Friends, I'm afraid I'm running out of ideas on this "Goodness" week. I hate to keep driving things into the ground... So, I wanted to take today to share with you a study method that I learned awhile back. It's called the REAP method, and is a very effective method for personal devotions and journaling time:
Read
Examine
Apply
Pray
Obviously the very first step would be to pray that God would speak to you, through His Word. Something along the lines of, "God, I pray and ask that you would speak to me, through Your Word, this morning, Lord. Please meet with me, and show me what You would have me to learn today. Amen." You know something along those lines, but make it personal... use your own wording and let it come from your heart. Sometimes my prayer has been, "God, I don't know what I'm doing right now... but I ask that you would show me, through Your Word, Your will for my life."
Then... you Read... read a chapter or two or whatever your reading plan looks like. When you get to a verse that sticks out to you underline it. Don't stop and ponder it too deeply at this point. Finish reading your chapter, underlining things that jump out at you.
When you're done reading, find one of the verses that stuck out to you the most and... Examine what the author is saying, or what the verse is saying. Remember, we're not trying to apply the verse yet, we're just looking at what is being said in the verse that you underlined. I'll use my own devotions from this morning as an example:
I read Galatians 2 and underlined about 3 different places in the chapter. Then I looked over what I had underlined, a.k.a. what stood out to me, and then picked one to focus on for today. I chose Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
So, here we would ask ourselves, "What is Paul saying?" That's all we want to know...
He says that he has been crucified with Christ, which means that, just as Christ died, he too has died to this world. "and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." He has given up his own life, and exchanged it for the work of the Gospel. He continues on to say that He lives by faith in the Son of God, and he recognizes the sacrifice of love made by Christ on his behalf. So, there you have it! Paul says that he no longer lives for himself, but for Christ. He has taken up his cross, to follow Christ, and he lives by faith alone.
Now that we somewhat understand what Paul is saying here, we know better how to Apply it.
Here is where you would write your resolve as to what changes you might need to make in your life. Mine for this verse would be:
"Just as Paul died to himself (his old sin nature) I too must die to my own desires and follow Christ. I must learn to live as though Christ is living through me. The life of a believer must be governed by the Holy Spirit communicating with our spirits and I must be willing, by faith, to obey what the Spirit tells me... 'and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God...' I must learn to have a complete and trusting faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ.
"Also there is the reminder of Christ's love, which I must not be quick to forget! The love of Christ is the key to my salvation, and the constant reminder of His love will keep me going, even when things are tough."
Now that we've applied the verse, here is where we would write down a prayer about what we've read, examined and applied...
"Lord, thank You for Your Son's sacrifice on my behalf. God, I know that, without Your merciful sacrifice and love, I would have no chance of a relationship with You. Father, I thank You for the undeserved gift of Your love. I want to live for You, Jesus. I pray and ask that You would help me to die to myself, and to live for You. Lord, I ask that You would help me to have that 'crucified with Christ' mentality. That I would not hold to my rights, which come only from You anyways, but that I would consider myself as Your slave... that I would understand that my goal in life is to glorify You and serve You. I thank You, Lord, for Your Word this morning... in Jesus' name, Amen."
And there you have it! A simple, yet very efficient, study method for reading the Scriptures on your own! Let's go over it one more time:
Read a chapter (or whatever amount that you read) and underline things that jump out at you
Examine one of the point that you underlined and ask yourself "what is this verse saying?".
Apply the principles seen in the verse and write out what you need to do
Pray and ask God to help you with the changes that need to be made in your life to become more like Christ.
I hope that this method of study will be as helpful to you as it has been to me. If you aren't quite clear on any of the points, please, send me an e-mail and I'll try to clarify. I can be quite confusing sometimes!
I hope you have a great weekend and I look forward to starting back up next week!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Goodness: Moral Excellence
"And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another." -Romans 15:14
"...For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth)..." -Ephesians 5:8-9
Goodness is one of those things that we must apply to every aspect of our lives. Goodness is an integral part of most of the other fruits that we have looked at and are going to look at.
Let's take a look at goodness from the perspective of "moral excellence." Make decisions based on your morals, what you believe and know to be right, and sticking to those decisions. Again, excellence is attained with much practice, with time... but it is crucial that we build up our moral standards to be above reproach. This is not a holier-than-thou mentality, but quite simply it is a striving after the heartbeat of God.
"But," you might ask, "What about those things that we aren't sure about whether or not they are okay for us to do?"
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." -2 Timothy 3:16-17
So that we may be equipped for every good work... also look above that where he says that the Scripture is useful for training in righteousness. If we truly desire God then we will desire His righteousness, and from this verse we see that Scripture is our guide for right living. We are told that, through Scripture, we will become adequately trained for every good work! Isn't that amazing? When you go to college they give you a list of books you will need, plus other resources, in order to study and learn about a specific field of work. We have been given one Book, the holy and inspired Word of God, and it is adequate for all training in righteousness for all people.
Back to the issue of moral excellence... through reading the Scriptures we are made aware of the things which we must not tolerate in our lives, and also of the things which we must integrate into our lives. "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth." -Colossians 3:5-8
Moral excellence may also mean reviving an unconscious conscience... you know... that little voice that used to tell you that what you were doing was wrong, but you have silenced it over the years. We have become calloused to the Holy Spirit's calling us to repentance, and instead we ignore what we know is right. This must stop, now! Where has the morality of the church gone?
Friends, we are in a serious decline, as a nation, as far as our morality goes... Who is going to show the world what goodness looks like, if the church fails to do so?
The ones who claim the name of Christ need to arise from their sleepy stupor and once again exemplify morality in our society. We live in a world of tolerance and taboo... but as Christians we are called to a black and white, night and day contrast of good and evil. We are not supposed to linger near the line where sin will tempt us from the other side. No, run from the temptations. Scripture says to "resist the devil and he will flee from you..." -James 4:7b
All of that to ask this simple question... Where is your morality? By what standard do you measure yourself? And do you know that God measures with the staff of holiness? Is your standard equal to or above the holiness of God? We must press on and not be found guilty of lingering over sin and temptations... we must hold to a higher standard!
Friends, this is the point of goodness... don't get caught up in mediocrity. Stand for the excellence of God, and model His character! There is nothing in this world that is too great to give up for the sake of moral excellence... goodness that glorifies God. Please consider these things... and then examine your life for areas in which you must perfect goodness, in order to be more like Christ. I too will be examining myself, and I am somewhat afraid of what I might be called to give up. But for me... "to live is Christ and to die is gain." Dying to the things of this world in order to live in Christ, it's worth it!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
"...For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth)..." -Ephesians 5:8-9
Goodness is one of those things that we must apply to every aspect of our lives. Goodness is an integral part of most of the other fruits that we have looked at and are going to look at.
Let's take a look at goodness from the perspective of "moral excellence." Make decisions based on your morals, what you believe and know to be right, and sticking to those decisions. Again, excellence is attained with much practice, with time... but it is crucial that we build up our moral standards to be above reproach. This is not a holier-than-thou mentality, but quite simply it is a striving after the heartbeat of God.
"But," you might ask, "What about those things that we aren't sure about whether or not they are okay for us to do?"
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." -2 Timothy 3:16-17
So that we may be equipped for every good work... also look above that where he says that the Scripture is useful for training in righteousness. If we truly desire God then we will desire His righteousness, and from this verse we see that Scripture is our guide for right living. We are told that, through Scripture, we will become adequately trained for every good work! Isn't that amazing? When you go to college they give you a list of books you will need, plus other resources, in order to study and learn about a specific field of work. We have been given one Book, the holy and inspired Word of God, and it is adequate for all training in righteousness for all people.
Back to the issue of moral excellence... through reading the Scriptures we are made aware of the things which we must not tolerate in our lives, and also of the things which we must integrate into our lives. "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth." -Colossians 3:5-8
Moral excellence may also mean reviving an unconscious conscience... you know... that little voice that used to tell you that what you were doing was wrong, but you have silenced it over the years. We have become calloused to the Holy Spirit's calling us to repentance, and instead we ignore what we know is right. This must stop, now! Where has the morality of the church gone?
Friends, we are in a serious decline, as a nation, as far as our morality goes... Who is going to show the world what goodness looks like, if the church fails to do so?
The ones who claim the name of Christ need to arise from their sleepy stupor and once again exemplify morality in our society. We live in a world of tolerance and taboo... but as Christians we are called to a black and white, night and day contrast of good and evil. We are not supposed to linger near the line where sin will tempt us from the other side. No, run from the temptations. Scripture says to "resist the devil and he will flee from you..." -James 4:7b
All of that to ask this simple question... Where is your morality? By what standard do you measure yourself? And do you know that God measures with the staff of holiness? Is your standard equal to or above the holiness of God? We must press on and not be found guilty of lingering over sin and temptations... we must hold to a higher standard!
Friends, this is the point of goodness... don't get caught up in mediocrity. Stand for the excellence of God, and model His character! There is nothing in this world that is too great to give up for the sake of moral excellence... goodness that glorifies God. Please consider these things... and then examine your life for areas in which you must perfect goodness, in order to be more like Christ. I too will be examining myself, and I am somewhat afraid of what I might be called to give up. But for me... "to live is Christ and to die is gain." Dying to the things of this world in order to live in Christ, it's worth it!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Goodness: Spiritual Excellence
"How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!" -Psalm 31:19
Spiritual excellence... for a true example we must turn to Christ Jesus, the only perfect human, God incarnate. A life that is devoted to God, and does not allow other things to overcome that devotion... It's hard to imagine taking on such an arduous task in today's overly-distracted society, but I believe that it is something that can be accomplished by the faithful follower. However, it is not our own efforts that would ever accomplish this... it must be done through great reliance on God and through His strength.
I have tried many times to accomplish the things that are of God, without falling at His feet and begging His mercies upon my efforts, but they always fail in my own strength. The same is true of goodness, in the form of spiritual excellence, being developed in our lives... The things of the Spirit must be accomplished through the work of the Spirit in our lives. I cannot stress this point often enough. Friends, I've already tried to do these things in my own strength and I'm here to tell you that it doesn't work!
Spiritual excellence will only be found in time spent in prayer, meditation upon God's Word, reading the Scriptures, hearing the Word of God preached, or basically in time that is spent with God as the focus... You cannot expect it to grow like a plant... you water it every so often, but mostly you just let it do its own thing. That's not how to become excellent in anything! Professionals, in any given field, are not the ones who sit back and are very neutral about their occupations... No, the professionals are the ones who dissect and rethink their occupations from every angle, becoming more proficient from every aspect of what they do. They strive for excellence!
Don't misread what I'm writing, I'm not telling you to become a "Professional Christian" but rather a professional student of the Word of God. Be eager to learn, eager to understand more and more about this God that we serve!
Back to the issue of spiritual excellence... what does it look like in our lives? Goodness from a spiritual standpoint would look like the development of fruit of the Spirit which are not necessarily outwardly displayed... like peace, patience, even love to some degree... Cultivating these fruits in our lives will inevitably cause us to be more like our heavenly Father. This is the ultimate goal of spiritual excellence, is being more like Christ in our relationship with God. Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer and spent time alone with His Father... this is an example for us to follow.
Basically, spiritual excellence is the inward sign of our relationship with Christ and is a testimony to the difference that should be evident in our lives. I probably could have just written that and left everything else out for today, but I tend to expand on a point to the extent that I begin to see it bursting at the seams!
So, tomorrow we will look at how goodness is developed as moral excellence in our lives.
Friends, I would encourage you to strive for spiritual excellence first and foremost in your lives... become the Child of God that you were created to be!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Spiritual excellence... for a true example we must turn to Christ Jesus, the only perfect human, God incarnate. A life that is devoted to God, and does not allow other things to overcome that devotion... It's hard to imagine taking on such an arduous task in today's overly-distracted society, but I believe that it is something that can be accomplished by the faithful follower. However, it is not our own efforts that would ever accomplish this... it must be done through great reliance on God and through His strength.
I have tried many times to accomplish the things that are of God, without falling at His feet and begging His mercies upon my efforts, but they always fail in my own strength. The same is true of goodness, in the form of spiritual excellence, being developed in our lives... The things of the Spirit must be accomplished through the work of the Spirit in our lives. I cannot stress this point often enough. Friends, I've already tried to do these things in my own strength and I'm here to tell you that it doesn't work!
Spiritual excellence will only be found in time spent in prayer, meditation upon God's Word, reading the Scriptures, hearing the Word of God preached, or basically in time that is spent with God as the focus... You cannot expect it to grow like a plant... you water it every so often, but mostly you just let it do its own thing. That's not how to become excellent in anything! Professionals, in any given field, are not the ones who sit back and are very neutral about their occupations... No, the professionals are the ones who dissect and rethink their occupations from every angle, becoming more proficient from every aspect of what they do. They strive for excellence!
Don't misread what I'm writing, I'm not telling you to become a "Professional Christian" but rather a professional student of the Word of God. Be eager to learn, eager to understand more and more about this God that we serve!
Back to the issue of spiritual excellence... what does it look like in our lives? Goodness from a spiritual standpoint would look like the development of fruit of the Spirit which are not necessarily outwardly displayed... like peace, patience, even love to some degree... Cultivating these fruits in our lives will inevitably cause us to be more like our heavenly Father. This is the ultimate goal of spiritual excellence, is being more like Christ in our relationship with God. Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer and spent time alone with His Father... this is an example for us to follow.
Basically, spiritual excellence is the inward sign of our relationship with Christ and is a testimony to the difference that should be evident in our lives. I probably could have just written that and left everything else out for today, but I tend to expand on a point to the extent that I begin to see it bursting at the seams!
So, tomorrow we will look at how goodness is developed as moral excellence in our lives.
Friends, I would encourage you to strive for spiritual excellence first and foremost in your lives... become the Child of God that you were created to be!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
My Adventures With "Heavy Sleeper Syndrom!"
Dear Friends,
I am, unfortunately, somewhat of a heavy sleeper... which means that this morning my alarm went off an hour ago and I didn't wake up to it! Today is going to be somewhat of a hectic day and I won't be home until who-knows-when tonight.
So.... I would enjoy any insight that any of you may have in the areas of moral or spiritual excellence. What do these things mean to you? Consider this a homework assignment! I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this subject and what goodness might look like, being displayed in your life.
Again, I apologize for being so short on time...
Grace and Peace!
Send me your thoughts at afflquestions@yahoo.com . Thanks!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Goodness: An Introductory Charge!
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." -Proverbs 25:2
"Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely." -Proverbs 25:14
"Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit." -Proverbs 25:28
Goodness! What does this word make you think of? I'm not quite sure that I knew what to think when I first looked at this word. Are we simply being commanded to be obedient? According to John MacArthur goodness is: "Moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness (Ro 5:7). Believers are commanded to exemplify goodness (Gal 6:10; 2Th 1:11)." [The MacArthur Study Bible, notes on Galatians 5:22 "goodness"].
Let's take a look at the verses listed in his notes: Galatians 6:9-10 - "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - "To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you , and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
We see here that the origins of our "goodness" comes from our Father who is in heaven. Paul says that God is the one who can "fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power..." in our lives. What stands out to me in this verse, though, is that he says that God will fulfill our desire for goodness... which means that we must first have a desire for goodness. We must first seek God with all of our hearts. Remember the promise of Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Desiring God and the things of God is the first step in attaining the fruits of the Spirit. Without desire, there is no motivation, no conviction, no reason to go on when things get hard... we must desire God to the point of desperation, when we understand the urgency that knowing Him is far more important than anything else in this life.
Before we move into our study of goodness I would like to invite you to join me in taking this day to prepare our hearts... to pray and ask that the desire for the things of God would be birthed in your life. This is my prayer, that God would be magnified in me, and that the desire for things that are of Him would receive the highest level of importance and the greatest amount of energy in my life.
Friends, I look forward to studying goodness, but it will be in vain if we do not desire the things of God above everything else in life. If we are too distracted by earthly pleasures, what good is it to even bother with goodness or kindness towards others? We must first have the desire for growth, otherwise we strive in vain...
I pray that you will join me in preparing our hearts for what God has said He will fulfill in the hearts of those who desire Him. God bless each one of you as you seek His will above your own!
Grace and Peace to you, my brothers and sisters...
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Friday, August 22, 2008
Kindness: Some Finishing Thoughts
"But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." -2 Corinthians 8:7-12
I just wanted to clarify a point or two about showing kindness. We are not expected to just wake up one day and be the most kind person that anyone has ever met. No, it will take much time and practice to become others-focused enough to show kindness on such a level. Now, you might have a good day, when you are constantly watching for and being mindful of opportunities to show kindness, but in general it is not expected that this is something you will catch on to right away.
Just like any other fruit of the Spirit, kindness has to grow in our lives. Kindness has to be cultivated and nurtured as it ripens, until it is fully grown. It is the same with loving others, loving God, being patient, having joy, having peace... understand that these things will take time.
Now, looking at what Paul has said in 2 Corinthians... "But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." Begin with the desire for change! When desire is born in your heart, which may take some time and will probably take a lot of prayer, you must take that next step in "finishing it." Work towards the goal and standard that has been set, but do not lose hope if you stumble... look at the second part of what he says. "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have."
Christ does not demand more of us than we are able to give, but He is patient and will give us the strength to persevere. He will meet us where we are at, but we must be willing to move forward. That is the readiness that Paul speaks of... the desire for change. The Holy Spirit will begin to move inside of us and will shift our focus, if we will only call out to God and honestly seek His will for our lives. In God alone do we find the ability to learn true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... it is by Him alone that these things will ever be grown in our lives.
Do you desire change in your life? Are you as tired as I am of being unloving, or just being a jerk, without really knowing why we do so? I believe that it is simply that we try to be loving or kind by our own strength... when we know for a fact that we need the Holy Spirit. You are an acceptable offering according to what you have, not according to what you do not have! Come just as you are, but desire to be cleansed! Now is the time to get on our faces and ask God to make us new, to work on our lives in the ways that only He can!
Friends, do not be discouraged if you can't show kindness or generosity in a grandiose way, as you might wish to. But rather give of what you do have, possibly time, and know that it is acceptable to God as a pleasing sacrifice. Is your gift baking? You might bless someone more than you know by simply baking something and stopping by to check in on them! Showing that you care about someone... this is a great way to show kindness, and also the love of Christ. Are you skilled in repairing things? Perhaps there is a neighbor or a friend who needs a little help on a Saturday afternoon... acts of service are very effective ways to show kindness, and again they might supply an opportunity for sharing Christ with that person. Friends, these are just a couple of ideas out of a million as to how you can show kindness...
I hope this weeks study has spurred you on towards love and good deeds. That you might desire to show kindness, especially towards your own families! It must start at home! Otherwise we are kidding ourselves... if we think we are such kind people, but cannot be kind to our own family. Do not be found a hypocrite!
Friends, may the kindness of our Lord and Savior be with you! May you continue to grow in Him and may the fruit of the Spirit be manifested in your life! I look forward to starting "goodness" next week! Until then...
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
I just wanted to clarify a point or two about showing kindness. We are not expected to just wake up one day and be the most kind person that anyone has ever met. No, it will take much time and practice to become others-focused enough to show kindness on such a level. Now, you might have a good day, when you are constantly watching for and being mindful of opportunities to show kindness, but in general it is not expected that this is something you will catch on to right away.
Just like any other fruit of the Spirit, kindness has to grow in our lives. Kindness has to be cultivated and nurtured as it ripens, until it is fully grown. It is the same with loving others, loving God, being patient, having joy, having peace... understand that these things will take time.
Now, looking at what Paul has said in 2 Corinthians... "But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." Begin with the desire for change! When desire is born in your heart, which may take some time and will probably take a lot of prayer, you must take that next step in "finishing it." Work towards the goal and standard that has been set, but do not lose hope if you stumble... look at the second part of what he says. "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have."
Christ does not demand more of us than we are able to give, but He is patient and will give us the strength to persevere. He will meet us where we are at, but we must be willing to move forward. That is the readiness that Paul speaks of... the desire for change. The Holy Spirit will begin to move inside of us and will shift our focus, if we will only call out to God and honestly seek His will for our lives. In God alone do we find the ability to learn true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... it is by Him alone that these things will ever be grown in our lives.
Do you desire change in your life? Are you as tired as I am of being unloving, or just being a jerk, without really knowing why we do so? I believe that it is simply that we try to be loving or kind by our own strength... when we know for a fact that we need the Holy Spirit. You are an acceptable offering according to what you have, not according to what you do not have! Come just as you are, but desire to be cleansed! Now is the time to get on our faces and ask God to make us new, to work on our lives in the ways that only He can!
Friends, do not be discouraged if you can't show kindness or generosity in a grandiose way, as you might wish to. But rather give of what you do have, possibly time, and know that it is acceptable to God as a pleasing sacrifice. Is your gift baking? You might bless someone more than you know by simply baking something and stopping by to check in on them! Showing that you care about someone... this is a great way to show kindness, and also the love of Christ. Are you skilled in repairing things? Perhaps there is a neighbor or a friend who needs a little help on a Saturday afternoon... acts of service are very effective ways to show kindness, and again they might supply an opportunity for sharing Christ with that person. Friends, these are just a couple of ideas out of a million as to how you can show kindness...
I hope this weeks study has spurred you on towards love and good deeds. That you might desire to show kindness, especially towards your own families! It must start at home! Otherwise we are kidding ourselves... if we think we are such kind people, but cannot be kind to our own family. Do not be found a hypocrite!
Friends, may the kindness of our Lord and Savior be with you! May you continue to grow in Him and may the fruit of the Spirit be manifested in your life! I look forward to starting "goodness" next week! Until then...
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Kindness: Thoughts and Ramblings
"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart." -Proverbs 3:3
"The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds" -Psalm 145:17
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." -Luke 6:35
"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY." -1 Peter 2:9-10
"So that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light..." We have been called out of darkness... We have been adopted as sons and daughters by the Lord of Creation. He has given us hope and a future with Him!
What does this have to do with kindness? It has everything to do with kindness! We are told to "...proclaim the excellencies..." of our God. As I have stated before, this need not even be with words, but can be displayed through our interaction with others. Jesus said, "So then, you will know them [His followers] by their fruits." (Matt. 7:20) What are our fruits? They are exactly what we have been studying and will be studying in the next few weeks.
This is why kindness is so crucial in our lives... because it is one of the most tangible evidences of love in our lives. An act of kindness is easily recognized in today's busy world. If you stop to help someone who is struggling you are now the exception, rather than the rule. We have lost kindness in our schedule-controlled lifestyle and are amazed when someone makes an effort to help someone else out of sheer kindness... with no expectations of gaining anything in return. This is nearly unheard of in today's society.
We must be the movers, the shakers, the standard breakers! As Christians it is our job to "...appear as lights in the world." (Phil. 2:15). Kindness is one of our most effective tools as an opportunity for sharing the Gospel with others. Sometimes you don't have to say a word about Christ, though I think it best to use every opportunity to do so, but people will ask you if you are a Christian simply because of a marked difference in your character. This is when it is crucial that we not hold ourselves aloft, filled with pride, and "admit" to our status of "Christ follower." God forbid that our kindness ever be a tool of pride! Do not fall into the slippery pits of the hypocrites, for their reward has been received in full. They got the attention that they so desired. But rather, with humility, serve others with the same kindness that you would want to be treated with.
This may all seem elementary to you... try applying it then! How elementary is it, really? It may be fundamental, but laying aside pride and recognition, taking the attitude of a slave, denying our own wants and desires... these are not elementary things... Our sinful nature swells up within us, in indignation, when we are not praised for our good deeds. Swallow your pride! Does that sound elementary to you?
I do not say these things to be harsh... but because I so desire to accomplish these very things in my own life. It is not easy to serve when you know that you will, most likely, not receive anything in return... especially if you know that nobody else will probably even notice your deeds. But this is when we are most blessed by our Father in Heaven, who sees all things, whether done in secret or in the open. Our joy should come from the joy that we see in others when we show them the kindness of Christ.
Friends, this is what has been weighing heavily on my heart, this morning. Humility... kindness is not kindness without humility. It is an attempt at personal gain, otherwise.... or it is done with an unwilling spirit. To simply do the right thing because it's the right thing to do... that is no reason at all, but to do what is right because it's what Christ would do and because we desire to be more like Him... this is what being a Christian is all about! We must truly begin to understand what it means to "take up our cross" and follow Christ.
I hope that you have learned and been encouraged from what has been covered in this study of kindness... I too am learning these things as I share them with you. That being said, I hope that I have not been too repetitious in what I have covered. However, I feel that this is one of those concepts that has been so lost by our churches and our people today that there cannot be enough emphasis put on it's role in our lives. The kindness that you show, Friends, is simply an outward sign of the inward change that has been brought about by the kindness that Christ has shown in saving you!
Go, therefore, and be changers, movers, breakers, and Christ followers who shine as lights in the universe, casting light on this darkened world. Show the light of Christ as you go about your day!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
"The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds" -Psalm 145:17
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." -Luke 6:35
"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY." -1 Peter 2:9-10
"So that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light..." We have been called out of darkness... We have been adopted as sons and daughters by the Lord of Creation. He has given us hope and a future with Him!
What does this have to do with kindness? It has everything to do with kindness! We are told to "...proclaim the excellencies..." of our God. As I have stated before, this need not even be with words, but can be displayed through our interaction with others. Jesus said, "So then, you will know them [His followers] by their fruits." (Matt. 7:20) What are our fruits? They are exactly what we have been studying and will be studying in the next few weeks.
This is why kindness is so crucial in our lives... because it is one of the most tangible evidences of love in our lives. An act of kindness is easily recognized in today's busy world. If you stop to help someone who is struggling you are now the exception, rather than the rule. We have lost kindness in our schedule-controlled lifestyle and are amazed when someone makes an effort to help someone else out of sheer kindness... with no expectations of gaining anything in return. This is nearly unheard of in today's society.
We must be the movers, the shakers, the standard breakers! As Christians it is our job to "...appear as lights in the world." (Phil. 2:15). Kindness is one of our most effective tools as an opportunity for sharing the Gospel with others. Sometimes you don't have to say a word about Christ, though I think it best to use every opportunity to do so, but people will ask you if you are a Christian simply because of a marked difference in your character. This is when it is crucial that we not hold ourselves aloft, filled with pride, and "admit" to our status of "Christ follower." God forbid that our kindness ever be a tool of pride! Do not fall into the slippery pits of the hypocrites, for their reward has been received in full. They got the attention that they so desired. But rather, with humility, serve others with the same kindness that you would want to be treated with.
This may all seem elementary to you... try applying it then! How elementary is it, really? It may be fundamental, but laying aside pride and recognition, taking the attitude of a slave, denying our own wants and desires... these are not elementary things... Our sinful nature swells up within us, in indignation, when we are not praised for our good deeds. Swallow your pride! Does that sound elementary to you?
I do not say these things to be harsh... but because I so desire to accomplish these very things in my own life. It is not easy to serve when you know that you will, most likely, not receive anything in return... especially if you know that nobody else will probably even notice your deeds. But this is when we are most blessed by our Father in Heaven, who sees all things, whether done in secret or in the open. Our joy should come from the joy that we see in others when we show them the kindness of Christ.
Friends, this is what has been weighing heavily on my heart, this morning. Humility... kindness is not kindness without humility. It is an attempt at personal gain, otherwise.... or it is done with an unwilling spirit. To simply do the right thing because it's the right thing to do... that is no reason at all, but to do what is right because it's what Christ would do and because we desire to be more like Him... this is what being a Christian is all about! We must truly begin to understand what it means to "take up our cross" and follow Christ.
I hope that you have learned and been encouraged from what has been covered in this study of kindness... I too am learning these things as I share them with you. That being said, I hope that I have not been too repetitious in what I have covered. However, I feel that this is one of those concepts that has been so lost by our churches and our people today that there cannot be enough emphasis put on it's role in our lives. The kindness that you show, Friends, is simply an outward sign of the inward change that has been brought about by the kindness that Christ has shown in saving you!
Go, therefore, and be changers, movers, breakers, and Christ followers who shine as lights in the universe, casting light on this darkened world. Show the light of Christ as you go about your day!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
God's Kindness
"Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" -Romans 2:4
"Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off." -Romans 11:22
"But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." -Titus 3:4-7
God's kindness... we cannot be quick to forget that the very reason for our existence is the love, patience, and kindness of our Heavenly Father. These verses remind us that God's kindness has been given to us in its fullest measure! We have been saved, by the kind, intentional will of God our Father, through the work of Christ Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.
Kindness is like the vice president of the love department of our lives. It is controlled by love, and yet it is also an individual branch of the believer's life. And where does this love and kindness get its origin in us? They both come from the modeled characteristics of God. If you have any doubts about God being the ultimate example of kindness... think again! The very fact that you and I are able to fill our lungs with air, thousands of times a day, is evidence of His goodness and provision in our lives. Let's look a little deeper into the kindness of our God!
We are a sinful people- the entire human race- and God could have quite simply allowed us to live "happy" lives here on earth, but never save us from our depravity! And that would have been completely just of Him! God's holiness does not allow for sin in His presence, and His sovereignty means that He doesn't need another's permission to carry out or withhold anything from us. God, therefore, demonstrated His lovingkindness towards us in that, by sending His Son, He allowed for us a mediator between His holiness and our sinful souls. God's kindness is evident in the work that was finished on the cross! His love was demonstrated towards us in that moment of the sinless Lamb being slain for my sins and yours...
Now, let us once again argue the kindness of God... look around you. What do you see? Be completely blatant and simplistic in your answers... walls? furniture? your cat? What blessings has God bestowed on your life? How often do you attribute these things to the kindness of God? Or do you not know that "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17)? There should be no doubt in your mind, as to the kindness of God, if you were to simply look around you at the blessings that you have!
Let's look deeper once more! Look at your soul... obviously not in a literal sense, but examine yourself! Do you have the peace of Christ within you? For therein is seen the kindness of our God, who comforts us in times of trouble... Do you have the hope that comes from knowing Christ? You know that this comes from the greatest sacrifice ever made... the kindness made known through the love displayed on Calvary! Do you have joy that endures through trials? This can only be the gift of God, through the hope that you have in Him! For joy comes from the hope of salvation, which comes from the faith that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The kindness of God is truly a wonderful thing to experience. The fact that we have a chance, at all, to hear of His love for us and to understand the sacrifice that He made on Calvary is evidence of His kindness and love...
Friends, do not forget the kindness of our loving Savior! For it is the model of our own kindness towards others! Giving of self, even when other people do not apparently deserve our efforts. This is no more than should be expected of us! God has showed such great kindness towards us... let us not soon forget it!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Kindness: Towards the Least of These
" 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' " -Matthew 25:35-40
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant..." -1 Corinthians 13:4
"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." -Ephesians 4:32
Jesus has said that when we do something for the "least of these" we are doing it for Him. The interesting thing about doing something for someone who has nothing to give in return is that you must really be able to give from your heart. Otherwise you might be tempted to hold their needs in disgust in view of what it might have cost you to show kindness.
Showing kindness towards a homeless person, for example, is something that must be done with the utmost intention upon serving someone who cannot give anything back in return. Also, mark my words, if you are doing so to be seen by men... Jesus talked about that as well! Do not fall into the ranks of the Pharisees and their hypocritical "righteousness"... There is no room for such foolishness in a true kingdom-minded believer's life. I speak from experience when I say "You will be blessed beyond words by simply serving those who cannot, in fact, help themselves." Give of your time... give of your resources (food, water)... and watch as the homeless man or woman goes from hopeless to hope-filled. Just talking with someone for a few minutes can make all the difference in their life! To know that you care... this gives them great hope! They will most likely ask you why you are helping them or anyone else out on the streets... my answer has been, "God has already blessed me, so I'm taking that blessing and I'm sharing it with you!"
Perhaps this is not your gifting... perhaps you are more of the "I was sick, and you visited Me..." type of person. To show the kindness of a servant's heart is something to be greatly sought after. To show compassion for those who are weary... this too is a great kindness that Christ has said will be taken account of. Or maybe you are gifted in the area of hospitality... there are many ways in which we might show kindness towards others.
However, we must be careful... for we have also been warned of what will befall us if we turn our backs on the needs of others! "These will go away into eternal punishment..." (Matt. 25:46). We are, quite simply, asked to do as Christ has already done. To continue His ministry, in His name, and give all glory to the Father.
Your kindness may very well be your best ministry tool that you possess. For people will see your kindness and will wonder what prompts such selfless giving. Then is your opportunity to give all praise and glory to God, your Heavenly Father! And watch that you do not fail to give Him all glory, or you will have received your reward in full... for the praise of man is something we desire, but it is not the greatest reward we might receive. It is, however, the only reward we will get, if we allow it to sink into our hearts and become a seed of pride. Kindness must be shown with all the humility that we can muster!
Friends, let us practice kindness without thought of anything in return. To learn such selfless giving is something that will only cause us to draw closer to, and become more like, our Lord and Savior. I have a long ways to go in learning to give completely of self, without the need for recognition or acknowledgement from others... this is a cursed area upon my life. I hope to soon be rid of such a plague! Friends, let your kindness speak for you... let it bear forth the light of Jesus into this dark world in which we shine like stars in the universe!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant..." -1 Corinthians 13:4
"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." -Ephesians 4:32
Jesus has said that when we do something for the "least of these" we are doing it for Him. The interesting thing about doing something for someone who has nothing to give in return is that you must really be able to give from your heart. Otherwise you might be tempted to hold their needs in disgust in view of what it might have cost you to show kindness.
Showing kindness towards a homeless person, for example, is something that must be done with the utmost intention upon serving someone who cannot give anything back in return. Also, mark my words, if you are doing so to be seen by men... Jesus talked about that as well! Do not fall into the ranks of the Pharisees and their hypocritical "righteousness"... There is no room for such foolishness in a true kingdom-minded believer's life. I speak from experience when I say "You will be blessed beyond words by simply serving those who cannot, in fact, help themselves." Give of your time... give of your resources (food, water)... and watch as the homeless man or woman goes from hopeless to hope-filled. Just talking with someone for a few minutes can make all the difference in their life! To know that you care... this gives them great hope! They will most likely ask you why you are helping them or anyone else out on the streets... my answer has been, "God has already blessed me, so I'm taking that blessing and I'm sharing it with you!"
Perhaps this is not your gifting... perhaps you are more of the "I was sick, and you visited Me..." type of person. To show the kindness of a servant's heart is something to be greatly sought after. To show compassion for those who are weary... this too is a great kindness that Christ has said will be taken account of. Or maybe you are gifted in the area of hospitality... there are many ways in which we might show kindness towards others.
However, we must be careful... for we have also been warned of what will befall us if we turn our backs on the needs of others! "These will go away into eternal punishment..." (Matt. 25:46). We are, quite simply, asked to do as Christ has already done. To continue His ministry, in His name, and give all glory to the Father.
Your kindness may very well be your best ministry tool that you possess. For people will see your kindness and will wonder what prompts such selfless giving. Then is your opportunity to give all praise and glory to God, your Heavenly Father! And watch that you do not fail to give Him all glory, or you will have received your reward in full... for the praise of man is something we desire, but it is not the greatest reward we might receive. It is, however, the only reward we will get, if we allow it to sink into our hearts and become a seed of pride. Kindness must be shown with all the humility that we can muster!
Friends, let us practice kindness without thought of anything in return. To learn such selfless giving is something that will only cause us to draw closer to, and become more like, our Lord and Savior. I have a long ways to go in learning to give completely of self, without the need for recognition or acknowledgement from others... this is a cursed area upon my life. I hope to soon be rid of such a plague! Friends, let your kindness speak for you... let it bear forth the light of Jesus into this dark world in which we shine like stars in the universe!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Monday, August 18, 2008
Kindness: An Overview
"For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty." -Job 6:14
"What is desirable in a man is his kindness..." -Proverbs 19:22a
"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -2 Peter 1:5-8
You know... the further I go into this study, the more I realize how much change is going to be required of me. Thanks be to God, that it is not meant that I should accomplish these things of my own merit! I am going to need the help of the Holy Spirit to truly change most of these areas in my life.
Kindness is one of those things that is easy to show friends and others... but when it comes to family and those who are close to us... we begin to slip into our true selves. This is where the test of true kindness comes into play. Do we really understand kindness? Or are we just really good at practicing hospitality? I'm pretty sure anyone can be hospitable, if they want to. But can you show kindness, even to those whom you do not like, simply because Christ demanded kindness of us? Or, again, in the case of family... they are the one's whom we see on a daily basis, they know who we really are. Do we show the same kindness to those who know our true temperaments and know our faults? Or do we lower our guard and become the "hidden monster" that lies within us? This subject is one that I would like to deal with in more detail, at some other time... for now we will stick with the issue at hand.
Kindness is one of those things that we should be showing to everyone we come into contact with... The homeless man on the side of the road... The woman juggling children and groceries in the store... The weary soul that, quite simply, just needs someone to care and to listen... The brother or sister who needs help with a project, or just needs some encouragement... the list is endless!
I think we could change our cities, if we would just show kindness to everyone that we see on a daily basis. Start with your own home, for this is going to be the true training ground! If you can be patient, and show kindness towards the one's who know you best, you should have no trouble showing kindness towards the stranger in the grocery store... even something as small as a smile can change someones day! What if we got crazy with this? What if, beyond just smiling, we actually started talking with people, listening, giving them a little time out of our day? I'm quite certain you can spare 5 minutes from your schedule to change another person's day.
Well, I'm very excited to begin this study of kindness... I know, though, that it is going to require quite a bit of change on my part! For, as I've said in the past, I have not "arrived" in these areas in my life! I will be learning and attempting to apply these things, just as I hope that you will attempt to grow in these areas of your life.
For today... I will be praying that God will open my heart and my mind and show me ways that I can practice kindness. I will be praying that He will work in my life to develop kindness towards everyone, and not just selectively towards certain people. I hope that you would dare to join me in this life-changing concept of kindness. Our society seems to think that we have a license to be unkind whenever we are having a bad day or when we just don't feel like taking the "time" or "energy" to show a little kindness, but I think that it's about time for us to challenge this idea! To learn to show kindness in any situation!
Friends, please join me in growing kindness, godly kindness, in your lives! May God bless you as you seek His will for your life.
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Friday, August 15, 2008
Patience: A Wrap-Up
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful..." -Hebrews 10:23
"You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near." -James 5:8
Strengthen your hearts, friends! This week's study has been an eye-opener for me! It has been a challenge to pray for patience because, as I said before, I have been given opportunities to exercise patience... and with these I have had some success and also some failures. Thanks be to God, He is a merciful Father and I will continue to strive for growth in this area!
My hope is that you too have been convicted of impatience and that we might all strive towards godliness in our personal behavior. Let us learn to let go of the little things... A huge part of being a peacemaker (last week) is having a Christ-like patience! A huge part of having patience is understanding love (week one)... these fruits intertwine in so many ways in order to paint a beautiful picture of a life that honors Christ. What colors are missing from your painting? Which of your fruits are still lacking vibrancy? That's what this study is all about! Friends, I am daily reminded of my shortcomings... but this study has given me hope and understanding in God's promises, through His Word.
I am looking forward to taking a close look at kindness, beginning next week. I hope you all have a most wonderful weekend. Please, continue to develop patience... just because the week is over doesn't mean that we can stop growing patience in our lives. We must continue to develop ALL of these things in our lives, and never cease to pray and ask God for help in growing all of His fruit in us.
I'm afraid that's about all I have for today! Friends, may the Grace and Peace of God, Our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you all!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Patience: Ramblings and Other Thoughts
"For Your salvation I wait, O LORD." -Genesis 49:18
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." -Psalm 27:14
"My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken." -Psalm 62:1-2
"Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you." -Proverbs 20:22
Patience is hard... sometimes it's even discouraging. Have you ever felt like the worst person in the world because you lost your patience with someone and said things that you knew you would regret? What is it that causes us to do that?
You know, being patient when wronged is one of those things that goes against the grain of our sin-nature. The natural tendency of the human nature is to seek justice. But we, as Christians, are told to patiently endure all trials... that the testing of our faith produces perseverance! (James 1)
Perseverance! We struggle through one thing, only to face more trials... and through these trials we are tempered and molded to become more patient, more usable by our Father for His purposes. The skilled craftsman most often uses the tools that are the most durable and can withstand the strain of the task at hand. If you haven't learned to endure trials, you are shortchanging your effectiveness for the kingdom of God. Don't get me wrong, God can and will use you, wherever you are in your Christian life. However, the more that you grow in Him the more effective you will be, because you will be more saturated with Christ. We must move on from spiritual milk to the meat.
Dare to be the tool that God uses to change the world! Our first step in this direction is to model the behavior of Christ, in our own lives. That is why I began this study, was to become a more effective messenger of the Gospel. How can you lead where you have never been? If you hope to lead others in the ways of Christ, it is imperative that you too travel the same road. That is why it is important to exercise patience, so that we might not be found guilty of falling short in the areas that we tell others to work on. Friends, I truly am struggling with this issue. I strive for patience, but I am constantly tested, and most often I catch myself just a little too late!
Friends, this is my challenge for you, today.... That you would dare to be used of God in mighty ways, which of course means striving for Christ-like character. Strive for patience... and don't be discouraged if it takes some time to learn how to truly be patient in all circumstances. I don't think that patience is one of those things that we will ever understand and obtain fully, but we can become more and more patient as we endure more trials. The testing of our faith produces perseverance...
Wait patiently for the Lord... patiently handle conflicts that arise in your family... and exercise patience with others, that they may see the difference in you, which is Christ, that they might see Christ through you! This is my prayer for my own life and for yours! May God bless you as you exercise His patience in your life, today!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Patience: Waiting on the Lord
"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." - Isaiah 40:31
"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him." - Lamentations 3:25
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." -Psalm 27:13-14
" 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' " -Jeremiah 29:11-13
The promises of God! What more could we place our hope and assurance in? Unfortunately, there are plenty of things that we choose to put our hope in, instead of God. However, the truth remains the same! God is and always will be, the greatest hope that we have!
So, the challenge in today's study is to wait patiently on the LORD! What does that look like for you??? I have no idea! The greatest thing about our God is that He works in the individual's life in ways that speak to them and specifically edify them. What I glean from a verse about waiting on the Lord, may not be the same verse that will cause you to find hope and assurance. However, I also believe that God uses other people, sometimes, to minister to those who are in need of assurance and hope. That is why I would continue this blog... and because I am also edified by this study, myself.
This whole study comprises what I have been lacking and yet desire to grow in my life. So, I'm asking you to join me in waiting on the Lord. Too often we run ahead in life and do not take time to consider the ramifications of certain choices that we may make... but God is also a faithful Healer and the Restorer of our souls.
Consider, though, the results of waiting on the Lord... the heartache we could avoid by not jumping headlong into one relationship after another, the financial mistakes that we could have easily avoided with godly council from others... If we could trust God in these areas instead, and wait for His perfect plan for our lives like He said in Jeremiah 29... think about it! He knows the plans that He has, we don't! I am pretty good at messing things up in life. Rarely, if ever, do I seem capable of getting things right on my own! It is only in the times that I stop and pray that God would be my guide... those are the times that I can move, confidently, forward and know that it's all going to work out okay. The promises of God are not made idly by one who cannot fulfill them! He IS faithful!
Therefore, I see no reason why we can't be patient and wait on the Lord... and then I walk out the door of my own home... I walk into a world where being busy and impatient is the name of the game. There the trial begins! Will I hold firmly to what I believe? Or will I succumb to the ideology that we must have everything now, no matter what the cost? There is a price to be paid for immediate pleasure... I just pray that it isn't my soul with which I am forced to pay! Oh, how I would rather delight myself in the Lord, but our society doesn't understand such things... so, I will not find any help there. However, there is no reason why we cannot call together faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, and spend time in fellowship and encouragement with one another. To wait patiently on the Lord, requires that we know the promises and reasons for our waiting... otherwise we would be hard-pressed to wait patiently! If a child is told to wait before crossing a street, but never told of the dangers of crossing alone, there is very little conviction to obey the command. However, if the child understands that their father is concerned for their well-being, then the command is seen in the light of the love that the Father has for his child. Such is our faith in God! Understand that our Father is only loving us when He tells us not to do certain things, but rather to wait for Him and for His timing! Patience does not come easily, but it is necessary for a vibrant relationship with a God who speaks in a still, small voice. He does not come to us in an earthquake, or in a thunderous roar... but just as He did in the days of old, He speaks through His word, and His faithful followers. Listen, friends, for the voice of God to be heard in your quiet times! Delve deep into the recesses of your soul and, once your there, listen quietly, patiently, and eagerly, for the words of a faithful Father to be whispered into your soul.
For you literalists out there, I do not mean an actual audible voice, just for clarification! I mean that God speaks through the promises of His word, and through fellow believers and what they have gleaned from the living Word of God. He speaks through circumstances, and even through gardening! I will use myself as an example here...
I was having a rough morning, one day, and I had just trudged into work. I was feeling quite down because, the night before, I had opened my home to several friends for a gathering and, during that time, I felt like I was very much watching everyone else have a good time in my home without me being a part of it. I felt like I was watching the party from the outside. Everyone else was enjoying themselves, but they were doing so in my home, and I was no part of it... This left me with a sinking feeling and I was in no way excited about work the next day... to say the least.
So, that morning, when my boss asked me how I was doing, I decided to be quite honest for a change! I told him that things weren't going so well and that I was feeling quite down. He didn't say much about my problem, but he did get right to the business at hand that morning. "I need you to prune the roses today," he said to me, "I'll show you how on the first one, and then you can take it from there." He grabbed a sharp pair of pruners and we were off to the roses.
"You see where all of these dead branches are?" he asked me, "I need you to cut all of them off of these roses, they're not doing the plant any good anyways. You can see where, below the dead branches, new leaves will form nice new branches. I want you to prune right above that new growth. Pruning out the old growth will encourage the new growth!"
To make a long story short... I spent several hours that day being reminded just how much pruning is a necessity in a believer's life. I had felt the pruning shears of my Father, and I was none to excited about having my old growth (my security I had place in friendships) being pruned out of me. I can tell you now, though, that this experience has caused me to understand more about relying on our Heavenly Father, rather than on friends or possessions, for fulfillment.
Back to the point of this lesson! God used a rose bush and a pair of pruners to speak to my heart! In case you haven't checked lately... neither one of those things can speak in an audible voice! He used His own handiwork in nature to speak into the deepest longing of my soul. I just had to listen quietly enough to hear Him.
Listen quietly, friends, for the still small voice of God. Listen patiently... He will speak! "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) And remember that He is found in the quiet... the still, small voice! Patience, my friends, He will speak! He knows the plans that He has for you! I guarantee you, they are better than whatever plans you might already have!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him." - Lamentations 3:25
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." -Psalm 27:13-14
" 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' " -Jeremiah 29:11-13
The promises of God! What more could we place our hope and assurance in? Unfortunately, there are plenty of things that we choose to put our hope in, instead of God. However, the truth remains the same! God is and always will be, the greatest hope that we have!
So, the challenge in today's study is to wait patiently on the LORD! What does that look like for you??? I have no idea! The greatest thing about our God is that He works in the individual's life in ways that speak to them and specifically edify them. What I glean from a verse about waiting on the Lord, may not be the same verse that will cause you to find hope and assurance. However, I also believe that God uses other people, sometimes, to minister to those who are in need of assurance and hope. That is why I would continue this blog... and because I am also edified by this study, myself.
This whole study comprises what I have been lacking and yet desire to grow in my life. So, I'm asking you to join me in waiting on the Lord. Too often we run ahead in life and do not take time to consider the ramifications of certain choices that we may make... but God is also a faithful Healer and the Restorer of our souls.
Consider, though, the results of waiting on the Lord... the heartache we could avoid by not jumping headlong into one relationship after another, the financial mistakes that we could have easily avoided with godly council from others... If we could trust God in these areas instead, and wait for His perfect plan for our lives like He said in Jeremiah 29... think about it! He knows the plans that He has, we don't! I am pretty good at messing things up in life. Rarely, if ever, do I seem capable of getting things right on my own! It is only in the times that I stop and pray that God would be my guide... those are the times that I can move, confidently, forward and know that it's all going to work out okay. The promises of God are not made idly by one who cannot fulfill them! He IS faithful!
Therefore, I see no reason why we can't be patient and wait on the Lord... and then I walk out the door of my own home... I walk into a world where being busy and impatient is the name of the game. There the trial begins! Will I hold firmly to what I believe? Or will I succumb to the ideology that we must have everything now, no matter what the cost? There is a price to be paid for immediate pleasure... I just pray that it isn't my soul with which I am forced to pay! Oh, how I would rather delight myself in the Lord, but our society doesn't understand such things... so, I will not find any help there. However, there is no reason why we cannot call together faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, and spend time in fellowship and encouragement with one another. To wait patiently on the Lord, requires that we know the promises and reasons for our waiting... otherwise we would be hard-pressed to wait patiently! If a child is told to wait before crossing a street, but never told of the dangers of crossing alone, there is very little conviction to obey the command. However, if the child understands that their father is concerned for their well-being, then the command is seen in the light of the love that the Father has for his child. Such is our faith in God! Understand that our Father is only loving us when He tells us not to do certain things, but rather to wait for Him and for His timing! Patience does not come easily, but it is necessary for a vibrant relationship with a God who speaks in a still, small voice. He does not come to us in an earthquake, or in a thunderous roar... but just as He did in the days of old, He speaks through His word, and His faithful followers. Listen, friends, for the voice of God to be heard in your quiet times! Delve deep into the recesses of your soul and, once your there, listen quietly, patiently, and eagerly, for the words of a faithful Father to be whispered into your soul.
For you literalists out there, I do not mean an actual audible voice, just for clarification! I mean that God speaks through the promises of His word, and through fellow believers and what they have gleaned from the living Word of God. He speaks through circumstances, and even through gardening! I will use myself as an example here...
I was having a rough morning, one day, and I had just trudged into work. I was feeling quite down because, the night before, I had opened my home to several friends for a gathering and, during that time, I felt like I was very much watching everyone else have a good time in my home without me being a part of it. I felt like I was watching the party from the outside. Everyone else was enjoying themselves, but they were doing so in my home, and I was no part of it... This left me with a sinking feeling and I was in no way excited about work the next day... to say the least.
So, that morning, when my boss asked me how I was doing, I decided to be quite honest for a change! I told him that things weren't going so well and that I was feeling quite down. He didn't say much about my problem, but he did get right to the business at hand that morning. "I need you to prune the roses today," he said to me, "I'll show you how on the first one, and then you can take it from there." He grabbed a sharp pair of pruners and we were off to the roses.
"You see where all of these dead branches are?" he asked me, "I need you to cut all of them off of these roses, they're not doing the plant any good anyways. You can see where, below the dead branches, new leaves will form nice new branches. I want you to prune right above that new growth. Pruning out the old growth will encourage the new growth!"
To make a long story short... I spent several hours that day being reminded just how much pruning is a necessity in a believer's life. I had felt the pruning shears of my Father, and I was none to excited about having my old growth (my security I had place in friendships) being pruned out of me. I can tell you now, though, that this experience has caused me to understand more about relying on our Heavenly Father, rather than on friends or possessions, for fulfillment.
Back to the point of this lesson! God used a rose bush and a pair of pruners to speak to my heart! In case you haven't checked lately... neither one of those things can speak in an audible voice! He used His own handiwork in nature to speak into the deepest longing of my soul. I just had to listen quietly enough to hear Him.
Listen quietly, friends, for the still small voice of God. Listen patiently... He will speak! "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) And remember that He is found in the quiet... the still, small voice! Patience, my friends, He will speak! He knows the plans that He has for you! I guarantee you, they are better than whatever plans you might already have!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Patience: It (needs to) run(s) in the Family!
"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." - Colossians 3:12-13
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." - Colossians 3:17
Virtue:
1.moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.
2.conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.
"Patience is a virtue," as the old saying goes. I'm pretty sure that whoever originated that phrase was right! Patience is the conforming of one's life and conduct to a principle of God... just as love is a conforming of one's life to a godly principle. Just as joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control must be integrated into our daily lives and adopted as principles that glorify God! With that being said, let's move on.
Paul writes to the Colossians, "put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another..." I'd like to focus on that 'bearing with one another'. We are not only called to bear with one another, but to love one another. This seems to be hardest when we apply it to close relations! Family members are always the ones who seem to know just how much they have to do to push your buttons! They know just how far they can go before you lose control. This is where we must focus on gaining ground. I am of the opinion that strong family bonds are of the utmost importance. Do I mean that I am accomplished in this area? As usual... No! I cannot lay claim to having great patience. Now, if you were to ask me if I was patient with my friends, I would most likely say yes. Because it's almost always easier to be nice and understanding with someone else... But we must learn to show patience where it really counts, in the place where we are loved and accepted in spite of all of our other faults... the home!
Being patient with a brother or sister, parent or child, is a difficult thing sometimes... but that's why we don't do it alone. It is something that you must pray and ask God to help you with. For example: I work at a garden center... I have plenty of time, to think and to pray, while I water plants for several hours at work! During this time, yesterday, I was praying out loud (quietly, but still out loud, it helps me to concentrate) for God to help me with patience. If there is one fruit I struggle with the most it is probably patience. So, this week is going to be very interesting for me! Anyways, I prayed for these fruits to be grown in my life, that I may produce good fruit... and I know that instead of giving me patience, I am most likely going to have plenty of opportunities to exercise patience! There is no way that God would take a person like me, and just hand them patience. It would be too easy, and I would probably attribute it to myself. But if God works, slowly, through me and chisels away my impatience with every trial, then I will look back and see the hand of God at work in my life! That is how God does things! I'm not saying that He is incapable of, quite simply, "curing" us of our faults, but I don't think that He generally employs that method.
So, what about you? Where's your level of patience at? How much higher does it need to be? If you think that your patience level is high enough... you probably need to look again! If you pray that God would show you areas that you need to work on patience in... He will provide the opportunities for improvement... It's a scary thought, to think that we've finally understood, only to realize that we have so much further to go!
I have so much further to go! There is so much that I must learn about patience. I want God to show me things now! But He has called upon me to wait and rest in His promises... that He knows the plans that He has for me.
So, to summarize today's topic! Pray that God would help you to be more patient with your own family! Also, pray that God would show you areas that you struggle the most in, as far as patience goes. Ask Him to give you the strength to persevere... to work through difficulties, rather than to throw up your hands in defeat. It will take some time to learn to be patient with those that we know the best and that know us the best... because they are the one's that, when it's just us and them, we let our guard down with. We are less careful to be nice and polite with our own families. That's where we need the most work... in our most relaxed atmosphere.
Friends, this is all I have for today, but it's a lot to chew on! Take some time to think about areas that you need to be more patient with your family... then, pay attention for those "opportunities" that will arise to exercise patience! Good luck, and God be with you!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com
Monday, August 11, 2008
Patience: An Overview
"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." -Ephesians 4:1-3
Patience - the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like... (dictionary.com)
Patient - 1. quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, esp. in detail or exactness: a patient worker. 2. bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like... Syn. enduring, long-suffering, forgiving.(dictionary.com)
Perseverance! The ability to press on, knowing "...that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6) Patience is not a natural inclination of the human being... Think about it! Every day, men and women across the globe are trying to invent ways to make things easier, quicker, and more efficient. But did you know that the average American packs somewhere around 34 hours of activity into each day? We are multitaskers of alarming proportions! Unhealthily so! Where is patience in all of this? I tell you the truth, it is becoming harder and harder to find, in the America of today... Even at McDonald's! The businessman's foot is tapping and his neck is pulsating with impatience as his food takes more than THIRTY SECONDS to appear before him, ready to eat! Remember the good ol' days? Neither do I! I think that there is hardly anyone alive who remembers the patience of a good meal! Even large restaurants are about the speed of delivery... This is understandable, when trying to run a business, but the fact that we will pass up a microwave dinner, because it takes 4 1/2 minutes to cook... it's just not fast enough anymore! Or, we will snack on something else while we 'wait.' Do Americans even know how to wait anymore? "Good things come to those who wait" as the old saying goes, but we seem to think that "even better things will come, if I can just do all these things faster than before!"
...And we wonder why we have the spiritual problems that we do! "God, I prayed that you would give me patience, but it isn't working! I keep getting frustrated at everyone! Why haven't You answered my prayer yet???" This may seem like the most obvious mistake a person could make, but trust me, you do it too! It may not be as blunt as this, but there are areas in each of our lives where we have not learned to wait on the Lord. For instance: that special someone... "God, I think he/she is the one for me! Don't you think they would be a good choice?"; the new job... "God, things just aren't working out with my job right now... I think it's time that I made more money in a better job than this one... it's just taking too long to get anywhere!"; our possessions... "God, I think I could be happy if I just had one more car... not even that! But I could sell this one and just get a better car! Yeah, I know You promised to provide all that I need, but I just want to kind of anticipate that promise... You know... get a bit of a head-start s0-to-speak."
Friends, hear me now! If you read and understand nothing else, hear me now! We all have areas in which we are impatiently storming forward, instead of waiting on God's promises. Part of patience, for a believer, is understanding that God will indeed provide at the exact point and time in which it will bring Him the greatest glory!
There was one time when my family had no choice but to patiently wait on the Lord's provision... we were at the bottom of the barrel, with our last feasible meal prepared for dinner. My parents were in their bedroom, crying out to God for our daily bread. Then, we received a call, "Please forgive me! I have been feeling that God would have me to give you money for food, and I have ignored that call! I would like to obey that call right now!" We had no other possible response, but to give all of the glory and praise to God, who provided in such a way that could only be attributed to His goodness. Our patient reliance on Him caused His name to be lifted high and His goodness to be known in the lives of His children.
What is the catch to this story? Only this... that we would have had enough money for food, if we had not paid our tithe! You see, we had the choice to make... Tithe to God what He has asked of us, or satisfy our desire for security and assurance of food to eat. We decided to honor God with what was due Him, and He, in turn, blessed us in His own time and way! This goes against the modern idea of "taking care of number one!" But God is faithful and has promised to take care of us!
The same goes for the fruit of the Spirit being developed in our lives... we must patiently await and overcome the struggles that we will encounter, "...knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (James 1:3) If you pray for love, don't expect to see instant results. Love doesn't come in a microwaveable package! Most likely it will come in the form of someone whom you find the most difficulty in loving... this will be your opportunity to practice a love that gives of self, without any thought of getting something in return.
If you pray for joy... you will probably find yourself in the most un-joyful of circumstances, so that you will learn to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4).
If you ask God to give you peace... He will probably take away all of the things that you find the most security in, so that you will rest in Him alone! I am beginning to understand this concept on a very personal level! I have been praying for peace, and what I have been given is difficulty... so that I may rest in the promises of my Savior, instead of the comfort of good friends or monetary things... I am being broken, so that I may be made new!
Friends, I challenge you to pray for these things in your own life! It will break you, but the end result is so much greater than the pain that you will endure! God is a merciful teacher!
I am very excited to go into more detail as we continue this week. Until then...
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Friday, August 8, 2008
"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14
I am feeling supremely inadequate to say anything about peace, right about now... I feel that I do not understand enough about peace, to give any instruction on it. I'm afraid I may have been a bit redundant, this week, in trying to lay out what peace looks like for a believer... because, quite frankly, I keep running into the same walls of inexperience every time I take the plunge. Friends, I'm not sure what else to say about peace! It's one of those things that I understand to be important in our lives, but it's not something I can claim to have attained, so I have no "formula" or "method" to give you. The only thing I know, is that these things are called the "fruit of the Spirit." So, I will call upon my God, the Lord of Heaven and earth, and I will ask Him to show me true peace...
You know, sometimes, God allows circumstances to shape us into the people He wants us to be... I think this may be one of those times for me. I'd much prefer that He just dropped a package of peace in my lap and, upon opening it, I could become the peacemaker I was meant to be! However, God seems to be more fond of growing us through pain, trials, and suffering. Beauty from ashes, so to speak. So, when the hard times come, hold on! Drop to your knees and cry out to the Father for peace and rest in HIM! It all sounds cliche' or idealistic, but what do you see the great men and women of God do in the scriptures? When God brought trials into David's life... David knew where His help came from! He would cry out to God!
Don't give in to fear and doubt, when pain and troubles come, but rest in the peace of knowing God.
Friends, I feel that this week has stretched my mind and spirit to search for peace in greater depth than I ever have before. I NEED the peace of God in my life. YOU need the peace of God in your life! It's what will get us through the spiritual droughts and famines that sometimes occur in a believer's life. The dry times... they will come... and when they do, rest in the peace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
I pray that this study may have at least stirred your hearts to search deeper into the peace that only God can give. My hope is to look back on this study, five months from now, and see how the peace of God has sustained me! I hope to see growth through trials, beauty from ashes... This is my prayer for you as well. Strive for godliness in ALL aspects of your life. Therefore "...so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (Romans 12:18)
May the Grace and Peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you all!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
I am feeling supremely inadequate to say anything about peace, right about now... I feel that I do not understand enough about peace, to give any instruction on it. I'm afraid I may have been a bit redundant, this week, in trying to lay out what peace looks like for a believer... because, quite frankly, I keep running into the same walls of inexperience every time I take the plunge. Friends, I'm not sure what else to say about peace! It's one of those things that I understand to be important in our lives, but it's not something I can claim to have attained, so I have no "formula" or "method" to give you. The only thing I know, is that these things are called the "fruit of the Spirit." So, I will call upon my God, the Lord of Heaven and earth, and I will ask Him to show me true peace...
You know, sometimes, God allows circumstances to shape us into the people He wants us to be... I think this may be one of those times for me. I'd much prefer that He just dropped a package of peace in my lap and, upon opening it, I could become the peacemaker I was meant to be! However, God seems to be more fond of growing us through pain, trials, and suffering. Beauty from ashes, so to speak. So, when the hard times come, hold on! Drop to your knees and cry out to the Father for peace and rest in HIM! It all sounds cliche' or idealistic, but what do you see the great men and women of God do in the scriptures? When God brought trials into David's life... David knew where His help came from! He would cry out to God!
Don't give in to fear and doubt, when pain and troubles come, but rest in the peace of knowing God.
Friends, I feel that this week has stretched my mind and spirit to search for peace in greater depth than I ever have before. I NEED the peace of God in my life. YOU need the peace of God in your life! It's what will get us through the spiritual droughts and famines that sometimes occur in a believer's life. The dry times... they will come... and when they do, rest in the peace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
I pray that this study may have at least stirred your hearts to search deeper into the peace that only God can give. My hope is to look back on this study, five months from now, and see how the peace of God has sustained me! I hope to see growth through trials, beauty from ashes... This is my prayer for you as well. Strive for godliness in ALL aspects of your life. Therefore "...so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (Romans 12:18)
May the Grace and Peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you all!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Becoming A Peacemaker
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." -Matthew 5:9
"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." -Hebrews 12:14
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." - Romans 12:18
Friends, I may just be reiterating what we talked about yesterday, but I think it's a point worth taking another look at.
Peace is one of those things that God calls us to. We didn't decide on our own, one day, that it would be much better to live at peace with each other, rather than to continually be in adversity with one another. The human heart is very stubborn, in-and-of itself, and does not easily relinquish it's own desires. We naturally, from a young age, feel that we deserve to have our way in just about every circumstance. It's part of our nature, apart from Christ.
When you were saved out of your old nature, there were a couple of things about you that probably didn't quite coincide with what Jesus talks about in Matthew 5. Being a peacemaker does not come naturally for most of us. It's something we will probably be working on until the day we die, or Christ comes back!
Let's dissect the life of a peacemaker, for just a minute... Love is the foundation on which every other principle is built. Well, Christ is our true foundation, but if you look at 1 Corinthians 13 it talks about how love overshadows everything else in our lives. To summarize the chapter: "If I have all of these qualities and gifts, but I don't have love, I have gained nothing!" Paul started off the fruit of the Spirit with love... it is the essential ingredient in every Christian life. Love allows us, then, to see past ourselves and be willing to make peace in times of conflict. Love gives a higher value to those around us, rather than to our own desires or wants.
Without love you cannot have true peace... let's look a little further down the road towards patience and kindness. Being a peacemaker means having patience and showing kindness, even towards those who ridicule you because of what you believe. Each of these fruits are intertwined in one way or another, but they are all important and each one must be grown in order for us to live healthy Christian lives.
I'm afraid I don't have much more to say, today, on this subject... I am not a theologian and I do not have a doctorate of any kind. What I have is Christ, and a relationship with Him that I strive to improve upon each day. Therefore, since Christ is developing this fruit in me right now, I am still learning how to make peace rather than to stir up strife among others. Learning to let go of self... that's an important part. Once you can learn to not be so demanding... it becomes much easier to be a peaceful part of people's lives, rather than the catalyst in an unpleasant situation... you will be able to work towards restoration, rather than fueling the all-consuming fire of destructive words.
My prayer is that you all would become peacemakers in your homes, in your workplaces, at your church... wherever you find that there is strife... strive for godliness instead. Be the initiator of restoration, rather than letting things brew and bubble over... That is my prayer. That is my desire for my own life... to be the peacemaker I was intended to be!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." -Hebrews 12:14
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." - Romans 12:18
Friends, I may just be reiterating what we talked about yesterday, but I think it's a point worth taking another look at.
Peace is one of those things that God calls us to. We didn't decide on our own, one day, that it would be much better to live at peace with each other, rather than to continually be in adversity with one another. The human heart is very stubborn, in-and-of itself, and does not easily relinquish it's own desires. We naturally, from a young age, feel that we deserve to have our way in just about every circumstance. It's part of our nature, apart from Christ.
When you were saved out of your old nature, there were a couple of things about you that probably didn't quite coincide with what Jesus talks about in Matthew 5. Being a peacemaker does not come naturally for most of us. It's something we will probably be working on until the day we die, or Christ comes back!
Let's dissect the life of a peacemaker, for just a minute... Love is the foundation on which every other principle is built. Well, Christ is our true foundation, but if you look at 1 Corinthians 13 it talks about how love overshadows everything else in our lives. To summarize the chapter: "If I have all of these qualities and gifts, but I don't have love, I have gained nothing!" Paul started off the fruit of the Spirit with love... it is the essential ingredient in every Christian life. Love allows us, then, to see past ourselves and be willing to make peace in times of conflict. Love gives a higher value to those around us, rather than to our own desires or wants.
Without love you cannot have true peace... let's look a little further down the road towards patience and kindness. Being a peacemaker means having patience and showing kindness, even towards those who ridicule you because of what you believe. Each of these fruits are intertwined in one way or another, but they are all important and each one must be grown in order for us to live healthy Christian lives.
I'm afraid I don't have much more to say, today, on this subject... I am not a theologian and I do not have a doctorate of any kind. What I have is Christ, and a relationship with Him that I strive to improve upon each day. Therefore, since Christ is developing this fruit in me right now, I am still learning how to make peace rather than to stir up strife among others. Learning to let go of self... that's an important part. Once you can learn to not be so demanding... it becomes much easier to be a peaceful part of people's lives, rather than the catalyst in an unpleasant situation... you will be able to work towards restoration, rather than fueling the all-consuming fire of destructive words.
My prayer is that you all would become peacemakers in your homes, in your workplaces, at your church... wherever you find that there is strife... strive for godliness instead. Be the initiator of restoration, rather than letting things brew and bubble over... That is my prayer. That is my desire for my own life... to be the peacemaker I was intended to be!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Peace, Man!
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." - Romans 12:18
"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14
"Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." - Psalms 34:13-14
Okay, so we're going to shift gears, somewhat, today and look at peace from a different standpoint. Paul says in Romans "...as far as it depends on YOU, be at peace with ALL men." The area in which this gets really hard is when we don't necessarily like the person we are dealing with... Oh the times I have had to exercise extreme patience with a customer at my workplace! How much easier it would be to simply let them know how I feel about them! Of course, as you can imagine, this would most likely put me at odds with them and probably also at odds with my boss.... not a good place to be. Therefore living at peace with others "... as much as it depends on you..." means that we must plead with God to give us a humility and forgiving spirit that overlooks the petty things in life. Peace means a deliberate overlooking of people's faults against us and instead showing the love and forgiveness of Christ. It means that we don't make a big deal over the little things that come up between us and a friend or a neighbor... "as much as it depends on YOU..."
I'm going to keep quoting it and hopefully it will eventually sink in, not only for you, but for me as well! Friends, I struggle with living at peace with my family sometimes... does that one hit home with anybody else? How often are we quick to point out what our husband or wife, brother or sister is doing wrong? And I don't mean in a gentle restoring way, either... I mean, we just lay into them about how they're going about life in the wrong way! Is this our attempt at living in peace and modeling Christ-like behavior?
For some of us this will take more effort than others... some of you may be, naturally, less out-spoken about being wronged or slighted, but this doesn't let you off the hook. Examine yourselves! What does your HEART think about that person who has wronged you? Have you murdered them in word or thought? Or have you made peace with them before God and asked that He would restore your relationship? This is the key to living at peace with others.... continually coming before God, on a daily basis, and pleading for His mercy and peace to reside within you and to spill over onto everyone whom you come into contact with.
Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians: "Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1:10) Is he saying that we should strive for a one-world nation and universal peace? I think not! He is talking to a church that had issues dealing with strife among the believers! That is why he says "brethren..." he is speaking directly to those who are calling themselves followers of Christ, in relation to fellow believers. You cannot be of the same mind as, say, an atheist or a homosexual... for "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:2b We cannot be, both, of the world and of Christ...
Paul goes on, in 1 Corinthians, to say "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?" (3:2-3) Strife is the absence of peaceful living. There were men and women causing strife among the other believers in the Corinthian church... spreading rumors, stirring up dissension...
These are not the things of God!
Friends... the application and exhortation for today is "Examine Yourself!" I have nothing else to say... If we don't learn to live at peace with those whom we call brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are putting ourselves at odds with the body of Christ! If there is one party you do NOT want to be at odds with, it is the body of Christ. Look at what Paul says a little further down in chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians... "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (3:16-17) The church is holy unto the Lord... and he who would seek to destroy it through strife and dissensions... his future is not one of good prospect! This verse has much more to say than I could possibly hope to get into today... perhaps at another time and on another day... but for now, I again implore you to search your heart and plead with God to give you a peacemaker's spirit. Don't be found guilty of strife on the day of judgement, but rather strive to hear these words of our Father: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Spend some time in prayer, a lot of time in prayer! Ask God to make you the peacemaker that He created you to be. Meditate on these things and apply them, and know that I am right beside you... making these very same petitions. I am not asking you to do something that I myself am not going to do! I do not seek to be a hypocrite by proclaiming the Word of God and then living in the ways of the world. I too must strive for holiness in all things. Please join me, this day, in becoming a peacemaker.
Grace and Peace!
Questions? Comments? Please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com . Or you can leave a comment right here, at the end of this post! Thanks!
"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14
"Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." - Psalms 34:13-14
Okay, so we're going to shift gears, somewhat, today and look at peace from a different standpoint. Paul says in Romans "...as far as it depends on YOU, be at peace with ALL men." The area in which this gets really hard is when we don't necessarily like the person we are dealing with... Oh the times I have had to exercise extreme patience with a customer at my workplace! How much easier it would be to simply let them know how I feel about them! Of course, as you can imagine, this would most likely put me at odds with them and probably also at odds with my boss.... not a good place to be. Therefore living at peace with others "... as much as it depends on you..." means that we must plead with God to give us a humility and forgiving spirit that overlooks the petty things in life. Peace means a deliberate overlooking of people's faults against us and instead showing the love and forgiveness of Christ. It means that we don't make a big deal over the little things that come up between us and a friend or a neighbor... "as much as it depends on YOU..."
I'm going to keep quoting it and hopefully it will eventually sink in, not only for you, but for me as well! Friends, I struggle with living at peace with my family sometimes... does that one hit home with anybody else? How often are we quick to point out what our husband or wife, brother or sister is doing wrong? And I don't mean in a gentle restoring way, either... I mean, we just lay into them about how they're going about life in the wrong way! Is this our attempt at living in peace and modeling Christ-like behavior?
For some of us this will take more effort than others... some of you may be, naturally, less out-spoken about being wronged or slighted, but this doesn't let you off the hook. Examine yourselves! What does your HEART think about that person who has wronged you? Have you murdered them in word or thought? Or have you made peace with them before God and asked that He would restore your relationship? This is the key to living at peace with others.... continually coming before God, on a daily basis, and pleading for His mercy and peace to reside within you and to spill over onto everyone whom you come into contact with.
Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians: "Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1:10) Is he saying that we should strive for a one-world nation and universal peace? I think not! He is talking to a church that had issues dealing with strife among the believers! That is why he says "brethren..." he is speaking directly to those who are calling themselves followers of Christ, in relation to fellow believers. You cannot be of the same mind as, say, an atheist or a homosexual... for "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:2b We cannot be, both, of the world and of Christ...
Paul goes on, in 1 Corinthians, to say "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?" (3:2-3) Strife is the absence of peaceful living. There were men and women causing strife among the other believers in the Corinthian church... spreading rumors, stirring up dissension...
These are not the things of God!
Friends... the application and exhortation for today is "Examine Yourself!" I have nothing else to say... If we don't learn to live at peace with those whom we call brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are putting ourselves at odds with the body of Christ! If there is one party you do NOT want to be at odds with, it is the body of Christ. Look at what Paul says a little further down in chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians... "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (3:16-17) The church is holy unto the Lord... and he who would seek to destroy it through strife and dissensions... his future is not one of good prospect! This verse has much more to say than I could possibly hope to get into today... perhaps at another time and on another day... but for now, I again implore you to search your heart and plead with God to give you a peacemaker's spirit. Don't be found guilty of strife on the day of judgement, but rather strive to hear these words of our Father: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Spend some time in prayer, a lot of time in prayer! Ask God to make you the peacemaker that He created you to be. Meditate on these things and apply them, and know that I am right beside you... making these very same petitions. I am not asking you to do something that I myself am not going to do! I do not seek to be a hypocrite by proclaiming the Word of God and then living in the ways of the world. I too must strive for holiness in all things. Please join me, this day, in becoming a peacemaker.
Grace and Peace!
Questions? Comments? Please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com . Or you can leave a comment right here, at the end of this post! Thanks!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Peace: From Jehovah-Shalom
"Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred." - Proverbs 15:17
"Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy." - Proverbs 12:20
"When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." - Proverbs 16:7
Jehovah-Shalom... "The Lord our Peace!" One of the many names of God! He is indeed the source of our peace.
Have you noticed that most of these fruits we are going to study are almost completely intertwined with the others? How can you have peace without first having the love of Christ in your life? How can you be joyful without Christ as the reason for your joy? Love for Christ is the key to every other fruit that we would obtain. In order to have peace, you must first learn to love and trust God when things aren't going too well. Otherwise you would have nothing to give you peace and assurance when you lose a loved one, your job or your home. Peace is given alongside the grace of God... Paul always used these two concepts together: "Grace and Peace to you..." By the grace of God, may His peace dwell within you... so that, "whenever you face trials of many kinds..."(1) you will be able to consider it pure joy! Thankfully the grace of God is not a fruit of the Spirit... it's something that is readily available "...to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."(2) The peace that we have in Christ Jesus is a gift that we must learn to embrace... otherwise we will continue to worry as Christ has warned against in Matthew 6:25-33 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
"...Do not be worried about your life..." He says! "...for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." All we are supposed to do is seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and He is faithful to provide what we need. Peace comes with trust in God. Think about it... If you didn't trust God, how could you have peace in Him? I'm not talking about just the little things either... Trust God with everything in your life! Are we getting a little too crazy here? I don't think so! Unless we want to call Moses crazy for giving up everything that was a security to Him and allowing Himself to be used of God and thereby becoming one of the greatest leaders of the Israelite nation!
I may be slightly wandering from the purpose of this week's study... but I can't help but see the awesome glory of God displayed through the trust of His people! When we are weak... He is made strong in us! Praise be to God, that when I rest in the peace of knowing Him as my Lord and Savior, He is ever faithful to restore my soul unto righteousness! He calms my fears... He removes my doubt! I cannot claim to have "arrived" in this area in my life, but the times that I have claimed and lived out peace and trust in God... I am always stunned by His faithfulness!
I would challenge you to get crazy with your faith in Christ... trust Him... believe Him. He said He would provide, He said He would heal... believe it! True peace for each individual can only be found in a relationship with Jehovah-Shalom! Cry out to Him! Cry out to Jehovah-Shalom! Allow Him to be your strength when you are weak... He is ready to pour out His grace upon you. And in that grace... we find hope, we find peace! I am having to learn everything that I write to you, just as you are... I am not a "model Christian" in the respect of "getting this whole peace thing!" I must search, just as you must search, and plead with God to show me His mercy and grace in these areas. Asking forgiveness for the times that I do not rely on Him, but on my own might... I struggle just as much, if not more, with resting in the shadow of the Almighty during times of trial. I'm not asking you to do something that I myself have already attained... but I am asking you come along-side me in this endeavor to truly get crazy with our relationship with the Creator of the universe! To have peace in Christ... what a joy! Friends, it will not be easy, but it is most definitely worth it! Give it up to Him... whatever it is that you find your "peace" in instead of Christ. Peace is not security... security can be taken away from you. But the peace that passes all understanding... it's here to stay! God bless you all!
Grace and Peace!
(1) James 1:2 (2)Romans 8:28
Questions or Comments? Please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com . I would love to hear your thoughts on this weeks study!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Peace: An Introduction
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2
Ahhhh... peace! What a topic! The masters of philosophy and intellect have been discussing this very subject in great depth since the dark ages. What is peace? Is it just the absence of war? From a biblical standpoint I would definitely argue that there is much more to it than that! Even non-Christians agree that peace can be a "religious idea." When speaking of inner peace the Buddhists and many others would be quick to add their idea of peace to the mixing bowl. Unfortunately, there is a common thread throughout most of these ideas... mans ability, on his own, to find peace. Then the question arises, "Where do you find peace?"
If you walk into a room full of people and suddenly declare, "Peace be with you all!" there would be many confused and blank stares, I think, that you would receive in response. Why? Because most people are searching for peace, but don't know where it's found...
You see, most people think peace is found in possessions... but then you reach the top of the industry and realize that there's still something missing! Why can't you find peace and satisfaction in the things of this life. There is a quote at the end of "The Last Samurai," one of my favorite movies, which goes something like this, "I like to think that he found some small measure of peace, that same peace that we all search for." I have probably just grossly butchered this quote, but hopefully you can forgive me. The idea remains, peace is something attained by our own might.
However, we understand peace, from a biblical perspective to be much more than we could ever accomplish on our own. Paul says it every time he opens a letter to a church, "grace and peace"... but he doesn't end it there! No, he gives us the source of this grace and this peace that we are to have... "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..." God is the source of our peace, and our relationship with Him will determine whether or not we have true peace, or just some fake remodeling of comfort that the world has to offer. Comfort is quite different from peace... You can be living in the comfort of a home and still be tormented by worries and doubt. You know what I mean! We've all been there! There is nothing quite as personal as our own fears that reside within us. But, when you look at Christ... He says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28
Rest... physical, emotional, mental? All of the above, I think! Peace is found in knowing God and knowing that He has a plan for your life that is greater than anything you could ever dream of! Resting in that promise is where our faith is tried... it's easy to say that we trust God when things are going well, but when the hard times roll... Do you have peace that passes all understanding and that comes from a source greater than yourself? If not, you will have precious little impact for the Kingdom.... Why? Because you must rest in the Shadow of the Almighty if you are to withstand and survive the persecution and ridicule that Christ said we will have to endure for His name's sake.
I have said all of this to make one point! Peace, true peace, can be found in God alone. We will look at what this means, in our own lives, in more detail as we go throughout this week. Right now I just want you to reflect on what you think of when you hear the word "peace." Please, if you have anything, send me an e-mail of your personal definition of peace. You can send it to afflquestions@yahoo.com and I'll be sure and read it. Do you have a testimony of God's peace working through your life? I would love to hear about it! I will share some stories of peace in my life a little later on this week, but for now I would like you to pray that God would show you true peace, in Him. Seek first the kingdom of God! He takes care of His children... we must learn to lean on Him, for He has already promised His faithfulness. Peace is when you watch someone go through seemingly the most difficult circumstances a person could ever face, and yet they walk boldly forward, proclaiming Christ as their Comforter and their joy. This is the truth behind what Paul says in Philippians 3:7-9, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith..."
Praise God that we have such a faithful cloud of witnesses that have exemplified a true peace and faith in God! Friends, I hope you will pray with me for the peace of God to be grown in your life. We will be looking more in-depth into how peace is related to other areas of our lives over the next few days. Until then...
Grace and Peace!
Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you! Please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Ahhhh... peace! What a topic! The masters of philosophy and intellect have been discussing this very subject in great depth since the dark ages. What is peace? Is it just the absence of war? From a biblical standpoint I would definitely argue that there is much more to it than that! Even non-Christians agree that peace can be a "religious idea." When speaking of inner peace the Buddhists and many others would be quick to add their idea of peace to the mixing bowl. Unfortunately, there is a common thread throughout most of these ideas... mans ability, on his own, to find peace. Then the question arises, "Where do you find peace?"
If you walk into a room full of people and suddenly declare, "Peace be with you all!" there would be many confused and blank stares, I think, that you would receive in response. Why? Because most people are searching for peace, but don't know where it's found...
You see, most people think peace is found in possessions... but then you reach the top of the industry and realize that there's still something missing! Why can't you find peace and satisfaction in the things of this life. There is a quote at the end of "The Last Samurai," one of my favorite movies, which goes something like this, "I like to think that he found some small measure of peace, that same peace that we all search for." I have probably just grossly butchered this quote, but hopefully you can forgive me. The idea remains, peace is something attained by our own might.
However, we understand peace, from a biblical perspective to be much more than we could ever accomplish on our own. Paul says it every time he opens a letter to a church, "grace and peace"... but he doesn't end it there! No, he gives us the source of this grace and this peace that we are to have... "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..." God is the source of our peace, and our relationship with Him will determine whether or not we have true peace, or just some fake remodeling of comfort that the world has to offer. Comfort is quite different from peace... You can be living in the comfort of a home and still be tormented by worries and doubt. You know what I mean! We've all been there! There is nothing quite as personal as our own fears that reside within us. But, when you look at Christ... He says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28
Rest... physical, emotional, mental? All of the above, I think! Peace is found in knowing God and knowing that He has a plan for your life that is greater than anything you could ever dream of! Resting in that promise is where our faith is tried... it's easy to say that we trust God when things are going well, but when the hard times roll... Do you have peace that passes all understanding and that comes from a source greater than yourself? If not, you will have precious little impact for the Kingdom.... Why? Because you must rest in the Shadow of the Almighty if you are to withstand and survive the persecution and ridicule that Christ said we will have to endure for His name's sake.
I have said all of this to make one point! Peace, true peace, can be found in God alone. We will look at what this means, in our own lives, in more detail as we go throughout this week. Right now I just want you to reflect on what you think of when you hear the word "peace." Please, if you have anything, send me an e-mail of your personal definition of peace. You can send it to afflquestions@yahoo.com and I'll be sure and read it. Do you have a testimony of God's peace working through your life? I would love to hear about it! I will share some stories of peace in my life a little later on this week, but for now I would like you to pray that God would show you true peace, in Him. Seek first the kingdom of God! He takes care of His children... we must learn to lean on Him, for He has already promised His faithfulness. Peace is when you watch someone go through seemingly the most difficult circumstances a person could ever face, and yet they walk boldly forward, proclaiming Christ as their Comforter and their joy. This is the truth behind what Paul says in Philippians 3:7-9, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith..."
Praise God that we have such a faithful cloud of witnesses that have exemplified a true peace and faith in God! Friends, I hope you will pray with me for the peace of God to be grown in your life. We will be looking more in-depth into how peace is related to other areas of our lives over the next few days. Until then...
Grace and Peace!
Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you! Please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Friday, August 1, 2008
Joy: A Wrap-Up and Other Thoughts...
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." - Psalm 139:23-24
I must admit that this study is turning out to be quite a stretching experience for me... As I have said before, joy is not an area that I have much expertise in. However, I have learned, in this past week, to be more joyful and to put my trust more completely in my Heavenly Father. I have found that it is much easier to have joy in the hard times in life, if you trust that God is going to get you through! Jeremiah 29:11-13 is a popular verse which states, " 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' "
My whole reason for doing this study is that I might search and find God, by searching with all of my heart. I want to put every last effort into becoming more like Christ. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to become more like Christ? Are you willing to trust God and find joy in Him during the dry times in life? I won't gloss anything over or tell you that it's going to be easy... Jesus never said that following Him would be easy! In fact, He said the exact opposite! People will probably call you crazy for holding such high standards, they will probably mock you when they find out that you are unwilling to do the "cool" things that "everyone else is doing." But, my friends, it is WORTH IT! To please Christ... there is no greater goal in life!
I will echo Paul in Ephesians 4:1-3 when he says, "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Let us continue on with an eagerness to learn the great things of God! I look forward to starting our study of peace on Monday! This should be an interesting topic to talk about... Speaking of which, I have created an e-mail specific to this blog and if you have an questions or comments about anything discussed or of something yet to come please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
My hope is that you will spend this day in prayer, asking God to become your joy... I thought it would be this weird thing to pray and ask God to be my joy, because I was afraid of losing the joy that I had in other things... How ridiculous! "Oh, Lord, I'm not sure if I want Your joy, or this tainted and imperfect view of joy that I currently possess!" I can be pretty dense sometimes! But now I understand, a little bit more, what God meant in Jeremiah 29... He knows the plans that He has for us! What a relief! God actually means what He says in His Word! Such revelation!
My prayer this morning has been, "Lord, help me to never get beyond having my mind blown by the work that You did at the cross!" I never, ever, EVER, want to become desensitized to the cross! For therein lies my salvation and yours! May this thought alone bring you to a place of humbleness and joy as you meditate on the completed work of Christ's death on your behalf.
Again if you have any questions or comments about today's topic or any other, please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com . Or you can click on "comments" (right below this entry) and leave your message there!
Friends, may the grace and peace of God be with you all!
I must admit that this study is turning out to be quite a stretching experience for me... As I have said before, joy is not an area that I have much expertise in. However, I have learned, in this past week, to be more joyful and to put my trust more completely in my Heavenly Father. I have found that it is much easier to have joy in the hard times in life, if you trust that God is going to get you through! Jeremiah 29:11-13 is a popular verse which states, " 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' "
My whole reason for doing this study is that I might search and find God, by searching with all of my heart. I want to put every last effort into becoming more like Christ. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to become more like Christ? Are you willing to trust God and find joy in Him during the dry times in life? I won't gloss anything over or tell you that it's going to be easy... Jesus never said that following Him would be easy! In fact, He said the exact opposite! People will probably call you crazy for holding such high standards, they will probably mock you when they find out that you are unwilling to do the "cool" things that "everyone else is doing." But, my friends, it is WORTH IT! To please Christ... there is no greater goal in life!
I will echo Paul in Ephesians 4:1-3 when he says, "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Let us continue on with an eagerness to learn the great things of God! I look forward to starting our study of peace on Monday! This should be an interesting topic to talk about... Speaking of which, I have created an e-mail specific to this blog and if you have an questions or comments about anything discussed or of something yet to come please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
My hope is that you will spend this day in prayer, asking God to become your joy... I thought it would be this weird thing to pray and ask God to be my joy, because I was afraid of losing the joy that I had in other things... How ridiculous! "Oh, Lord, I'm not sure if I want Your joy, or this tainted and imperfect view of joy that I currently possess!" I can be pretty dense sometimes! But now I understand, a little bit more, what God meant in Jeremiah 29... He knows the plans that He has for us! What a relief! God actually means what He says in His Word! Such revelation!
My prayer this morning has been, "Lord, help me to never get beyond having my mind blown by the work that You did at the cross!" I never, ever, EVER, want to become desensitized to the cross! For therein lies my salvation and yours! May this thought alone bring you to a place of humbleness and joy as you meditate on the completed work of Christ's death on your behalf.
Again if you have any questions or comments about today's topic or any other, please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com . Or you can click on "comments" (right below this entry) and leave your message there!
Friends, may the grace and peace of God be with you all!
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