Walking in the Spirit and blooming?

During the last few weeks, it’s been fun to watch as all of the plants in our backyard have been coming to life. Just a few months ago, as spring approached, I looked at some of them and thought that they were dead and didn’t stand a chance of coming back. In fact, while I was cleaning up some of the flower beds one day, I debated just getting rid of the plants because they looked so hopeless. But, as if to say to me, “You don’t know much about plant life,” the plants began blooming and coming back to life. I was out working in the yard yesterday afternoon and had to stop for a few moments to gaze at the beauty of those flowers and rejoice that I didn’t just rip them out of the ground and toss them into the trash.

There are areas in my life that I know with God’s help I can change. I do struggle with aspects of life, and at times I think I will never change so I should give up and just work on the aspects I can control. But here’s what we need to understand: when I accepted Christ into my life, the Holy Spirit was now God living inside of me. The Holy Spirit can help me separate the weeds (things I don’t need in my life) from the good things that are there but in a dormant stage. And if I allow the Holy Spirit to continue to work in my life, those things that may appear to be dead and impossible will start to bloom, and soon I will be able to see beautiful fruit being produced. That’s one of my greatest joys in being allowed to serve in full-time ministry—not only seeing lives come to accept Christ, but then watching as the Holy Spirit begins bringing life through the Fruit of the Spirit into those individuals’ daily journeys. Be sensitive and open to what God has promised to do in your life and the lives of those around you. 

What's a Christian to Do?

I’m still dealing with the shock of yesterday’s events that unfolded in Boston. The shock is not that something happened, because the world we live in today has taught us that there are a lot of demented sinners out there who don’t care about life. Instead, my shock is for the families who woke up on a beautiful day, excited to celebrate the training and hard work of thousands taking part in the Boston Marathon. What was meant to be a time of great joy quickly turned to shock and sorrow that left many asking, “Why?”

There are a lot of things I don’t understand and never will, but there are things I do understand because of my studies in the word of God. We are living in the last days before we see the return of the Lord, and the Bible teaches us that there are signs that will show us this is happening. We are seeing the unfolding of these signs on a daily basis, as described in several books of the Bible. These things, even though they shock us, shouldn’t take us by surprise; instead, they should serve notice that more than ever before we need to proclaim the Gospel message to a lost world. These are the days when our churches should be full because the lost don’t understand and they need to hear a message of hope. Our churches should be full because believers understand that we need to be encouraged in our faith, because the fight that we are fighting is not physical but spiritual. If ever there was a time that I needed to know how to walk in the Spirit, it’s today.

We have a message that the world needs to hear, and I encourage every believer to open his or her mouth and invite someone to church this weekend. I encourage all believers to share what God has done for them with someone else this week. The church is not discouraged or defeated but instead the church is alive because God sent his Son to die on a cross for our sins. We have victory today, and it’s time we start living daily in that victory. When the world says, “Be quiet,” we should be proclaiming even louder that Jesus saves! By faith, I’m believing that our church is going to be full of people passionate about God. Don’t allow the fears of this world to discourage you, but rather use them to embolden you to be a witness for Christ. Be in prayer for the families that were affected by this tragedy in Boston.

Patient...not always easy!

Patience is the Fruit of the Spirit that we covered last Sunday morning as we continued our journey down the path of “Walking in the Spirit.” I’m amazed at how easy it is to preach on the Fruit of the Spirit, yet when the time comes to live it there are some real challenges. Last Friday, Tami and I went out to dinner with our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. We had a great time visiting and just being together. At the end of the dinner we discovered that our Explorer had been broken into and robbed. Ugh…what a mess. As we began viewing the damage and trying to figure out what had been stolen, I was not too worried because we have insurance. Insurance—you know, the policy you pay a lot of money to so that you are protected in case anything like this happens to you. Well, I’ve discovered over the last few days that just because you have insurance doesn’t mean that the process of making claims is simple. After spending time creating three reports with the insurance company, I’ve now come to learn that they want us to prove we actually owned the items that were stolen from the vehicle. A part of me understands, but there are several items valued at less than $50…how do I prove I had that item? I know some people are fantastic at keeping receipts for every little thing, but I just never sensed the need. So now I’m stuck in a debate with the insurance company and trying to prove we actually owned what is gone. Patience!

As I reflect upon that situation, I look at my life and the goals and desires I have for my personal life, my family, and the church. There are days when I feel like I’m enjoying a nice dinner and life couldn’t be any better, but then come the days when there is chaos and I feel like I’m fighting just to get where I need to be. Patience…that’s the key. I know what God has promised to me, my family, and Abundant Life. I know God is faithful to fulfill His promises when I’m walking in obedience to His leading, and I know that I will witness those promises fulfilled. Patience…

What are you struggling with today in this area? Is it yourself? Your family? A situation at work or a relationship? Maybe it’s a financial problem or something else that I have not even described, but I want you to know that God is fully aware of your situation and trying to teach you the Fruit of the Spirit called Patience. Keep praying, trusting God, and walking in faith, and you will see the victory. 

I love the story of Caleb found in Joshua 14. We are reminded of the patience he had to display by waiting 40 years to enter the promised land. Then, when the day came to stake his claim, he didn’t sit around waiting but instead took action. I know we need to show patience in many areas of life, but when the day comes to step up, we need to be just like Caleb and go into action so that God’s promises can be fulfilled in our lives.

When a Game Reminds Us of Reality

A few weeks ago, like many of you, I filled out my NCAA Tournament Bracket hoping to see success in picking the winner of the biggest college basketball tournament of the year. And, as always, in the first week my bracket seemed to quickly start falling apart because teams I picked to win ended up losing. I do it every year because it’s always fun and I enjoy bragging if I do well, which I never get to do! But it also makes watching the games a lot more fun because I have a vested interest. So last Sunday, after the family left and the house was empty, I was going to sit down and watch the Louisville/Duke game. I had picked both of these teams to meet in the tournament, so I was really excited to watch a great basketball game. And that’s exactly what was happening until there were about six minutes left in the first half, which is when Louisville player Kevin Ware went up to block a shot. I really wasn’t paying attention to him but instead watched as the Duke player who made the shot headed back to defend his basket. He was messing around with his face and eyes to the point that I thought he’d been poked in the eye, but then the announcer came on saying that Ware had been hurt on the play. Thanks to modern television I was able to back up and watch the play, and after seeing it once I was sick to my stomach. A young man broke his leg while just trying to make a play, and it was horrible to see. Immediately you could see teammates and those in the crowd crying at the trauma of what was happening. All of a sudden, basketball was the last thing anyone cared about. The good news is that he was well taken care of at the arena, the surgery went well to repair his leg, and they say he will recover to play basketball again. And in case you missed it, he called his teammates around before being taken to the hospital and told them not to focus on him but to win, and that’s exactly what they did!

Life is like that for each of us. We can be cruising through life and things are looking good, but then all of a sudden a crisis hits that can derail us if we’re not careful. Yes, taking some time to put ourselves together may be required, but then it’s time to get back into the game. Don’t let setbacks keep you from accomplishing God’s plan for your life! 

Fixing Holes

As we continue our journey of learning to “Walk in the Spirit,” we must remind ourselves to daily inspect our lives. I remember as a kid growing up I faced a daily inspection of our room. Now, realize that in our house the room inspection was rather simple…did you make your bed, and are all of your clothes put away? There were not very many days when I failed the inspection. So let’s get back to “Walking in the Spirit”—in the Bible we find many measurements that can be used to help us know if we are truly walking in the Spirit. Those include items in life that we are to avoid, characteristics that should be increasing in our lives on a daily basis, and gifts that will be operating through us as we walk down the path God has established for us. Each of these things is measurable, but do we take the time to evaluate them?

Last weekend it was beautiful here in Texas. I decided that it was a good day to clean the garage because through the winter a lot of leaves had blown into it, a lot of dirt had been brought in from our cars, and it was just a mess. So, seeing the mess, I realized that I had to get to work to put the garage back in order. I moved out the cars, began throwing out items that were no longer of any value, and finished up by hosing out the garage. When I finished, I was able to look into the garage and evaluate the great change that had taken place. Everything looked awesome, except for one thing I did wrong. As I was backing out, one of the cars hit one of our bike tires and turned it hard into the wall. No damage was done to the bike or the car wheel, but the tire knocked a hole in our garage drywall. Guess they just don’t make drywall as tough as they used to. I was frustrated that it happened, but it happened without any warning and I knew it wouldn’t be a difficult repair.

The same happens in life as I’m on this journey of Walking in the Spirit. I can go through a day, then look back and see all the wonderful, positive results of being obedient to the Holy Spirit’s direction in my life. But every so often there’s the one glaring thing I did out of step because I took the easy way, and I see the hole left as a result of doing it my way rather than God’s way. Now, the good news is that the hole can easily be repaired, but the bigger question is this: will I just ignore it, thinking it doesn’t matter? Ask me in a month if I fixed the hole in my garage. I want to ask you: are you fixing the holes revealed to you by the Holy Spirit in your journey of “Walking in the Spirit”?

How Easy Becomes Challenging

“Walking in the Spirit” sounds like such an easy thing to do, and even when you read Galatians 5:22-23 you can tend to think, “I’ve got it covered!” And there are probably many days that we can feel this way, but then along comes the day—you know the one—when everything that God is trying to teach you is put to a challenge. It doesn’t matter who you are or how strong you may be in your faith, there are going to be days that test you. And the thing that is most important is not the test but how you respond to the test. I know through the years I’ve had times when I can say I handled the testing in a way very pleasing to the Lord, and then there are the times when I can tell you that I failed miserably at the test the Lord placed in my path. Most of the time I don’t need anyone to tell me how I’ve done, because I know by how the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart, but there are also times when I’ve had to lean on the Godly wisdom of those he’s brought into my life to help me see things I may not have seen or sensed.

I’ll never forget when I was in third grade and went through a situation at school that brought this truth to light. I had an English class, and once a month we were required to memorize a poem and then recite it in front of the class. I found a poem and worked so hard to memorize it, and the teacher gave me an excellent grade because I followed her instructions to learn and share it with the class. The next month flew by, and soon it was my turn to get up and recite my poem. I stood in front of the class and flawlessly recited the poem I’d memorized. When class finished that day, the teacher asked to see me. I stayed around, and when she spoke with me it was soft and loving but also honest. She said, “John, that’s the same poem you recited last month.” She was correct; you see, I had forgotten about the assignment and in a panic thought she’d never know if I simply did the same one again. She went on to inform me that I’d be given a zero for not completing the assignment and would hopefully learn a lesson. Now, I could have walked out saying, “That’s not fair, I did the assignment and was never told I couldn’t use the same poem.” But instead, I knew deep inside that what I did was wrong and I tried to cheat my way to a grade I didn’t deserve.

“Walking in the Spirit” means being sensitive enough to the voice of God that when God affirms us in the positive we receive it and rejoice in doing what is pleasing to the Holy Spirit. It also means that when the Holy Spirit convicts us then we humble ourselves, confess our sins, and get back on track with the plan that God has for us. 

Changes....

Over the past few weeks we have been experiencing a lot of changes in our weather. As winter draws to a close and spring quickly approaches, we have those days when it’s in the 80s, like yesterday, but then we can turn around and have a day in the 40s. I personally don’t like the change because I want a consistent pattern every day—preferably in the 80s every day. Yet I know that for plants, grass, and trees to grow properly, they have to go through the various seasons to help them recover from hard years and get the necessary moisture for the summer to come.

In much the same way, I prefer to have a life that is in the perfect temperature range. Little problems and stress, being loved by everyone, and everything I do prospering. Yet I know that this is unrealistic and not God’s plan for my life. God wants to produce in us growth, and to do that we need to go through uncomfortable times in our lives. That involves such things as hearing a message or lesson that I may not like, restoring relationships with people I may not like, weathering storms of life that I may not like, but understanding that each of them produces results that will lead me closer to God.

Jesus Christ stayed the course knowing that the ultimate sacrifice would result in the ultimate prize….our salvation. The things you go through in life, based on how you choose to react to them, will make an impact on others around you in a positive or negative way for the Gospel message we proclaim. Don’t let your reaction to the changes affect others in a negative way.