We Are Not Called To Be Grouchy

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.... If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23, 25

When we examine ourselves, we can look at what it is we take out into the world with us.  How do we approach life?  If we are grouchy, we need to consider that we are not called to be grouchy. 

The fruits of the Spirit remind us that we are more than our circumstances - we are chosen and we have been gifted much from God and we can show it by allowing the fruits of the Spirit to fill us. 

Spread some joy and kindness. 

We Love Because God Loves Us

 

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, in an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2.

What does it mean to walk in love? Does it mean we have to let other people walk all over us? No. It means that whatever we do, we do it in a spirit of love. It does not mean we will be popular or that we have to be nice to those who really don’t need being nice to.

As Christians, we must speak out against wrong, but we are to do it in a manner that addresses the problem as a problem, and offers the perpetrator an opportunity to correct the error of his ways. This is what God did for us. He called us from our lives of sin, to a new life forgiven by Jesus. 

We love because God loves us.

Your Plans Will Be Established

 

Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.

Proverbs 16:3

We all make plans, which we believe will improve our lives.  We plan for vacations, for getting married, for having a family, for buying a house and for a hundred more things.  Planning helps us focus our lives and gives us direction.  

Along with this planning, God gives us a formula for success: Put God’s work first and the rest will follow.

So, while we are planning, we need to consider how our plans fit into God's work and proceed accordingly, because God promises if we commit our works to Him, our plans will be established.   

We Are Blessed

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. 

Ephesians 1:3-4

Think about this:  God chose you before the foundation of the world.  He knew you before you were born and He knew that you would be blessed with every spiritual blessing.

God knew that you would respond to the call of Jesus to come and be redeemed.  

And, because of this, we are holy and blameless before God.  

We are thankful.

Hallelujah! 

Acquire Knowledge

 

The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 18:15

Every now and then we find ourselves in a situation which we know nothing about and have no idea what we should do.  When this happens I think. "I am in a foreign country. I don't know the language or the customs. And, I have no clue what to do."  

But, you know what?  God sends people into my life that can help guide me through and who don't judge, but just care for me in my time of need.   

God puts people in our path who will help us. We just need to be humble enough to accept help and be grateful. 

Justice For All

 

Justice is turned back,

And righteousness stands far away,

For truth has stumbled in the street,

And uprightness cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:14

Who cares about all the people who get locked up in prison?  Who cares if they are guilty or innocent?

In the United States the plea bargain is the tool of choice to make sure suspected criminals are locked up, without a trial and regardless of whether or not they are guilty.  Most defendants are charged with multiple crimes, whether there is evidence of their guilt or not, and then the prosecutor suggests that if the defendant pleads guilty to a few of the charges, the rest will go away. The prosecutors’ logic is that plea bargains save money because the government does not have to pay the cost of a trial.  I am not sure what a trial costs, but it costs about $30,000 a year to lock a person up in a state prison. 

As rampant as injustice is in the United States, it is worse in other parts of the world.

We pray that uprightness will enter into the justice system around the world, and those men and women who face prosecution and persecution will receive justice.

The Lord Surrounds His People

 

Those who trust the Lord

Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the Lord surrounds His people

From this time forth and forever.

Psalm 125:1-2

God does not call us to abandon us.  He is always with us and cares intimately for us.  His care goes beyond anything we might expect from mankind.

We trust the Lord and the Lord surrounds us and protects us.  We are His and He is on our side.