Category Archives: Spiritual Gifts

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November 5, 2015

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God's Plan, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Nature, Peace of God, Sharing Our Faith, Spiritual Gifts

WHY DO I DO IT?

Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? [Romans 10:13-14 (TLB)]

I’d been asked to answer why Jesus moved me to write a Christian daily devotional. There certainly are times I ask myself that same question. I wondered how to reply to that query as I walked the swamp/bird sanctuary this morning.

corkscrew swamp sanctuaryOriginally a city girl, I never would have expected spending at least one day a week on this boardwalk in the midst of water, ferns, cypress, herons, hawks, spiders and gators. A private person, I would never have expected to share my faith journey so publicly either. While contemplating why I do it, I started taking pictures of the swamp. I silently complained that, no matter how many shots I take, I’ve never managed to capture the beauty, mystery and sense of peace I find in this strange place. Neither words nor photos can capture why I love it so—and yet I continue to try. I will admit that I didn’t love it at first. We first visited out of curiosity but became intrigued enough to come again and again and learn more about it. Now, whenever we have visitors, the swamp is a “must do” activity. Being so familiar with it, we can show them where the deer might be found, the gator family lives, the scarlet hibiscus and blue flag iris hide, the baby owls roost, and the woodpeckers nest—all of which we missed on our earlier visits. We can explain how the strangler fig grows, about the cypress knees, which wading bird they’re seeing, and what the seemingly dead resurrection fern will look like after a rain—none of which we knew when we first visited. We didn’t love the swamp at first but, as we came to know it, we grew to love it and want to share that love with others.

So, what compels me to post a Christian devotion five times a week? Just as I want to share my love of the swamp with our guests, even though I’m neither botanist nor zoologist, God has somehow tasked me with the sharing of my love of Jesus with strangers, even though I’m neither theologian nor minister! He’s given me the desire to share my faith and my failings, the peace of God and the struggles of a follower, the comfort of His presence and the guidance of His word so that others can experience the peace, love and joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus and reading the Bible.

My words and photos can’t do justice to the swamp so, if you’re ever in Southwest Florida, be sure to spend some time at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. You’ve just got to experience it for yourself. The words of my devotions can’t do justice to God, either. My prayer is that people will find them interesting enough to encourage them to delve into God’s word for themselves and take their own journey of faith. You’ve got to experience God firsthand and, as we found with the swamp, once you know Him, you’ll love Him. Unlike our favorite swamp, however, there’s no admission fee.

A true faith in Jesus Christ will not suffer us to be idle. No, it is an active, lively, restless principle; it fills the heart, so that it cannot be easy till it is doing something for Jesus Christ. [George Whitefield]

When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them! … [Peter and John replied] “We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard him say.” [Acts 4:13, 20 (TLB)]

For just preaching the Gospel isn’t any special credit to me—I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don’t. If I were volunteering my services of my own free will, then the Lord would give me a special reward; but that is not the situation, for God has picked me out and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. [1 Corinthians 9:16-17 (TLB)]  

swamp lily-great egret-blue flag iris

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August 5, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Sharing Our Faith, Spiritual Gifts

THE GRACE PROJECT – PART 2 (RECEIVING)

And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” [Acts 20:35 (NLT)]

columbine - mhspIL0549-2-cropwebWhile our pastor was preaching his series on God’s grace, an acquaintance asked me to pray for her friend (who we’ll call Faith) and her friend’s twenty-month old daughter (who we’ll call Hope). Faith was a single mother with no family support. Baby Hope, underweight and slow in her development, was failing to thrive for no apparent medical reason and scheduled to undergo a series of medical tests. Because she’d missed so much work due to her daughter’s illnesses, Faith had lost her job.

When our pastor offered each congregant a ten dollar bill to use to spread God’s grace, I just knew that money was intended for Faith. When the time came to accept the cash, however, I hesitated. The church was struggling to pay down their mortgage. Why should I take money from it when I had enough of my own to give away? I didn’t feel that I could accept the church’s money when they had such a great need themselves.

The next week, ten dollar bills were offered once more and, again, I wouldn’t take one. Instead, I decided to send Faith some of my own money. While I could certainly afford it, that just didn’t feel right; that wasn’t part of God’s plan. The point of the exercise wasn’t just to give someone something; it was to accept something we didn’t deserve and then to pass it along. I knew that sending my own money bypassed the first part of the lesson.

Every day, as I prayed for Faith and Hope, I continued to be troubled by my refusal to accept the church’s money. A week later, I attended a class about spiritual gifts. Unexpectedly, the pastor gave me ten dollars to illustrate a point about the acceptance of God’s gifts. I had to laugh when it appeared that I could no longer escape that ten dollar bill! All I had to do was accept it, which I finally did. The next day, it was sent to Faith along with a note of encouragement and a promise to keep her in my prayers.

I’m glad God is so persistent—there was a lesson I needed to learn about accepting His gifts and He wasn’t about to quit until I learned it. Our God is loving and generous and, no matter how difficult it seems, we should be gracious enough to accept His gifts and use them wisely. The Apostle Paul quoted Jesus as saying that it is “more blessed to give than to receive.” While that’s undoubtedly true, for many of us, it much harder to receive than it is to give!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the many gifts you lavish upon us, your children. May we always accept them with enthusiasm and grateful hearts and share them with joy and love.

As God loves a cheerful giver, so He also loves a cheerful taker, who takes hold on His gifts with a glad heart. [John Donne]

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. [Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)]

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August 26, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Fruit of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Gifts

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

8-26-14 fruitofspiritWEBBut what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. [Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)]

I love to picture the fruit tree of a Christian’s life. Instead of apples or oranges, it is laden with fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Let’s grab our bushel baskets and harvest this wonderful fruit of the Holy Spirit!

The Fruit of the Spirit Song (Fill Me Up)
[by Rick Muchow & Rick Warren]

God’s apple is love, His orange is patience,
Banana is self-control, His lemon is peace,
His kindness a peach, And my life is the bowl.

So, fill me up (with your Spirit, it’s delicious),
Fill me up (let me hear it, it’s nutritious),
Fill me all the way up, With the fruit of Your Spirit!

 

 

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August 4, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Fruit of the Spirit, God's Plan, Obedience, Spiritual Gifts

WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. [Colossians 1:9b-10 (NLT)]

What is my purpose, my goal, in life? Now in my seventh decade, I still vacillate over the answer. Moreover, the answer seems to have changed over the years. Was it to be an obedient child and a good student? To be a good mother and homemaker? Is it now to be a loving grandmother? Has it been to be a community volunteer? Is it now to be a writer? Was it to help my husband in business? Is it now to enjoy retirement?

What is our purpose in life? Is it to be someone, have something, achieve a special goal, accomplish a specific task, or to amass a particular amount of money? Upon reading the Bible, however, I realize there is no reason to be uncertain when answering that question. Our purpose is clearly laid out for us in Jesus’ own words:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)]

 

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July 28, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Fruit of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Love & Works, Spiritual Gifts

RECIPE FOR A FRUITFUL LIFE

Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness add love. [2 Peter 1:5-7 (ERV)]

Take a large bowl and gently stir together the above ingredients, adding one element at a time. Mix well. Taste and evaluate. Are you a little short of any component? Some chefs need a dash more self-control while others need to add more kindness. For best results, add extra love. Place in an empty life and sprinkle with plenty of prayer. Be sure to exercise perseverance during the cooking process and feel free to call on the Holy Spirit for help. When in doubt, refer to the Holy Bible for more detailed directions.

If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1:8 (ERV)]

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March 29, 2014

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Fruit of the Spirit, God's Promises, Peace of God, Prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Worry

The Peace of God is Promised

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)]

When Paul told the Philippians to be sure to present their requests to God in prayer, it’s important to note that he never said they would get exactly what they’d requested. What they would get, he told them, was the peace of God.

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. [Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)]