Israel Houghton - Moving Forward

Check out this song about moving forward. I am thankful that God makes all things new.  My heart's desire is to follow God forward.

Let's declare today that our past is over and we are moving forward!

You will be blessed!

Blessings,

Eddie James - Freedom

Another great song by Eddie James singing about Freedom!  I am thankful for freedom in Christ.  I am thankful that there are no more shackles, no more chains, no more bondage because I am free!

How about you?

Blessings,

Eddie James - Free to Worship

Check out this song by Eddie James titled "Free to Worship". Jesus sets us free and we are free indeed! We are free to lift up holy hands and magnify his name!


I am thankful that I am free to worship my King!

Blessings,

Fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness Part 2

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!


Today we continue our look at chapter eleven – Growing Strong Through Gentleness in the book “A Woman’s Walk with God” by Elizabeth George. It is a study of the Fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness. Galatians 5:22

There is a posture of gentleness. Below is a long quote from the author.

“The Hebrew word for ‘trust’ originally expressed the idea of helplessly lying face-down. But practicing this posture of trust calls for complete reliance on Jehovah. It calls for an absolute confidence that God alone knows the right way to the right ends and what benefits us. It also comes with the certainty that God is able to free us from that which does us harm. Therefore this trust-this placing of our total confidence wholly in God-is the source of gentleness or meekness.

This picture of trust reveals that gentleness is opposite to much that our world exalts. Gentleness is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest. It is the opposite of violence and outbursts of anger, the evidence of God at work in our life.

Gentleness is required when wrong is inflicted upon us and when we are suffering the heat of ill treatment. And what does gentleness do under those conditions? It lies helplessly facedown. It bends, it bows, it lowers its head before the father. It submits, it accepts, and it humbles itself under the mighty hand of God: Gentleness takes it.

Gentleness accomplishes all of this by not fighting. We must give up disputing, complaining, murmuring, and grumbling. After all, why should we do these things if God is in control and God is allowing these trying situations?”

Wasn’t that good what the author said? Are you wondering how you can cultivate gentleness? How gentleness can be accomplished in your life by not fighting? Gentleness is indeed the opposite of our world and of our flesh. It is not easy to let gentleness reign.

The author goes on to say “then as we practice this posture of a trusting heart before God and rely on Him for His wisdom and mercy and protection, we indeed grow strong through gentleness.”

A few biblical examples of gentleness.

1. Hannah. She “found herself the daily prey of her husband’s other wife. Hannah chose to take it and she told the Lord instead.”

2. Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. “Mary conceived and bore the baby Jesus. Many thought of her as a fornicator. She could have tried to explain, she could have told what happened, and she could have bragged. But instead, the gentle and meek Mary took it.”

3. Mary of Bethany. Mary poured out her heart in worship and was criticized for it. “Mary responded with godly silence…she took it. She quietly bowed her head and bore the pain of public ridicule…and trusted in God instead.

4. Moses. God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. But the people complained and wished they were back in Egypt. “When the people complained, Moses didn’t argue with them, reason with them, defend himself, or get into any kind of struggle with them. Instead, he took it. Moses took it-and he took it on his face, prostrate before God.”

The author concludes with this. “We can take it, dear one-we can live out gentleness-only when we stretch our roots down deep into the soil of trust and faith until we tough the heart of God and the Rock of Ages.

Here are two thought provoking question the author asks at the end of chapter 11:
1. What thoughts could help you cultivate gentleness in your life?
2. What actions do you equate with gentleness?

Let’s pray. Father, we think You for all that we have learned over the last few days on gentleness. Give us strength to live out gentleness. Help us to practice the posture of a trusting heart before You and to rely on Your wisdom. Thank You Father. We love and appreciate You. We declare that there is none like You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessings,

Fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!


We continue are reading of “A Woman’s Walk with God” by Elizabeth George. It is a study of the Fruit of the Spirit. Today we look at chapter 11 – Growing Strong Through Gentleness.

The fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness. Galatians 5:22

“Gentleness means to be gentle or meek, to be lowly or jumble. It is a form of self-control which Christ alone can give, and it manifests itself in a submissive spirit toward both God and man. Gentleness is also the opposite of self-reliant arrogance. Gentleness is truly grown in a hothouse-and there’s a high price to pay to cultivate its bloom!”

The author gives us six reasons why gentleness is so costly:

1. "Gentleness Means Trusting the Lord. Gentleness is not resentful, it bears no grudge and it is not involved in mulling over injuries. Instead, gentleness finds refuge in the Lord and His ways. It endures plundering, provocation, and suffering in humble submission to an all-wise, caring Father, trusting totally in the love of God.
How can anyone bear plundering, provocation, suffering, and ill-treatment? Faith. The invisible root system of gentleness goes deep into the rich soil of faith. Faith believes that everything that happens in our life is allowed by God and that He is able to help us handle our situation.

2. Gentleness Means Submitting to the Master. William Barclay offers another picture of gentleness…’What throws most light on [the meaning of gentleness] is that the adjective…is used of an animal that has been tamed and brought under control.’
   a. The word tame is opposite of wild, describes one accustomed to control by another.
   b. The word tame suggests one whose will has been broken or who has allowed himself or herself to be dominated by the will of another.
   c. The tame person, therefore…
       i. Has been toned down and exhibits complete dependence on another.
      ii. Has yielded all will to another’s control.
     iii. Unquestioningly and humbly obeys what is ordered and accepts what is given.
     iv. Is docile and obedient and pliable, as opposed to fierce.
      v. Is easy to work with and to be with.

It helps us to think about gentleness in terms of submitting to our Master, the Lord Jesus. Don’t you desire to be controlled by Him? Don’t you want to be easy to work with and be with?

3. Gentleness Means Following Christ’s Example. Jesus came not as a storming conqueror or a battling king, but as the King who is meek, gentle, peaceful, gracious. ’Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). Dear sister, we follow Jesus’ example of gentleness when we, like Him, find refuge in God and commit our way to Him. Jesus’ gentleness was grounded in a complete trust in His loving Father, and ours can be, too, as we cultivate gentleness by following His example.

4. Gentleness Means Bowing the Soul. The Old Testament term for gentleness, anah, describes a mature, ripened shock of grain with its head bent low and bowed down. I want to be a Christian with a lowered head, seasoned and mature, well past the stages of arrogance, pride, and vain emptiness.

5. Gentleness Means Putting on a Gentle Spirit. Wearing this gracious garment calls for a decision from us. As I mentioned earlier, God loves the quality of gentleness in His women. We see this in 1 Peter 3:1-6. It includes elements of submission, behavior, heart, trust and faith.

6. Gentleness Means ‘Take It’. A woman is practicing gentleness or meekness means she will take it. She bears with tranquility the disturbances others create. She endures ill treatment. She withstands misunderstandings. Carrying the image of Jesus and His suffering in her mind and heart, she takes it, thus cultivating the fruit of God’s gentleness."

I like what the author says next. “Yes, it’s true that in the eyes of the world, gentleness may look like weakness, but producing this fruit calls for the greatest of strength! Indeed, gentleness has been called ‘the fruit of power.”

This is a lot to take in, to contemplate, about gentleness and there is still more to cover. Maybe you are like me not having thought about the cost of gentleness and what that means to me or you. Take time today to think about the reasons the author gave on why gentleness is so costly.

I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow as we continue looking at the fruit of gentleness.

Blessings,

Chris Tomlin - My Chains Are Gone

Check out this video by Chris Tomlin singing "My Chains are Gone".  I am so very thankful for God's Amazing Grace each day.  I am so very thankful that all chains are gone!  Take a moment today to give praise that your chains are gone too! 

Blessings,

Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness Part 3

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!


Today we complete our look at chapter ten – Following Through in Faithfulness in the book “A Woman’s Walk with God” by Elizabeth George. It is a study of the Fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is…faithfulness. Galatians 5:22

“A great source of encouragement to be faithful is found in the extraordinary faithfulness of the women at the tomb. These dear women had faithfully ministered to the needs of the Savior by serving Him and financially supporting His ministry (Luke 8:3). But their most heroic act of faithfulness began as they followed Jesus on His last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem – on His journey to the cross, a journey that finally found this loyal band of ladies with Jesus the entire day of His crucifixion and death.”

We read how the disciples disbursed and did not hang around. Yet the women remained faithful and stood as close as they could to comfort Jesus by their presence in the closing agonies of the crucifixion (Luke 23:49). They stayed until the end. “And their faithfulness did not end with Jesus’ death. They waited at the cross to see what was done with His body, and then they followed and saw the tomb and how His body was laid (Luke 23:55). Then, surely weary after a long and agonizing day, these women returned home to perform two more acts of faithfulness. First, they prepared spices and perfumes to properly anoint Jesus’ body (verse 56). (And, according to Jewish Sabbath law, these preparations had to be completed before sundown!) And then these women practiced their faithfulness in another way: ‘On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment’ (verse 56). They were faithful to Jesus, and they were faithful to God and His holy Law.”

Mark 16:1-3
“And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’”

These women were indeed faithful. They weren’t lazy. They went to the tomb very early. They didn’t procrastinate. They did what they needed to do when they needed to do it. They didn’t rationalize that someone else would do it. No, they went about preparing to anoint Jesus’ body. They sure didn’t have apathy. They cared greatly for Jesus and what would happen to His body. And they definitely did not operate in rebellion.

The author states “Whenever I’m exhausted, stretched to the limit, and tempted to give up or wait until tomorrow, I think of these magnificent women. Their love for God overruled their emotional and physical tendencies and enabled them to faithfully do the right thing. Nothing kept these ladies from fulfilling what they considered to be their faithful duty to a friend.”

“We must respond! We must wonder, how can we become more faithful? How can we walk in this grace, too? What can help us to cultivate God’s faithfulness in our life?”

The author gives us a few practical suggestions.

1. Call upon God in prayer. “On the day I called Thou didst answer me: Thou didst make me bold with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138;3).

2. Be faithful in small things. “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much” (Luke 16:10).

3. Rely of God’s strength. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phillippians 4:13).

4. Fight self-indulgence. “I buffet my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

5. Eliminate laziness and idleness. “[She] does not eat the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:27).

6. Begin at home. “She looks well to the ways of her household” (Proverbs 31:27).

7. Be faithful in all things. “Women must…be…faithful in all things” (1 Timothy 3:11).

8. Become a ‘hero.’

Here is a thought provoking question the author asks at the end of chapter ten:

Think back through your week. List any instances at home, in your relationships, or in ministry when you were unfaithful, when you proved unworthy of the confidence placed in you, when you didn’t follow through on your commitments and responsibilities.

Let’s pray. Father, we think You for all that we have learned over the last few days on faithfulness – our faithfulness to You and our faithfulness to others. Give us strength to combat the struggles that will rise as we grow in faithfulness. Help us to be more like the women at the tomb, faithful until the very end, never giving up. Thank You Father. We love and appreciate You. We declare that there is none like You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessings,