A Challenge for America

My mind grapples with a few things I've read over the last few days. The first quote came to my inbox:

Sometimes I wonder how you handle all of the problems that go along with not having enough money, having special-needs children, having migraines, etc. 

The second is a few paragraphs I read on Kristen Welsh's blog, We Are That Family. Her regular readers know that Maureen, the young director of Mercy House Kenya, is in America staying with Kristen's family in Texas while both women fulfill a few speaking commitments and work on their ministry together. Kristen writes:

How could I know seeing my life thru her lens would wreck me in a new way?
How do I explain why my country spends more on accessorizing pets in a year, than her entire country earns? She asks innocently without judgement, “Does your country know how we live in Kenya?” I don’t even have an answer. I’m just embarrassed.

Everything about my life is easy. From the laundry piles I whine about to the dinners I prepare, my life of comfort and convenience is the polar opposite to hers and millions of other. I know this. I have been to Kenya three times now and even as I prepare to go again in April, it’s startling to see my life thru her eyes.

It’s one thing to think about your life, comfort and convenience when you’re in the middle of extreme poverty. It’s hard not to. But it’s a whole different ball game when you bring someone from that background into your comfort and convenience.

She tells me more of her childhood story, so much that I can smell the sewage that ran in front of her family’s shack. I am moved with compassion at the suffering she endured. I ache for her family and her world and I long to wipe out the suffering of her people. “Don’t cry, Mom. Look how far God has brought me,” and she begins to name blessings. “Look at all I have,” she exclaims and spreads her arms out.

We are standing in my big, beautiful home and I quietly answer, tears falling now, “Look at all I have.” There is no comparison.

I see and feel and read about contrast all the time, and my mind keeps coming back to this thought: What is blessing, really?

Kristen is the privileged wife of a pharmaceutical rep with three physically- and mentally-healthy children. She pays her bills on time, lives in a big, beautiful, well-constructed house. She can afford well-made appliances and vacations and getaways. She can afford to give generously, and still live well. And God is using her.

Her life has changed considerably since her 2010 Compassion blogger trip to Kenya. She sponsors a lot more children, she gifts all the proceeds from her blog to her Mercy House ministry, and she works for free to organize and ship out Mercy House-made products that help fund their ministry, using a large trailer in her backyard as a warehouse/work place. She's had to endure the stress of running a non-profit agency without prior experience (learning all the tax laws, etc). The stress has been enormous and only God sustains her through it.

After these couple weeks with Maureen, Kristen probably wishes she could give all she has to the poor and live spiritually perfect, giving glory to God through it all.

But that's too hard. It's not in our human nature to live that sacrificially--placing oneself in a position of poverty. Human nature works to get out of poverty, not enter into it.

Maureen knows she's blessed. Americans? Do we know that? Can we know that, truly, while living privileged lives?

The question, what is true blessing, is answered by Kristen's angst right now. She feels more embarrassed than blessed. She feels the weight of inequality, more than the blessing of convenience.

She feels more than ever, I believe, the truth of this verse: Luke 12:48 From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

In March 2010, after her first Kenyan trip, Kristen wrote this:

So. This week, I got up the nerve and asked God, “Why do you allow poverty, suffering, and injustice when You could do something about it.”

And He asked me the same question.

Kristen has spent nearly three years doing something about it, and she will continue to do more. As she said, "How could I know seeing my life thru her lens would wreck me in a new way?" God will use Kristen's faithfulness, her spiritual insight, to change not only Kenya, but America. As she does, she'll continue to grapple with how much of her personal wealth to give.

A couple C.S. Lewis quotes fit in well here:

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusement, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little.

If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our commitment to giving excludes them.

And a few Bible quotes as well:

1 Timothy 6:9-11 People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life…


Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

We all have to grapple with this same question. How much do we give? In America we'll always have to fight hard against the love of money, for money brings convenience, comfort, recognition, power, status, health.

God gave the world enough. There is enough to go around and he's given us the responsibility of distributing it fairly. To whom much is given, much is required. How much can we keep, and still hold money loosely, believing it comes from God, not ourselves? I believe it's our sense of entitlement that causes us to keep too much for ourselves.

Are we entitled to anything, or is everything a gift?

I go back to the question in my inbox:

Sometimes I wonder how you handle all of the problems that go along with not having enough money, having special-needs children, having migraines, etc. 

My answer will resonate much with this person; I have to choose my words carefully. God has given an opportunity in this question, and after reading and contemplating and praying over quotes and verses that have come my way in these last few days, I think I will answer with some version of this:

Are we entitled to anything, or is everything a gift? I have come to believe that everything is gift. Hardship is gift. Health problems are gift. Not enough money is gift. Whatever pulls me away from this world, and brings me closer to God, is gift.

I realize I don't have to fight as hard as Kristen, and that's one of the reasons I admire her. God slowly took away money and convenience from me and added hardship, in order to bring me to a place of thankfulness. He took away my sense of entitlement, little by little. I look at the last five to seven years as a form of discipline. I was a Christian with access to the Bible and to Truth, but I wasn't getting it. I needed a huge nudge, and I'm forever grateful God didn't give up on me, but choose to work with me.

But from Kristen he hasn't taken anything away--except her ignorance about abject poverty--and she still understands. She is still thankful. She holds the things of this world loosely.

This is the commitment Kristen and Maureen have made together, and it's what Kristen challenges us all to do:

I want to live my life with one hand open to receive from God above and the other hand open to give it to others. I want to be a conduit, not holding anything too tightly, ready to open my hands to others, to give to those who can never give back.

 This is our commitment. This one thing will change your life. I dare you to try it.

 “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” -John Bunyan

Read her whole post here.

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God's Voice Over the Enemy's

Prayer Request: We had two neighborhood brothers over for dinner last night. I'll call them C and T, ages 9 and 7. We've invited them to church before but their parents are resistant to spiritual food and said no. They're having financial difficulties and may have to leave their rental home for an apartment. We've heard this for the last three months. Yesterday the boys told me their parents were having a big fight over whether or not to move. We all held hands and prayed over the financial worries, and last night for the first time, their mother said yes to the boys staying for dinner (maybe because they were fighting?) My husband wasn't home yet, but I read the Christmas story after dinner from the Jesus Storybook Bible--a rendition that is easier to understand, and rich in Truth and Light and Comfort. I prayed much while they were here, that the Lord's message of grace and love and peace would prevail over Satan's in their home and in their hearts. Please, pray that their hearts (the whole family of four) would receive Him? The grandmother goes to church and the boys think their mother went to church as a child. These boys are hungry for Truth and Comfort! 

They are hard to have as guests because they won't focus on an activity, although they're plenty bright enough. It's hard to maintain order and so we would love prayer regarding that as well. I want to have them as often as they're willing, but I need them to stay calm. Thank you!

Now on to today's post:

Tis the season for indulgence and plenty. What a perfect time for counter-cultural spiritual food to help us contemplate God's heart in regards to our resources. The world tells us to make our Christmas celebration as perfect as possible, but what is God's heart? What does He wants us to do in His name? The lure of materialism is so strong this month, even for the most committed Christians.

What is the heart of God and how can we bring Him glory?

Being fortunate is a blessing but it comes with responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required, and not just monetarily speaking. If one has many gifts he is responsible to use them wisely for the benefit of others for the glory of God.

The fortunate aren't concerned about daily bread. They don't have immediate and crucial physical needs left unmet, like many Compassion children do, and like the neighbor without a job experiences.

But the fortunate aren't meant to have easier lives. God's intent isn't inequality, as we can learn well from the Old Testament (read about The Year of Jubilee). Rather, His intent is that we would love one another by meeting each other's physical needs: food, clothing, shelter.

God could have made it easier and just given everyone the same skills, talents and gifts. He could have made it a level playing field. But in such a world, who gets glory? Who shines?

No one, not even God. 

And God wants His glory!

The Lord's heart is especially close to the poor. He comforts them in ways the fortunate will never know. He has plans to exult the poor, in fact.

1 Samuel 2:7-8 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

And the fortunate? He allows them a different kind of comfort. A different kind of earthly life--one not spent in constant need and struggle. And with that freedom comes responsibility; responsibility to remain thankful and grounded in the things of God, and to resist the lure of the world. To not judge the poor for their plight, but to quench their thirst and relieve their hunger and assure their shelter.

Both sides, the fortunate and the poor, have lives that are hard. The struggles are merely different. In America, we are the fortunate. Can we even wrap our heads around the fact that 80% of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day? And that those in abject poverty live on far less than that?

God requires that we do wrap our heads around that. That we think long and hard about that expensive coffee that costs more than a family elsewhere lives on for a whole day.

Blogs like mine can feel tiresome. She's talking about this again? Hasn't she already beat this to the ground?

And my answer? We live a midst a powerful materialism. A Sinister Enemy speaks loud enough to be heard and in America Satan is gaining ground, especially among those under 40 years of age. Those in God's camp cannot afford to quit speaking the Truth in His name.

For we the redeemed have been given much, and much is required of us.

Verses courtesy of Compassion International. Let's read them and allow them to wash worldliness right off our backs. I have purposely included those you may not already be familiar with:


Proverbs 11:24-25 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

Acts 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Romans 15:1-2 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

1 Corinthians 10:24  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Proverbs 14:20-21 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

Isaiah 58:6-11 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
"Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

2 Corinthians 9:6-13 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Ezekiel 16:49 "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Isaiah 14:30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety.

Proverbs 22:22-23 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.
Psalm 72:12-14 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Psalm 109:31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.

Psalm 145:14-18 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Fruitful Fridays: His Perfect Peace

We continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit today. Our main text for Fruitful Fridays will be Galatians 5:13-26 (ESV). In case you missed any Fruitful Friday posts, here's the line-up: 

1. Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

2. Fruit of the Spirit: Walking With the Spirit

3. Fruit of the Spirit: Acts of the Flesh

4. Fruit of the Spirit: To Love is to Give

5. Fruit of the Spirit: The Command to Love 

6. Fruit of the Spirit: Dying to Love

Let's take a moment to review before we move on to Peace. 

The Fruit of the Spirit is a singular concept; the nine fruits work together as one. We begin our access to them when we are filled by the Holy Spirit at the moment of our salvation. He works these characteristics into our hearts as we submit our will to his after believing (giving him Lordship over our lives). We become as putty in his hands, slowly being remade into His image.

Is he your Savior and your Lord?  Lordship doesn't always closely follow salvation for many people. It's when we make him our Lord that the fruit grows ripe and sweet.

Though we're filled with the Holy Spirit upon first believing, we can still grieve the Spirit by having unconfessed sin in our lives. During unconfessed sin we're separated from God until we seek forgiveness. And the Fruit of the Spirit? Its production in our heart ceases during sin. It's not that our salvation is lost, just our fellowship with God until our confession. 

If we never get right with God again, we probably weren't saved in the first place. God is faithful to continue his good work in our sincere hearts. He makes us very uncomfortable until we confess and get back into fellowship with him. He assures that we prevail in our salvation. I will never leave you nor forsake you, saith the Lord.

How quickly our hearts bear fruit and how many detours we take along the way, depends on how closely we walk with the Spirit. 

We walk with the Spirit by:

• Praying
• Reading the Bible
• Worshiping through songs and Psalms, etc.
• Confessing sin

Let's move on to peace, of which there are three components.

1. Upward: Peace with God (salvation and continued fellowship)

2. Inward: God's peace in our soul (tranquility within, absence of fear)

3. Outward: Peace with fellow believers (living in harmony with others; being a peacemaker)

Today we will discuss peace with God and inward peace, leaving peace with fellow believers for next week.

1. Peace With God  

God is holy and righteous and cannot fellowship with sinners. For the wages of sin is death. There must be an atonement for sin via blood sacrifice (death). Jesus is the lamb that was slain and for all those who believe on Him there is no death, but reconciliation with God. The Cross bought us fellowship with God directly...beautiful one-on-one fellowship. Instead of needing to kill an animal as atonement for our sins, we simply go before the Father and confess and ask for forgiveness. We're forgiven and all is forgotten, and we're back into fellowship!

It's so easy to take fellowship and peace with God for granted; we must remember it's the greatest gift ever given. Let's preserve our awe and our thankfulness over His gift. To be assured that your Father loves you and approves of you? That's tranquility.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, as these Scriptures teach: 

Isaiah 9:6, "...For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." 

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Luke 2:10-14 "...But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'"

2. Inward Peace

As a Christian staying in fellowship with the Lord, we have an inner peace that surpasses all understanding. 

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

Jesus has overcome addiction, poverty, brain disorders, physical disorders, disease, chronic pain, broken relationships, materialism, grief over loss, physical and emotional abuse, and unloving parents? All the things that grieve the world, he has overcome? What does this mean? 

Friend, it means these things are temporary. They won't always be with us but He will. His victory for us is eternal life...permanent peace and a sinless soul, a body not subject to emotional or physical pain, permanent communion with Him. 



Our inner peace will remain with us through trials if we dwell on the perfect condition awaiting us. 

I've found that keeping my mind on the eternal is aided by expressing thankfulness for present gifts. Brainstorming a list of everyday graces automatically focuses my mind on Him, and not on my circumstances. Be ye thankful, the Bible commands us. Go through the mental or written exercise of acknowledging His graces.

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." 

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." 


John 14:27 promises the disciples, and us, that we have Jesus' peace. We may think of peace as the absence of strife and discord and the absence of troubles. Not so, says Jesus. Instead, it's a tranquility of mind arising from a sense of our justification before God. If God loves us and that can never be taken from us, what legitimate trouble do we really have?

Romans 8:28 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Yes, He loves us. He approves us. He's prepared a room for us. Our future is secure and our present is showered with graces.

His peace buys our reconciliation with God; it continues as everyday graces sprinkled over our troubles; it ends in eternity with Him.

Hallelujah!

Matthew Henry explains it thus, speaking of what Christ gives: “The peace I give is of such a nature that the smiles of the world cannot give it, nor the frowns of the world take it away.” “The gifts I give to you are not such as this world gives to its children and votaries, to whom it is kind.” The world’s gifts concern only the body and time; Christ’s gifts enrich the soul for eternity: the world gives lying vanities, and that which will cheat us; Christ gives substantial blessings, which will never fail us: the world gives and takes; Christ gives a good part that shall never be taken away. 

 

The big question is: How do we continually walk in Christs' gift of peace? 

• 1. Bend your knees in prayer 
  
  Psalm 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."
  
  1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing
  
  Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Praise is part of prayer.)
  
  1 Corinthians 14:15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
• 2. Regard your Bible as your lifeline 
  
  Romans 10:17 "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
  
  2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
  
  Psalm 119: 16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. 
  
  Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

• 3. Remain in humble submission to God.
  
  Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
  
  
  
  James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
  
  
  Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
  
  
  
  

• 4. Keep your thoughts on God
  
  Isaiah 26:3 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is STAYED on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee."
  
  Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
  
  Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
• 5. Live a right life
  
  Psalm 37:37 "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace."
  
  Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Prayer Time:  Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your perfect peace. We thank you for your approval of our very souls and that nothing can separate us from your love. May we bend our knees in prayer, regard your Word as our lifeline, submit our will to you daily, keep our thoughts on you, and life a right life. Help us to preserve your peace in our lives. Help us to be thankful always in every life circumstance. Help us to examine our hearts and confess our sins, so that fellowship with you remains constant. Help us to serve you and not ourselves. We love you.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Fruitful Fridays Part 2: Walking With the Spirit

We continue our series on the Fruits of the Spirit today. Read part 1 here. Our main text for Fruitful Fridays will be Galatians 5:13-26. 

Galatians 5:13-15 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

The Galatian churches to whom Paul wrote this letter were battling each other mercilessly as they put themselves under the yoke of the law. They wanted new believers to be circumcised and follow Jewish law as the only means to a holy life. You can't battle sin, they reasoned, without having rules to follow. 

This made sense to them because they still lacked a crucial understanding: the law has no power. It doesn't transform a heart. It leads to pride and arrogance and hate as each person seeks to establish his own merit by his adherence to the rules. The entire focus is on the self, not on others. Outdoing each other becomes the only goal, leading to biting and devouring. 

Two components were missing in thinking of Jewish law as a means of holiness: righteousness and power...Christ's righteousness imputed, and the Spirit's power to transform. The Galatians churches needed to tap into the power of the Spirit and live in the freedom Christ designed for them. Some were not true Christians yet, and some were misled Christians.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—

Paul desperately wanted them to understand that the Spirit would fulfill the law in them. The fulfillment of the law is love. Love (serve) one another. Instead of being slaves to the law, be slaves to love through Jesus Christ, who bought and paid for you.

Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

So in a renewed man, where there is something of a good principle, there is a struggle between the old nature and the new nature, the remainders of sin and the beginnings of grace; and this Christians must expect will be their exercise as long as they continue in this world.

Note, The best antidote against the poison of sin is to walk in the Spirit, to be much in conversing with spiritual things, to mind the things of the soul, which is the spiritual part of man, more than those of the body, which is his carnal part, to commit ourselves to the guidance of the word, wherein the Holy Spirit makes known the will of God concerning us, and in the way of our duty to act in a dependence on his aids and influences.

- Matthew Henry

For as long as we Christians walk this earth, the spiritual battle continues. And we must fight. Walking with the Spirit, we will succeed. We will serve one another in love, acting as disciples of Jesus.

John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

How do we walk with the Spirit when so much flesh rages within us, still?

I am fifteen years into my Christian experience. What's changed over the years is my commitment to the fight. I battle harder now, knowing this is God's will for me in Christ Jesus. He wants me to exchange my self-centeredness, for other-centeredness. 

You should be able to look back over the years and see steady progress in your resolve to engage in the battle. Do you love God more than you used to--evidenced by spending more time with Him? Do you give in to selfishness less often? If you are growing, you're giving up more and more of yourself.  You're gradually living braver, more willing to take a 180-degree turn from the world's ways.

The most progress in my battle with the flesh occurred in the years after comforts were taken away from me. With my husband's 2009 job loss, occurring three months after I gave birth to Beth, significant life change arrived: 

~ poverty-level living

~ very old cars and for a time, a single vehicle 

~ no money to replace old underwear and difficulty keeping everyone in decent shoes

~ a battle to eat well on little income

~ no entertainment at all requiring money unless my husband cashed in his aluminum cans, or someone sent a monetary birthday or Christmas gift. (Loving people have come to our aid in the last three years, and sometimes God sends free football tickets and the like.)

~ constant pressure to meet bills

~ when something breaks we do without for months

~ a 10-year-old computer and a 7-year-old computer, with slow Internet speed (grateful to have one at all)

~ no land phone, no cable, no electronic gadgets, no acquiring of anything, unless needed and used, or very cheap

~ ruined credit (we learned we never should have had credit, at least in the form of credit cards)

~ no health insurance for my husband and myself

Around this same time in 2009, we learned for sure that Peter had ADHD and other issues. In 2011 came revelation that Beth had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis with knee and eye involvement, and now, with ankle involvement. 

Daily life became a battle for survival. I had plenty of reasons to despair and worry and when hormones got the better of me, I did. But mostly, I held on to God. I learned that He is the gift. No matter my circumstances, He is enough.

My husband found two part-time jobs for low pay shortly after his job loss, but the math didn't work out even with long hours. The Lord uses different math, thank goodness. My going to work was contemplated, but we knew we wouldn't be able to disciple our children in the manner Jesus would have done...dwelling with them daily. Living all the hours of life with them, talking, challenging, teaching Christ. The hours left after school and work are the witching hours and we knew we could never disciple successfully under those circumstances. We knew that wasn't our path.

So we chose the discomfort of American poverty, knowing God wouldn't have us go without food, shelter, or clothing. 

The Spirit used it all to transform me. I was saved before, but my walk lacked discipline and focus.

I look back and see that as things were slowly taken from me--comforts, assurances, personal style and pride, earthly security--I clung to the Spirit more, read my Bible and prayed more. 

As I lived the struggle of poverty, I became aware of abject poverty through Compassion International. I read story after story, learning that the redeemed poor had enough in Jesus. They were hungry, in deep need, but they had joy! They displayed a joy unknown in our culture. 

I'm on a long journey with the Lord, and I'm most thankful for the work of the Spirit. I can testify that the Spirit is enough for Christians to choose righteousness and produce fruit.  It is not a losing battle, my friend. 

As a homeschooling mother with more duties than I can keep up with, the Spirit continues to help me do battle, one day at a time. Each day I learn something new for my battle arsenal. I fall, and He picks me up and teaches me why I fell. Each day I love the Lord more and I'm more willing to be his disciple. 

I know the true meaning of blessing now, and my lifestyle is a blessing. 

I include all these personal experiences because as I look at America, I see a people consumed with everything but God. There are new gadgets and new cars and new furniture and new decorations--always acquiring. Together with a plethora of activities, there's a constant hum of busyness, as though we are a people chasing something. The more we do and acquire, the more we are slaves to stuff and to schedules, rather than slaves to love.

To walk with the Spirit with any success or regularity, you have to strip down your life. Everything you don't need is a distraction. Look at every gadget and every activity and ask yourself, how does this help me be a disciple of Jesus? How does this help me walk with the Spirit?

The first step in walking with the Spirit is to quit walking with the world.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

See you next Friday, God willing, for more on the fruits of the Spirit.

Fruitful Fridays: An Introduction

God is a master teacher, isn't he? So many analogies, examples, and images fill the pages of scripture for our comfort and learning. For the awakened spirit, it's all there for the taking, waiting to transform us. 

Dear Lord, may our spirits be as eager as baby birds, our hearts always wide open for the next morsel.

My favorite biblical analogy has to do with fruit, a favorite food of mine. And incidentally, botanically speaking, chocolate is a fruit derivative. Anything that comes from a flower is technically considered a fruit. Chocolate is made from the seed (bean) of a football-sized fruit that grows on the trunks and leaves of cocoa trees. 

Yes, many wonderful things come from fruit, and honestly, what would we do without its sweetness?

Fridays here on the blog will be spent learning about the nine fruits of the Spirit. Perhaps not every Friday, but as many as I can manage. True, few people read blogs on Fridays, but hopefully sometime between Friday and Monday these fruit posts will be read. 

During the school year I won't be posting much more than Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, because I'm formally teaching Mary, my kindergartner, as well as the boys this year. 

Now let's jump into our introduction. 

The Galatians passage on the fruit of the spirit (printed below) is meant to be a contrast between life without salvation, and life with salvation. No longer slaves to the flesh or bound by Jewish law, we have freedom in Christ, living by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. As such we are called to love one another, for the whole law is summed up by the single commandment: "You must love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:13-14

But how do we do this, when as Paul said in Romans, we so often find ourselves doing what we don't want to do...that is, sinning? 

The answer comes in the fruit analogy. Think of a piece of fruit that falls to the ground; shortly, it rots. While still attached to the stem, through which nutrients flow, the fruit flourishes. God continues to complete his work in us until the day he comes to bring us home, so in a sense our fruit is always getting sweeter, riper, more capable of nourishing others, as God nourishes us. 

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

But as with everything that comes from our union with the Father, fruit is not automatic. We don't get saved and suddenly produce fruit. We have free will always...a bittersweet gift to be sure. We must continually choose to remain attached to the Father. We must pursue Him, which is accomplished through Bible reading and Bible study, through prayer, and through worship (songs, psalms, praises). 

Remember the Tozer quote from my first post on joy? 

“What I am anxious to see in Christian believers is a beautiful paradox. I want to see in them the joy of finding God while at the same time they are blessedly pursuing Him. I want to see in them the great joy of having God yet always wanting Him.” ~ A. W. Tozer

While still on this earth we are as a branch, producing fruit for the Tree...only spiritually healthy when we remain attached to our source of life. God the Father.

John 15:5  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. 

There are nine fruits of the spirit, which can be divided into three categories. The first three, love, joy and peace, pertain to the health of our soul. The second three, patience, kindness and goodness, pertain to our relations with others. And the last three, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, are part of principles for godly living. 

The first fruit in each group gives rise to the other two. For example, if we love God, we have joy and peace. If we have patience (long-suffering), we are kind and good to others. If we are faithful to the Father, we can be gentle and self-controlled.

Our main text for Fruitful Fridays will be Galatians 5:13-26:

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions21 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.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,provoking and envying each other.

I'd be honored to have you join us here on Fridays. I thank the Lord for you, friends.

photo credit 1, 2, 3

Friday Devotions, 5/11

The Picture Hat
John  Strevens (British 1902-1990)

Friday Devotions, 5/11

Today's Text: 1 Peter 3:1-6

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 

This passage follows one about Christ's submission on the cross. Then we read, "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your husbands." Christ won us over by suffering quietly, not by putting up a fight. If you are married to an unbeliever, to a backslider, or to a lazy, undisciplined Christian, keep quiet about your grievances, for your actions will speak louder. Plan and carry out your own devotions, and be in prayer for daily strength, for you will suffer in your heart about your husband's lack of faith. There's no doubt that loving Christ and living with someone who doesn't, is suffering. Pray and ask for prayer, for your burden is indeed great.

Read the Word and live it. Trust in the Holy Spirit to do the rest of the work in your husband's heart. The passage specifically says, "They may be won over without words".

I'm at least ten years older than most of my readers, and at times that generation gap probably creates problems. Young believers in American are succumbing to a "progressive Christianity", similar to a Rob Bell (author of Love Wins), watered-down gospel. 

Here is just part of a review of the Rob Bell book: The theology is heterodox. The history is inaccurate. The impact on souls is devastating. And the use of Scripture is indefensible. Worst of all, Love Wins demeans the cross and misrepresents God’s character.

Feminism is alive and well, too, in "progressive Christianity". Friends, I am not a feminist. I believe God gave explicit instructions in the Word for how women are to be treated, and for how women are to conduct themselves. God is perfect, all-knowing. Whatever he says works, period. 


Many of us were brought up in contrast to what the Bible teaches about women. Growing up, I heard this more than anything else: "Get a good education so you don't have to depend on a man." There's nothing wrong with an education. But the idea that we do it to be independent of a man? That has its problems.


As a result of this sentiment, we have generations of women who don't know how to be homemakers. I knew nothing about homemaking when I married at age 33. I'd spent ten years as a dedicated, workaholic teacher, not in learning how to cook or sew or take care of a home efficiently. 


I still know little, but I'm working on that. If women had these skills, it would be far less necessary for us to bring in extra money. For homemaking skills lend themselves to frugality. Good homemakers are good stewards of the resources God gives.


I would also argue that the selfless love required of mothers is no longer taught either. What is motherhood now? Just a side thing in many minds, to show we can "have it all." 


I don't have to tell you that the nation's children are suffering. They are confused, angry, forgotten. Suicide, killings, etc. are on the rise. I don't bring up these sorrows to depress you, but to show that when we try to make up our own rules, we fail miserably as a people. 


We have a problem in America with young men "failing to launch" in the 18-24 age category. They live with mom and dad longer than their female counterparts. They don't finish or attend college in the same numbers. Women of the same ages outpace them in earnings. Parents aren't holding their boys up to the same standards as their girls. Boys are let alone to do what they want, presumably, which is why men as old as 34 are addicted to video games. Young men and boys nowadays? They waste too much time. They pursue pleasure above all else.


Men are lost and confused. They're no longer raised to lead and provide for families. If our culture had followed the Word as to how men and women were to behave and live, we wouldn't have the serious problems we do now, as a society. It's tragic.


God knows hearts, male and female. He knows women talk too much and try to take control. He knows men can be lazy in carrying out their God-given duties. In his love for us, he's given us instructions on how to live well. We need to embrace God and reject the world.


We have Adam and Eve to thank for some of our natural bents. When God told Eve, "Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.", he was essentially saying, I have put tension between you, as a punishment for your sin. Your desire will be for your husband translates, "You will want to take control." 


This interpretation--though widely supported among Bible scholars--is not without critics. Some say it merely means women will have a very strong desire to marry and have children. 


As women, I think we can agree here? We have both a strong desire for marriage and children, and a strong desire to get what we want? We want what we want when we want it.

To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;

with pain you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband,

and he will rule over you.”

17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it

all the days of your life.

18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:16-19

He knows. His plan, His Word? They help us live in harmony, without disorder. Do not be offended by what the Bible asks of you, as a woman. For God loves you and values you just as much as he does a man. He has provided for you in the Word. He loves men and women equally. Before the Word, women lived horribly oppressed lives. The Bible elevated women, not the opposite.


To be weak as a woman is to be a feminist. Feminists do not believe in restraining their desire to rule. To be strong as a woman is to be submissive.


We don't need feminism to be equal. God says we are equal. 


Prayer Time: Dear Father, this is huge. Help me with this. Help me to be slow to speak, to ask myself what I can do to be a helpmate to my husband. Help me to convey the respect that is in my heart, for I do so respect and admire my husband. Help me to show it with words and deeds. Help me to persevere in daily devotions, so I can live the Word. Help me to win his heart (whether he's a Christian or not) through my obedience to you.


In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

As much as I love this passage, I grieve at what our appearances have become. I love the painting at the beginning of this post because this women is a picture of femininity; she loves being a women. In most places I go, Christian women are in jeans and non-feminine shirts. ( In mens' style t-shirts, even.)

I wear jeans, but not because I prefer them. It's more because I have no clothing budget. I've tried for over a year to find skirts at thrift stores, but mostly, I find mini-skirts or highly-dressy rayon skirts that I have no shirts or blouses to match. 

Now my jeans...I try to pair them with a feminine top, so that only half of me is unfeminine. I'm still praying about my wardrobe...for the time and money needed to peruse thrift stores, so I can look and feel more feminine. Studies show that children in school uniforms behave better than children in free-style clothing. I wonder if women in feminine clothes would behave more femininely?

Sorry for this digression, but I don't think this passage means we shouldn't care about our appearance. That we shouldn't try, with our appearance, to distinguish ourselves from men. 

Rather, we shouldn't pay so much attention to it that our money is flying out the window on expensive clothing and accessories, and that too much time and money are spent in getting pedicures, manicures, and hairdos.

More time should be spent on our hearts. On our Bible reading and prayer. On kneeling before the Lord when things are hard. If you have time for a time-consuming hairdo at the salon or at home, or to get your nails done, or to shop for clothes, but you don't have time for devotions, then your heart is in the wrong place.

You can look beautiful on the outside, but if the inside is ugly, you aren't fooling anyone, including your husband and children.

Submitting ourselves to our husband, as Sarah did, is the "adornment" God desires from us.

Prayer Time:  Dear Father, help me to adorn myself with godly character and submission, above all else. Help me to take care of my heart, nourishing it daily, washing it daily, with the Word and with prayer. Help me to guard my tongue as well, so that a gentle and quiet nature emerges. Help me to be an inspiration in this for my daughters, and to help my boys, through my behavior, to understand what to look for in a godly woman.

In your son's name I pray, Amen.

Scripture source

painting source