help....
Matthew 22:29 - Know the Scriptures
John 5:39 - Studying alone does not give eternal life; (A heart change for Jesus does that)
Mark 4:22-24 - Be careful what you follow; We must hear right teachings.
Being teachable is a way of being humble....in my opinion. Someone told me years ago...."my wife taught Sunday school for years, so there's not much more I can learn". This man was older and felt he knew all he needed to from God as his wife had died and he was old too, but this isn't how we should ever think. When we humble ourselves and realize we don't know all we could know about God, we are open to listening and learning. Being teachable is being a lifelong learner who yields to the Holy Spirit and learns from God no matter the teacher or experience.
When I first started the job I have now, I knew nothing about patient care or healthcare in general. All I knew is I wanted to help people. The people who trained me were awesome in that they had so much patience with me and gave me lots of grace to learn. It took time and I know it wasn't easy to do for them, but I learned from them tremendously....and still continue to do so. If I would have went into that unknown job with an attitude that I knew everything and was not teachable in things I didn't know, I wouldn't have that kind of job anymore. Arrogance has no place with humility. The same is true with God. We have to be teachable with His ways also, and seeking out others who know more than us is key. I have a few mature Christians I ask questions to and want to learn from. I have found a few I trust in how they talk and teach me about God. Being in their presence and listening to them is fun for me. I have learned a lot over the years from them.
However, we are told all over the Bible to be careful of false doctrine, to open our ears to hear the truth. When we hear and learn, we need to check it to the Bible to make sure what we hear are legit things from His Word. Being able to spot false teaching is only possible when we know what the truth is. Spending time in the Word is key to all.
In closing.....be humble, be faithful, be teachable.
Further verses to help....
Matthew 22:29 - Know the Scriptures
John 5:39 - Studying alone does not give eternal life; (A heart change for Jesus does that)
Mark 4:22-24 - Be careful what you follow; We must hear right teachings.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Disciplines #1
I heard a term awhile ago. Spiritual discipline - I had to research what this actually meant as some theological terms are very new to me. So I found that a spiritual discipline is something we can do individually or corporately (in a group setting) to be with Jesus and grow to be more like Him. While we will never be perfect, as He is, we can strive for growth to be more like Him. The practices I found were to help us do just that.
One thing to remember is the disciplines are NOT products of the Holy Spirit, as the fruits are. Nor are they character traits. They are practices we can choose to do. They will most likely take us deeper in the understanding of the gospel. I borrowed a book on this subject because like I said I am new to all these terms and practices, so I had to study up on them.
The first one I came across is the discipline of GRATITUDE - This is an idea of being thankful in response to God. We should be thankful for His presence with us.....all the time. We should be in a mode of thankfulness each and every day/hour/minute knowing our God is with us. The choices we make in this life are ours. The choices we make can turn us into grateful or bitter people. Think about this.....I want spaghetti for dinner. My son wants tacos. According to what I just typed here, we should be grateful to God for the food we have in our house, so deciding what to make should not be an issue, but we make it one. Well....since I am the mom and want spaghetti, we eat that. My son isn't happy, and now he's bitter because he didn't get his tacos. We have to be disciplined in being grateful. Having an attitude of gratitude is key.
Another example.....I am at work and someone is not happy with the wait time. They have been in the ER a whole 15 minutes and feel they have been waiting unfairly too long. So....they come and yell at me and tell me I don't know what I'm doing (even though it's not up to me to get them through the doors at all) and cuss a little too. I apologize a lot and try to explain how things are done. Now, I have a choice....I can be grateful to God I have a job....that I do love, by the way....OR I can be bitter the rest of my shift and take it out on everyone else I come in contact with because someone was unkind to me. Being grateful is what we need to do. Again, it's a discipline, so we have to work at it. Doing the right thing does not come natural. We have to work at it....A LOT.
Psalm 136: 1-2 tells us to give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love lasts forever!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Be joyful, pray always, give thanks in ALL circumstances.
Philippians 4:6 - No anxiety, but prayer and thanksgiving are key to a healthy Christian life!
One thing to remember is the disciplines are NOT products of the Holy Spirit, as the fruits are. Nor are they character traits. They are practices we can choose to do. They will most likely take us deeper in the understanding of the gospel. I borrowed a book on this subject because like I said I am new to all these terms and practices, so I had to study up on them.
The first one I came across is the discipline of GRATITUDE - This is an idea of being thankful in response to God. We should be thankful for His presence with us.....all the time. We should be in a mode of thankfulness each and every day/hour/minute knowing our God is with us. The choices we make in this life are ours. The choices we make can turn us into grateful or bitter people. Think about this.....I want spaghetti for dinner. My son wants tacos. According to what I just typed here, we should be grateful to God for the food we have in our house, so deciding what to make should not be an issue, but we make it one. Well....since I am the mom and want spaghetti, we eat that. My son isn't happy, and now he's bitter because he didn't get his tacos. We have to be disciplined in being grateful. Having an attitude of gratitude is key.
Another example.....I am at work and someone is not happy with the wait time. They have been in the ER a whole 15 minutes and feel they have been waiting unfairly too long. So....they come and yell at me and tell me I don't know what I'm doing (even though it's not up to me to get them through the doors at all) and cuss a little too. I apologize a lot and try to explain how things are done. Now, I have a choice....I can be grateful to God I have a job....that I do love, by the way....OR I can be bitter the rest of my shift and take it out on everyone else I come in contact with because someone was unkind to me. Being grateful is what we need to do. Again, it's a discipline, so we have to work at it. Doing the right thing does not come natural. We have to work at it....A LOT.
Psalm 136: 1-2 tells us to give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love lasts forever!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Be joyful, pray always, give thanks in ALL circumstances.
Philippians 4:6 - No anxiety, but prayer and thanksgiving are key to a healthy Christian life!
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Wasted Time
I heard a song recently about wasted time. The just of the song is about how some of the best days of our life are "wasted time"......meaning doing a whole lot of nothing with amazing people is what makes our days so much better....and memorable.
Thinking back to all the "wasted time" I've had over the years makes me smile.
- Driving late with good friends over state lines
- Sitting by the campfire staying up late talking about life....laughing about nothing.
- Riding on the bus screaming and laughing after a high school game
- Watching TV with my husband
- Long walks on the beach....in cold temperatures... :)
- Playing games with my kids
- Sitting on the porch swing on a hot summer night
Memories made with the ones you love are priceless. I guess I feel like if I have free time, it needs to be productive. I love getting things done, but I can be a procrastinator too.....if that makes sense? I feel that the laundry isn't going anywhere tomorrow and will still be there, so why does it need done NOW? That's how I think. I feel like spending time with people and making memories is what we should be doing, but life does get in the way, sometimes.
Some would say spending time with God in prayer and His Word is wasted time....meaning there is far better ways to spend their time. If you look at it the way the song does and how the BEST days of our life are filled with "wasted time", then yes it is wasted. I find that my best "wasted time" is spending it with God. Learning from His Word and His people keeps me going. I love learning more about Him. If I could take classes or study about Him more than I get to.....I would. Gaining knowledge about our God is fascinating to me. That time to me is the best way to waste time.
Thinking back to all the "wasted time" I've had over the years makes me smile.
- Driving late with good friends over state lines
- Sitting by the campfire staying up late talking about life....laughing about nothing.
- Riding on the bus screaming and laughing after a high school game
- Watching TV with my husband
- Long walks on the beach....in cold temperatures... :)
- Playing games with my kids
- Sitting on the porch swing on a hot summer night
Memories made with the ones you love are priceless. I guess I feel like if I have free time, it needs to be productive. I love getting things done, but I can be a procrastinator too.....if that makes sense? I feel that the laundry isn't going anywhere tomorrow and will still be there, so why does it need done NOW? That's how I think. I feel like spending time with people and making memories is what we should be doing, but life does get in the way, sometimes.
Some would say spending time with God in prayer and His Word is wasted time....meaning there is far better ways to spend their time. If you look at it the way the song does and how the BEST days of our life are filled with "wasted time", then yes it is wasted. I find that my best "wasted time" is spending it with God. Learning from His Word and His people keeps me going. I love learning more about Him. If I could take classes or study about Him more than I get to.....I would. Gaining knowledge about our God is fascinating to me. That time to me is the best way to waste time.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Fruit - Wrap Up
Following up in the study, the end of verse 23 in Galatians 5 tells us basically these fruits we possess are not a result of following any laws. They are only a result of the Holy Spirit being at work in our life. They have to be cultivated over time and circumstances. Yes, they are commanded to us by God, but without the Holy Spirit's working in our life, the fruits won't be manifested in us.
Romans 8:9 tells us that "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him."
Paul is telling us here that once we trust Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit lives in us. Once the Holy Spirit lives in us, there will be evidence of His dwelling. Such things like the fruits we have been studying.....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control will be evident in the Christian's life. We should recognize Christians by the fruits they live out in Galatians 5. If there is no evidence of these fruits in the Christian's life, maybe the person is not who they think they are in Christ.
One thing to remember is these fruits will manifest themselves over time. We don't wake up one day and suddenly have them all mastered and live them out totally 100% of the time. We still sin.....we still need repentance (sometimes hourly)......we still need our God to show us time and time again what we need to work on. Another thing, the fruits are all cultivated at the same time. The Holy Spirit works in us shaping all of them at once. We don't master one and move to the next. Other passages of Scripture give us more qualities of a Christian. 2 Corinthians 6:6.....Ephesians 4:2.....Ephesians 5:9.....Colossians 3:12-15. All these references tell us that the Holy Spirit produces all these qualities in the believer's life. We have to do our part, but without Him, we can't accomplish God's will for our life in showing His love to others.
For me, studying these attributes of a Christian, makes me realize I have a lot to learn and work on in my own life. In talking with a friend, recognizing where we need to be better is always a good thing. That means the Holy Spirit is helping us see what we need to do to be better witnesses for Jesus. Thank you God for your patience with me. Thank you that you love and use me in spite of me. Amen.
Romans 8:9 tells us that "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him."
Paul is telling us here that once we trust Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit lives in us. Once the Holy Spirit lives in us, there will be evidence of His dwelling. Such things like the fruits we have been studying.....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control will be evident in the Christian's life. We should recognize Christians by the fruits they live out in Galatians 5. If there is no evidence of these fruits in the Christian's life, maybe the person is not who they think they are in Christ.
One thing to remember is these fruits will manifest themselves over time. We don't wake up one day and suddenly have them all mastered and live them out totally 100% of the time. We still sin.....we still need repentance (sometimes hourly)......we still need our God to show us time and time again what we need to work on. Another thing, the fruits are all cultivated at the same time. The Holy Spirit works in us shaping all of them at once. We don't master one and move to the next. Other passages of Scripture give us more qualities of a Christian. 2 Corinthians 6:6.....Ephesians 4:2.....Ephesians 5:9.....Colossians 3:12-15. All these references tell us that the Holy Spirit produces all these qualities in the believer's life. We have to do our part, but without Him, we can't accomplish God's will for our life in showing His love to others.
For me, studying these attributes of a Christian, makes me realize I have a lot to learn and work on in my own life. In talking with a friend, recognizing where we need to be better is always a good thing. That means the Holy Spirit is helping us see what we need to do to be better witnesses for Jesus. Thank you God for your patience with me. Thank you that you love and use me in spite of me. Amen.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Fruit - SELF CONTROL
This is the last "fruit" listed in Galatians 5......self control. Wow, this is a biggie. Mastering this one is tough, but with the Lord's help, we can do anything. My study Bible tells me that when we practice self control, we restrain from passions and appetites. In other words, we don't do what we want to do at the time. We are to restrain from fleshly desires rather than be controlled by them.
Whenever I have a day off, or get off work by 3pm, I like to go to Turkey Hill for a coffee. This is the highlight of my day.....I know, I need to get out more often, but coffee makes me happy in the afternoon. :) I go there and talk to the workers and people getting coffee around me. I would say I am a "regular" there. I know faces of the workers and customers, but not names, and that is ok. Anyway, if I had self control in this coffee area of my life, I would stay home and not go. I would be able to not gain weight from all the flavor and creamers I put in to make it taste oh so good. I would save the money if I would deny myself this little pleasure in the afternoon, but I don't. I have no self control when it comes to my coffee time. I do switch it up and go to Dunkin Donuts sometimes, or Sheetz, but Turkey Hill is my favorite. This is a passion of mine.
According to this verse, self control is a learned quality.....just like the rest of them. My coffee time is a menial thing to have self control over, but it's an area of my life I enjoy and practicing self control with it is hard to do. Again, we need the Holy Spirit's guidance and help to manifest this fruit in our life. Other areas we may struggle with self control? Well, I think they are different for every individual and it depends on ones desires and passions.
Maybe you get angry quick and want to punch someone in the face?
Maybe you have a hard time letting harsh words go and want to get even?
Maybe you have a passion for food?
Maybe you love listening to secular music with a lot of cuss words?
Maybe you love to be lazy?
Maybe you work too much?
Maybe you spend too much money shopping?
Maybe you spend too much time texting or messaging people?
Maybe you are on Facebook more than you should be?
Maybe you play too much games?
Maybe you lust after someone you shouldn't?
Maybe you have a passion for animals?
Maybe you have a passion for watching TV?...like Little House?
Practicing self control for each person is different. Some things that I struggle with may not be the same as someone else, but never the less, we can do better in this area of our life. We are taught at my work an acronym....
S. - Stop
T. - Think
A. - Act
R. - Review
This may seem silly, but we use it to double check ourselves before we encounter situations within the job. But, this could be used anywhere.....especially with self control. I want my coffee in the afternoon, but I could.... Stop (before I get in the car) .....Think ( do I really need it ).....Act (maybe stay home and forget about it for the day)....and Review (my decision). Maybe I could read my Bible instead? Maybe I could call my friend and tell them how much I love them? Maybe I could hug my husband? Maybe I could text my kids and tell them what they mean to me? Maybe I could pray and ask God for help? Yes asking God is the BEST choice of them all!
When others see us with self control in hard situations, they will see Jesus in us. They will know we are different and that we answer to our God for our life and do not live how the world does.
Thank you Lord that you know our struggles. Thank you that you are patient with us in those struggles and even though self control is hard, I praise you that you love us anyway. I praise you that you still use us in spite of ourselves and our lack of self control. I praise you that you and the Holy Spirit cultivate these fruits in our lives. To you be all honor and glory! <3
Whenever I have a day off, or get off work by 3pm, I like to go to Turkey Hill for a coffee. This is the highlight of my day.....I know, I need to get out more often, but coffee makes me happy in the afternoon. :) I go there and talk to the workers and people getting coffee around me. I would say I am a "regular" there. I know faces of the workers and customers, but not names, and that is ok. Anyway, if I had self control in this coffee area of my life, I would stay home and not go. I would be able to not gain weight from all the flavor and creamers I put in to make it taste oh so good. I would save the money if I would deny myself this little pleasure in the afternoon, but I don't. I have no self control when it comes to my coffee time. I do switch it up and go to Dunkin Donuts sometimes, or Sheetz, but Turkey Hill is my favorite. This is a passion of mine.
According to this verse, self control is a learned quality.....just like the rest of them. My coffee time is a menial thing to have self control over, but it's an area of my life I enjoy and practicing self control with it is hard to do. Again, we need the Holy Spirit's guidance and help to manifest this fruit in our life. Other areas we may struggle with self control? Well, I think they are different for every individual and it depends on ones desires and passions.
Maybe you get angry quick and want to punch someone in the face?
Maybe you have a hard time letting harsh words go and want to get even?
Maybe you have a passion for food?
Maybe you love listening to secular music with a lot of cuss words?
Maybe you love to be lazy?
Maybe you work too much?
Maybe you spend too much money shopping?
Maybe you spend too much time texting or messaging people?
Maybe you are on Facebook more than you should be?
Maybe you play too much games?
Maybe you lust after someone you shouldn't?
Maybe you have a passion for animals?
Maybe you have a passion for watching TV?...like Little House?
Practicing self control for each person is different. Some things that I struggle with may not be the same as someone else, but never the less, we can do better in this area of our life. We are taught at my work an acronym....
S. - Stop
T. - Think
A. - Act
R. - Review
This may seem silly, but we use it to double check ourselves before we encounter situations within the job. But, this could be used anywhere.....especially with self control. I want my coffee in the afternoon, but I could.... Stop (before I get in the car) .....Think ( do I really need it ).....Act (maybe stay home and forget about it for the day)....and Review (my decision). Maybe I could read my Bible instead? Maybe I could call my friend and tell them how much I love them? Maybe I could hug my husband? Maybe I could text my kids and tell them what they mean to me? Maybe I could pray and ask God for help? Yes asking God is the BEST choice of them all!
When others see us with self control in hard situations, they will see Jesus in us. They will know we are different and that we answer to our God for our life and do not live how the world does.
Thank you Lord that you know our struggles. Thank you that you are patient with us in those struggles and even though self control is hard, I praise you that you love us anyway. I praise you that you still use us in spite of ourselves and our lack of self control. I praise you that you and the Holy Spirit cultivate these fruits in our lives. To you be all honor and glory! <3
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Fruit - GENTLENESS
My study Bible tells me that gentleness is the same as meekness. Meekness, according to my Bible definition, is a"humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense, yet having no desire for revenge".
WOW....thinking about what happens when someone talks nasty to me or wants to talk about me behind my back...I don't like it. Who would? But in this definition, a gentle person would not retaliate or seek revenge for that offense against them. That means doing to them what they've done to me is out of the question. That means having the quality of gentleness/meekness we humble ourselves to be better than that. That we don't even want to get even with them.
I look at people now in one of two ways. The person either knows Jesus or they don't. If they don't know Him, I can't hold them to the standards of the Bible. They don't know any better than what the world teaches them. So....when rude things are said and done, I can't be upset because they don't know how Jesus teaches us to be toward one another. My prayer is one day they would come to know Him and understand, but until then, we need to show grace and love.....just like God has shown us who have decided to love and follow Him.
The biggest example of a gentle/meek man is Jesus himself. Think about all he went through. He was beat, falsely accused, yelled at, cussed at, mocked, spit on, ridiculed,deserted by His friends/family, laughed at, stripped, nailed to a cross, bled, and died.....yet He never spoke a harsh word to anyone. He never sought revenge for His undue punishment. He was submissive to the Father in carrying out His plan for us. His perfect plan of salvation for mankind put into place before the creation of the world. He was born to die.....die a horrible death, so we could be forgiven by a holy God and be reconciled to Him. The wrath of God was spilled out on Jesus on that cross..... FOR US! That's gentleness. That's love in the deepest sense of the word. That's why we praise Him! Follow His example of gentleness and you'll be blessed and have more peace than you can measure. God is good......all the time!
WOW....thinking about what happens when someone talks nasty to me or wants to talk about me behind my back...I don't like it. Who would? But in this definition, a gentle person would not retaliate or seek revenge for that offense against them. That means doing to them what they've done to me is out of the question. That means having the quality of gentleness/meekness we humble ourselves to be better than that. That we don't even want to get even with them.
I look at people now in one of two ways. The person either knows Jesus or they don't. If they don't know Him, I can't hold them to the standards of the Bible. They don't know any better than what the world teaches them. So....when rude things are said and done, I can't be upset because they don't know how Jesus teaches us to be toward one another. My prayer is one day they would come to know Him and understand, but until then, we need to show grace and love.....just like God has shown us who have decided to love and follow Him.
The biggest example of a gentle/meek man is Jesus himself. Think about all he went through. He was beat, falsely accused, yelled at, cussed at, mocked, spit on, ridiculed,deserted by His friends/family, laughed at, stripped, nailed to a cross, bled, and died.....yet He never spoke a harsh word to anyone. He never sought revenge for His undue punishment. He was submissive to the Father in carrying out His plan for us. His perfect plan of salvation for mankind put into place before the creation of the world. He was born to die.....die a horrible death, so we could be forgiven by a holy God and be reconciled to Him. The wrath of God was spilled out on Jesus on that cross..... FOR US! That's gentleness. That's love in the deepest sense of the word. That's why we praise Him! Follow His example of gentleness and you'll be blessed and have more peace than you can measure. God is good......all the time!
Monday, July 18, 2016
Fruit - FAITHFULNESS
In continuing with the list of fruits, the next one is faithfulness. This is having true loyalty and keeping your promises and being trustworthy. So who are we to be loyal to and who are we to keep our promises to?
We are to be loyal and trustworthy to all. We are to keep the promises we make to those we make them to. We are to hold our words to be true to anyone we talk to or interact with. There is nothing worse than being known as a liar or someone who can't hold true to their promises. Now, if someone gets sick and can't help you when they promised to....that's a different story. This state of faithfulness is a way of life. We should be known as people that can be counted on and when we say we will be there, we need to be.
Think about the people in your life who are faithful to you. Your parents, siblings, spouse, kids, friends, church family, manager.......I'm sure we could list a lot of people and everyone's list wouldn't be the same, yet we all have those we can count on, no matter what.
The most faithful person to me is my husband. He and I have been married for 20 years....almost 21 now, and we have our share of moments.....good and not so good. Through the years of raising our kids, church life, regular everyday life, stress, love, sickness, death, jobs, time.....he has always been faithful to me. I remember a time when I was in line to move up in the job I had, to be a manager. I was very comfortable in that job and didn't want to branch out and move on.....so when the job became available, I got my interview. Turns out, I wasn't the best candidate for that job. When I told my husband I didn't get the job, he told me it's time to move on.....that God had another path for me. He comforted me and helped me see I could do it. I could step out of my comfort zone to move to other avenues. He was faithful to me in that situation just by listening and being there. As a result I went to school and have a job I absolutely love now!
Years earlier......when I was a brand new Christian, our church had VBS. My husband signed us up to teach a class for the week! I asked him if he was crazy.....he said "no, we will be a team and be just fine". So I figured I would let him do all the talking and teaching, as I was shy back then and had no interest in doing any planning or speaking. I would be the silent helper to him. This particular VBS was nice in that you had the same lesson every night and the kids rotated to new adventures each night. One night half way through the week, my husband gets sick. I was going to not go as well (remember I was the silent helper).....but he encouraged me to go and do it anyway, that I had this and knew the lessons backward and front. I didn't think I was able. I didn't feel adequate. I needed him......but he knew better. I didn't NEED him like I thought I did. He was faithful to me and encouraged me to go do what needed to be done in his absence. He didn't let me quit. God knew in that moment what he was preparing me to do. As a result of that week of teaching VBS, my husband and I moved on to teach youth and Sunday school.
Yes, we are called to be faithful to each other, but we need to be faithful to our God.....always. Reading and studying His Word, following His commands, making disciples, loving Him and our neighbor, living a holy life......all these things are faithfulness we can show our God. He is faithful to us ALL the TIME. We read in His word how He always keeps His promises. The rainbow in the sky after a nice storm is a symbol of the promise He made to Noah all those years ago. Our God is faithful in that once we accept Jesus and take Him as our Savior, we are untied with Him. We will be in glory one day with Him. We are never snatched out of our Father's hand. We are true children of the living God. All these faithful promises are ours when we trust Him. He loves us and is always faithful.....in turn, we need to be faithful too.
We are to be loyal and trustworthy to all. We are to keep the promises we make to those we make them to. We are to hold our words to be true to anyone we talk to or interact with. There is nothing worse than being known as a liar or someone who can't hold true to their promises. Now, if someone gets sick and can't help you when they promised to....that's a different story. This state of faithfulness is a way of life. We should be known as people that can be counted on and when we say we will be there, we need to be.
Think about the people in your life who are faithful to you. Your parents, siblings, spouse, kids, friends, church family, manager.......I'm sure we could list a lot of people and everyone's list wouldn't be the same, yet we all have those we can count on, no matter what.
The most faithful person to me is my husband. He and I have been married for 20 years....almost 21 now, and we have our share of moments.....good and not so good. Through the years of raising our kids, church life, regular everyday life, stress, love, sickness, death, jobs, time.....he has always been faithful to me. I remember a time when I was in line to move up in the job I had, to be a manager. I was very comfortable in that job and didn't want to branch out and move on.....so when the job became available, I got my interview. Turns out, I wasn't the best candidate for that job. When I told my husband I didn't get the job, he told me it's time to move on.....that God had another path for me. He comforted me and helped me see I could do it. I could step out of my comfort zone to move to other avenues. He was faithful to me in that situation just by listening and being there. As a result I went to school and have a job I absolutely love now!
Years earlier......when I was a brand new Christian, our church had VBS. My husband signed us up to teach a class for the week! I asked him if he was crazy.....he said "no, we will be a team and be just fine". So I figured I would let him do all the talking and teaching, as I was shy back then and had no interest in doing any planning or speaking. I would be the silent helper to him. This particular VBS was nice in that you had the same lesson every night and the kids rotated to new adventures each night. One night half way through the week, my husband gets sick. I was going to not go as well (remember I was the silent helper).....but he encouraged me to go and do it anyway, that I had this and knew the lessons backward and front. I didn't think I was able. I didn't feel adequate. I needed him......but he knew better. I didn't NEED him like I thought I did. He was faithful to me and encouraged me to go do what needed to be done in his absence. He didn't let me quit. God knew in that moment what he was preparing me to do. As a result of that week of teaching VBS, my husband and I moved on to teach youth and Sunday school.
Yes, we are called to be faithful to each other, but we need to be faithful to our God.....always. Reading and studying His Word, following His commands, making disciples, loving Him and our neighbor, living a holy life......all these things are faithfulness we can show our God. He is faithful to us ALL the TIME. We read in His word how He always keeps His promises. The rainbow in the sky after a nice storm is a symbol of the promise He made to Noah all those years ago. Our God is faithful in that once we accept Jesus and take Him as our Savior, we are untied with Him. We will be in glory one day with Him. We are never snatched out of our Father's hand. We are true children of the living God. All these faithful promises are ours when we trust Him. He loves us and is always faithful.....in turn, we need to be faithful too.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Fruit -GOODNESS
Goodness is the quality of being good. As believers we are commanded to set the example of goodness to others. This is a genuine state of goodness in a person's life.
Think about goodness......what comes to my mind is when we were kids we were always told to "be good". When my mom would have to work and we went to the babysitter, "be good" she would tell us. (I'm sure she meant that more for my brother than me. Haha.) When my own kids were small, my husband and I were on some committees at our church at the same time. My pastor's wife would babysit them while we were at the meetings. My husband would tell them, "be good". My kids would go camping a lot with my parents. We always told them, "be good". Did they always listen? Of course they did (insert sarcasm here :), but sometimes they did not. We are all human and we can hear something all the time and understand, but at the same time become immune to words and voices. It gets to a point where kids say, "I will be good", without thinking about what you said. Parents want well behaved kids. Kids want to make their parents proud of them. It's a never ending circle. I have grown kids now and still want to make my parents proud of me. So, it never goes away.
Goodness in this sense is a trait given by the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that....No one does good, not even one. This is found in Romans 3:11-12. This same quote is found in Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1-3. These verses are telling us that we can be as good as we want to be and try our hardest, but when it comes down to it, our hearts are still deceitful and goodness is not a natural quality we possess as humans. We can not ever be good in the godly sense and please a holy God with our goodness unless we have the Holy Spirit working in our lives. If being good was a natural way to live, we wouldn't need reminders constantly to do so. We wouldn't have to tell our kids to be good when they are away from us.....we wouldn't need prisons.....or get called to the principal's office......or get pulled into the boss's office......we would just be good all the time and the world would be better. But, this is not reality. We can be good, but a state of goodness is only found in our God and this quality of goodness will manifest itself by the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. Thank God we have Him to show us how to live!!
Think about goodness......what comes to my mind is when we were kids we were always told to "be good". When my mom would have to work and we went to the babysitter, "be good" she would tell us. (I'm sure she meant that more for my brother than me. Haha.) When my own kids were small, my husband and I were on some committees at our church at the same time. My pastor's wife would babysit them while we were at the meetings. My husband would tell them, "be good". My kids would go camping a lot with my parents. We always told them, "be good". Did they always listen? Of course they did (insert sarcasm here :), but sometimes they did not. We are all human and we can hear something all the time and understand, but at the same time become immune to words and voices. It gets to a point where kids say, "I will be good", without thinking about what you said. Parents want well behaved kids. Kids want to make their parents proud of them. It's a never ending circle. I have grown kids now and still want to make my parents proud of me. So, it never goes away.
Goodness in this sense is a trait given by the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that....No one does good, not even one. This is found in Romans 3:11-12. This same quote is found in Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1-3. These verses are telling us that we can be as good as we want to be and try our hardest, but when it comes down to it, our hearts are still deceitful and goodness is not a natural quality we possess as humans. We can not ever be good in the godly sense and please a holy God with our goodness unless we have the Holy Spirit working in our lives. If being good was a natural way to live, we wouldn't need reminders constantly to do so. We wouldn't have to tell our kids to be good when they are away from us.....we wouldn't need prisons.....or get called to the principal's office......or get pulled into the boss's office......we would just be good all the time and the world would be better. But, this is not reality. We can be good, but a state of goodness is only found in our God and this quality of goodness will manifest itself by the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. Thank God we have Him to show us how to live!!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
HIT
Because I am always cold.....I mean always cold.....I have to keep warm any way I can. This involves sitting outside on my lunch break on sunny and very warm days. I go out there for my half hour to warm up.
Yesterday I was sitting at the picnic table finishing my lunch and talking to a co-worker. All of a sudden I felt something hard hit me on the top of my head. I said to my co-worker....."what was that". I grabbed my head and felt an instant lump (or I call them a hickey), but no bleeding. At first I thought a pine cone hit me, but when I turned around,on the ground laid a nice size stick. A stick had fallen from the very tall tree and landed right on my head. Now, I don't need any blows to the head as I am confused a lot anyway.....but this had made me laugh right away, even though it hurt. She suggested I need to report the incident, but I said "not right now.....if I'm acting weirder than normal an hour from now, maybe I will".
When my break was over, I took her advice and told my boss about the stick. They made me fill out a report and I went back to work. Yes, I had quite a story to tell everyone the rest of the day, but the only thing that kept ringing in my mind is the fact that I want to believe nothing happens by chance or accident. That somehow even a stick falling on your head isn't by chance. When I got cracked, all I could think of as I was laughing, is "what are the chances of me being at that spot at the exact time God decides to let a stick fall"? And it didn't hit anyone else.....only me. (cause I must be special :) Haha.
As I was thinking on this, it hit me that to be in that exact spot at that exact time, is amazing. What is the purpose for my pain and embarrassment? To give my God his glory. That's the purpose. To thank Him for reminding me that nothing is by chance in this life. That every detail of our existence and what we do day to day is all figured out by Him. The one who created trees and people has purpose for everything. Thank you God for reminding me of this yesterday. Thank you for your love and devotion to me as one of your chosen ones. Our God is so amazing!!!
Yesterday I was sitting at the picnic table finishing my lunch and talking to a co-worker. All of a sudden I felt something hard hit me on the top of my head. I said to my co-worker....."what was that". I grabbed my head and felt an instant lump (or I call them a hickey), but no bleeding. At first I thought a pine cone hit me, but when I turned around,on the ground laid a nice size stick. A stick had fallen from the very tall tree and landed right on my head. Now, I don't need any blows to the head as I am confused a lot anyway.....but this had made me laugh right away, even though it hurt. She suggested I need to report the incident, but I said "not right now.....if I'm acting weirder than normal an hour from now, maybe I will".
When my break was over, I took her advice and told my boss about the stick. They made me fill out a report and I went back to work. Yes, I had quite a story to tell everyone the rest of the day, but the only thing that kept ringing in my mind is the fact that I want to believe nothing happens by chance or accident. That somehow even a stick falling on your head isn't by chance. When I got cracked, all I could think of as I was laughing, is "what are the chances of me being at that spot at the exact time God decides to let a stick fall"? And it didn't hit anyone else.....only me. (cause I must be special :) Haha.
As I was thinking on this, it hit me that to be in that exact spot at that exact time, is amazing. What is the purpose for my pain and embarrassment? To give my God his glory. That's the purpose. To thank Him for reminding me that nothing is by chance in this life. That every detail of our existence and what we do day to day is all figured out by Him. The one who created trees and people has purpose for everything. Thank you God for reminding me of this yesterday. Thank you for your love and devotion to me as one of your chosen ones. Our God is so amazing!!!
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Fruit - KINDNESS
Kindness - The quality of being friendly, generous, or considerate.
Now, this is a quality of converted Christians and it is commanded. All of the fruits listed in Galatians are commanded to us.......which means they do not come natural due to our sin nature, but we have to work at them. Working at them is a delight to those who love the Lord and let the Holy Spirit work in their life. Again, the attribute of kindness is a way we can spot a Christian.
Being kind to people is something I was taught by my mother from little on up. She always told my brother and I to be kind to all, even if they are mean to you. She said this to us so much we carried it with us to adulthood. We know that this is a choice and every situation requires an action to be kind. We all know people who aren't kind and if we were honest, most of us aren't kind all the time. We are still selfish now and then and don't want to be kind......so we have to work at it.
I am a big fan of Little House on the Prairie. Most of us know who Nellie Olsen is from the show. She was mean and nasty.....especially to Laura. Her mother wasn't much better, but Nellie was worse than her mother. She would talk nasty to Laura and Mary, set them up for failure and get them in trouble. She knew how to play her mother and make it seem like all the kids were rude to her, but she was the culprit. In all this, Laura wasn't fooled by her and sometimes retaliated to Nellie's antics, but mostly she was kind to Nellie despite her nasty nature......and as they grew up on the show, they sort of became friends as they got older. Laura was taught by her parents that kindness will prevail. This didn't feel good at the time, but she had respect for her parents and for the most part listened to their wisdom in dealing with difficult Nellie.
Why is it we are commanded to be kind? I believe it's because our Savior is kind.....kind to all who call on Him and kind to those who reject Him. Just think about when Jesus was arrested and beaten and later crucified. How did he react to the people doing those things to Him? He prayed for them and told the Father to forgive them for the didn't know what they are doing. Those beating Him wanted him dead and hated Him. Jesus could have taken care of those hurting him with one hand, but He didn't. He still had compassion for them. Why would a Savior be kind to those who want nothing to do with Him? Well, because He's God and can do what He sees fit with everyone and for anyone He chooses. This is where we get our example of how to live a godly life. When we can be kind to those who have hurt us, then we are living as this passage commands us to. Reading and studying His Word is how we know we are to act and love others. Jesus loved people and showed kindness to them whenever He could.....we need to do the same, if we call ourselves Christians. We are told to hide God's Word in our heart. When we know what the Word says, we can make choices that honor God. Like being kind to others, even if they aren't kind to us. By living this way, people will know just how close we are to our God and we delight in pleasing Him above our self. Being kind will become part of our character......part of our godly lifestyle. Remember that. :)
Now, this is a quality of converted Christians and it is commanded. All of the fruits listed in Galatians are commanded to us.......which means they do not come natural due to our sin nature, but we have to work at them. Working at them is a delight to those who love the Lord and let the Holy Spirit work in their life. Again, the attribute of kindness is a way we can spot a Christian.
Being kind to people is something I was taught by my mother from little on up. She always told my brother and I to be kind to all, even if they are mean to you. She said this to us so much we carried it with us to adulthood. We know that this is a choice and every situation requires an action to be kind. We all know people who aren't kind and if we were honest, most of us aren't kind all the time. We are still selfish now and then and don't want to be kind......so we have to work at it.
I am a big fan of Little House on the Prairie. Most of us know who Nellie Olsen is from the show. She was mean and nasty.....especially to Laura. Her mother wasn't much better, but Nellie was worse than her mother. She would talk nasty to Laura and Mary, set them up for failure and get them in trouble. She knew how to play her mother and make it seem like all the kids were rude to her, but she was the culprit. In all this, Laura wasn't fooled by her and sometimes retaliated to Nellie's antics, but mostly she was kind to Nellie despite her nasty nature......and as they grew up on the show, they sort of became friends as they got older. Laura was taught by her parents that kindness will prevail. This didn't feel good at the time, but she had respect for her parents and for the most part listened to their wisdom in dealing with difficult Nellie.
Why is it we are commanded to be kind? I believe it's because our Savior is kind.....kind to all who call on Him and kind to those who reject Him. Just think about when Jesus was arrested and beaten and later crucified. How did he react to the people doing those things to Him? He prayed for them and told the Father to forgive them for the didn't know what they are doing. Those beating Him wanted him dead and hated Him. Jesus could have taken care of those hurting him with one hand, but He didn't. He still had compassion for them. Why would a Savior be kind to those who want nothing to do with Him? Well, because He's God and can do what He sees fit with everyone and for anyone He chooses. This is where we get our example of how to live a godly life. When we can be kind to those who have hurt us, then we are living as this passage commands us to. Reading and studying His Word is how we know we are to act and love others. Jesus loved people and showed kindness to them whenever He could.....we need to do the same, if we call ourselves Christians. We are told to hide God's Word in our heart. When we know what the Word says, we can make choices that honor God. Like being kind to others, even if they aren't kind to us. By living this way, people will know just how close we are to our God and we delight in pleasing Him above our self. Being kind will become part of our character......part of our godly lifestyle. Remember that. :)
Friday, July 8, 2016
Fruit - PATIENCE
Patience - the ability to accept delay or trouble without getting upset or angry. My study Bible tells me that patience is the ability to accept injuries inflicted by others and the willingness to accept irritating or painful situations. Oh wow....this is a big one for me. I must say I have got better in this area as I get older and closer to God, but I also feel the only way to learn patience is to be put in inpatient situations. And think of this, most of the inpatient situations we get into isn't by choice. We end up in them, "just because".
Standing in line at the grocery store with screaming kids while the person in front of you has a ton of coupons and 2 carts of stuff........waiting for the doctor to call you into the exam room........waiting to buy a coffee while the person in front of you buys a paychecks worth of lottery tickets........having better things to do than sit in traffic during construction zones......praying for answers and not getting them.
None of these things are planned. We expect to go to the grocery store and get what we need and get out of there before the kids get rowdy......we expect to be called into the exam room first with no wait, just because we have an appointment.....we (I) want my coffee more than lottery tickets.....wanting to get to our destination in a timely manner with no delays..... we think because we have a God who listens, He will grant us all our prayers, NOW. All these things are examples of how we build our patience, and most of them involve waiting. I think that is why we struggle with patience. We don't want or feel we should have to wait for anything. We live in a instant world where we can get things quick so when it doesn't happen that way, we get frustrated.
I spend more hours at my job than anywhere else. My job is a great place to build my patience. People are inpatient all the time. I get yelled at, cussed at, blessed, thanked, and hugged all in a days time. When people don't feel good, they are inpatient. We all at times feel a sense of entitlement. We feel just because we are sick and afflicted that we are important and need attention before anyone else. This as we all know is not how the world works, unless it's a life or death situation, so patience is needed.....tremendously.
Looking back to the definition of patience and the ability to accept irritating or painful situations......this is difficult to comprehend. The idea of accepting painful or irritating situations? Accepting them? Well, the list of the fruits in Galatians are commands for us to live a godly life. These attributes we receive with the Holy Spirit's dwelling in us. We won't ever have patience in this way without Him. That is why patience is one way we can spot a Christian who has been changed by Jesus. People that have patience in this way love the Lord and want to please Him and this type of patience won't be built without being in inpatient situations. So....next time you need to wait for something or someone longer than you want to, remember that maybe this is one of God's ways to build patience in you. I will remember this as well. :)
Standing in line at the grocery store with screaming kids while the person in front of you has a ton of coupons and 2 carts of stuff........waiting for the doctor to call you into the exam room........waiting to buy a coffee while the person in front of you buys a paychecks worth of lottery tickets........having better things to do than sit in traffic during construction zones......praying for answers and not getting them.
None of these things are planned. We expect to go to the grocery store and get what we need and get out of there before the kids get rowdy......we expect to be called into the exam room first with no wait, just because we have an appointment.....we (I) want my coffee more than lottery tickets.....wanting to get to our destination in a timely manner with no delays..... we think because we have a God who listens, He will grant us all our prayers, NOW. All these things are examples of how we build our patience, and most of them involve waiting. I think that is why we struggle with patience. We don't want or feel we should have to wait for anything. We live in a instant world where we can get things quick so when it doesn't happen that way, we get frustrated.
I spend more hours at my job than anywhere else. My job is a great place to build my patience. People are inpatient all the time. I get yelled at, cussed at, blessed, thanked, and hugged all in a days time. When people don't feel good, they are inpatient. We all at times feel a sense of entitlement. We feel just because we are sick and afflicted that we are important and need attention before anyone else. This as we all know is not how the world works, unless it's a life or death situation, so patience is needed.....tremendously.
Looking back to the definition of patience and the ability to accept irritating or painful situations......this is difficult to comprehend. The idea of accepting painful or irritating situations? Accepting them? Well, the list of the fruits in Galatians are commands for us to live a godly life. These attributes we receive with the Holy Spirit's dwelling in us. We won't ever have patience in this way without Him. That is why patience is one way we can spot a Christian who has been changed by Jesus. People that have patience in this way love the Lord and want to please Him and this type of patience won't be built without being in inpatient situations. So....next time you need to wait for something or someone longer than you want to, remember that maybe this is one of God's ways to build patience in you. I will remember this as well. :)
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Fruit - PEACE
Looking down the list of fruits....the next one is PEACE.
Peace is described in the dictionary as a freedom from disturbance, quiet, tranquil, and calm. My study Bible describes it as an inner calm that results in our saving relationship with Jesus. Peace, like joy, isn't connected to our circumstances. We can still have peace among a difficult situation in our life.
Peace to me looks this way......being able to know I'm not ever alone....being able to face each day with confidence......being able to know someone bigger than me is in control......being able to let go of things that hold me in chains and know I can still persevere......being able to go about my day with the love of God inside me......being able to know He has me in His hand.......being able to know things are going to be ok, one way or another.
In Philippians (4:6-8) we are told not to be anxious about anything and that our thanks, prayers and requests are to be made known to God. Then, in return His peace will surpass all understanding.
What this is saying is that when we put our energy and whole being into what God has for us, it won't make sense in our little minds.....but it does give us a peace that no one can explain. The peace we can know is that our God has full control of our life and the situations that will come upon us is what He has for us. This is only from God in that the Holy Spirit gives it to us upon our conversion to Jesus, same as the rest of the fruits.
The biggest example of peace I will always hold dear, is my mother-in-law. In 2002 she was diagnosed with cancer....stage 4. She lived 18 months with the disease, and it was not pleasant to watch, but the peace she had flowing out of her sickly body was such a blessing. God used ugly cancer to give a woman peace..... a peace in knowing her salvation was secure. I remember her telling us one day that she felt her time was soon over on this earth. She was excited to be in heaven sooner rather than later, but the fact she could talk so openly about this was a blessing in itself. But my husband didn't take it so well. She told him to NOT be upset......ever. That our God had things to work out in her and we just needed to let Him finish and then take her home. She said all this with a smile. She said all this with a peace that we could not understand. She and God had an understanding. She knew her time was soon ending and was ok with it all, just to see her Savior. She passed away in 2004.....with a smile on her face and a peace in her heart. A peace and understanding she taught all of us around her in those last days of her beautiful life.
God uses people and circumstances all the time to accomplish His will for our lives. When we are open to them, oh my, what a life we can have and have it abundantly! To God be the glory!!!
Peace is described in the dictionary as a freedom from disturbance, quiet, tranquil, and calm. My study Bible describes it as an inner calm that results in our saving relationship with Jesus. Peace, like joy, isn't connected to our circumstances. We can still have peace among a difficult situation in our life.
Peace to me looks this way......being able to know I'm not ever alone....being able to face each day with confidence......being able to know someone bigger than me is in control......being able to let go of things that hold me in chains and know I can still persevere......being able to go about my day with the love of God inside me......being able to know He has me in His hand.......being able to know things are going to be ok, one way or another.
In Philippians (4:6-8) we are told not to be anxious about anything and that our thanks, prayers and requests are to be made known to God. Then, in return His peace will surpass all understanding.
What this is saying is that when we put our energy and whole being into what God has for us, it won't make sense in our little minds.....but it does give us a peace that no one can explain. The peace we can know is that our God has full control of our life and the situations that will come upon us is what He has for us. This is only from God in that the Holy Spirit gives it to us upon our conversion to Jesus, same as the rest of the fruits.
The biggest example of peace I will always hold dear, is my mother-in-law. In 2002 she was diagnosed with cancer....stage 4. She lived 18 months with the disease, and it was not pleasant to watch, but the peace she had flowing out of her sickly body was such a blessing. God used ugly cancer to give a woman peace..... a peace in knowing her salvation was secure. I remember her telling us one day that she felt her time was soon over on this earth. She was excited to be in heaven sooner rather than later, but the fact she could talk so openly about this was a blessing in itself. But my husband didn't take it so well. She told him to NOT be upset......ever. That our God had things to work out in her and we just needed to let Him finish and then take her home. She said all this with a smile. She said all this with a peace that we could not understand. She and God had an understanding. She knew her time was soon ending and was ok with it all, just to see her Savior. She passed away in 2004.....with a smile on her face and a peace in her heart. A peace and understanding she taught all of us around her in those last days of her beautiful life.
God uses people and circumstances all the time to accomplish His will for our lives. When we are open to them, oh my, what a life we can have and have it abundantly! To God be the glory!!!
Fruit- JOY
The next "fruit" of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians is JOY.
Joy is....according to the dictionary......a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
Now, yesterday we read that we are commanded to have these fruits. Even though joy is a feeling, we still need to choose it.
What happens when we are led around in life by feelings? I know for myself they get me into trouble. One day I feel like studying a lot.....the next, not so much. One day I feel like doing a lot of cleaning at home, the next I do not. One day I feel like being alone, the next day I don't. One day someone says something I don't agree with and I feel bad, the next it's whatever.
However we may feel at the time, joy is to be evident in our life......regardless of circumstances or situations that come up in our life. It's been told to me that the difference between joy and happiness is that joy is not dependent on circumstances.....but happiness is. We can have joy in our life even though everything around us may be falling apart.
So....how can we have joy in the midst of hard times? Well....this has taken me a long time to figure out. Or I should say a long time for God to work out and he is still working it out in me. But I can honestly say I understand joy now better than I did even a year ago. It's no secret that my family has been through some hard times the past year and a half. My husband has a lot of health problems and jumping from doctor to doctor can be frustrating. All that we knew and how we used to live is basically a thing of the past. This life we have now is a "new normal" for us. I can't say it's been easy, but joy is still there. Joy is knowing our salvation is secure and that no matter what this life throws at us, it's not a surprise to our God and He already has is figured out. I imagine Him walking ahead of me to pave my way. I imagine him clearing my path so whatever I face, He is already there and protecting my journey. I imagine him staying beside me to walk with me. I imagine my place in heaven one day. These things all bring me joy. A joy I may not have found had this past year not been so rough. I believe the Bible teaches we can have blessings among the rough days. We can be blessed and look to each circumstance as a chance to give glory to our God.
Everyday on this earth is a gift. Our life may be different than we ever imagined, but it's ok. It's more than ok.....it's a plan made for us since before creation! Having it all isn't what it's all about. Eternal security is what joy is rooted in....and this only comes from our God!
Joy is....according to the dictionary......a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
Now, yesterday we read that we are commanded to have these fruits. Even though joy is a feeling, we still need to choose it.
What happens when we are led around in life by feelings? I know for myself they get me into trouble. One day I feel like studying a lot.....the next, not so much. One day I feel like doing a lot of cleaning at home, the next I do not. One day I feel like being alone, the next day I don't. One day someone says something I don't agree with and I feel bad, the next it's whatever.
However we may feel at the time, joy is to be evident in our life......regardless of circumstances or situations that come up in our life. It's been told to me that the difference between joy and happiness is that joy is not dependent on circumstances.....but happiness is. We can have joy in our life even though everything around us may be falling apart.
So....how can we have joy in the midst of hard times? Well....this has taken me a long time to figure out. Or I should say a long time for God to work out and he is still working it out in me. But I can honestly say I understand joy now better than I did even a year ago. It's no secret that my family has been through some hard times the past year and a half. My husband has a lot of health problems and jumping from doctor to doctor can be frustrating. All that we knew and how we used to live is basically a thing of the past. This life we have now is a "new normal" for us. I can't say it's been easy, but joy is still there. Joy is knowing our salvation is secure and that no matter what this life throws at us, it's not a surprise to our God and He already has is figured out. I imagine Him walking ahead of me to pave my way. I imagine him clearing my path so whatever I face, He is already there and protecting my journey. I imagine him staying beside me to walk with me. I imagine my place in heaven one day. These things all bring me joy. A joy I may not have found had this past year not been so rough. I believe the Bible teaches we can have blessings among the rough days. We can be blessed and look to each circumstance as a chance to give glory to our God.
Everyday on this earth is a gift. Our life may be different than we ever imagined, but it's ok. It's more than ok.....it's a plan made for us since before creation! Having it all isn't what it's all about. Eternal security is what joy is rooted in....and this only comes from our God!
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Fruit - LOVE
As Christians we are to have qualities called "Fruits of the Spirit". These qualities are how we will be able to know if a person is converted by Jesus into a new person. These qualities are produced in us by the Holy Spirit. My study Bible tells me that these attributes are found in Galatians 5:22-23 and these qualities are commanded to us by God. So....when something is commanded, it's not based on our feelings, but His good and perfect Word and plan for our life. By living and portraying these "fruits" in our life, we bring our God glory!
They are:
LOVE
JOY
PEACE
PATIENCE
KINDNESS
GOODNESS
FAITHFULNESS
GENTLENESS
SELF CONTROL
The first one is Love.....we all know about love. We love our family, our spouse, our pets, our kids, our friends, our God.....but the love talked about here has nothing to do with a feeling toward anyone or anything. It is a choice to love. A choice to love someone in spite of how they may treat us. This love is out of respect, devotion, and service to another individual. This type of love leads to serving in a willing way to someone else.
Someone very wise always said..."it's real easy to love the lovely". This statement is really true. How often do we love people who love us in return or are just nice and loving? But when someone wrongs us or talks bad about/to us, then that's a different story. We don't want to love that person. This is where this "fruit" of LOVE comes in. This is where the Holy Spirit will guide us and teach us to love everyone.....lovely or not. My husband and I taught youth for years. We always told the kids that when we can show love to those who hurt us, that is where Jesus' light will shine. Our witness for Him will prevail and others will see Him through our life and actions.
Think about a time in life when someone wasn't lovely to you.....I can think of plenty of times. I've been wronged.....accused of things I didn't do......lied to......talked nasty to......been beaten down emotionally......gossiped about......
These things aren't fair.....I know that. But when we can love and forgive as Jesus forgave and loves us....then we are growing. When we can serve the person rather than hold hard feelings toward them, that's when others will see Jesus in our life!
They are:
LOVE
JOY
PEACE
PATIENCE
KINDNESS
GOODNESS
FAITHFULNESS
GENTLENESS
SELF CONTROL
The first one is Love.....we all know about love. We love our family, our spouse, our pets, our kids, our friends, our God.....but the love talked about here has nothing to do with a feeling toward anyone or anything. It is a choice to love. A choice to love someone in spite of how they may treat us. This love is out of respect, devotion, and service to another individual. This type of love leads to serving in a willing way to someone else.
Someone very wise always said..."it's real easy to love the lovely". This statement is really true. How often do we love people who love us in return or are just nice and loving? But when someone wrongs us or talks bad about/to us, then that's a different story. We don't want to love that person. This is where this "fruit" of LOVE comes in. This is where the Holy Spirit will guide us and teach us to love everyone.....lovely or not. My husband and I taught youth for years. We always told the kids that when we can show love to those who hurt us, that is where Jesus' light will shine. Our witness for Him will prevail and others will see Him through our life and actions.
Think about a time in life when someone wasn't lovely to you.....I can think of plenty of times. I've been wronged.....accused of things I didn't do......lied to......talked nasty to......been beaten down emotionally......gossiped about......
These things aren't fair.....I know that. But when we can love and forgive as Jesus forgave and loves us....then we are growing. When we can serve the person rather than hold hard feelings toward them, that's when others will see Jesus in our life!
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Plans
Thinking of plans......these days we don't make too many plans. My husband's health is still not good and we never know how he will feel from one day to the next, so we don't plan a whole lot. We used to plan for day trips and short vacations when our kids were little. It's funny because my husband likes to plan the event, but let the whole experience and what we end up doing once there, is up to everyone once we arrive. He didn't ever like to have a timetable or a check off list to follow while doing fun things with the kids. He always wanted things spontaneous.
We had a lot of trips to Gettysburg especially Devil's Den. Devil's Den is part of the Battlefield where the Battle of Gettysburg took place. The rock formations are huge and climbing on them is a thrill for kids and adults alike. The kids would love to crawl around under the rock formations and see how far under they could go without getting stuck. One day we went with my parents. My dad and husband lead the kids underneath the tunnels. Well....my dad ends up getting stuck down there. This was not in the plan. Haha. I did not go down there, so how he ever got unstuck was a mystery. All of the sudden they all came out like nothing happened. From then on, my husband would use one of the little kids, my youngest boy or my niece, to be the "sewer rat". They would go on ahead and scope out the underground area to make sure the bigger ones like him and my dad could fit. This was a good plan. If one of the little ones said "No....this way is not good", they believed them and turned around.
This idea of the "sewer rat" makes me think of my own life. All of us have someone in our life who looks out for our best interest. It may be a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a BFF.....someone who loves you enough to look out and tell you when to turn around. Someone to tell you when your plan is junk and maybe help you make a new one. You could end up stuck in a situation that isn't in your best interest.
What are some things you plan on? Have you prayed about it? Have you looked to the Word to help you make a godly plan? Have you thought about what may happen if things don't go the way you want them to? Do you have someone to help guide you and protect you? Actually, the best one to guide us and protect us is Jesus Himself. All over the Bible we see He is there. All over the Bible we can read of people who didn't care to listen to the one who knew better for their life.....Jesus. He is planning our future. He is protecting our journey. He is always there to help us.....all we need to do is recognize Him and ask. He is the best one to keep us from ending up in a situation we don't need to be in. He can make all the difference......if we let Him. By surrendering plans to our Lord, we can have peace. We can be assured that what we face is part of his holy plan for our life. Blessings this day!!!
Friday, July 1, 2016
Home
Last week I wrote about my ER job/home. This got me thinking about my other home......my church. My pastor and his wife call our family at church a "faith family". I am still getting used to this term as "church family" is what I've come to know in the last 17 years of attending my church. Either term, it's still the same name for the bond we all have as Christians in the same faith and body of believers.
17 years ago, my former Pastor, Ben, came to visit us ( my husband and I ) at our home. Our youngest son was only 2 months old when they came to visit us. Ben could tell I was confused as to who Jesus was and what He did for me.....so he suggested I meet with his wife, Esther. I wasn't interested in church back then much less a one on one study time with his wife......but I agreed to the meeting with her anyway. I didn't want to seem rude or anything so I agreed to her coming over. Well, as we sat in my kitchen she told me things about God that I never knew. She explained things about him in a way that was exciting and I knew after that first meeting with her, something was missing in my life. She shared the gospel, or "good news" of Jesus with me. Up to this point, I struggled with anxiety and all kinds of fears.....especially death. I just knew I was lacking something. I met with her weekly for 2 years. I accepted Jesus as my Savior a few weeks after we started meeting together. She was such a blessing to me and my life. I will always be grateful for her sacrifice of time with me to help me learn and grow in those early years of my faith. Those days I treasure in my heart. That time with her is one of the most precious gifts anyone ever gave me.
As a result of her coming to study with me, my husband and our little family started attending church. Our daughter Ashley was 5, our son Zachary was 3, and Nicholas was only 2 months. My husband had gone to that church since he was born, so he knew everyone there very well. I on the other hand.....did not. Back then, I was shy and didn't talk much. Actually, I didn't have to talk much as my husband is an extrovert and can talk to anyone....anytime. (I think about this now.....and things sure have changed. Now I talk more than he does.....haha.) The people at my church quickly welcomed me to the family. I felt a love and acceptance there that I didn't ever know existed outside of my own family unit.
I must say over the years some people have come and gone.....and come back again. Some have passed away....or moved away. But, the reality is, we are all still part of the family of believers at my church. Whether they are here or there.....attending a different church in their new town, or in heaven now, we all have the same bond. JESUS. All of us love Jesus. All of us love to gather together and fellowship together. We laugh together.....we cry together. All of us are there for each other and recognize we need each other. All of us are called to make disciples and invite new people to join us. I think back to this.....if I hadn't met my husband I wouldn't know Jesus today. I was a new person in my church all those years ago and was loved even though no one there knew of my horrid past or cared about what I had done. All they did was love me and teach me to love Jesus. By doing this I was able to repent and believe in a God who loves us unconditionally. My church family helps hold me accountable too. Over the years....sometimes my actions or words aren't what the Bible calls us to do or say. My church family helps to call me out on things that I need to fix or work on to be a better witness for Christ.
Moving forward, my desire is to help women grow in Jesus like Esther did for me. My desire is to keep building the unity we have with one another at church. My desire is to love Jesus with all my being everyday. My desire is to share the gospel with others and have them join our church if they don't have a regular church they attend. My desire is to become more like Jesus and show His love and acceptance to those I meet.
I am still learning and continue to grow in the knowledge of the Word. I still ask a ton of questions and am thankful for those God has placed in my life to help me. We have great teachers and my pastor is very knowledgeable in the Bible. I am thankful he shares what he has learned with us. I am thankful for those who still hold me accountable for my actions. I am honored to be a part of a family I can call my own in a place I can call my home.
17 years ago, my former Pastor, Ben, came to visit us ( my husband and I ) at our home. Our youngest son was only 2 months old when they came to visit us. Ben could tell I was confused as to who Jesus was and what He did for me.....so he suggested I meet with his wife, Esther. I wasn't interested in church back then much less a one on one study time with his wife......but I agreed to the meeting with her anyway. I didn't want to seem rude or anything so I agreed to her coming over. Well, as we sat in my kitchen she told me things about God that I never knew. She explained things about him in a way that was exciting and I knew after that first meeting with her, something was missing in my life. She shared the gospel, or "good news" of Jesus with me. Up to this point, I struggled with anxiety and all kinds of fears.....especially death. I just knew I was lacking something. I met with her weekly for 2 years. I accepted Jesus as my Savior a few weeks after we started meeting together. She was such a blessing to me and my life. I will always be grateful for her sacrifice of time with me to help me learn and grow in those early years of my faith. Those days I treasure in my heart. That time with her is one of the most precious gifts anyone ever gave me.
As a result of her coming to study with me, my husband and our little family started attending church. Our daughter Ashley was 5, our son Zachary was 3, and Nicholas was only 2 months. My husband had gone to that church since he was born, so he knew everyone there very well. I on the other hand.....did not. Back then, I was shy and didn't talk much. Actually, I didn't have to talk much as my husband is an extrovert and can talk to anyone....anytime. (I think about this now.....and things sure have changed. Now I talk more than he does.....haha.) The people at my church quickly welcomed me to the family. I felt a love and acceptance there that I didn't ever know existed outside of my own family unit.
I must say over the years some people have come and gone.....and come back again. Some have passed away....or moved away. But, the reality is, we are all still part of the family of believers at my church. Whether they are here or there.....attending a different church in their new town, or in heaven now, we all have the same bond. JESUS. All of us love Jesus. All of us love to gather together and fellowship together. We laugh together.....we cry together. All of us are there for each other and recognize we need each other. All of us are called to make disciples and invite new people to join us. I think back to this.....if I hadn't met my husband I wouldn't know Jesus today. I was a new person in my church all those years ago and was loved even though no one there knew of my horrid past or cared about what I had done. All they did was love me and teach me to love Jesus. By doing this I was able to repent and believe in a God who loves us unconditionally. My church family helps hold me accountable too. Over the years....sometimes my actions or words aren't what the Bible calls us to do or say. My church family helps to call me out on things that I need to fix or work on to be a better witness for Christ.
Moving forward, my desire is to help women grow in Jesus like Esther did for me. My desire is to keep building the unity we have with one another at church. My desire is to love Jesus with all my being everyday. My desire is to share the gospel with others and have them join our church if they don't have a regular church they attend. My desire is to become more like Jesus and show His love and acceptance to those I meet.
I am still learning and continue to grow in the knowledge of the Word. I still ask a ton of questions and am thankful for those God has placed in my life to help me. We have great teachers and my pastor is very knowledgeable in the Bible. I am thankful he shares what he has learned with us. I am thankful for those who still hold me accountable for my actions. I am honored to be a part of a family I can call my own in a place I can call my home.
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