Today let's look at what happens when Our Will conflicts with God's Will. How many times have you thought you had everything in your life planned out, only to have something go wrong? This happens quite often. Know why?
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21
A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? Proverbs 20:24
As we can see here, when we plan things, they hardly ever work out the way we plan them to. Look at it this way: God created us, but more than this, He knew us before we were even conceived in the womb! "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" Jeremiah 1:5a. In other words, He had a plan for our lives before we are even born. (Eph. 2:10) We can see Jeremiah's situation for example. Jeremiah wasn't feeling so good about the position God had placed him in. This He said to Jeremiah; "Hey, I set you to be a prophet, so that's what I want you to do, so no sense in bothering to fight about it!"
"...I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:6-10
So the next time you think you ought to be doing something, pray beforehand to find out if that truly is a part of His plan for you. Never fight; if you feel like you are fighting something, let go, and allow the peace of God's will to take over your own. As a result, you will feel an inner peace and joy, knowing God has you by the hand, to guide you in His plan for your life. Don't guess; PRAY. Once you have done that, TRUST Him to lead you right. He knows what He is doing way more than we do. We really don't have a clue at all about anything.
We often times get in the habit of going our own way. More often we get in situations where we feel very much alone. This is where you need to know that you are never alone. God is always there, ready when you are ready to let go of your struggles.
So stop fighting. Let go of "My Will vs. God's Will," and change it to "My Will is God's Will."
Letting go,
Whitney
Fire, Fall Down - 2/28/08
Hello everyone. With the recent talk of the fire of the Lord descending upon us, I would like to share with you something very close to my heart. It is, in fact, a song, by the name of "Fire, Fall Down," and the Chorus line goes like this:
Fire, fall down;
Fire, fall down;
On us, we pray.
As we seek,
Fire, fall down,
Fire, fall down,
On us, we pray.
As we seek,
Fire, fall down,
Fire, fall down,
On us, we pray.
As we seek you Lord,
Fire, fall down,
Fire, fall down,
On us, we pray.
(Fire Fall Down, Performed by Hillsong United; Album United We Stand)
This is truly a beautiful song. If you have never heard it, I whole-heartedly recommend that you take a few moments out of your day to listen to it. (Here is a link to watch the live video as performed by Hillsong United.) But more than that, I would ask that you truly let the words sink into your heart, and make this your desire, that the Fire of the Lord would fall down on us all and fill us with His Spirit.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. Psalms 104:3-4 ESV
Our God truly is a consuming fire, and when we focus our eyes upon Him and seek Him with all our hearts, He will cause this fire to fall from heaven and light our hearts and souls on fire. Just as the pillar of fire descended from heaven and guided the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land, so will the fire of His Spirit descend upon and guide us as we seek Him.
"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49 NKJV)
It's such a blessing that Christ has kindled this flame, is it not? We see here that His goal was to kindle the flame within us all; and through that final statement of His, "It is finished.", we can be sure that His goal was accomplished. As we look to Him and the price He paid on our behalf, how can this flame not be kindled deep within our souls? I hope that you will all join with me in praying that the Lord would send His Spirit to rekindle this flame within those of us who have allowed it die down, and to fan the flames as it begins to grow into an all-consuming fire for God.
Blessings,
Andrew
Fire, fall down;
Fire, fall down;
On us, we pray.
As we seek,
Fire, fall down,
Fire, fall down,
On us, we pray.
As we seek,
Fire, fall down,
Fire, fall down,
On us, we pray.
As we seek you Lord,
Fire, fall down,
Fire, fall down,
On us, we pray.
(Fire Fall Down, Performed by Hillsong United; Album United We Stand)
This is truly a beautiful song. If you have never heard it, I whole-heartedly recommend that you take a few moments out of your day to listen to it. (Here is a link to watch the live video as performed by Hillsong United.) But more than that, I would ask that you truly let the words sink into your heart, and make this your desire, that the Fire of the Lord would fall down on us all and fill us with His Spirit.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. Psalms 104:3-4 ESV
Our God truly is a consuming fire, and when we focus our eyes upon Him and seek Him with all our hearts, He will cause this fire to fall from heaven and light our hearts and souls on fire. Just as the pillar of fire descended from heaven and guided the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land, so will the fire of His Spirit descend upon and guide us as we seek Him.
"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49 NKJV)
It's such a blessing that Christ has kindled this flame, is it not? We see here that His goal was to kindle the flame within us all; and through that final statement of His, "It is finished.", we can be sure that His goal was accomplished. As we look to Him and the price He paid on our behalf, how can this flame not be kindled deep within our souls? I hope that you will all join with me in praying that the Lord would send His Spirit to rekindle this flame within those of us who have allowed it die down, and to fan the flames as it begins to grow into an all-consuming fire for God.
Blessings,
Andrew
Challenge - 2/27/08
For today’s Daily Bread, I would like to talk about something very important to me. Today I am issuing you a CHALLENGE!
(I feel led to share here, so bear with me). I have always wanted to be different (those who know me will attest). I never wanted to be your average, just-like-everyone else girl. To me that was boring. So I am myself.
Then that got me to thinking. I acknowledged my physical life was going well, but, I thought, what about my SPIRITUAL life? If I wanted to be myself mentally and physically, shouldn’t I be that spiritually too? I delved deeper into that thought process, and discovered things lacking in my spiritual walk. Sure I did devotions, went to church, did good deeds and what not. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the Lord, but I felt as though I needed something more, some spice, something different in my spiritual life. That’s when I realized something else.
I was HUNGRY.
I was thirsting for more of God and His Word, hungry for some fire in my life. What I was doing was just not satisfying enough. That had to change.
"...but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
I wanted my faith to be real, for others to look at me and know right away I was real, not just "oh yeah sure Whitney’s a Christian; she and her family go to church". For me it had to be more than that.
Writing these daily breads have greatly helped strengthen my spiritual walk. These force me to get into the Word, and thanks to that, I get so into it, that anymore I can’t get back out! I have a passion for writing, and I want a passion for the Lord; what better way to combine those two than in writing these online devotionals! What an awesome opportunity God has given me to share His Word, and knowing what I lacked, to share with my own soul as well. I thank God also I have good Christian friends to fellowship with, and challenge me in my faith. All of these things, including Campus Life at our school, Reign Down our band, all are "jazzing" up my spiritual life. Who could have done this? God of course! I prayed and He knew just what I needed; a good dose of spiritual medicine. And you know what? It’s working wonders.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." John 7:37
To wrap up, I now come to the CHALLENGE I mentioned at the beginning. Enough about me; reflect now on your own life. Do you feel as I described, thirsting, needing something extra to jump-start the fire in your spiritual life? The remedy is simple; PRAY. Pray and ask for what you need. Don’t worry, God knows exactly what you need. Get things going that force you (yes, I mean force you!) to get into the Word; you not only discover new things, but do you realize you are feeding yourself?
So if you don’t know the Lord, pray right now for Him to come into your life. Believe, and He will save you. Maybe you believe, but feel it’s the same-ol-same-ol? Pray right now the Fire will be started. Fires die down if you don’t feed them wood. So is it with our spiritual fires. If we don’t continue to feed it, eventually it will go out. Then we will be little Christian babies forever; and I don’t know about you, but me who wants to be different wants to be that? No thanks! Please pass me some more faith, love, wisdom, humility, self-control, goodness, works, grace, gentleness, patience, kindness, mercy, understanding, helpfulness, peace, joy, fire, fellowship...............
Will you take the challenge?
Start and maintain your fire today!
Taking the CHALLENGE (and loving the spiritual goodies),
Whitney
(Feel free to comment (if you’d like) on whether you take the challenge God has given us!)
(I feel led to share here, so bear with me). I have always wanted to be different (those who know me will attest). I never wanted to be your average, just-like-everyone else girl. To me that was boring. So I am myself.
Then that got me to thinking. I acknowledged my physical life was going well, but, I thought, what about my SPIRITUAL life? If I wanted to be myself mentally and physically, shouldn’t I be that spiritually too? I delved deeper into that thought process, and discovered things lacking in my spiritual walk. Sure I did devotions, went to church, did good deeds and what not. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the Lord, but I felt as though I needed something more, some spice, something different in my spiritual life. That’s when I realized something else.
I was HUNGRY.
I was thirsting for more of God and His Word, hungry for some fire in my life. What I was doing was just not satisfying enough. That had to change.
"...but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
I wanted my faith to be real, for others to look at me and know right away I was real, not just "oh yeah sure Whitney’s a Christian; she and her family go to church". For me it had to be more than that.
Writing these daily breads have greatly helped strengthen my spiritual walk. These force me to get into the Word, and thanks to that, I get so into it, that anymore I can’t get back out! I have a passion for writing, and I want a passion for the Lord; what better way to combine those two than in writing these online devotionals! What an awesome opportunity God has given me to share His Word, and knowing what I lacked, to share with my own soul as well. I thank God also I have good Christian friends to fellowship with, and challenge me in my faith. All of these things, including Campus Life at our school, Reign Down our band, all are "jazzing" up my spiritual life. Who could have done this? God of course! I prayed and He knew just what I needed; a good dose of spiritual medicine. And you know what? It’s working wonders.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." John 7:37
To wrap up, I now come to the CHALLENGE I mentioned at the beginning. Enough about me; reflect now on your own life. Do you feel as I described, thirsting, needing something extra to jump-start the fire in your spiritual life? The remedy is simple; PRAY. Pray and ask for what you need. Don’t worry, God knows exactly what you need. Get things going that force you (yes, I mean force you!) to get into the Word; you not only discover new things, but do you realize you are feeding yourself?
So if you don’t know the Lord, pray right now for Him to come into your life. Believe, and He will save you. Maybe you believe, but feel it’s the same-ol-same-ol? Pray right now the Fire will be started. Fires die down if you don’t feed them wood. So is it with our spiritual fires. If we don’t continue to feed it, eventually it will go out. Then we will be little Christian babies forever; and I don’t know about you, but me who wants to be different wants to be that? No thanks! Please pass me some more faith, love, wisdom, humility, self-control, goodness, works, grace, gentleness, patience, kindness, mercy, understanding, helpfulness, peace, joy, fire, fellowship...............
Will you take the challenge?
Start and maintain your fire today!
Taking the CHALLENGE (and loving the spiritual goodies),
Whitney
(Feel free to comment (if you’d like) on whether you take the challenge God has given us!)
Love & Sacrifice - 2/26/08
Good day to you all,
Today the message I would like us to examine focuses specifically on love, being inspired by John 13:34-35.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35 ESV)
What we can gather from these verses is that we must learn to love one another just as Jesus Christ has loved us. So just how has Christ loved us? Let's think. For one, He died for us, and as we know, "greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) But let's be honest here people; how often does the opportunity - and the challenge - for us to physically lay down our lives for our friends come along? I haven't jumped in front of any bullets recently - have you? Perhaps so; perhaps not, but my point is this: that even though we may not all be given the opportunity to express selfless love in such a physical manner as this, we can lay our lives down in other ways.
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." (Luke 9:23-24 ESV)
I want to come after Jesus, don't you? In order to do this, He calls us to "take up our crosses daily," and to even lose our own lives in service to Him. But what does this have to do with loving others? More than you might imagine, in fact. Loving Christ and loving others are so intricately interwoven that you simply cannot separate the two. Following Jesus involves us learning to love those around us - encouraging them, building them up in Christ, putting our own desires aside in favor of theirs; loving them (See 1 Corinthians 13 for this). Sometimes, this is hard. When the emotions are running low and the impatience is running high, when we simply don't want to, or when there's just something tugging us away from doing what's right, we must look past this and make the decision - the commitment - to love anyway.
Do you think Jesus enjoyed being beaten, flogged, tortured, nailed to a cross, and crucified while those He came to save stood around mocking Him? I think not. But He chose to anyway - now this, this is love.
Let us pray that we can have this kind of love first for God, and second for all those around us. It may not always be fun or enjoyable (though often times, it can be) - but this is the nature of sacrifice. The beauty in all of this is that as we learn to sacrifice of ourselves for the glory of God and the well being of others, we are blessed with a life that becomes so much more satisfying and fulfilling than ever before! What a wonderful paradox this is!
And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
Today the message I would like us to examine focuses specifically on love, being inspired by John 13:34-35.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35 ESV)
What we can gather from these verses is that we must learn to love one another just as Jesus Christ has loved us. So just how has Christ loved us? Let's think. For one, He died for us, and as we know, "greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) But let's be honest here people; how often does the opportunity - and the challenge - for us to physically lay down our lives for our friends come along? I haven't jumped in front of any bullets recently - have you? Perhaps so; perhaps not, but my point is this: that even though we may not all be given the opportunity to express selfless love in such a physical manner as this, we can lay our lives down in other ways.
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." (Luke 9:23-24 ESV)
I want to come after Jesus, don't you? In order to do this, He calls us to "take up our crosses daily," and to even lose our own lives in service to Him. But what does this have to do with loving others? More than you might imagine, in fact. Loving Christ and loving others are so intricately interwoven that you simply cannot separate the two. Following Jesus involves us learning to love those around us - encouraging them, building them up in Christ, putting our own desires aside in favor of theirs; loving them (See 1 Corinthians 13 for this). Sometimes, this is hard. When the emotions are running low and the impatience is running high, when we simply don't want to, or when there's just something tugging us away from doing what's right, we must look past this and make the decision - the commitment - to love anyway.
Do you think Jesus enjoyed being beaten, flogged, tortured, nailed to a cross, and crucified while those He came to save stood around mocking Him? I think not. But He chose to anyway - now this, this is love.
Let us pray that we can have this kind of love first for God, and second for all those around us. It may not always be fun or enjoyable (though often times, it can be) - but this is the nature of sacrifice. The beauty in all of this is that as we learn to sacrifice of ourselves for the glory of God and the well being of others, we are blessed with a life that becomes so much more satisfying and fulfilling than ever before! What a wonderful paradox this is!
And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
Test the Spirits - 2/25/08
Hello everyone,
Continuing from yesterday's message, I would like to share with you all something very closely related to listening to the "still small voice" of God: testing the spirits.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3 NKJV)
Believe it or not, there are other spirits out there contending with God and His Truth. We, as Christians, must learn to recognize the voice of our Lord, so that we will not be deceived by the lies these spirits wish to pour into our hearts and minds.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15 ESV)
So how do we learn to discern the voice of our Lord? It's pretty simple actually - we get to know Him. We spend time with Him. If we are truly "Jesus' own," having been redeemed by His precious blood and given new life through His sacrifice, the overflowing of gratitude and thankfulness will lead us to spend time with Him. When we spend time with Him through His Word, through prayer, through worship, etc., we over time learn to recognize His voice. The more time we spend with Him, the easier it is for us to tell when we are truly hearing from God.
I'm sure you've all used a telephone - do you know what it's like when you, over time, learn to tell who is on the other line simply by hearing them say, "Hello?" They don't need to state their name, just the very sound of their voice gives them away. Well, this is how it is with God. When we spend time with Him, we learn His voice - and we also learn to discern the spirits. If we are ever called to do something contrary to the revealed Word of God, having spent time with Him through His Word, we can recognize that it is untrue and reject it. But this, too, takes time - the more time we spend with Him and the closer we draw to Him, the better we become at recognizing the voice of our Good Shepherd.
Blessings,
Andrew
Continuing from yesterday's message, I would like to share with you all something very closely related to listening to the "still small voice" of God: testing the spirits.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3 NKJV)
Believe it or not, there are other spirits out there contending with God and His Truth. We, as Christians, must learn to recognize the voice of our Lord, so that we will not be deceived by the lies these spirits wish to pour into our hearts and minds.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15 ESV)
So how do we learn to discern the voice of our Lord? It's pretty simple actually - we get to know Him. We spend time with Him. If we are truly "Jesus' own," having been redeemed by His precious blood and given new life through His sacrifice, the overflowing of gratitude and thankfulness will lead us to spend time with Him. When we spend time with Him through His Word, through prayer, through worship, etc., we over time learn to recognize His voice. The more time we spend with Him, the easier it is for us to tell when we are truly hearing from God.
I'm sure you've all used a telephone - do you know what it's like when you, over time, learn to tell who is on the other line simply by hearing them say, "Hello?" They don't need to state their name, just the very sound of their voice gives them away. Well, this is how it is with God. When we spend time with Him, we learn His voice - and we also learn to discern the spirits. If we are ever called to do something contrary to the revealed Word of God, having spent time with Him through His Word, we can recognize that it is untrue and reject it. But this, too, takes time - the more time we spend with Him and the closer we draw to Him, the better we become at recognizing the voice of our Good Shepherd.
Blessings,
Andrew
A Still Small Voice - 2/24/08
Hello, all! Our topic for today is the "still small voice" of God, which can be seen in action when God speaks to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:
Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV)
Imagine for a moment, if you would, being in Elijah's shoes. You seek to hear from God, and while you seek Him, you see a great wind tearing into the mountains, you witness rocks as they are smashed into pieces all around you, you feel the earth tremble, and you see an all-consuming fire rise up before your very eyes. Yet still, you hear no word from God. And then it comes: a whisper, as soft as the breeze whispering in your ear, and this whisper asks, "Why have you come?"
Just as God chose to speak with Elijah in this manner, in this way He sometimes chooses to speak with us. Why? Because He wants us to listen. We must sometimes be silent ourselves in order to hear from God. But we also have His promise that when we seek Him in this manner, He will surely meet us.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV)
Seeking is great, and we all need to do it fervently, but seeking is only half of it; we must also be willing to submit to His Will when we do hear from Him, regardless of what He calls us to do (that is, as long as it's truly God who we're hearing from - but we'll touch on this issue more tomorrow). Abraham is a good example of this - when God called on him to sacrifice his only son, he obeyed - but thankfully, this was a test of faith, and at the last moment God called Abraham away from sacrificing his son and He Himself provided the ram that they were to use.
Jesus is another great example - a perfect example, in fact. We read of Him pleading with the Father the night of His crucifixion, but along with those pleading words, we see Him utter the famous words we all know and love: "Not my will but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42) Let us, then, follow this perfect example and seek to hear from this "still small voice" with all our hearts, and, when we do hear, to be willing to submit. Tomorrow we will examine this further, but for now, let us end with this short prayer:
I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees. (Psalm 119:145)
Blessings,
Andrew
Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV)
Imagine for a moment, if you would, being in Elijah's shoes. You seek to hear from God, and while you seek Him, you see a great wind tearing into the mountains, you witness rocks as they are smashed into pieces all around you, you feel the earth tremble, and you see an all-consuming fire rise up before your very eyes. Yet still, you hear no word from God. And then it comes: a whisper, as soft as the breeze whispering in your ear, and this whisper asks, "Why have you come?"
Just as God chose to speak with Elijah in this manner, in this way He sometimes chooses to speak with us. Why? Because He wants us to listen. We must sometimes be silent ourselves in order to hear from God. But we also have His promise that when we seek Him in this manner, He will surely meet us.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV)
Seeking is great, and we all need to do it fervently, but seeking is only half of it; we must also be willing to submit to His Will when we do hear from Him, regardless of what He calls us to do (that is, as long as it's truly God who we're hearing from - but we'll touch on this issue more tomorrow). Abraham is a good example of this - when God called on him to sacrifice his only son, he obeyed - but thankfully, this was a test of faith, and at the last moment God called Abraham away from sacrificing his son and He Himself provided the ram that they were to use.
Jesus is another great example - a perfect example, in fact. We read of Him pleading with the Father the night of His crucifixion, but along with those pleading words, we see Him utter the famous words we all know and love: "Not my will but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42) Let us, then, follow this perfect example and seek to hear from this "still small voice" with all our hearts, and, when we do hear, to be willing to submit. Tomorrow we will examine this further, but for now, let us end with this short prayer:
I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees. (Psalm 119:145)
Blessings,
Andrew
Fruit of the Spirit: Wrap-Up; 2/23/08
Good-morning!
For today's Daily Bread, I thought we'd do a quick wrap-up of the past ten days' messages.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:16-25)
Today, what I would like to point out is that there is but one way to experience these fruits, and that is God Alone. As we see here, our sinful nature desires that which is in conflict to the Spirit; sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, etc. We cannot escape the pitfalls of our sinful nature, no matter how hard we try - it is only when we cry out to Jesus that the shackles of our old nature can be broken, freeing us from ourselves and allowing us to serve Him with our entire lives.
When we cry out to God with humble hearts and broken spirits, He provides His Spirit to dwell within us which allows us to live this way, with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is so vitally important that we cry out to Him constantly, seeking for Him to cultivate these fruits within our souls. It is only through Him that we can remain patient with one another; it is only through Him that we can be kind to all those around us; it is only through Him that we can exhibit self-control in temptation; and it is only through Him that we can truly love those we hold dear - and even those we don't (Matthew 5:43-44).
We are simply incapable of these things apart from God, and I for one am so thankful that through the great and awesome sacrifice of Jesus, He has enabled us to put our sinful natures to death and has allowed us to live by His Spirit!
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
For today's Daily Bread, I thought we'd do a quick wrap-up of the past ten days' messages.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:16-25)
Today, what I would like to point out is that there is but one way to experience these fruits, and that is God Alone. As we see here, our sinful nature desires that which is in conflict to the Spirit; sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, etc. We cannot escape the pitfalls of our sinful nature, no matter how hard we try - it is only when we cry out to Jesus that the shackles of our old nature can be broken, freeing us from ourselves and allowing us to serve Him with our entire lives.
When we cry out to God with humble hearts and broken spirits, He provides His Spirit to dwell within us which allows us to live this way, with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is so vitally important that we cry out to Him constantly, seeking for Him to cultivate these fruits within our souls. It is only through Him that we can remain patient with one another; it is only through Him that we can be kind to all those around us; it is only through Him that we can exhibit self-control in temptation; and it is only through Him that we can truly love those we hold dear - and even those we don't (Matthew 5:43-44).
We are simply incapable of these things apart from God, and I for one am so thankful that through the great and awesome sacrifice of Jesus, He has enabled us to put our sinful natures to death and has allowed us to live by His Spirit!
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
Self-Control; 2/22/08
For our last look at the Fruit of the Spirit, we now focus on self-control.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5:22-23
The world is all about image. What you say, how you say it, what you do, what you wear, how you look, etc. All these are what the world tries to focus on. More often than not we find ourselves caught in the middle of it all. What do I see more and more Christians doing in response? Compromising. Compromising their faith, lifestyles, morals, etc.
By this point you are probably wondering what this has to do with self-control. Well, self-control which can be also self-discipline, has everything to do with compromising. By allowing ourselves to conform to the world's ways, we are expressing no firm self-control.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
The bible is clear on self-control. God gave us the ability of having free-choice. We can easily be swayed to doing something the world thinks is right that is sinful in God's eyes. Or we can choose to keep our eyes on Him. Hence why it is called self-control. It is because we know what something is lawfully and spiritually wrong; therefore, we have the ability to decide whether we restrain ourselves from doing what everyone else is doing, or knowing to exercise control over what we should see or hear or do.
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus
Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5
For example, the latest movie rated PG-13 is out for bad language and a brief sexual moment. Everyone has seen it, saying it's the best movie ever, and that you have to see it. Do we then give in to their pressure, not wanting to appear foolish in their eyes? Or do we remember when to draw the line, knowing Christians should never compromise to watch stuff like that in the first place?
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28
So how do we overcome this? By remembering we have God on our side; pray to Him for help whenever you get in situations where you feel your self-control is 'lax'. We are constantly exercising this fruit. It is one we should never be with out. So make sure you are rightly exercising it.
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. Titus 1:8
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13
Are you demonstrating self-control?
-Whitney
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5:22-23
The world is all about image. What you say, how you say it, what you do, what you wear, how you look, etc. All these are what the world tries to focus on. More often than not we find ourselves caught in the middle of it all. What do I see more and more Christians doing in response? Compromising. Compromising their faith, lifestyles, morals, etc.
By this point you are probably wondering what this has to do with self-control. Well, self-control which can be also self-discipline, has everything to do with compromising. By allowing ourselves to conform to the world's ways, we are expressing no firm self-control.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
The bible is clear on self-control. God gave us the ability of having free-choice. We can easily be swayed to doing something the world thinks is right that is sinful in God's eyes. Or we can choose to keep our eyes on Him. Hence why it is called self-control. It is because we know what something is lawfully and spiritually wrong; therefore, we have the ability to decide whether we restrain ourselves from doing what everyone else is doing, or knowing to exercise control over what we should see or hear or do.
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus
Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5
For example, the latest movie rated PG-13 is out for bad language and a brief sexual moment. Everyone has seen it, saying it's the best movie ever, and that you have to see it. Do we then give in to their pressure, not wanting to appear foolish in their eyes? Or do we remember when to draw the line, knowing Christians should never compromise to watch stuff like that in the first place?
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28
So how do we overcome this? By remembering we have God on our side; pray to Him for help whenever you get in situations where you feel your self-control is 'lax'. We are constantly exercising this fruit. It is one we should never be with out. So make sure you are rightly exercising it.
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. Titus 1:8
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13
Are you demonstrating self-control?
-Whitney
Gentleness; 2/21/08
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)
The reason I quote this verse twice here (once in the NIV, once in the KJV) is because I feel that they both show a different side of this particular fruit: meekness (humility), and gentleness. This is sort of a humble gentleness I suppose one could say. Have you ever had a friend go astray? Perhaps they were beginning to get involved in things they should not, perhaps they were falling away from the Lord, or perhaps you were just concerned for their well-being. Isn't it so very hard to reach these people? On one hand, you value their friendship and fear the worst; but on the other, you know that if you kept silent, you would not be a true, loving friend. So what's the key here? Gentleness and meekness. Our Lord Jesus Christ paints a perfect picture of this:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)
Isn't this amazing? What can I really say to this? I sit here, trying to come up with something to say, and it just speaks for itself so clearly. When we come to Jesus, He puts his arm around us, helps us up, and carries us along as only a true friend would. He gently tells us when we are in the wrong and holds His arms open to receive us once again. One example of this is when Peter denies Jesus thrice on the night He was taken.
Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times..."
And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:33-34; 75 ESV)
I can just see the gentleness in Jesus' eyes after that third rooster crows and they look one another in the eyes; spoken with a single look, everything is laid out. Perhaps there was disappointment, or maybe there was even some pain; I do not know. But I do know that when Peter looks into Jesus' eyes, he sees gentleness, forgiveness, and welcomeness. This is my story as well. I came to Jesus having disappointed Him, having caused Him pain, undeserving of anything more than to be punished for my evil ways; but rather than condemnation, I looked into His eyes and I saw gentleness. I saw love. He told me, "Yes Andrew, you've sinned. You've disappointed me, you've caused me pain. But it doesn't have to be this way - come, take my hand, and let us start over again - please." And from that moment on, my life has been changed.
So when we see those we care for turning onto the path of darkness, how are we to treat them? With love, care, and gentleness, warning them of the impending doom that lies ahead, genuinely concerned for their future. But we must always remember to pray for this gentleness at all times. When we must correct those we care for, do they see this gentle, humble spirit within us? And when they return, do they feel welcome as we hold our arms open to take them in? Let us pray together that yes, they do; for this gentleness comes from God alone.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)
The reason I quote this verse twice here (once in the NIV, once in the KJV) is because I feel that they both show a different side of this particular fruit: meekness (humility), and gentleness. This is sort of a humble gentleness I suppose one could say. Have you ever had a friend go astray? Perhaps they were beginning to get involved in things they should not, perhaps they were falling away from the Lord, or perhaps you were just concerned for their well-being. Isn't it so very hard to reach these people? On one hand, you value their friendship and fear the worst; but on the other, you know that if you kept silent, you would not be a true, loving friend. So what's the key here? Gentleness and meekness. Our Lord Jesus Christ paints a perfect picture of this:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)
Isn't this amazing? What can I really say to this? I sit here, trying to come up with something to say, and it just speaks for itself so clearly. When we come to Jesus, He puts his arm around us, helps us up, and carries us along as only a true friend would. He gently tells us when we are in the wrong and holds His arms open to receive us once again. One example of this is when Peter denies Jesus thrice on the night He was taken.
Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times..."
And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:33-34; 75 ESV)
I can just see the gentleness in Jesus' eyes after that third rooster crows and they look one another in the eyes; spoken with a single look, everything is laid out. Perhaps there was disappointment, or maybe there was even some pain; I do not know. But I do know that when Peter looks into Jesus' eyes, he sees gentleness, forgiveness, and welcomeness. This is my story as well. I came to Jesus having disappointed Him, having caused Him pain, undeserving of anything more than to be punished for my evil ways; but rather than condemnation, I looked into His eyes and I saw gentleness. I saw love. He told me, "Yes Andrew, you've sinned. You've disappointed me, you've caused me pain. But it doesn't have to be this way - come, take my hand, and let us start over again - please." And from that moment on, my life has been changed.
So when we see those we care for turning onto the path of darkness, how are we to treat them? With love, care, and gentleness, warning them of the impending doom that lies ahead, genuinely concerned for their future. But we must always remember to pray for this gentleness at all times. When we must correct those we care for, do they see this gentle, humble spirit within us? And when they return, do they feel welcome as we hold our arms open to take them in? Let us pray together that yes, they do; for this gentleness comes from God alone.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
Faithfulness; 2/20/08
Today we shall focus on Faithfulness.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
When a person gets married, both make a pledge to remain faithful to each other until they die. Now compare this happy couple to Christ and ourselves. Christ is our bridegroom, (Matthew 9:14-16) and when we give our lives to Him, we are in a sense, 'marrying' Him (thus we are His bride). When we pledge our lives to Him, telling Him we will follow Him all the days of our lives, this vow shows our faithfulness to Him.
I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. (Hosea 2:20)
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5b)
One of Jesus's followers asked to go and "bury his father" before he was to go and follow Christ. Jesus replied, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead". (Matthew 8:21-22 or Luke 9:58-60) Therefore, is Jesus number one in our lives? How are we to remain faithful to Him if we don't even have Him first in our lives?
Think for a moment on how many times you may have stumbled down the straight and narrow road, and God grabbed you by the hand to steady you? How many times when you repented, He took you joyfully back into His arms? If this awesome God decided to do that for us so many different times when we are so undeserving as it is, don't you see how much never-ending faithfulness He has in us?
He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah. God sends His love and His faithfulness. (Psalms 57:3>
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. (Psalms 117:2)
Think of it this way. How many people do you know who would take you back and help you out with a loving and caring attitude, every time you needed help?
Now in Hebrews we learn that Faith is "the evidence of things unseen". Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(Hebrews 11:1) Faith a lot of the time can be thought of as closely linked with Trust. For example, we can't physically see God, even though there is evidence He's all around us. If we saw Him with our own eyes, why would we need faith? (Have you ever seen the wind? We've seen the effects of the wind, but never the wind itself.) When you put faith in someone, you trust them to do something. You may not physically see them do it. So because of God's promise (the Bible contains 66 love letters (books) to us; check them out,) we know that we can put our trust, or have "faith" in Him to do His will, to cloak us in His love, to pick us up when we fall down.
We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Therefore, as God is faithful to us, so must we reflect Him. This as a fruit is an important one - if we are not faithful in our relationship with Jesus, that would be like the bride being unfaithful to her new husband. So don't be tempted by things that may give you short-term pleasure, but will leave you dry and unsatisfied. Instead put your faith in Jesus ,and He will give you LIFE.
Thankful for His faithful promise,
Whitney
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
When a person gets married, both make a pledge to remain faithful to each other until they die. Now compare this happy couple to Christ and ourselves. Christ is our bridegroom, (Matthew 9:14-16) and when we give our lives to Him, we are in a sense, 'marrying' Him (thus we are His bride). When we pledge our lives to Him, telling Him we will follow Him all the days of our lives, this vow shows our faithfulness to Him.
I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. (Hosea 2:20)
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5b)
One of Jesus's followers asked to go and "bury his father" before he was to go and follow Christ. Jesus replied, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead". (Matthew 8:21-22 or Luke 9:58-60) Therefore, is Jesus number one in our lives? How are we to remain faithful to Him if we don't even have Him first in our lives?
Think for a moment on how many times you may have stumbled down the straight and narrow road, and God grabbed you by the hand to steady you? How many times when you repented, He took you joyfully back into His arms? If this awesome God decided to do that for us so many different times when we are so undeserving as it is, don't you see how much never-ending faithfulness He has in us?
He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah. God sends His love and His faithfulness. (Psalms 57:3>
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. (Psalms 117:2)
Think of it this way. How many people do you know who would take you back and help you out with a loving and caring attitude, every time you needed help?
Now in Hebrews we learn that Faith is "the evidence of things unseen". Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(Hebrews 11:1) Faith a lot of the time can be thought of as closely linked with Trust. For example, we can't physically see God, even though there is evidence He's all around us. If we saw Him with our own eyes, why would we need faith? (Have you ever seen the wind? We've seen the effects of the wind, but never the wind itself.) When you put faith in someone, you trust them to do something. You may not physically see them do it. So because of God's promise (the Bible contains 66 love letters (books) to us; check them out,) we know that we can put our trust, or have "faith" in Him to do His will, to cloak us in His love, to pick us up when we fall down.
We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Therefore, as God is faithful to us, so must we reflect Him. This as a fruit is an important one - if we are not faithful in our relationship with Jesus, that would be like the bride being unfaithful to her new husband. So don't be tempted by things that may give you short-term pleasure, but will leave you dry and unsatisfied. Instead put your faith in Jesus ,and He will give you LIFE.
Thankful for His faithful promise,
Whitney
Goodness - 2/19/08
Hello once again!
The word that we'll be studying today, from Galatians 5:22-23 (the Fruit of the Spirit), is goodness.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
So, what is goodness? We use "good" for such a wide variety of things and in such a wide variety of ways, that our understanding of this word may have become a little watered down. I promise not to throw you another all-out Greek definition (at least today), but in short, this word basically means being "virtuous, charitable, actively good." So Who can we look to to demonstrate this goodness? I sure hope you know the answer to this one! It's Jesus, whose entire life was a testimony to the goodness of God. So now, let's look to the Word for something we can grab a hold of regarding this topic.
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:17-18 ESV)
At first glance, this verse doesn't seem to help much; in fact, it seems perplexing. "Is Jesus denouncing His own goodness?" you might ask. Well no, He's not. Read it over and you'll find that not once does He deny His own goodness. (Think about it this way: why would we call Jesus good, if God alone is good? Simple, because Jesus is God.) So now we know that 1) God alone is good and that 2) Goodness, as a fruit of the Spirit, comes from God alone. If we have "crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires" and have invited the Spirit of God to dwell within our souls, we will find that this goodness will begin to manifest itself in our lives as well. However, this happens not by anything we have done, but by the grace and "goodness" of God alone:
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 3:12 ESV)
I hope you will join in with my prayers that the goodness of God may shine out through our lives as we live to glorify Him and His greatness!
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (Matthew 5:14-15 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
The word that we'll be studying today, from Galatians 5:22-23 (the Fruit of the Spirit), is goodness.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
So, what is goodness? We use "good" for such a wide variety of things and in such a wide variety of ways, that our understanding of this word may have become a little watered down. I promise not to throw you another all-out Greek definition (at least today), but in short, this word basically means being "virtuous, charitable, actively good." So Who can we look to to demonstrate this goodness? I sure hope you know the answer to this one! It's Jesus, whose entire life was a testimony to the goodness of God. So now, let's look to the Word for something we can grab a hold of regarding this topic.
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:17-18 ESV)
At first glance, this verse doesn't seem to help much; in fact, it seems perplexing. "Is Jesus denouncing His own goodness?" you might ask. Well no, He's not. Read it over and you'll find that not once does He deny His own goodness. (Think about it this way: why would we call Jesus good, if God alone is good? Simple, because Jesus is God.) So now we know that 1) God alone is good and that 2) Goodness, as a fruit of the Spirit, comes from God alone. If we have "crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires" and have invited the Spirit of God to dwell within our souls, we will find that this goodness will begin to manifest itself in our lives as well. However, this happens not by anything we have done, but by the grace and "goodness" of God alone:
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 3:12 ESV)
I hope you will join in with my prayers that the goodness of God may shine out through our lives as we live to glorify Him and His greatness!
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (Matthew 5:14-15 ESV)
Blessings,
Andrew
Kindness - 2/18/08
While investigating the word "kindness", I noticed that this and the word "goodness" are often translated differently. In fact, in the KJV, instead of being translated "kindness", today's word is translated "gentleness," which is another fruit of the Spirit in verse 21! So, rather than do a study on words whose definitions are a bit foggy, I thought for our studies on kindness and gentleness, we'd dig just a little deeper and include Strong's definition for both words as well as cross-reference their other uses in the Word. Still with me so far? ;-) I sure hope so! Buckle your seat-belts, we're in for a ride!
χρηστότης; chrēstotēs: G5544; usefulness, that is, moral excellence (in character or demeanor): - gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.
This very same word is used only a few times in the Bible. One of these times is found in Ephesians chapter 2, with a perfect example for us to really grab a hold of "chrēstotēs":
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)
Boy, could we ask for a more perfect demonstration of kindness, or "chrēstotēs"? I think not! We have the definition: usefulness, moral excellence, kindness. Now, we have an example as well: that God expresses his grace to us through chrēstotēs, as shown in Jesus Christ. He is the perfect picture of this: morally excellent, useful, good, gentle, and kind.
I get the impression that this word encompasses a sort of demeanor of benevolence and uprightness. But not the kind that is haughty and "high-and-mighty," but rather gentle, welcoming, and caring. Looking at the life of Jesus, this word describes Him to a "T" - being God Almighty, if anyone could be haughty in their ethical uprightness it would be Jesus (and He does seem to take this tone at times, for example, when rebuking the hypocritical Pharisees), but to those of us who approach Him in humility, admitting our sinfulness, He invites us to:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30 ESV)
And wouldn't you know it, the word in this verse translated "easy" is chrēstos, the root of the word we're looking at today, chrēstotēs. Now, to wrap this up, let us once more take Jesus' example in how we are to live our lives - in kindness, gentleness, moral uprightness, and welcoming benevolence. Let us pray for this chrēstotēs, this kindness, to characterize our lives. It is indeed one of the fruits of the Spirit, flowing out from the Spirit of God, into our hearts, and being expressed through the way we live our lives.
Blessings,
Andrew
χρηστότης; chrēstotēs: G5544; usefulness, that is, moral excellence (in character or demeanor): - gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.
This very same word is used only a few times in the Bible. One of these times is found in Ephesians chapter 2, with a perfect example for us to really grab a hold of "chrēstotēs":
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)
Boy, could we ask for a more perfect demonstration of kindness, or "chrēstotēs"? I think not! We have the definition: usefulness, moral excellence, kindness. Now, we have an example as well: that God expresses his grace to us through chrēstotēs, as shown in Jesus Christ. He is the perfect picture of this: morally excellent, useful, good, gentle, and kind.
I get the impression that this word encompasses a sort of demeanor of benevolence and uprightness. But not the kind that is haughty and "high-and-mighty," but rather gentle, welcoming, and caring. Looking at the life of Jesus, this word describes Him to a "T" - being God Almighty, if anyone could be haughty in their ethical uprightness it would be Jesus (and He does seem to take this tone at times, for example, when rebuking the hypocritical Pharisees), but to those of us who approach Him in humility, admitting our sinfulness, He invites us to:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30 ESV)
And wouldn't you know it, the word in this verse translated "easy" is chrēstos, the root of the word we're looking at today, chrēstotēs. Now, to wrap this up, let us once more take Jesus' example in how we are to live our lives - in kindness, gentleness, moral uprightness, and welcoming benevolence. Let us pray for this chrēstotēs, this kindness, to characterize our lives. It is indeed one of the fruits of the Spirit, flowing out from the Spirit of God, into our hearts, and being expressed through the way we live our lives.
Blessings,
Andrew
Patience; 2-17-08
What a beautiful day!
Today's topic is patience.
God is very patient with us. We are constantly stumbling along this road of life; and yet as a father is patient with his child when trying to teach him something, so is He with us. When we endure trials, He is teaching us patience, and how to grow. When we sin, we must repent to the Lord. Every time we sin, Jesus is patient with us, no matter how many times we mess up, we know that we can go to Him at any time. He will never turn us away, knowing that we are but children, who are still learning.
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. (2 Corinthians 1:6)
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
So why does Paul include "patience" as a Fruit of the Spirit? In 1 Timothy 1:16 we see how Jesus dealt with the people. So therefore, being made in His image, should we not reflect His actions in today's world?
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16)
As Christ is patient with us, so should we be with those around us.
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage——with great patience and careful instruction. (1 Timothy 1:16)
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12)
He is waiting patiently for you. Go to Him.
-Whitney
Today's topic is patience.
God is very patient with us. We are constantly stumbling along this road of life; and yet as a father is patient with his child when trying to teach him something, so is He with us. When we endure trials, He is teaching us patience, and how to grow. When we sin, we must repent to the Lord. Every time we sin, Jesus is patient with us, no matter how many times we mess up, we know that we can go to Him at any time. He will never turn us away, knowing that we are but children, who are still learning.
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. (2 Corinthians 1:6)
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
So why does Paul include "patience" as a Fruit of the Spirit? In 1 Timothy 1:16 we see how Jesus dealt with the people. So therefore, being made in His image, should we not reflect His actions in today's world?
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16)
As Christ is patient with us, so should we be with those around us.
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage——with great patience and careful instruction. (1 Timothy 1:16)
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12)
He is waiting patiently for you. Go to Him.
-Whitney
"Peace"
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
We all want peace, don't we? Well, I'd hope so - peace was central to Jesus' ministry on earth, and little is more glorifying and pleasing to God than to see us, His children, be at peace with those around us. But the reality is that for most of us, "peace" is much harder to obtain than it sounds. If you are one of these people, let me give you a bit of encouragement - there's hope for change!
The source for this hope lies right at the beginning of the verse we've been looking at: "But the fruit of the Spirit is..." Think about that. There is a reason this verse does not say, "But the fruit of a man's heart is..." and the reason for that is because without Christ our hearts are not capable of these things. We have been so polluted by sin that we seek only for our own satisfaction, our own benefit, and only by the Spirit of God can we begin to experience these life-changing fruits.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36: 26-27 NIV)
This is good news! No, this is great news! God promises to give us a new heart, and by His Spirit, lead us to follow in His decrees. No longer do we have to be at enmity with those around us. Rather, He gives us the grace to make peace with even those we may despise, and He teaches us to love them as He loves us, whether or not they choose to return this peace and love to us. Is there someone in your life whose relationship with you is not characterized by this God-given peace? If so, I'd encourage you to pray for this peace and love to flow from the Spirit of God into your heart, and from your heart out into the lives of all those around you. Remember:
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9 NKJV)
Blessings,
Andrew
We all want peace, don't we? Well, I'd hope so - peace was central to Jesus' ministry on earth, and little is more glorifying and pleasing to God than to see us, His children, be at peace with those around us. But the reality is that for most of us, "peace" is much harder to obtain than it sounds. If you are one of these people, let me give you a bit of encouragement - there's hope for change!
The source for this hope lies right at the beginning of the verse we've been looking at: "But the fruit of the Spirit is..." Think about that. There is a reason this verse does not say, "But the fruit of a man's heart is..." and the reason for that is because without Christ our hearts are not capable of these things. We have been so polluted by sin that we seek only for our own satisfaction, our own benefit, and only by the Spirit of God can we begin to experience these life-changing fruits.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36: 26-27 NIV)
This is good news! No, this is great news! God promises to give us a new heart, and by His Spirit, lead us to follow in His decrees. No longer do we have to be at enmity with those around us. Rather, He gives us the grace to make peace with even those we may despise, and He teaches us to love them as He loves us, whether or not they choose to return this peace and love to us. Is there someone in your life whose relationship with you is not characterized by this God-given peace? If so, I'd encourage you to pray for this peace and love to flow from the Spirit of God into your heart, and from your heart out into the lives of all those around you. Remember:
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9 NKJV)
Blessings,
Andrew
"Oh Joy!" 2/15/08
Jesus talks about being Joyous when teaching to the people in his parables:
Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:1-7)
This parable is about a shepherd who loses one sheep (only one) out of 100. He then goes to all efforts to find that lost sheep, when he could have just left it, and attended to the 99. Once he finds that sheep, Joy then fills his heart at being reunited with that lost sheep.
In relating this to us and our lives, we can see that Jesus is our shepherd and we are the sheep. When one of us sins and is lost in that sin and darkness, what does Jesus do? He immediately stretches out His arms to bring us back! He would never abandon us! So if you feel lost in the darkness, know that Jesus is looking for you, calling your name, and saying how much He loves you. It doesn’t matter how lost you are. Jesus still loves you. And so when you come back into His embrace, He is filled with Joy, just like the shepherd in the parable, rejoicing over finding you have come back to Him.
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:8-10)
God weeps when we go astray. But great is His Joy when we repent! Jesus said even the angels rejoiced in Heaven! And do you notice how it says "over one sinner who repents?" Will you be that one today?
Note also in the parable of the prodigal son, how overjoyed the father was to see his son again. The brother grumbled however, until his father explained how his brother had been lost, and dead, but now he was found, and alive. (Luke 15:11-32)
The father (like any other parent) would have been sad his son left home. He may have been angry at his son, but would have realized how precious his son was to him, and how his joy at his return overcame his anger and disappointment. Have you ever been away for a long period of time? If so, have you ever noticed how overjoyed your family or friends are when you return? Thus is it with God. So don't continue to run in the dark. Don't feel if you return you will be rejected. God will be overjoyed you came back! Jesus said that He did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save those who were lost. (John 3:17)
To conclude, take this fruit, this Joy, and add it to your life. May you be filled with Joy at knowing how much God Loves you enough to come and take you back under His wing. Isn’t that just amazing? Even though we don’t deserve it, He still forgives us. He is overjoyed, and so will you be also.
So run to Him, and His Joy will light your path back to Him.*
Filled with Joy,
Whitney
Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:1-7)
This parable is about a shepherd who loses one sheep (only one) out of 100. He then goes to all efforts to find that lost sheep, when he could have just left it, and attended to the 99. Once he finds that sheep, Joy then fills his heart at being reunited with that lost sheep.
In relating this to us and our lives, we can see that Jesus is our shepherd and we are the sheep. When one of us sins and is lost in that sin and darkness, what does Jesus do? He immediately stretches out His arms to bring us back! He would never abandon us! So if you feel lost in the darkness, know that Jesus is looking for you, calling your name, and saying how much He loves you. It doesn’t matter how lost you are. Jesus still loves you. And so when you come back into His embrace, He is filled with Joy, just like the shepherd in the parable, rejoicing over finding you have come back to Him.
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:8-10)
God weeps when we go astray. But great is His Joy when we repent! Jesus said even the angels rejoiced in Heaven! And do you notice how it says "over one sinner who repents?" Will you be that one today?
Note also in the parable of the prodigal son, how overjoyed the father was to see his son again. The brother grumbled however, until his father explained how his brother had been lost, and dead, but now he was found, and alive. (Luke 15:11-32)
The father (like any other parent) would have been sad his son left home. He may have been angry at his son, but would have realized how precious his son was to him, and how his joy at his return overcame his anger and disappointment. Have you ever been away for a long period of time? If so, have you ever noticed how overjoyed your family or friends are when you return? Thus is it with God. So don't continue to run in the dark. Don't feel if you return you will be rejected. God will be overjoyed you came back! Jesus said that He did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save those who were lost. (John 3:17)
To conclude, take this fruit, this Joy, and add it to your life. May you be filled with Joy at knowing how much God Loves you enough to come and take you back under His wing. Isn’t that just amazing? Even though we don’t deserve it, He still forgives us. He is overjoyed, and so will you be also.
So run to Him, and His Joy will light your path back to Him.*
Filled with Joy,
Whitney
2/14/08 - Love
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5: 22-26 NIV)
So, just what is love, and how to we obtain it? How do we express it? Where does it come from? Amazingly, there is one very simple answer to every single question listed here: Jesus Christ.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11 ESV)
As I sit here right now, thinking of how many directions this message can go in and praying for guidance, it strikes me of how vast a topic love really is. So many things could be said about it that not even one thousand books devoted solely to this topic could cover the entire thing. So what is so important about love that out of all the thousands of pages that could be written on the subject, one can be chosen to be written about here? Again, the answer is simply this - Jesus.
Rather than go in depth on all the characteristics of love (1 Corinthians 13 is a good place to start for those of you who would like to do this, by the way) I would like to simply point you to Jesus. There is no greater portrait of love than that of our Lord hanging on a cross, being mocked and tortured by those He came to save, yet enduring until the end all for the sake of we sinfully depraved people. Such selflessness simply amazes me. As we see from Jesus, love is the decision to act in the best interest of others, and it is perfectly demonstrated at the cross where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords left His seamless robe behind and came to earth to offer us forgiveness, redemption, salvation - and love.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 ESV)
So for this Valentine's Day, whether you're spending it with your sweetheart or not, I would encourage you to pray to the Lord for this kind of love. Let us pray for the love of Christ to dwell within our hearts so that we might truly love one another as He Himself loved us. And the amazing part of this is that as we learn to love one another and give of ourselves for each others' benefit, we ourselves are given joy of all things (perhaps not that very moment, but joy nonetheless). How amazing is that! However, we'll talk more about this tomorrow. Have a great Valentines Day everyone!
Blessings,
Andrew
So, just what is love, and how to we obtain it? How do we express it? Where does it come from? Amazingly, there is one very simple answer to every single question listed here: Jesus Christ.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11 ESV)
As I sit here right now, thinking of how many directions this message can go in and praying for guidance, it strikes me of how vast a topic love really is. So many things could be said about it that not even one thousand books devoted solely to this topic could cover the entire thing. So what is so important about love that out of all the thousands of pages that could be written on the subject, one can be chosen to be written about here? Again, the answer is simply this - Jesus.
Rather than go in depth on all the characteristics of love (1 Corinthians 13 is a good place to start for those of you who would like to do this, by the way) I would like to simply point you to Jesus. There is no greater portrait of love than that of our Lord hanging on a cross, being mocked and tortured by those He came to save, yet enduring until the end all for the sake of we sinfully depraved people. Such selflessness simply amazes me. As we see from Jesus, love is the decision to act in the best interest of others, and it is perfectly demonstrated at the cross where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords left His seamless robe behind and came to earth to offer us forgiveness, redemption, salvation - and love.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 ESV)
So for this Valentine's Day, whether you're spending it with your sweetheart or not, I would encourage you to pray to the Lord for this kind of love. Let us pray for the love of Christ to dwell within our hearts so that we might truly love one another as He Himself loved us. And the amazing part of this is that as we learn to love one another and give of ourselves for each others' benefit, we ourselves are given joy of all things (perhaps not that very moment, but joy nonetheless). How amazing is that! However, we'll talk more about this tomorrow. Have a great Valentines Day everyone!
Blessings,
Andrew
2/13/18 - Fruit of the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
When we first began Our Daily Bread, it was based off of a thing I was doing called 'Fruit of the Day'. It wasn't a daily devotional; rather, whenever the Lord pressed something on my hart, I shared it. The Lord then decided to expand that ministry into what it is today.
So in remembering how it began, I recalled 'Fruit', and decided what better thing to do but to analyze and apply the Fruits of the Spirit to our lives. This will cover about 10 days. Before we study on the nine fruits however, this daily bread will first reflect on the verse as a whole. Then we shall break it down.
First Paul describes the 'acts of the sinful nature'.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Then a few verses later he says if you apply the Fruits of the Spirit to your life, you will, in a sense, 'crucify', or wipe away those sinful entities.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. For we 'belong to Christ' by giving our hearts and confessing with our mouths that He is Lord; therefore, we now live by the Spirit by applying these fruits to our lives, and as Paul explains, must continue to apply them to our lives lest we fall and not 'inherit the kingdom of God'.
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:21-26)
Let us eat of the Fruits of the Spirit, for they are fruit for our souls.*
Eating the Fruit,
Whitney
When we first began Our Daily Bread, it was based off of a thing I was doing called 'Fruit of the Day'. It wasn't a daily devotional; rather, whenever the Lord pressed something on my hart, I shared it. The Lord then decided to expand that ministry into what it is today.
So in remembering how it began, I recalled 'Fruit', and decided what better thing to do but to analyze and apply the Fruits of the Spirit to our lives. This will cover about 10 days. Before we study on the nine fruits however, this daily bread will first reflect on the verse as a whole. Then we shall break it down.
First Paul describes the 'acts of the sinful nature'.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Then a few verses later he says if you apply the Fruits of the Spirit to your life, you will, in a sense, 'crucify', or wipe away those sinful entities.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. For we 'belong to Christ' by giving our hearts and confessing with our mouths that He is Lord; therefore, we now live by the Spirit by applying these fruits to our lives, and as Paul explains, must continue to apply them to our lives lest we fall and not 'inherit the kingdom of God'.
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:21-26)
Let us eat of the Fruits of the Spirit, for they are fruit for our souls.*
Eating the Fruit,
Whitney
2/12/08 - The Righteous And The Wicked
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 ESV)
Let's list the characteristics of this man described here: he does not take counsel from the wicked, he does not wander onto the paths of sinners, and he does not scoff at the misfortune or mistakes of others. He delights in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on it day and night. He yields his fruit in season, never withers, and in all that he does, he prospers. Literally everything he undertakes is prosperous, but not because God is just some miracle machine giving him everything he ever desired (if this was the case, we'd all be winning the lottery every other day!), but because he conforms his will to that of the Lord, whose plans cannot be circumvented. I want to be this man! Don't you? Now let's look at the contrast between this man, and the wicked mentioned in verses 3-6.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalms 1:4-6 ESV)
Now let's list the characteristics of the wicked: they are like chaff (straw, or worthless matter), driven away by the wind. They will not stand in the judgment, nor will they stand among the righteous; they will ultimately perish. Boy, aren't you glad we don't have to be this way? I am so thankful that I have been given a new heart and that the blood of Christ has cleansed me from my evil ways, for this is exactly how we are before Jesus: sinful, unable to be in the presence of righteousness, and doomed to perish.
But now, through His sacrifice and gift of love, we no longer have to be like the wicked, but we have the opportunity to be like the righteous man described in verses 1-3. We deserve nothing more than to perish for our wickedness; but this is the amazing-ness of the grace of God! Have you experienced this grace in your own life? If you have not, you know where to look: Jesus Christ, who gave Himself that we all might be able to receive these awesome gifts of grace, mercy, and hearts made new.
Blessings,
Andrew
Let's list the characteristics of this man described here: he does not take counsel from the wicked, he does not wander onto the paths of sinners, and he does not scoff at the misfortune or mistakes of others. He delights in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on it day and night. He yields his fruit in season, never withers, and in all that he does, he prospers. Literally everything he undertakes is prosperous, but not because God is just some miracle machine giving him everything he ever desired (if this was the case, we'd all be winning the lottery every other day!), but because he conforms his will to that of the Lord, whose plans cannot be circumvented. I want to be this man! Don't you? Now let's look at the contrast between this man, and the wicked mentioned in verses 3-6.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalms 1:4-6 ESV)
Now let's list the characteristics of the wicked: they are like chaff (straw, or worthless matter), driven away by the wind. They will not stand in the judgment, nor will they stand among the righteous; they will ultimately perish. Boy, aren't you glad we don't have to be this way? I am so thankful that I have been given a new heart and that the blood of Christ has cleansed me from my evil ways, for this is exactly how we are before Jesus: sinful, unable to be in the presence of righteousness, and doomed to perish.
But now, through His sacrifice and gift of love, we no longer have to be like the wicked, but we have the opportunity to be like the righteous man described in verses 1-3. We deserve nothing more than to perish for our wickedness; but this is the amazing-ness of the grace of God! Have you experienced this grace in your own life? If you have not, you know where to look: Jesus Christ, who gave Himself that we all might be able to receive these awesome gifts of grace, mercy, and hearts made new.
Blessings,
Andrew
2/11/08 - The Power Of A Testimony
As Jesus was walking through a Samaritan village, He met with a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well. He spoke to her of the "living water" that He offered, exposed her many sinful relationships, and began witnessing to her. At this point, the topic of the Messiah comes up:
The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the town and were coming to him. (John 4:25-30 ESV)
Here we see Jesus meeting with this Samaritan woman, and she is so absolutely amazed at His insight that in her haste to tell others, she even leaves her water jar there at the well. She goes into the town and tells them of this man, of her encounter with Jesus Christ the Messiah, and they begin coming out of the town to meet Him. I can almost see their questioning and even slightly hopeful faces - "The Messiah, could it truly be?" - as they flock to this man to see Him for themselves. A few verses later, we see the result of this woman's testimony:
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42 ESV)
Do you see the chain of events? First, this woman who has had a personal encounter with Jesus goes and tells anyone who will listen. She draws them and invites them to meet with this man, to see for themselves. So they meet Him, they listen to Him - and they believe. They have their own personal encounter, and through that, they see that "this is indeed the Savior of the world."
So how did this all start? With one woman who told all who would listen of her own personal encounter with the Christ - she was no priest, she was no woman of righteousness; in fact, she was a sinner - just like us. She was a sinner who was not afraid to share her tale, her own testimony of the One who provides the living water which has the power to become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." So let's not be afraid to share our own stories - perhaps someone will listen, and decide to meet with this Jesus for themselves, and see that He is indeed the Savior of the world. Never underestimate the power of a testimony.
Blessings,
Andrew
The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the town and were coming to him. (John 4:25-30 ESV)
Here we see Jesus meeting with this Samaritan woman, and she is so absolutely amazed at His insight that in her haste to tell others, she even leaves her water jar there at the well. She goes into the town and tells them of this man, of her encounter with Jesus Christ the Messiah, and they begin coming out of the town to meet Him. I can almost see their questioning and even slightly hopeful faces - "The Messiah, could it truly be?" - as they flock to this man to see Him for themselves. A few verses later, we see the result of this woman's testimony:
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42 ESV)
Do you see the chain of events? First, this woman who has had a personal encounter with Jesus goes and tells anyone who will listen. She draws them and invites them to meet with this man, to see for themselves. So they meet Him, they listen to Him - and they believe. They have their own personal encounter, and through that, they see that "this is indeed the Savior of the world."
So how did this all start? With one woman who told all who would listen of her own personal encounter with the Christ - she was no priest, she was no woman of righteousness; in fact, she was a sinner - just like us. She was a sinner who was not afraid to share her tale, her own testimony of the One who provides the living water which has the power to become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." So let's not be afraid to share our own stories - perhaps someone will listen, and decide to meet with this Jesus for themselves, and see that He is indeed the Savior of the world. Never underestimate the power of a testimony.
Blessings,
Andrew
Your Story - 2/9/08
"Draw near, Aravis my daughter. See! My paws are velveted. You will not be torn this time."
"This time Sir?" said Aravis.
"It was I who wounded you," said Aslan. "I am the only lion you met in all your journeyings. Do you know why I tore you?"
"No Sir."
"The scratches on your back, tear for tear, throb for throb, blood for blood, were equal for the stripes laid on the back of your stepmother's slave because of the drugged sleep you cast upon her. You needed to know what it felt like."
"Yes Sir, please–"
"Ask on my dear," said Aslan.
"Will any more harm come to her by what I did?"
"Child," said the Lion. "I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own."
Exerpt from The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis
One of my favorite books are The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. In The Horse and His boy, one of the characters, Aravis, asked Aslan (who represents Christ), a poignant question. In response he replied, "Child, I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own."
In the Bible, Christ also says this to Peter when Peter wanted to know how John would die.
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" (John 21:20-23)
So as Christ explains, it is not for you to know what someone else's story is. We have our own mission in life that He has given us, so we need to fully realize and understand that, focusing on what He wants us to do. Don't dwell on what someone else should be doing; rather meditate on what you are meant to be doing.
Focusing On My Story,
Whitney
"This time Sir?" said Aravis.
"It was I who wounded you," said Aslan. "I am the only lion you met in all your journeyings. Do you know why I tore you?"
"No Sir."
"The scratches on your back, tear for tear, throb for throb, blood for blood, were equal for the stripes laid on the back of your stepmother's slave because of the drugged sleep you cast upon her. You needed to know what it felt like."
"Yes Sir, please–"
"Ask on my dear," said Aslan.
"Will any more harm come to her by what I did?"
"Child," said the Lion. "I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own."
Exerpt from The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis
One of my favorite books are The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. In The Horse and His boy, one of the characters, Aravis, asked Aslan (who represents Christ), a poignant question. In response he replied, "Child, I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own."
In the Bible, Christ also says this to Peter when Peter wanted to know how John would die.
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" (John 21:20-23)
So as Christ explains, it is not for you to know what someone else's story is. We have our own mission in life that He has given us, so we need to fully realize and understand that, focusing on what He wants us to do. Don't dwell on what someone else should be doing; rather meditate on what you are meant to be doing.
Focusing On My Story,
Whitney
Pray In The Spirit - 2/8/08
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:18a, NIV)
Short but sweet! I would just encourage us all to take this verse to heart, and literally "pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests." Of course, in some circumstances, we may not be able to drop to our knees and pray on the spot - but who says we can't still pray? God is all-knowing and all-seeing, and He hears our every thought. If we aren't in a position where we can drop to our knees and begin praying at a certain time in the day, that's fine - but we can still remain in prayer to Him, be it while walking down the road, while giving a presentation, or while finishing up some work. (Though, let me note that this kind of prayer is no substitute for silent, focused prayer! Rather, it is a means for us to "remain in the vine" at all times.) This is what it means to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions" - to be constantly in prayer to God, no matter where we are, trusting Him to hear these prayers of ours.
...With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.(Ephesians 6:18b-20, NIV)
In light of this, let us all pray for one another as well. Let's pray, just as Paul is doing, that whenever we open our mouths, we will be representing Christ in our hearts and attitudes, and that when we are witnessing to others, that the Lord would give us the grace to do it fearlessly, confidently -- and, of course, lovingly.
Blessings,
Andrew
Short but sweet! I would just encourage us all to take this verse to heart, and literally "pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests." Of course, in some circumstances, we may not be able to drop to our knees and pray on the spot - but who says we can't still pray? God is all-knowing and all-seeing, and He hears our every thought. If we aren't in a position where we can drop to our knees and begin praying at a certain time in the day, that's fine - but we can still remain in prayer to Him, be it while walking down the road, while giving a presentation, or while finishing up some work. (Though, let me note that this kind of prayer is no substitute for silent, focused prayer! Rather, it is a means for us to "remain in the vine" at all times.) This is what it means to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions" - to be constantly in prayer to God, no matter where we are, trusting Him to hear these prayers of ours.
...With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.(Ephesians 6:18b-20, NIV)
In light of this, let us all pray for one another as well. Let's pray, just as Paul is doing, that whenever we open our mouths, we will be representing Christ in our hearts and attitudes, and that when we are witnessing to others, that the Lord would give us the grace to do it fearlessly, confidently -- and, of course, lovingly.
Blessings,
Andrew
Give Thanks - 2/7/08
Psalm 136:1-3
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
What an awesome God we have. Here He has come down to the earth to pay for our sins, dying for us when we did not deserve it. He allows us to come before Him, to confess our sins and to ask for His forgiveness. He could turn aside in shame, angry that we disobey Him. Instead, His arms are open wide, ready for us when we realize we need to turn back to Him. What mercy and grace! How wonderful our God is to love us unconditionally, and what do we do? We tend to go on with our lives as we normally would. We forget to give thanks.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him——and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17: 11-19)
Say for example you helped out a person every time they got in trouble. Wouldn't you wish to be thanked by that person? Wouldn't you be hurt if they didn't thank you? Jesus said in Luke 17:17 of the 10 lepers He healed, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" So let us never forget to thank Him who created us, who saved us in more ways than one.
There is a song titled "Give Thanks". It goes,
"Gives thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks unto the Holy One, give thanks, because He's given, Jesus Christ His Son. And now let the weak say "I am strong", Let the poor say "I am rich", Because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks."
So let us remember to give thanks to our God with a grateful heart!*
Thanking Him,
Whitney
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
What an awesome God we have. Here He has come down to the earth to pay for our sins, dying for us when we did not deserve it. He allows us to come before Him, to confess our sins and to ask for His forgiveness. He could turn aside in shame, angry that we disobey Him. Instead, His arms are open wide, ready for us when we realize we need to turn back to Him. What mercy and grace! How wonderful our God is to love us unconditionally, and what do we do? We tend to go on with our lives as we normally would. We forget to give thanks.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him——and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17: 11-19)
Say for example you helped out a person every time they got in trouble. Wouldn't you wish to be thanked by that person? Wouldn't you be hurt if they didn't thank you? Jesus said in Luke 17:17 of the 10 lepers He healed, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" So let us never forget to thank Him who created us, who saved us in more ways than one.
There is a song titled "Give Thanks". It goes,
"Gives thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks unto the Holy One, give thanks, because He's given, Jesus Christ His Son. And now let the weak say "I am strong", Let the poor say "I am rich", Because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks."
So let us remember to give thanks to our God with a grateful heart!*
Thanking Him,
Whitney
No Need To Doubt - 2/6/08
Here is Matthew 14:25-31:
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them:"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"
They were afraid when they first saw Him. He was after all walking on water towards them. Then Jesus called out to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Peter still doubted however, for he replied, "Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water". So Jesus said, "Come."At first everything was going well as Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. But as soon as he saw the angry waves coming at him, and the wind whipping at his face, he became afraid, which caused him to sink. But Jesus immediately caught him saying, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
In our daily walks as Christians, we tend to be more like Peter, losing faith when the waves of calamity come toward us, and the wind of doubt and despair attempt to throw us off course. In unsteady situations, what should we do? Well, instead of doubting and allowing ourselves to fall, we need to cry out to Him, knowing in our hearts that He can and will save us, grasping us by the hands so we keep our feet on firm ground. Peter cried out "Lord save me!" and immediately he was.
James 1: 2-6
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
In James we are reminded of going through various trials. But if we trust the Lord, He will see us through, and in the end our faith will become strengthened.
So remember in whom to put your trust. Put aside the doubt.*
God Bless,
Whitney
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them:"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"
They were afraid when they first saw Him. He was after all walking on water towards them. Then Jesus called out to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Peter still doubted however, for he replied, "Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water". So Jesus said, "Come."At first everything was going well as Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. But as soon as he saw the angry waves coming at him, and the wind whipping at his face, he became afraid, which caused him to sink. But Jesus immediately caught him saying, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
In our daily walks as Christians, we tend to be more like Peter, losing faith when the waves of calamity come toward us, and the wind of doubt and despair attempt to throw us off course. In unsteady situations, what should we do? Well, instead of doubting and allowing ourselves to fall, we need to cry out to Him, knowing in our hearts that He can and will save us, grasping us by the hands so we keep our feet on firm ground. Peter cried out "Lord save me!" and immediately he was.
James 1: 2-6
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
In James we are reminded of going through various trials. But if we trust the Lord, He will see us through, and in the end our faith will become strengthened.
So remember in whom to put your trust. Put aside the doubt.*
God Bless,
Whitney
Point Them To Christ
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (Matthew 11:2-5)
I find this verse very intriguing. I notice that even though it was true that Jesus was the one who was to come, He didn't give John a definitive "Yes, I am he," as He does when confronted on this in other places in the Gospels. Rather, He shows John's messengers the miracles He has performed: that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Essentially He's laying out the evidence, the evidence of peoples' lives changed through His ministry, and allowing John to decide for himself.
So how can we apply this to our own lives? When people ask us, "So what's so special about Christianity?" we can point them to the miraculous grace and healing poured out from the Person of Jesus Christ. We can point to Him who has taken our spiritual blindness and given us sight; we can point to Him who has taken we crippled people and has lifted us and enabled us to stand firm; we can point to Him who has taken we spiritual lepers, so ensnared in sin that we infect all those around us, and has cleansed us in His blood; we can point to Him who has taken our deafness and given us ears to hear the Gospel; and we can point them to Him who has taken we who were dead in sins and transgressions, utterly useless to God and those around us, and has raised us to new and glorious life in Himself.
But above all, we can point them to the good news of Jesus Christ, that through His wonderful sacrifice and gift of love, we who were once poor in spirit are now rich with joy, thankfulness, and gratitude. This is not just a surface change; this is a heart change. So, I ask you: "What's so special about Christianity?" Simple - it's Jesus.
Blessings,
Andrew
I find this verse very intriguing. I notice that even though it was true that Jesus was the one who was to come, He didn't give John a definitive "Yes, I am he," as He does when confronted on this in other places in the Gospels. Rather, He shows John's messengers the miracles He has performed: that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Essentially He's laying out the evidence, the evidence of peoples' lives changed through His ministry, and allowing John to decide for himself.
So how can we apply this to our own lives? When people ask us, "So what's so special about Christianity?" we can point them to the miraculous grace and healing poured out from the Person of Jesus Christ. We can point to Him who has taken our spiritual blindness and given us sight; we can point to Him who has taken we crippled people and has lifted us and enabled us to stand firm; we can point to Him who has taken we spiritual lepers, so ensnared in sin that we infect all those around us, and has cleansed us in His blood; we can point to Him who has taken our deafness and given us ears to hear the Gospel; and we can point them to Him who has taken we who were dead in sins and transgressions, utterly useless to God and those around us, and has raised us to new and glorious life in Himself.
But above all, we can point them to the good news of Jesus Christ, that through His wonderful sacrifice and gift of love, we who were once poor in spirit are now rich with joy, thankfulness, and gratitude. This is not just a surface change; this is a heart change. So, I ask you: "What's so special about Christianity?" Simple - it's Jesus.
Blessings,
Andrew
Do You Know Jesus?
I hope that we can use this passage to challenge ourselves and really reflect upon our individual walks with Jesus Christ.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)
So let me ask you, do you know Jesus? Please stop to think and pray about this for a moment, if you would. We may have religion, we may have done mighty works in the name of the Lord, and we may have devoted hours upon hours in ministry to others; but unless we know Jesus, really know Him, it is all for naught. Our elegantly spun and inspirational words will fall off our listeners' hearts as the melting snow slides down our awnings, and our own salvation will be, well, nonexistent! We must always remember that there is One Source for salvation, and One Source for true change, both in our own hearts and the hearts of those around us. But oh, the power and might that comes from this Source is awe-inspiring and amazing!
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (John 15:4-6 ESV)
So, let me ask you: Do you know Jesus? Are you abiding in the Vine?
Blessings,
Andrew
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)
So let me ask you, do you know Jesus? Please stop to think and pray about this for a moment, if you would. We may have religion, we may have done mighty works in the name of the Lord, and we may have devoted hours upon hours in ministry to others; but unless we know Jesus, really know Him, it is all for naught. Our elegantly spun and inspirational words will fall off our listeners' hearts as the melting snow slides down our awnings, and our own salvation will be, well, nonexistent! We must always remember that there is One Source for salvation, and One Source for true change, both in our own hearts and the hearts of those around us. But oh, the power and might that comes from this Source is awe-inspiring and amazing!
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (John 15:4-6 ESV)
So, let me ask you: Do you know Jesus? Are you abiding in the Vine?
Blessings,
Andrew
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