Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23

My heart is sad today, but I know I have a God who "longs to be gracious to me" (Isaiah 30:18) and who is "my refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:1) and I can quickly find JOY in His provision.  In Bible study this morning, we sang "I Know Whom I Have Believed":

I know not how this saving faith To me He did impart,

Nor how believing in His Word wrought peace within my heart.

 

This is no LOVE apart from that which we receive from the Spirit.  There is no JOY apart from that which we receive from the Spirit.   There is no PEACE apart from that which we receive from the Spirit.  You get the idea!  Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that we have a choice to live by the sinful nature or to live by the Spirit.  When we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to bear fruit as we live in the Spirit...the deeds we do in the flesh are puny and rotten apart from abiding in Him (John 15). 

 

When sorrow comes, we have to find some way to have hope for tomorrow.  This indwelling Spirit gives us that hope.  Sorrow doesn't have to be the last word.  My Streams in the Desert says "Sorrow come to stretch out places in the heart for JOY".  I prefer joy, so I'm willing to let my heart be stretched!

 

It's a mystery how this fruit develops.  I only know the opposite - the acts of the sinful nature - will keep me from inheriting the kingdom of God.  It is my deepest desire to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled.   I pray the same for you.

 

For further study:  Psalm 139:7, Isaiah 63:10, Ezekiel 36:26, Zechariah 4:6, John 14:26 and 16:13, Romans 8:5-8, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Colossians 1:9-14, 2 Tim. 1:7, Hebrews 6:19, 1 John 5:11-12.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

"Trust in the Lord" - Psalm 112-7:8

Psalm 112 is a wonderful commentary on good fears and bad fears...do you know the difference?  I just finished SO LONG INSECURITY by Beth Moore and I discovered many of my troubles stem from my fears...fears of things that haven't even happened.  I really don't think of myself as "insecure" in most ways...I do believe in a Sovereign God, I believe He has a plan for my life and that it will be a really good plan if I will know Him and follow His ways.  But then I wake up!  Verses 5-7 say:

 

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright...surely he will never be

shaken...he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast,

trusting in the LORD.

 

Beth gives us a few answers to the question: "how can I trust in the Lord" when everything seems to be falling apart around me?  She says: "I, the Maker of heaven and earth,will:

--perfect everything that concerns you (Psalm 138:8)
--work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28)
--contend with those who contend with you (Isaiah 49:25)
--fight this battle for you (2 Chronicles 20:15)
--equip you with divine power (2 Corinthians 10:4)
--delight to show you mercy (Micah 7:18)
--meet all your needs according to My glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19)
--give you grace that is perfectly sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9)
--be your power in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9)
--do immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine according to the power
   that is at work within you (Eph. 3:20)

F.B. Meyer says "Believe that He is between you and your difficulty and what troubles you will flee before Him, as clouds in the wind."  The psalmist said we will be blessed if our fear (awe) is about the Lord...not about something that may or may not happen to us.  Take today, this moment, and believe of God's love for you...now why would the future hold anything different?

For further study:  2 Chron. 14:11, Psalm 20:7, 37:3, 131, Proverbs 3:5-6,  Isaiah 30:15, John 14:1, Romans 8:28-39, 2 Cor. 4:16-18, 2 Peter 1:3-4.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly


Be still and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10

My fabric shelves have recently been purged and cleaned and what a satisfying experience that was!  I had gotten to where I didn't know what I had or how anything fit together.  It took much of the joy away to have so much chaos staring me in the face!

I believe our minds are that way.  We have so much noise going on that we don't make wise choices.  We're always connected to something or someone and we need to quiet our souls.

Psalm 46:10 has always been a favorite of mine - in fact you may remember I wrote on it last year and even included a sign over our mantle.  You can tell it is a recurring issue with me.  Psalm 131 has a similar message and it gives us a clue as to how we get to a place of not being still - pride, haughtiness ,ambition, going after impossibilities, etc.  David, in this psalm, resolved to not be any of these things because he was a man after God's own heart.

David Powlison in Stress: Peace Amid Pressure, says this kind of composure is learned or mastered.  He says:

Such purposeful quiet is achieved, not spontaneous.

It is conscious, alert and chosen.  It is a form of

self-mastery by the grace of God...""

 

Just as Jesus calmed the storm in Mark 4, He can calm the storm in our hearts.  We must make Him more a part of our lives (inner and outer) than that noise we are connected to.  Have you seen the bumper sticker: "Know God, Know Peace"?

 

Join me in cleaning out to start this new year.  Get rid of the clutter and know Him as Lord!

 

For further study: Psalm 37:7,  Psalm 62:1, Psalm 119:163, John 14:27, Colossians 3:15, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 4:7,9, 2 Tim 2:22, Hebrews 4:3, James 4:1-3, 2 Peter 1:4.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



"Forget what is past; press toward the prize...in Jesus" - Phil. 3:13-14

HAPPY NEW YEAR, dear friends!  I love turning the page on a new calendar month...even better...a new calendar year!  Don preached on Sunday about the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 and how out of control he was.  Sometimes I feel that way...December felt that way for me.  But today as I turn the page, I am going to listen to the word of Henry Ward Beecher who said:

We have passed through one more year.  One more long stage in the

journey of life, with its ascents and descents and dust and mud

and rocks and thorns and burdens that wear the shoulders, is done.

The old year is dead.  Roll it away.  Let it go.  God, in His

providence, has brought us out of it.  It is gone...And now

we stand at the beginning of the next, the new.

 

I encourage you to read Deuteronomy 11:13-21 today.  Moses, in encouraging obedience for the Israelites, urged them toward the new land and reminded them "...the eyes of the Lord are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end."  So, I am going to forget what happened in 2012 - the things I didn't do right, the things that disappointed me, the opportunities I missed - and I am going to "press toward the prize" in 2013!  Like those entering the unknown land, we cannot know the circumstances that will happen in the unknown year.  But we can know that God is faithful, merciful, forgiving, sovereign, holy and loving.  He is our power source...unless you know His Son as Savior and Lord, that power cannot help you.  Today, if you do not know Him as Savior, in a simple prayer, tell Him you're ready:  you admit you are a sinner, you believe Jesus is His Son and commit to follow Him the rest of your life.  Then, and only then, will the Holy Spirit indwell you and enable you to do His plan and gain His blessings.

 

Today, I commit to listen more, criticize less, share better, give more generously, be patient longer, hug tighter and to love and encourage all!  Starting today, know Him better, read and study His word, pray and trust Him with all things.  May the Lord bless and keep you in the New Year!

 

For further study:  Joshua 1:6-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Cor. 9:24-25, Colossians 1:10-12, Hebrews 12:1-2,  1 Peter 2:9-12, 5:6-7, 2 Peter 1:3-4, 3:1-13, Rev. 21:6-7

 

May you be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly