Mar

11

Reap what we sow

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A common metaphor in the Bible uses horticulture—seeds, plowing, sowing, reaping, growing to give a visual image of the Lord’s truths. The words of Jesus to his disciples concerning the vine and branches in the fifteenth chapter of John came on the night of his betrayal. He wanted to prepare them for what will soon come: the crucifixion, resurrection, his ascension to heaven, and the work that’s to be done until he returns to earth.

Jesus’s intention was to bring joy to the hearts of the disciples.  He knew they’d be despairing soon and wanted to reassure them of his intentions that if they kept abiding in him, they would be fruitful in the work set before them.

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” 

The world longs to have joy and often seeks it—not in the vine—but somewhere else. They may dig and plow to reap their sustenance, but outside of the one true vine, they will not find what they’re looking for and will reap what they sow.

As we grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we find our sustenance can only be replenished through the one true source of all strength, light, and spiritual nourishment…Jesus.

 

Mar

04

One in the Spirit

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With all of the focus on diversity these days, it’s interesting to note that God doesn’t even notice things like race, color, or gender. These statistics don’t matter as the Lord’s focus is on the heart.

As believers, we have fellowship with him as our father, and that makes us collectively all brothers and sisters in the Lord. We comprise the body of Christ. Some may feel like they’re just the big toe, but in a body, the toe really has a huge function!

As Christians, we are called to love one another. Although we all have shortcomings, we’re to make every effort to love in spite of our predilections and peculiarities. We need to preserve the unity of the spirit at all costs. Why? Because we are one—in Christ.

Maintaining a bond of peace is not always easy, but the power of the Holy Spirit gives us the fortification and strength. May we always remember that “There is but one Lord, one faith, and one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5) and also one hope that we share. Truly, it all rests in Him.

Feb

25

Bearing fruit

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As we know from Apostle Paul, there is no good thing in our flesh, and any beauty we display is all due to God’s Holy Spirit living inside us, which bears fruit that is peaceable, good, and pure.

The early church in Galatia was aware of the presence and the power of the Spirit, but at some point turned back to their former ways… back to the old and now obsolete covenant—the Law—to live in the flesh. Paul said, Wait…no, you’re beyond that now!

“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.” (Galatians 5:24-25).

 When we become saved, we are no longer the same person, and we are free from the old ways which once dominated our lives. Rather than obey its lusts, we have a higher calling and a higher purpose. No longer living for ourselves, we live to serve the King.

The power of the Holy Spirit in us has already conquered the flesh. All we need to do is want to please the Lord, and through prayer and seeking his will, we allow the spirit to work in us. There is no life more abundant than one that brings forth the fruit of God’s righteousness.

Feb

18

Great is His faithfulness

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God is great and God is good. How often we said those words in prayer before meals as a child. We recited them as a perfunctory duty at the instruction and leading of our parents. It was dinner time protocol. In rattling off the quick prayer, we hastened in an effort to soon pick up the fork! Though, later in life, those same words began to take on a real meaning as we grew more fully in Christ and came to understand more about him.

When the actual greatness of God becomes manifest, it’s jaw dropping to fathom just how great he is. His power is exemplified not only in his ability to keep the earth rotating on its axis, the sun shining, trees growing and flowers blooming, but his power extends to the atoms and molecules holding everything together, including the very nails that held his hands and feet to the cross!

His greatness is above our imaginations and his goodness is purer than the finest gemstone. To know him is to love him, and the more we know the Lord, the more we see his power working. Right now, we see merely a glimpse of his true glory. When we see him face-to-face, his greatness will be like nothing we’ve ever known or could ever fathom while here on earth.

Maranatha, Jesus!

Feb

10

Let it shine

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The word tells us there are many spirits in the world and that we should be wary and test them. Some may even appear as a kind and lowly sheep. Don’t be fooled. Sometimes the sheep isn’t wearing wool but merely a wolf’s coat. There is but only one true spirit, and that is the spirit which resides in the hearts of the believers, God’s own children. The Holy Spirit.

As believers, we are indwelt by his loving spirit and it’s sufficient for everything we need to grow in the fullness and knowledge of the Lord as we sojourn here on earth. How honorable it should be to us to be a temple of the Living God!

While we’re here, the Holy Spirit is our source of all strength to love others as Christ first loved us and gave himself up for us on Calvary. When he departed back to heaven, he made a promise to give the believers a helper to guide them, and he has.

The world may think it strange that Christians are the manifestation of love in a place that doesn’t always love back. Love thine enemy? Bless those who curse you? Yes, these are the commandments for God’s family. We are able to do this through the power of God’s love working through us. It’s not our love, but His that flows through. It’s to be given away just as freely as it was given to us. It’s His love anyway, and to share it with others shows the living God in us. It may be the only glimpse of God they will see. Let it shine.