Overflow

The words of Jesus are clear in that the fruit we bear reveals our true character.  When I hear that, the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit;  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control fill my head.  A born again follower of Christ lives a life full of life giving fruit.  I believe this.  Followers of Christ should be different. Our lives should be lived so that Jesus is seen in our words and actions.  It doesn't mean we won't do wrong but when life happens, our reaction reflects something different in us.

Count on this: no good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit.  You can know a tree by the fruit it bears.  You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a brier bush.  It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what is in your heart.

Luke 6:43-45

When we choose to follow Jesus there is a sacrifice involved.  It requires denying one's self and following Christ in a life of obedience. (Matthew 16:24)

God’s honor and glory are our sole purpose.  That's it.   Nothing more. It is not about us or our happiness, our wealth, and our needs or wants but instead the growth of His kingdom. This is not difficult  to understand but because of self centeredness and sin, the goal set before us is a struggle daily to achieve.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave us our marching orders, the great commission.  His words were,

I am here speaking with all the authority of God,  who has commanded me to give you this commission.  Go out and make disciples in all nations.  Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Then disciple them.  Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you.  And I will be with you, day after day,  to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:16-20

Pure and simple; share the gospel. No matter the cost.  Fire insurance should not be what we’re selling.  Instead a life transformation should take place.  A passion within the lives of those who choose Him should ignite so strong that the life they live reflects the One they follow.   A simple prayer cannot accomplish that task.  Discipleship must follow that prayer.  Walking alongside one another sharing the truths found in scripture should be the desire within us.

We should seek out those who are lost and searching and lack understanding.  Those who lack peace and purpose in their life.  Too many, Christianity is just a religion making them unaware of God and His presence.  Unaware of His love and grace. They are who we should seek out.

We, all who call ourselves children of God,  have a purpose.  God has a plan for every one of us and it begins with Him. It begins with us setting out to share His love, His grace and His mercy with those who need it.   It means extending ourselves for the greater good.  It means cleaning up our busy calendars and making time to serve and minister to those who are in need.

Examine your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit for direction and He will give it to you.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?"

2 Corinthians 13:5

The Holy Spirit is powerful.  When you are a follower of Christ, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives within you.  Once you have claimed Him as Lord and Savior of your life, you are sealed.  You are His. And you have a mission before you.  Now, Go and Tell!

Beautiful Scars

Instead, credit God with your new situation: you are united with Jesus the Anointed.  He is God’s wisdom for us and more. He is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

1 Corinthians 1:30

The look of concern that formed across the delicate face of my six year old as she looked at me sent my heart racing. Clearly something she saw she found disturbing. What had me perplexed was why it was she was looking at me. Suddenly her tiny thin lips began to form the words, asking, “mommy who stabbed you there?”  WHAT?  I was dumbfounded.  What did her eyes see that I did not? At once it hit me, my C-section scar.  

Funny the scars we carry each representing different stories in life.  Some of my scars remind me of happy and beautiful times while others stir emotions of extreme pain. But what of those scars that live deep within us?  The ones that are not visible to anyone else and pierce deep within our hearts. Those are the scars that we carry from broken and extremely painful pasts.  Each scar either comes from the self inflicted wounds that we create by our own choices or mistakes while others are delivered by the hand of someone else.  No matter how these scars are received they each still serve as a painful reminder of tremendous hurt. Each one we carry is a story, a story that we should embrace and not something we hide. They are our opportunity to share the transformation of healing that took place within us.  

My scars are my reminder of healing.  They are old wounds that have been mended and healed by the power of Christ in my life, serving as a message of hope.  Over the years I have learned to be thankful for the scars I have received, reminding me of the work God has done in my life, the struggles He has carried me through and the way in which He has healed the deep wounds of my life. My scars have become my treasures, my testimony to share with others in great hopes that their scars may find healing too!

Tis gar plen! : So what!

Picture by Aaron Peck www.carpdime.com

We all have “whats” that happen in our life where we are left wondering the "whys" of it all.  Those things in life that attempt to rob us of our joy.  You know those moments. The one when the storm rips the roof right off the house, God knows there is no money to pay for the damages yet He allows it to happen anyway kind of moments?  Those moments come for everyone at some point in life. Moments that leave us asking why. Moments that attempt to rob us of our joy.  If only we could understand the “whys” of it all, it might make the “whats” easier to handle.  Wouldn't it be great if when we found ourselves in the middle of those “whats” we could say, “So what!  God’s got this!”  Guess what?  We can!

Throughout the years, I‘ve learned that understanding the whys are not important as long as I trust God with "the what" of it all.  Realizing that whatever is taking place right now has a purpose and is part of a bigger plan allows me to endure the obstacles before me. God always has a why behind the what and though I may not understand the why, I can trust God completely with my what and even ask Him "now what?" What would you want me to learn from this?  

Now, when obstacles appear in my path I see them as divine opportunities, in which God will show Himself not just to me but to those around me as well if I choose to trust Him and give Him control of the situation.  When the setbacks come, I see them as setups for God to be glorified in my life.  God wants to use me to make a difference. God has a plan. What great joy I have found in my whys as I have seen that no matter how horrible or evil the circumstances, whatever Satan intended for harm, God will use for His glory and it will be made right if I give it all to Him. It is all about perspective. It is a mind shift.  It is about learning to say, Tis Gar Plen! Loosely translated this Greek phrase means “SO what!”  It is the phrase  Paul used when he was informed that the “super-apostles” were building up their following by taking advantage of the fact that he was in prison.  In Philippians 1:18 Paul's response is simply, so what! He realized that at the end of the day, it does not matter.  He was not going to lose sleep over it and He was definitely not going to allow it to steal his joy! God had much bigger plans for Paul and in the midst of it all, jealous “super-apostles” were nothing.  

So when life throws a curve ball, instead of freaking out about it, you can say, “So what!” (Tis Gar Plen!)”  (Philippians 1:12-18)  What does it matter? In the end, whatever hand we are dealt, we can be certain God has a purpose.  He has a plan.  He is in control.  In the end, everything is going to be ok!

Knowledge or Intimacy: Which will you choose?

It is possible to know all about doctrine and yet not know Jesus.  The soul is in danger when the knowledge of the doctrine out steps intimate touch with Jesus….Have I a personal history with Jesus Christ?  The one sign of discipleship is intimate connection with Him, a knowledge of Jesus Christ which nothing can shake.

Oswald Chambers

So I opened my fortune cookie and smiled as I saw the printed words on the tiny slip of paper.  How true the words that jumped off the paper.

We want to have a testimony, but we don’t want the test.

How many people want to be able to tell a really good story full of drama and intrigue but do not want to have to be the one who actually lives it out?  I really believe that no one wants to have to go through a hellish experience?   We want a butterflies and rainbows kind of life.  Well guess what?  A butterflies and rainbows kind of life is a wasted life.

I was laughing at myself on my way home from car pool this morning as James 1 popped into my head.

Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters.  As difficult as they are you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure.  And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line-mature, complete and wanting nothing.

James 1:2-4

I remember the naive young woman asking God to give her hardships so she could “endure, know patience and discover God in a big way.”  I cannot help but laugh at myself.  You know that whole hindsight is 20/20 thing?  If I had only known what was coming...I wouldn’t have changed a thing.  I have an incredible testimony!  I walked through hell and came out on the other side with something no one will ever be able to take away from me.  EVER.  

I wake up every day thankful for every moment of what I endured in my past.   However what I have in Christ was not given to me because I endured my past. The endurance taught me patience and how to wait on God’s timing. The endurance grew my faith beyond measure.  The intimacy I know sprung forth out of discovering Him in a way I had never known Him.   Not through knowledge but through relationship. In my deepest moments of despair and loneliness, He was the only thing left.  He was the only One who could rescue me.  He became my everything. That is how I came to know real joy and true intimacy with Jesus. I cannot explain to you the fullness of what I have because the joy of knowing Christ in this way is more than what can be written with words.

Trials, struggles, heartache, gut wrenching pain, sorrow and all those other things that can crush and break us bring about extreme change in our lives if we fight through them the right way.  They can actually bring triumphant joy!!  I am not talking happiness.  Happiness brought about by a good life, a great marriage, having a family, a beautiful home and so forth, I am talking about joy that can only come from knowing true contentment in Christ Jesus.  It is a joy that is found when we know Him in an intimate and personal way and He alone satisfies our every desire.  Not just something written or talked about but instead lived out on a daily basis because we know Him.  We have experienced Him and He radiates through our lives and we glow!  His joy is contagious! Sadly though a life can be lived without ever knowing Him in that way.  

We can all talk a good talk but it is not until we are desperate for Jesus that we truly understand the need for His grace and love.  So embrace your trials. Embrace your struggles. Give Him the sin that keeps you bound in chains and embrace the grace and joy He offers to you.  Endure it and watch your faith blossom!  Endure it and gain true patience that will allow you to trudge on through the hurdles of life as you wait on Him.   Hold Fast to Him and allow Him to walk you through it all. Allow Him to rescue you! It will not only change your heart but He will change your life too!!  Your life will be made new!