Where's the Fruit?

(etsy.com)

If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He’s there. (So, think about where you take Him every day…….or what you’re saying that breaks His heart, or the actions you take daily that displease Him. I’m glad He’s so forgiving, but, are we taking His grace for granted?)

If He’s alive in us, so is the fruit of His Spirit! By fruit, I mean, the manifestations of His Spirit; the evidence He’s in there.  The New Living Translation says it this way: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” – Galatians 5:22-23

These are the attributes that will manifest in our lives when we allow God’s Spirit to take over.

When we go through trials in life, as Christians, these are the things God is cultivating within us; the things He wants us to see in ourselves. Sometimes these are the very things we deny about ourselves.  “Oh, you think I’m faithful, eh? Well, let me tell you this…….” Or “Me? Good? How can you say that about me?” or “I have so little patience it’s ridiculous!”

(bouncingwithstyle.com)

 To prove to us that He’s alive in there and that we now possess His attributes, the facets of His love, He allows us to go through tests and trials so that we can see for ourselves what He already knows; that He’s really in there, producing all kinds of great fruit in us and through us. We may hate that we have to go through certain things in this life; perhaps if we were so stubborn and tough to convince of His promises, we’d face less trials.

God’s Word tells us, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” – 1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)

Testing will bring us great joy because Jesus is really alive in us! Hallelujah!

(sermoncentral.com)

Without testing, we don’t believe we can use that fruit in our lives. Just as when David fought Goliath, he went with what he trusted; his own weapon. “So [King] Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.” – 1 Samuel 17:38-39 (NKJV)

David, instead, chose to take his sling and some smooth stones into battle with the giant. To me, armor and a sword sounds more like what I’d want, but, David wasn’t convinced they’d do him any good, but rather, might hinder him.

God tests us for our own good; to prove to us that His power is real, and is actually within us!

Look for Him and the fruit of His Spirit as you go through your day. He’s there, and all that He promises will be revealed to us!

 

(theguardian.com)

Is This Trial Too Hard?

Have you heard the one about the man stuffing his pockets? Seems Saint Peter saw an old man scurrying around heaven with bulging pockets and a smug smile on his face. He said to the man, “Show me what you’re hiding there.” The man hung his head and pulled out a nice-sized chunk of gold. With a laugh, Peter asked, “What? Why are you shoving pavement into your pockets?”

 

In the Bible, gold is sometimes used to represent faith – it’s the greatest treasure we have, and that’s why the devil is after it. It may appear he’s after our children, our finances, our health or our successes, but he’s actually targeting the thing that holds all those things upright, our faith.

 

This morning in church, our pastor was quick to point out that our battle isn’t with the devil, he’s already defeated. He said you’ll wear yourself out trying to fight a dead man. He went on to teach us that we’re to fight the good fight of faith, coming against offense and jealousies and anything else that would try to steal away our faith. Tests and trials won’t destroy our faith, they will reveal our faith.

 

Yet, we resent the trials we face. What good can come of this, we ask?

 

It’s the dross in our gold; the impurities in our faith, that hold us back. The testing of the fire purifies our gold; our faith.

 

1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”  (NLT)

 

Another thing he pointed out is that unlike gold, which only God makes, brass is a man-made alloy, which represents judgment.

 

I have to ponder, are we working on creating a good-looking piece of brass? Or are we working with God to become more like Him, to perfect our faith?

 

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

 

 

“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” - Malachi 3:3 (KJV)

 

Photo courtesy of: http://onemansblog.com/2008/03/16/how-gold-is-made-and-refined/

Parenting Afterthoughts

 

I think sometimes wanting the best for our children comes back to bite us. It can be perceived as expecting too much from them.

I read somewhere to expect more and a child will usually measure up. If you set the bar low, hopefully the child will at least meet that measure, but they may not grow up thinking they can do better. You can encourage a child without pushing them off the deep end. You can go overboard as well; demanding perfection from an imperfect being can prove destructive both to the child and your relationship with that child.

Clearly none of us is perfect. No one parents perfectly and no one grows up the perfect child.

Most of us want more for our children than we had. Unfortunately, they can’t learn from our mistakes. It would be great if our children didn’t have to suffer the hurts we have. But they have to learn for themselves the high costs those mistakes can sometimes impose. I think the hardest part of parenting is watching your children hurt - and then there’s the tormenting yourself over what you could have done to prevent their pain. Sometimes it’s just not preventable.

You’d think I’d learn by now to speak less, while saying more. But I still put my foot in my mouth all the time. I ramble. My conversations sound trite to my listeners. Honestly, I don’t know how certain people put up with me! I think sometimes parenting has more to do with closing my mouth, than pointing out from experience what’s proven hurtful to me; most of the time the warnings go unheeded anyway. Most of us want to explore and learn and understand for themselves. I can’t say I’m any different.

So to the children of this generation and the next, I will try, and I won’t be perfect at it, but I will try to sit back and watch quietly. I’ll always be in your corner – praying for you as you navigate life’s rivers.

I’m always here if you need me. I love you.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (KJV)

Searching.....

If stars could be held
and sunshine contained
If trials were no trouble
if parents came trained
If darkness revealed things
instead of concealing
if pain didn’t hurt
and we’d never need healing
If sin wasn’t ugly
if heartaches weren’t real
then life wouldn’t matter
and we wouldn’t feel
If doubt didn’t happen
and fear didn’t scare
we wouldn’t find God -anywhere...
Helen Williams! c 12/02