daily IMPACT by selahV

Broken

2012-02-16T19:22:25-06:00

I've had this mug for over 8 years or more. It's a Christmas mug. I used it every day, no matter the season. It was special because my granddaughters gave it to me when my son took them Christmas shopping at the Dollar Store. Its value did not rest in its brand or maker. Its value was in the thoughts it brought me of a sweet son who took time to teach his girls to give. That was such a fun Christmas. He let the girls pick the craziest gifts for the family. My husband got one of those pair of glasses with the nose, mustache and eyebrows. Everyone took turns trying them on and taking pictures. I often thought of my son and his daughters and the love I have for them when I drank my morning, afternoon, or evening coffee. I often whispered prayers for them over a cup of steaming cocoa.

Yesterday, I drank my last sip of coffee from it and placed it on the stand beside my recliner as I read.

Unfortunately, I failed to place it far enough onto the table and it came crashing to my cement floor. I knew the second I released the handle that I'd misjudged the distance from my arm. Now, my familiar friend is gone. For a few moments I just sat there thinking about it. I didn't even look down. When I did look, a twinge of grief pinched my heart. I swept up the ceramic shards and sadly dumped them into the trash. I went to get another cup of coffee and realized it was the only mug, other than my husband's, that I'd packed from my house to bring to our new home. I started to close the cupboard door when I looked up and saw another mug I'd gotten from my daughter's house the day before. Imprinted in pink was the word "Joy".

I smiled. A broken mug cannot destroy the memories of joy I have in my heart. Though we may have times in life which bring us sadness and grief, when we trust in God, we know we have His joy to carry us through the valleys and up the mountains.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

Kindness

2011-11-22T12:44:22-06:00

It's more than a word. It is more than opening or holding the door for someone. It's more than offering to get someone a cup of coffee when you are on your way to get a coke. It may or may not be done without thinking, yet it is done without pretense or expectation. Spirit-filled kindness is selflessness.

It reminds me of the kindness and mercy Jesus had when He approached the city of Nain and saw a funeral procession coming through the gates. He went up to the bier and had compassion on the widowed mother whose only son was gone. I'm reasonably sure the mother wondered what she would do now. How would she provide for herself? How would she live?

Jesus understood. He stopped the processional and raised her adult son from the dead. He did this and brought glory to God. His every action brought glory to God. Kindness provides. When led by the Spirit, kindness always meets a need. (Luke 7:11-16)

Jesus had the ability. He had the power. He had what was necessary to really help this lady. More than condolences for her loss. He provided the ultimate. We do not have the power to raise someone from the dead. But when we have the ability, power, means to intervene, and ignore the plight of others, we fail to show the kindness that the Spirit of God bestows upon us for His glory. Many times we are not even aware of the need that our kindness meets. Sometimes we never know. Other times we are blessed with the knowledge of how God uses it.

I have a dear friend, Barb, who once helped her Chinese neighbor whose husband was abroad. Barb was there in the delivery room when the lady had her second child. Barb was there to help organize and conduct the lady's yardsale. Not long ago, this Chinese lady emailed Barb and told her she had become a Christian and was attending a church in China. Kindness beyond the recliner reaped a reward Barb will never know this side of heaven as her friend, neighbor, and now, sister in Christ, grows in her faith.

May God give us the ability to see the needs of others and act with kindness and mercy. May the kindness within us grow and produce the visible fruit of His indwelling life to daily impact others for God's glory. selahV

PATIENCE I Do Not Have...

2011-09-22T11:21:18-05:00

...is patience I have not learned or exercised. Patience is that attribute which glues all emotions together when the world is pulling them apart. Christians exhibit the fruit of the Spirit when they show patience with others. And oddly? With themselves.

With each stroke my 5-year-old granddaughter adds to this painting, she takes great care. As she paints, the colors blend--forming varying shades of the original. She wants it to come out just right. She takes her time. She carefully washes out her brush in the water and dries it off as she switches from pink to purple, or blue to green. She is not in a hurry. She is focused. Thoughtful. Patient.

As Abby continued to paint her landscape and rainbow, I shared some techniques with her on how to make a tree, grass, apples. She was very attentive to what I showed her. Then she began doing exactly as I explained. Patience is teachable. Impatience is not; it is self-centered. Patience looks beyond itself, it considers the circumstances and feelings of others.

As we struggle against the trials the Lord allows in our lives, patience plays a very important role in our growth as Christians. We must be teachable. Hasty actions or words undermine patience. Our emotions are neutral things. It's what we do with those emotions which cause our actions to exhibit the fruit of patience. Impetuous thoughts should never break forth from our lips--or for that matter our fingertips if we write.

"Be angry and sin not." James tells us. Anger is a normal feeling brought on by opposition, adversity or difficulty we do not want in our lives. Our steadfast reign over our emotions will produce patience and blend nicely with the other variables of the fruit of the Spirit. "Love is patient."(I Corinthians 13:4a.

Patience is the act of being patient; it's defined as akin to suffering. It bears pains or trials calmly or without complaint. It manifests forbearance under provocation or strain. It's not hasty or impetuous. It's steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. It's able or willing to bear things.

Do you see how united the fruit of the Spirit is? Love houses patience, joy, peace. The fruit cocktail. Patience is willing to bear pain and trials with a calm attitude. It's not given to complaint over the circumstances. It calmly waits in line at the supermarket, redlights and doesn't get torqued out of shape when cut off in traffic. Patience manifests forbearance in the midst of the difficulty. It waits to be heard when urgency seems necessary to counter another's point in a conversation. It hears another and avoids sour consequences. Patience puts aside the need to be first, win at any cost, or barge in where impatient attitudes are useless. Unproductive.

And when patience blends with all the other attributes within the fruit of the Spirit, lives are touched. Jesus is glorified. One attribute without the other weakens the "taste", the "flavor" of the complete cocktail. The completed painting.

Just like the finished product of my little Abby's artwork below, patience must have its way under the sufferings of life. How long did Noah wait for God's "bow" in the sky? As we wait upon the Lord and allow Him to teach us through His Word and Spirit, we grow in patience. When we face opposition, and count it great joy, patience multiplies. When we face ornery people and return love, the fruit of the Spirit is manifested. When we are daily devoted to God, we battle raging storms with minds bathed in Christ's peace. Then patience presents the finest picture of God to the world for Christ's glory.

God placed a bow in the sky as a promise. What a blessing to know God promises His forgiveness in the clouds of our darkest moments. Deliverance from veiled grey threats to rainbows of promises. selahV

PEACE Unlike Any Other

2011-09-20T19:26:45-05:00

Have you ever tried to sleep when your heart is troubled? When you are filled with fear? There is no peace or rest in that kind of sleep. This photo is my son sleeping with his little baby. Their faces were at peace as their bodies were at rest. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."(John 14:27.

Jesus left His peace with us through His Spirit. We exhibit that peace in resting in Him through all situations. We may have fear, but peace overrides it. We may have waves of trouble, but peace calms the raging waters. "Peace," Jesus commanded the winds, "Be still."

And what does the Lord say to the psalmist? "Be still and know that I am God." Why must we be still to know that God is God? Because we fret and try to fix our problems when we are not still. Stillness rests in God. And in God we have peace. Peace that supercedes any unrest in our lives. Where does the Shepherd lead us? Beside the still waters. Jesus, "He Himself is our peace..."(Eph.2:14a.

He is our "still" Living Water.

Jesus is the "Prince of Peace." And blessed are we who are "peacemakers, for they [we] will be called children of God."(Mt.5:9. So peace is not just an inward feeling. Peace is an active ingredient within the fruit of the Spirit. Kinda like the sugar that sweetens the "fruit cocktail" I spoke of in my earlier post. Peace is granted to believers through the blood of the cross.(Col.1:20. And believers are at peace with God their Creator. No more fear. Total tranquility. We have been redeemed. Our sin and guilt is washed away, we are righteous in Him.

Knowing all this, we must be still and know His Peace. When we move, we must move in His Peace. Isn't it wonderful to know the Prince of Peace? By His love He gives joy and peace.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."(Galatians 5:22,23)

This kind of peace fruitfully pours forth in the midst of turbulence and attack. It's the peace one has that passes all understanding. No one can explain the peace that envelopes a heart pummeled with outside pressures. Peace is of God. It cannot be manufactured by an anxiety pill. Spirit-filled peace is a tiny dove resting on its nest in the tail-winds of a hurricane. Peace is the calm assurance that the storm clouds are nothing but temporary masks over blue skies. It is unlike any other. selahV

JOY

2011-09-17T10:54:20-05:00

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."(Galatians 5:22,23)

JOY. Another attribute of the Spirit. Ever seen someone in the deepest conflict and circumstance and wonder how in the world they can be so happy? It's because they aren't. Happiness is a temporary state. They are exhibiting a super-natural manifestation of the Spirit. Joy. Joy is a by-product of a Spirit-filled Christian. Joy is of God. Just like Love.

The psalmist prayed for the Lord to "restore to me the joy of Your salvation." Salvation is God's gift. In that gift is joy. The immeasurable, incomprehensible inner rejoicing of a heart. In the madness of grief, joy remains. In fact, joy is the saving factor of one's sanity in the abyss of dark valleys of death.

One of the most joy-filled days of my life was the day of my son's funeral. God so filled my heart with peace and assurance that I could see no darkness...only light. Was I crazy? No. When they played the music we'd picked out, Spoken For, I Can Only Imagine and On My Way, I saw my son dancing at the feet of Jesus. I saw the peace and joy he'd always longed for on this old earth in the Heaven above. The knowledge of where my son was and the assurance of being with him someday gave me a joyful hope of things to come.

I had three speakers the day of the funeral. Each shared the most unbelieveable stories of my son's love for the Lord, the Church, his family and friends. Stories upon stories were related to us of how much he was appreciated for tiny little things he'd done. Words he'd spoken in encouragement to others. I call them candles.

You see, the darkest days of my life were those which followed the unexpected death of my son. But my son lit candles of light in others lives before he died. Then those lights broke forth into the realms of darkness and grief to lend light to see the Joy of the Lord on the day we laid his body to rest. I was still heartbroken for my loss, but the Lord ministered to that brokenness with His joy.

Joy is possible to me because of a wooden cross at Calvary. Joy in the cross. The cruel, dehumanizing, humiliating death on a cross. Joy. In Christ's sufferings. Joy in Christ's death. Joy. Because without the cross, there'd be no Joy.

So we blend love and joy. Love when it's impossible to do so. Joy when it's impossible to experience it. Yet, through our Lord and Savior's sacrificial attoning death and ressurrection, these attributes of the fruit of the Spirit live within us. What matters now is that we allow the Spirit to release His joy within our hearts so we may share His love with others. selahV

Love Doesn't Spoil

2011-09-05T19:11:33-05:00

Love preserves. It lasts forever. It endures. It does not fail. We talk alot about the things we love in life. Music--country or rock. Activities--basketball, tennis, football. Food--pickles, veggies, fruit. In the previous post we talked a bit about the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22,23

I find it interesting that "love" heads up this list. I like love. I think love encases everything else. Each attribute helps germinate and grow our love--expand upon it, express it, manifest it. Love wraps around the other characteristics like the skin on an apple. Peel away the skin and the fruit inside begins to turn brown, then it dries up.

People can be gentle and not have love. They can show kindness but not have love. They can be patient and not have love. That's because the kind of love the Spirit gives is God Himself. God is love. Love is eternal. Love makes no room for deceit, anger, bitterness, selfishness, and irritibility. Love is the core of our being. It is the seed that keep on growing and giving birth to more love.

Remember that old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Imagine my surprise when my doctor said pears have greater fiber and are better for our digestive system than apples. Unless I'm cutting it up for a fruit salad, I like my pears very firm and solid. When you chew pears, they have this kind of gritty texture. That grittiness is part of the fiber that is good for our digestive system. It permeates the pear like love permeates every part of our being.

Makes sense that after Jesus washed his disciples feet, just before his crucifixion he said: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

When we share God's love with others, people are better able to digest the world's evil, cruelty, and hatred and expel it from their hearts. Because of God's love in my life, and people who exhibit love toward me, I am able to eliminate the toxins that would otherwise poison my spirit and mind. I feel more secure, less inferior. I have more patience, get less irritated. Love generates love. God's love for me sustains me. My love for God keeps me obedient. Love is the pear we need every day to keep our Christian spirit fueled and our attitudes healthy. The more we love, the more we want to love. The more others love us, the more apt we are to love ourselves, and then, others as ourselves.

Guess that's why I like love-- it feels good. So good...I wanna share it. If I don't, my words are like a clanging cymbal--all noise.

A Bit of FRUIT Introspection

2011-08-31T00:32:34-05:00

I love fruit. Almost any kind of fruit. My absolute favorite is fresh pineapple. If I were stranded on an island, I believe I could eat pineapple for years and never tire of it.

I suppose we all prefer some fruit over others. With canned fruit, I buy pineapple chunks and sliced peaches. Hubby likes fruit cocktail. I pick out the cherries. There isn't a canned fruit cocktail that compares to a fresh fruit salad (for my recipe).

We can pick and choose our favorite fruit. Pineapples are best if they are a bit yellow but not browned. If hard and green, they aren't as juicy and sweet. I'm careful not to buy much fruit when it's not in season. With Christians, God is manifested through us by the attributes His Spirit gives us. Paul tells us the fruit that is evident in the Spirit-filled Christian:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."(Galatians 5:22,23)

It takes all the "fruit" to be Spirit-filled.  As we yield our lives to God, we exhibit the Spirit's fruit.  When we do not manifest the fruit, it's likely because we are seeking our own way, resisting--rather than relinquishing our will to the Spirit. When people come near us, we're a lot like the outside of that pineapple, it's leaves all prickly and irritable.

We can say we love someone, but love is not stagnant. Love moves. Love acts upon the heartfelt feelings and will and lets go of itself for the benefit of others. It purposes to exhibit the heart of God that is implanted in us upon our trusting in Him and relying on Him to sustain us and provide all we need to walk in His will.

Paul referred to the various attributes of the Holy Spirit as being fruit--not fruits. Yet, I've come to realize that each attribute is connected to the other-- kinda like the fruit-salad I make for special potluck dinners. Each fruit has its own characteristics with distinct flavors and becomes one salad. When we look at the various attributes of the Spirit's fruit, we can see how one without the other is not complete. Can you imagine love that is impatient, stingy, or hateful?

In the next few devotionals I want to explore the individual "fruit" attributes we are given. I find it amazing that the Spirit combines all these things so we are more fully completed in image of God. I hope you will, too.

[If you have any insights, please feel free to share them. If you like the series, please share it with others in your social network.]

Photo provided by Maui Pineapple Farm

WHEN I NEED HELP

2011-08-27T22:14:28-05:00

I don't like to admit it when I need help. Do you? I see the tasks before me, the adversaries that I face. I might meet the challenges before me, but when I ask for help, for prayer when I am weak, my strength is doubled. When I turn to others and let them know my weakness, they share the weight of my burden. Their prayers and strength give me added power to deal with my proverbial giants.

"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV 2001

Intercession. Faith. Perseverance. Diligence. These things entertwined, are virtues which ensure a stronger bond between our Lord and us against the world's pull and grip. We dare not relax our hold for fear of losing the tug of war we have with life.

What causes us to resist the power of God's triune strength? to question how to prevail when His three-fold cord is wrapped around our soul?

As man seeks to prevail against us and battle for our allegiance and hope, we have a God who holds us in every storm. The question to me is not can I be a strand in the cord? Of course I can. But will I be? Will you?

More Than Anything, I Want

2011-08-20T22:23:06-05:00

...to know Jesus in all His fullness.

Can you imagine the day you see Him face to face? Sometimes I see Him in people. I saw Him today when a dear friend showed up to help my son-in-law hang sheetrock. He's in his eighties. He greeted me with a big smile and hug. I asked, "are you here helping us build our house?" He chuckled and replied, "Oh, I'm just here playing." That was so funny. He could work circles around men half his age. A true servant of the Lord is Bob Martin.

I saw Jesus in my daughter as she helped the only waitress in the little roadside restaurant where we ate lunch today.  Every table was packed. While we waited for our burgers and salads, my daughter got up and served a few soft-drinks to customers, then began clearing away dirty dishes from the tables. A heart of mercy beats inside my daughter.

"We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:10

I want to be more like Jesus. I want to, not only give a drink of water to a thirsting soul, I want to be eager to give with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I want to be the one that others cannot see because they're looking at Jesus in me. I want to comfort more than I seek comfort...to console more than be consoled. To serve more than be served. To give more than receive. It is possible to know Jesus in all His fullness. When we look at Christ in the lives of other Christians, we see Him. We just need to watch for Him. selahV

When Words Do Nothing

2011-08-17T17:02:09-05:00

Ever have a conversation with someone and receive nothing but criticism? Or everything you say is questioned, judged, or second-guessed?

So you back up and try to figure out why they misunderstand what you say. You begin to analyze your own words and what you meant by what you said, or wrote? When you do your best to explain yourself and find yourself with less understanding than you when you begun, it may be time to turn a deaf ear or blind eye.

I love to open an email from someone and see positive statements, and find encouraging words. I have some great friends who send me uplifting thoughts all the time. I like to visit blogs that comfort me, assure me, and help me see the goodness in God. It's how I am. Most folks are like me. They want affirmation. When they share the depths of their hearts, they like wisdom, hope, and kindness returned. Sometimes people think they know you and no matter how much you share about yourself, they only have a glimpse of who you are...yet, they have an abundance of grace and mercy in their words.

Every now and then I get a person who boggles my mind. They interpret things I say in a cloud of mystery. They judge what I say by what they "think" I'm saying, and when I explain what I mean, they still go back to what they think I meant originally and go on and on about how I couldn't have meant what I said. It gets so confusing, I lose all desire for conversation. Sometimes they apologize for saying things that they believe offend and when I fail to answer how they thought I should, they turn that around, too. Sometimes I wonder if all a person wants to do is dissect and parse words. This gives me the feeling they don't trust me; that they think I am deceitful or embellishing a situation or circumstance-- that I am simply trying to eat my words by spewing new ones. When an impasse comes, I figure it's time to just let things be. Let others think what they want. Inevitably, when I think the air is cleared on the whole thing, a few weeks later it happens all over again. That is when I am so very grateful for the majority of people in my life.

Any given day I have several people share words of encouragement, pithy quotes of wisdom.  They make up for the one who doesn't really understand where I'm coming from. They impact my life for the better. Scripture has a lot to say about speaking to one another. For instance:

"A man has joy in making an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment-- how good it is!" Proverbs 15:23

I get a lot of "joy in making an apt answer". I try to speak as I want to be spoken to. I seek to speak as God would have me. But sometimes...well, sometimes I just don't pick the right words. Or I say the right words at the wrong moment. But "how good it is" when someone tells me I said just what they needed to hear. Joy explodes and is its own reward.