The fruit of goodness seems so obvious and straightforward, that I kind of struggled with writing about it for this blog. I mean, it’s just being good, right? Well, yes and no. I want to look at what that really means. First, let’s define goodness. According to dictionary.com, goodness means: “1. the state or quality of being good; 2. moral excellence; virtue; 3. kindness, generosity; … or 5. the best part of anything, essence, strength.”
The very definition of goodness makes it seem impossible to attain. I mean, who among us is really morally excellent or “the best part of anything.” I’d love to tell you that Scripture is more encouraging on this, but listen to what the Bible has to say about goodness and humans. Jeremiah 13:23 states, “Can the … leopard [change] its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” Romans 3:12 tells us that “there is no one who does good, not even one.” Matthew 19:17 says, “There is only One who is good.” I can tell you that is not talking about you or me!
Both the definition and Scripture paint a bleak picture of our goodness as human beings and of our capacity to be good. Basically, we are not good. At all. Not even if we try. But here is the hope of Scripture – God provides a way for us to break free from our naturally evil natures and experience His goodness.
The apostle Paul describes the struggle and the solution in his letter to the Romans. He says, “So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” We are incapable of being good apart from Jesus. But God promises to help us! Without Him, we are nothing. Apart from Him, we can bear no fruit, especially the fruit of goodness.
The Bible also says that good things can come from good stored within us. Matthew 12:35. The only way to store up good things in our heart is to meditate upon and learn God’s Word. We already saw that God and His Word are the only sources of good. So that is what we must store up in our hearts. Then we can draw upon God’s goodness stored within us to know and do what is good. I know I’m repeating myself, but I cannot stress enough that we cannot be good apart from God. The Bible is clear on that. Our connection to and relationship with God is vitally important to our production of the fruit of goodness. So, the first step towards the fruit of goodness is to make sure we are connecting with God regularly.
God shows us what is good by the example of Jesus Christ and through His Word. Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O Man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” There is a definition of being good right there. We are to focus first on our walk with God and to be humble in that walk, always remembering that it is God in us that enables us to follow these commands. Then we are to be just in our actions and to be merciful always. So, this is one concrete thing we can do to encourage goodness in our lives – in each circumstance, act justly and love mercy.
As you go through this holiday season and deal with often-stressful situations, take time to study God’s word and learn what He has for us. Then look for opportunities to be, do and say what is good.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Transformation and Thankfulness
I know this isn't directly related to any particular fruit, but this topic has been on my mind and I feel I should write something about it. I hope you get something out of it too!
Last night I was watching The Biggest Loser and I started thinking. I know, crazy right? :) Anyway, it was an episode where they were looking back at the lives and experiences of past contestants. I noticed that nearly every one of them had taken jobs in fitness after their Biggest Loser experience was over. Each one was so excited about the transformation in their bodies that they couldn't help but tell others, help others experience the same, and devote their whole lives to the fitness and nutrition that helped to bring about the change in the first place. When we experience transformation and are changed for the better, the natural response is absolute devotion and excitement.
So, when God transforms our lives, why don't we react in the same way? Where is the excitement that pushes us to tell everyone we know and even people we don't know? Where is the passion that moves us to devote our entire lives and all of our energy to that which has brought about this change in us? Where is our utter devotion? God has transformed not our earthy, temporary bodies, but our internal, eternal souls. What could surpass that? We need to get excited about this!
So often, I think, the pressures of this world we live in cause us to squelch the passion and excitement we feel at the moment of transformation (or the moment when we first realize we have been transformed). We are embarrassed to proclaim our excitement. We are ashamed to be labeled a "crazy Christian" and don't want to deal with all that entails. But we shouldn't allow the world to kill our excitement over this! I'm not saying we need to talk about it every minute of every day, but let's allow ourselves to be excited, to be passionate, and to tell people about what we've experienced. God can use our passion, our joy, to touch the lives of those around us whether we know it or not. We limit Him and His purpose when we push those feelings down and react from embarrassment instead of from the joy and fervor that God has given as a result of His work in our lives.
Instead of squelching, let's try to let our excitement show. Let's share it with others! What better day than Thanksgiving for this lesson? Today and every day, I am so thankful for God's work in my life. I am eternally grateful that even when I didn't care, God refused to let me go. He actively pursued me and pursues me still, for I am His child. He continues to work in my life and for that I am thankful too. What a great God we serve! He is deserving of our thankfulness and praise! Every good thing that we have and experience in this life is a gift, a precious gift from Him. Praise God!!
Another thing that has been on my mind is our (often) failure to devote our time and efforts to learning more about God and spending time with Him. Think of something that you enjoy doing, a hobby perhaps, and think back to the time when you first discovered it. For me, that is cake decorating and coming up with new recipes for cakes and cookies. I discovered the tools for this earlier this year and, ever since then, I cannot get enough of it. I read everything I can; I look at pictures and learn new techniques; I practice a lot and try new things. In short, I devote a lot of my free time to this new hobby. Are you the same with your hobby and/or passion?
I was thinking of this and wondering why we don't react this way to our faith and our love for God. I can spend all day looking at cake books and reading recipes and techniques, but some days it's all I can do to pick up my Bible and read what God has for me. How said is that?! Shouldn't we be showing this same passion to God? Why is it that I'm not obsessed with reading God's word, hearing his techniques for my life, and devoting time to him? Perhaps this passion can come only through prayer and practice. Can you pledge with me to make this a larger part of our lives? To be so excited about what God has done, is doing, and will do that we simply cannot get enough? That we rush in our free time to read the Bible, to pour over God's word and put His techniques into practice. That we come to a place where we think about it all the time and come up with new ways to live God's principles. How great is your Word, O God, how wonderful your precepts. They are like life to me! (see Psalm 119)
Last night I was watching The Biggest Loser and I started thinking. I know, crazy right? :) Anyway, it was an episode where they were looking back at the lives and experiences of past contestants. I noticed that nearly every one of them had taken jobs in fitness after their Biggest Loser experience was over. Each one was so excited about the transformation in their bodies that they couldn't help but tell others, help others experience the same, and devote their whole lives to the fitness and nutrition that helped to bring about the change in the first place. When we experience transformation and are changed for the better, the natural response is absolute devotion and excitement.
So, when God transforms our lives, why don't we react in the same way? Where is the excitement that pushes us to tell everyone we know and even people we don't know? Where is the passion that moves us to devote our entire lives and all of our energy to that which has brought about this change in us? Where is our utter devotion? God has transformed not our earthy, temporary bodies, but our internal, eternal souls. What could surpass that? We need to get excited about this!
So often, I think, the pressures of this world we live in cause us to squelch the passion and excitement we feel at the moment of transformation (or the moment when we first realize we have been transformed). We are embarrassed to proclaim our excitement. We are ashamed to be labeled a "crazy Christian" and don't want to deal with all that entails. But we shouldn't allow the world to kill our excitement over this! I'm not saying we need to talk about it every minute of every day, but let's allow ourselves to be excited, to be passionate, and to tell people about what we've experienced. God can use our passion, our joy, to touch the lives of those around us whether we know it or not. We limit Him and His purpose when we push those feelings down and react from embarrassment instead of from the joy and fervor that God has given as a result of His work in our lives.
Instead of squelching, let's try to let our excitement show. Let's share it with others! What better day than Thanksgiving for this lesson? Today and every day, I am so thankful for God's work in my life. I am eternally grateful that even when I didn't care, God refused to let me go. He actively pursued me and pursues me still, for I am His child. He continues to work in my life and for that I am thankful too. What a great God we serve! He is deserving of our thankfulness and praise! Every good thing that we have and experience in this life is a gift, a precious gift from Him. Praise God!!
Another thing that has been on my mind is our (often) failure to devote our time and efforts to learning more about God and spending time with Him. Think of something that you enjoy doing, a hobby perhaps, and think back to the time when you first discovered it. For me, that is cake decorating and coming up with new recipes for cakes and cookies. I discovered the tools for this earlier this year and, ever since then, I cannot get enough of it. I read everything I can; I look at pictures and learn new techniques; I practice a lot and try new things. In short, I devote a lot of my free time to this new hobby. Are you the same with your hobby and/or passion?
I was thinking of this and wondering why we don't react this way to our faith and our love for God. I can spend all day looking at cake books and reading recipes and techniques, but some days it's all I can do to pick up my Bible and read what God has for me. How said is that?! Shouldn't we be showing this same passion to God? Why is it that I'm not obsessed with reading God's word, hearing his techniques for my life, and devoting time to him? Perhaps this passion can come only through prayer and practice. Can you pledge with me to make this a larger part of our lives? To be so excited about what God has done, is doing, and will do that we simply cannot get enough? That we rush in our free time to read the Bible, to pour over God's word and put His techniques into practice. That we come to a place where we think about it all the time and come up with new ways to live God's principles. How great is your Word, O God, how wonderful your precepts. They are like life to me! (see Psalm 119)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
To Be Kind Is To Forgive
From Ephesians 4:32, we learn that kindness also involves forgiveness. Forgiveness is essential to retaining a kind attitude towards others. Think about it. If someone has wronged you and you are holding onto that hurt or anger, isn't it difficult to be kind to that person? But God not only calls us to act kindly but to have a kind, tender-hearted attitude towards each other. So, forgiveness is necessary.
The example is obvious. The verse says "...just as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." We are to forgive in the same way that God has forgiven us. Totally and completely, with no remembrance of the wrong. Scripture tells us that God has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. He does not hold our sins against us but instead extends much-needed grace to us in our sins. We are called to do the same. We are to treat those who have wronged us as if the wrong never happened. That is kindness at it's core and what we are called to do.
Easier said than done, right? That seems to be a theme with these fruits, doesn't it? Let's start by being deliberate in prayer and action. Even if our emotions aren't completely in line, we can still control our actions towards others. We rely on the Holy Spirit, through our prayerful petition, to make the necessary adjustments to our hearts and attitudes. But this requires a commitment on our part to pray regularly about this issue, specifically confessing our unkind attitudes and sincerely asking for a change to those attitudes. And a commitment to acting kindly, extending grace, no matter what.
The example is obvious. The verse says "...just as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." We are to forgive in the same way that God has forgiven us. Totally and completely, with no remembrance of the wrong. Scripture tells us that God has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. He does not hold our sins against us but instead extends much-needed grace to us in our sins. We are called to do the same. We are to treat those who have wronged us as if the wrong never happened. That is kindness at it's core and what we are called to do.
Easier said than done, right? That seems to be a theme with these fruits, doesn't it? Let's start by being deliberate in prayer and action. Even if our emotions aren't completely in line, we can still control our actions towards others. We rely on the Holy Spirit, through our prayerful petition, to make the necessary adjustments to our hearts and attitudes. But this requires a commitment on our part to pray regularly about this issue, specifically confessing our unkind attitudes and sincerely asking for a change to those attitudes. And a commitment to acting kindly, extending grace, no matter what.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Be Ye Kind
Does anyone remember this children's song? "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Do Do, Do Do Do Do. Ba-rooom. Ephesians 4:32."
Ever since I realized it was time to start blogging about the fruit of kindness, I can't seem to get this song out of my head. I like that though. What more perfect verse is there to jump-start a discussion and understanding of kindness? It gives us a definition!
So, it seems that being kind means, at least in part, being tenderhearted and forgiving, following the example of Christ. This sounds a lot easier than it is!
First of all, we are to NOT harden our hearts toward anyone in any situation. Even when they are mean and hard-hearted towards us. Lately, I have been trying to teach this concept to my 4-year-old. He naturally has a very kind heart and quiet spirit. (How great is that?!) But his little sister has learned the fun of picking on my 4-year-old and often this "picking" is very mean. It is so hard for Will to be kind in the face of the meanness! What a hard concept for all of us and, really, how many of us are naturally kind like my son? If this is hard for him, do the rest of us have any hope of succeeding in kindness as God would like us to exercise it?
The answer, as with all of the other fruits is in the promise of the Spirit's help. And prayer! Kindness is actually a discipline. The more we practice the better we will get.
I would suggest getting into the habit of praying for a kind heart every morning before interacting with anyone at all. Then, throughout the day, if you feel your heart start to harden, say another quick prayer seeking the Spirit's help. Join me in trying this and let's see together what a difference this can make!
Next time, forgiveness! ...
Ever since I realized it was time to start blogging about the fruit of kindness, I can't seem to get this song out of my head. I like that though. What more perfect verse is there to jump-start a discussion and understanding of kindness? It gives us a definition!
So, it seems that being kind means, at least in part, being tenderhearted and forgiving, following the example of Christ. This sounds a lot easier than it is!
First of all, we are to NOT harden our hearts toward anyone in any situation. Even when they are mean and hard-hearted towards us. Lately, I have been trying to teach this concept to my 4-year-old. He naturally has a very kind heart and quiet spirit. (How great is that?!) But his little sister has learned the fun of picking on my 4-year-old and often this "picking" is very mean. It is so hard for Will to be kind in the face of the meanness! What a hard concept for all of us and, really, how many of us are naturally kind like my son? If this is hard for him, do the rest of us have any hope of succeeding in kindness as God would like us to exercise it?
The answer, as with all of the other fruits is in the promise of the Spirit's help. And prayer! Kindness is actually a discipline. The more we practice the better we will get.
I would suggest getting into the habit of praying for a kind heart every morning before interacting with anyone at all. Then, throughout the day, if you feel your heart start to harden, say another quick prayer seeking the Spirit's help. Join me in trying this and let's see together what a difference this can make!
Next time, forgiveness! ...
Monday, August 23, 2010
Out of Control
As I’ve said before, patience is not my strong suit. I have been struggling over the last month to put an entry together. It also just so happens that this has been a very bad month for me with regard to my patience. I have lost it on numerous occasions and have been trying hard to figure it all out. Patience really does not come naturally to me. But this exercise is forcing me to find new ways of viewing patience. Like we said from the beginning of this blog, these fruits aren’t magic. We must practice them and exercise those fruit “muscles” in order to make them more manifest in our lives. This one is no exception.
We looked briefly at what the Bible has to say about patience in the last entry. Now for the dictionary’s definition. According to Dictionary.com, “patience” has several related meanings: “the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like; an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay; quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care.” This is another good picture of what we are going for.
Patience seems to me to be about time and control most of all. I find I am most impatient when my plans are not being accomplished and when things (or people, like my kids) aren’t moving according to the timeline I have mapped out. Is this true for you, too? How do we manage our time? How do we react when our time gets away from us? It seems a little obvious, I suppose, but at least part of the answer to practicing patience must be in this concept of time and our expectations of time. If we learn to see time in a different way, will that make us more patient? How do we see time now and what changes do we need to make to that view of time?
Patience also has a lot to do with control and, more specifically, control over our time. It makes sense that patience has a lot to do with control, doesn’t it? Who is in control? I often fool myself into believing that it is me. But ultimately, I need to release all semblance of control over my own life and well-being to God. When I constantly struggle for control, I view time as my own and are frustrated when things don’t go according to my plan. Am I frustrated because of my plan? Or am I really frustrated because I feel I’ve lost control of the situation? I think it is the latter if I am really honest with myself. When we practice letting go of this control, we can become more patient people.
So, what does letting go of control look like? To me, it starts with holding my plans loosely. We have to make plans to be productive in our daily lives. But we must guard against letting our plans be the be-all and end-all of everything. When we hold our plans loosely, we allow God to work in our daily lives. We are more able to follow His lead and nudges as He brings things into our lives. We become more flexible with our time and, as a result, more patient.
While we need to release control over our time and plans, we need to practice more control over our reactions. These go hand-in-hand. This feels like one of God’s oxymorons, like “lose life to gain it” or “the servant will be the greatest.” You must lose control to gain it. We must let go of our control over our time (which is really no control at all because only God can truly control time) in order to gain control over our reactions. Control over our reactions is the very definition of patience. After all, “bearing” things “without complaint…or annoyance” and “the ability…to suppress…annoyance” both have to do with controlling our reactions and keeping our tempers at bay.
Does this all make sense to you? What practical suggestions do you all have to creating a proper view of time, letting God take control, holding plans loosely, and controlling our reactions?
We looked briefly at what the Bible has to say about patience in the last entry. Now for the dictionary’s definition. According to Dictionary.com, “patience” has several related meanings: “the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like; an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay; quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care.” This is another good picture of what we are going for.
Patience seems to me to be about time and control most of all. I find I am most impatient when my plans are not being accomplished and when things (or people, like my kids) aren’t moving according to the timeline I have mapped out. Is this true for you, too? How do we manage our time? How do we react when our time gets away from us? It seems a little obvious, I suppose, but at least part of the answer to practicing patience must be in this concept of time and our expectations of time. If we learn to see time in a different way, will that make us more patient? How do we see time now and what changes do we need to make to that view of time?
Patience also has a lot to do with control and, more specifically, control over our time. It makes sense that patience has a lot to do with control, doesn’t it? Who is in control? I often fool myself into believing that it is me. But ultimately, I need to release all semblance of control over my own life and well-being to God. When I constantly struggle for control, I view time as my own and are frustrated when things don’t go according to my plan. Am I frustrated because of my plan? Or am I really frustrated because I feel I’ve lost control of the situation? I think it is the latter if I am really honest with myself. When we practice letting go of this control, we can become more patient people.
So, what does letting go of control look like? To me, it starts with holding my plans loosely. We have to make plans to be productive in our daily lives. But we must guard against letting our plans be the be-all and end-all of everything. When we hold our plans loosely, we allow God to work in our daily lives. We are more able to follow His lead and nudges as He brings things into our lives. We become more flexible with our time and, as a result, more patient.
While we need to release control over our time and plans, we need to practice more control over our reactions. These go hand-in-hand. This feels like one of God’s oxymorons, like “lose life to gain it” or “the servant will be the greatest.” You must lose control to gain it. We must let go of our control over our time (which is really no control at all because only God can truly control time) in order to gain control over our reactions. Control over our reactions is the very definition of patience. After all, “bearing” things “without complaint…or annoyance” and “the ability…to suppress…annoyance” both have to do with controlling our reactions and keeping our tempers at bay.
Does this all make sense to you? What practical suggestions do you all have to creating a proper view of time, letting God take control, holding plans loosely, and controlling our reactions?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Ahhhh......Patience
Wow - we are to patience already. I confess that patience is a true struggle of mine. I'm sure my family can attest to that! Particularly my children, if they were old enough to explain such things. I have been putting off writing about patience, but it actually is good that I must. I have a lot to learn and definitely need points of practical application!
So, a good place to start is with Scripture, as always. Proverbs has a lot to say about patience. It's mostly about why patience is a good thing to have. Here are some verses to consider:
Proverbs 14:29 -- "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."
Proverbs 15:18 -- "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel."
Proverbs 16:32 -- "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temnper than one who takes a city."
Proverbs 19:11 -- "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."
I think about times when I have lost my patience and I know that the words in Proverbs are true. It makes things worse when a temper is lost. Not only does it make others angry too, but it makes my mood and attitude worse overall. I want to be considered wise, calm, and as having understanding. Clearly, having patience will produce those qualities in me.
Take some time to think about other benefits of patience, or share any other Proverbs that pertain to this "fruit." In the next post, I will start to talk about how to get patience (that is really the key, isn't it??). Until then, be patient! :)
So, a good place to start is with Scripture, as always. Proverbs has a lot to say about patience. It's mostly about why patience is a good thing to have. Here are some verses to consider:
Proverbs 14:29 -- "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."
Proverbs 15:18 -- "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel."
Proverbs 16:32 -- "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temnper than one who takes a city."
Proverbs 19:11 -- "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."
I think about times when I have lost my patience and I know that the words in Proverbs are true. It makes things worse when a temper is lost. Not only does it make others angry too, but it makes my mood and attitude worse overall. I want to be considered wise, calm, and as having understanding. Clearly, having patience will produce those qualities in me.
Take some time to think about other benefits of patience, or share any other Proverbs that pertain to this "fruit." In the next post, I will start to talk about how to get patience (that is really the key, isn't it??). Until then, be patient! :)
Purpose
I have, in recent years, been thinking a lot about purpose. What purpose does God have for my life? Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing? My questioning comes in the context of my life's "work" or the job I'm supposed to be doing, the legacy I will leave. I am usually thinking of my future - my career, my "path," my life's purpose. It occurs to me now, though, that this focus is entirely misplaced. My concern should not be on my plans and on having things set in place for me. This journey called life is not about knowing exactly what is coming and knowing what to do in every situation ahead of time. I would like it to be that way! Wouldn't life be so much easier?
Having such knowledge might give me momentary human comfort, but thoughts and questions like this only hinder my ability to allow God to work in my life. It again is my focus on myself rather than on God. How can growth occur if I move through life acting out a pre-determined script? Instead, I should live my life focusing on loving and serving God in each moment. In this way, I can remain open to whatever God has for me each day. I can trust God to see and lead me down the right path even when I don't see or know what that path is exactly. And it makes it easier for me to maintain constant conversation with God through daily prayer.
In each moment, rather than worry about what that moment has brought us or where we should go next, we can speak with God. Allow our hearts to praise Him for the good moments and the things we see around us all the time. Praise Him in the bad times and struggles, acknowledging that it is through those times that God is teaching us and drawing us closer to Him. Pray for help with decisions. Pray prayers of faith, expressing trust in God for control of each moment and day. Pray for those we come in contact with. Long and elaborate prayers aren't necessary, only our short statements and thoughts will make up this running conversation.
God promises to fill us with joy and peace, along with all the other "fruits," when we focus on Him. Let's test God in this and see what a difference it can make in our lives!
Having such knowledge might give me momentary human comfort, but thoughts and questions like this only hinder my ability to allow God to work in my life. It again is my focus on myself rather than on God. How can growth occur if I move through life acting out a pre-determined script? Instead, I should live my life focusing on loving and serving God in each moment. In this way, I can remain open to whatever God has for me each day. I can trust God to see and lead me down the right path even when I don't see or know what that path is exactly. And it makes it easier for me to maintain constant conversation with God through daily prayer.
In each moment, rather than worry about what that moment has brought us or where we should go next, we can speak with God. Allow our hearts to praise Him for the good moments and the things we see around us all the time. Praise Him in the bad times and struggles, acknowledging that it is through those times that God is teaching us and drawing us closer to Him. Pray for help with decisions. Pray prayers of faith, expressing trust in God for control of each moment and day. Pray for those we come in contact with. Long and elaborate prayers aren't necessary, only our short statements and thoughts will make up this running conversation.
God promises to fill us with joy and peace, along with all the other "fruits," when we focus on Him. Let's test God in this and see what a difference it can make in our lives!
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