Respond or React

 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also

walk in the Spirit.

Let us not become conceited,

provoking one another, envying

one another.

Galatians 5:24,25

When I feel the Lord's conviction in my life regarding any changes I need to make in my spiritual walk, it never fails but what God allows testing in those areas almost immediately. When folks come to me with new, good or bad questions, remarks, gripes or complaints, it is then I know I have a choice and that choice has to be made in very quick fashion. The easier thing to do if I'm uncomfortable for some reason is to react and not respond to the individual who has approached me because there is a huge difference between reacting or responding to others. So what are the differences in the two emotions?

Reacting:This can be the easier of the two if one has an I-don't-care-attitude. When one reacts, an answer can be blurted out, often with a louder voice than usual and perhaps with a bit of a frown to the face. When we react, we tend to act in strong opposition with a bit of a raised voice. Negative body language can be another indication of one who is reacting to a stimulus of some kind. Reacting often causes hurt feelings in the innocent party.

Responding:When responding, we often just give a calm answer to a question or remark made for our consideration even if we don't like what has been said to us. We tend to speak a little slower as if trying to think ahead of the next word so as to maintain emotional control. What is said still may be disturbing to us, but we can respond calmly and even have some things in our arsenal to respond with, such as: “Is that right?” or “Let me think about that a minute.” You may need more info about what has been said and unless more info would not be harmful, we can respond with “Do I need more information on this?” Just a few words to break the tension can be a help. If not, taking a nice deep breath before responding can be of even greater help.

The main differences in the two emotions are: volume of voice, temper or lack thereof, body language, speed of speech and perhaps other things depending on the make up of an individual.

Recently, a very kind man and good friend with him and his family came to me with an idea. It was one of those panic button things and my behavior was far from godly. I hurriedly replied and a little louder than needed with a negative reply. I knew on my way home that I had to correct that incident and not on the phone but in person. He was very kind when I talked to him with more kindness than I deserved and kinder than I had been in previous days.

When the Lord charges us with change, it will involve humility that is one of the hardest parts but it is a part of the Lord's teaching in our lives. It isn't easy admitting to people when we've wronged them. We all have opinions about things and issues. There will always be differences because we are all different. But in it all, we are admonished in Scripture to be kind to one another as well as forgiving one another.

Let me give a caution...there will be times when I catch you on an off day when you don't feel like hearing anything from anyone. I'm going to have days like that as well and neither of us are going to know the difference. This is where sometimes we have to give the other person the benefit of a doubt before jumping on the person like a member of a football defensive line. At a time like that, maybe an “uh-huh” or a simple “hmmmm” with a smile would be enough said.

Let the words of my mouth, and
the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in Thy sight,
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

But I say to you that for every
idle word men may speak, they will
give account of it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned.
Matthew 12:36,37

Lord Jesus, help me to know when to simply shut up. Help me to be sensitive to the feelings of others no matter what they ask of me. You treated common, ordinary people with such love and patience. I really want to be more like You. I love you...Amen.

Take Time To Be Holy

Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God.
II Corinthians 7:1

When we think of holiness, there are all sorts of pictures that come into our minds. For instance, when I was 9 years old, I was playing with my dolls on our front porch when Jesus walked by in front of our house and on up the block. Yep, it was Jesus alright. I got a real good look at him. He had the longer brown hair with matching beard. He wore a long robe with long sleeves and it wasn't a bathrobe either. At his waist was a rope that served as a belt. He also wore sandals. I remember thinking about the scene for a few minutes before telling my Mother about it. I didn't know what she would say if and when I told her about seeing Jesus in front of our house. I finally decided to tell Mother and she was rather casual about my information. She already knew it to be a young man whose parents she knew pretty well. He had left home to join a special group of men who were living in a commune in a northern state where all dressed like that all the time. She said it was some kind of holy group. When we think of holiness, we might have any number of pictures of people in our minds, but the outer trappings don't necessarily define the true holiness of any kind of believer. In our day, I do think we need to drop the emphasis on the trappings of what we or others think holiness to be and get real about what is meant by holiness in God's eyes.

In Scripture, we are admonished to “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16) But what is meant by our being holy? If we are holy in our being and living, we are dedicated to God or set apart for godly living.

But as he which hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (life style)
I Peter 1:15

There is a hymn in most hymn books that we don't even sing much anymore. The title is “Take Time To Be Holy.” What is interesting is that the words of this song were penned by Wm. Longstaff in the mid 1800's. What is also interesting to me is that even in the 1800's, a time of strong principles, morality and spiritual values, this man felt an urgency to call fellow Christians to a life of holiness. What would he think of we Christians today in light of the subject of holiness? His words are like a check-list for spiritual living and doesn't in any way encourage us to judge holiness by the outer trappings of one's life. He writes:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word:
Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone:
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct, His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide,
And run not before Him whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord,
And looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each motive beneath His control;
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

May I give an abbreviated list of some worthy goals as seen in the verses of this beloved hymn, goals that can only be met as we cooperate with and rely upon the empowering of the Holy Spirit of God. Every one of the following things are as Scriptural as John 3:16:

Take time to be a holy person....yes, it takes that time we are often not willing to spend.
Be a person of prayer.
Abide in Jesus ..as the branches in the vine spoken of in John 15.
Be a person of the Word, trust and follow it.
Maintain a good, friendly relationship with fellow Christians.
Help those less fortunate.
Crave God's favor in our lives.
Have those alone moments with Jesus and have them often.
Be like Jesus and let others see Jesus in us.
Trust God's guidance and don't try to go ahead of Him.
Be calm in spirit, maintaining a disciplined mind.
Be a person of love and service for the Lord.

Hopefully we are working in God's strength to attain to those things listed. Small children know very little of deep holy living. They are still at the ME stage for the most part. How sad if we at our ages remain in the ME stage of our spiritual lives. All of the things on that list require dying to self and focusing on God and others. Holy living for us will not be the outer trappings although the outer trappings can be affected by our holy living. We can dress like Jesus, Mary or the apostle John and it won't make us holy. Holiness is going to begin inside of us. I can't begin to tell you the things on that list I feel a personal conviction about in my own life that need my immediate attention. No, I have not arrived...I am a seeker and often a struggler just like other Christians.

We must be alert to the Holy Spirit leading in our lives. He desires we be holy and clean before Him. There are many things we take time for in our busy lives. Can we determine to strive for holiness in our lives, not for outward show but for our good and God's glory. It is well worth our taking time to be holy.

Father, I haven't been walking in holiness as You desire. Forgive me for many times still wanting that ME life. I want to please You but need Your help and yes, Your forgiveness. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

3:16

For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Several years ago, something unique began in our country at some sporting events, especially during pro-football telecasts. It wasn't unusual seeing a fan(s) located among fans holding up huge poster boards with “JOHN 3:16” written on them in very large black letters. They would try to sit, especially in the end zone sections where they knew TV cameras would focus at various times during the game. We don't see that very much anymore but noticed one recently at the Hall of Fame game. Because of political correctness, I think there have been attempts to stifle this practice.

I do remember the first time I saw one of those signs, because it stirred a curiosity in me. I went to the Scriptures to seek out all of the 3:16's in the various books of the Bible. There are obviously some books that hardly have three chapters and there are some books with three chapters but not with a verse sixteen. However, what I found was very interesting and many of those verses were more than interesting. Some may not be as dramatic or informative as others which may challenge us to look at the verse before and after the 3:16 verse. Join me as we look at some of these verses.

Genesis 3:16 – Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Proverbs 3:16 – Length of days is in her (wisdom's) right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.

Joel 3:16 – The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Malachi 3:16 – Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

Matthew 3:16 – And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lightening upon him;

Luke 3:16 – John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

I Corinthians 3:16 – Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Galatians 3:16 – Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; But as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Ephesians 3:16 – That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

Philippians 3:16 – Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

II Thessalonians 3:16 – Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

I Timothy 3:16 – And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

II Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

James 3:16 – For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

I Peter 3:16 – Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

I John 3:16 – Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Revelation 3:16 – So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew
thee out of my mouth.

Lest someone question this procedure, I understand that in the original writings of Scripture there were no chapter or verse numbers. I have just found it amazing with what we have that so many of these 3:16 verses have special meaning and are more than interesting but are at the same time inspirational. The Word of God is not dull, nor is it boring. However, it isn't just ink on paper. It speaks...it lives...it convicts and changes us, but only as the Holy Spirit teaches us and inspires us to be all for God He wants us to be.

Dear Jesus, I'm so very grateful for Your Word and for You, dear Holy Spirit and how You teach and inspire me from it's pages. May I absorb it not only in my brain, but more-so in my heart. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

Be Careful For Nothing

I don't know of a parent alive who hasn't at one time or another said to a child of theirs, “Be careful!” I can recall vividly times my Mother said those two words to me. I knew what they meant, but wasn't sure exactly why she was saying them. I was told those two words when I first went to church camp, then to my first swimming lesson. Before several activities in high school, those same two words were thrown my way. I understood those words when I left for college because it was my first time away from home for a lengthy amount of time.

Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned one of my favorite New Testament books...the book of Philippians. It's a book of joy and rejoicing as well as instruction and encouragement. In chapter four verse four, we are admonished to rejoice:

Rejoice in the Lord always: and
again I say, Rejoice.

I have stressed that word “always” because we have times in our lives with cares and problems that rejoicing doesn't come easy for us. If we are commanded to rejoice, God will bless us in that step of obedience.

The sixth and seventh verses have come to be more than precious to me. Maybe you don't tend to worry about things but all too often, I'm afraid that's where I find my thinking. Look with me at those two verses in chapter four:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing
by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.

In verse six, the phrase “Be careful for nothing” isn't the same meaning as when my Mother admonished me to be careful. Paul is saying here that we aren't to worry about anything. That's a huge order. So what are we to do? We are to pray and do it with thanksgiving as we lay our concerns before the Lord. Notice in that verse that we are to bring everything to Jesus...every care, problem and difficulty. We need not fear because Jesus can handle anything that comes our way.

I dearly love the precious end result that will be ours when we follow verse six...you and I will know the peace of God like never before. No one will ever understand the peace we have despite what seems to be insurmountable difficulties that have come into our lives. Along with that promise is the fact that we will be kept by Jesus, guarding our hearts and minds.

Verse eight must be addressed in all of this because we are admonished to train our minds as to how to think. In this way, we arm ourselves so as to fight against Satan's thinking and learning to think as God would have us think:

Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things.

I realize that these Scriptures are a lot to take in but we are given so many guarantees from God in them if we will onlylisten and heed God's expectations. God has such a deep love for each of us. He hates to watch us struggle when He is so near to help. As parents, there were times when we watched our children struggle. It was hard being a parent, standing by, watching the process, especially when we were in a position to be of help.

So, to live that spiritually careful life, what are we called on to do:

Rejoice on a continual basis (4)
Be careful for nothing....don't worry (6)
Take everything to God in prayer (6)
Pray with thanksgiving (6)
Make known every request to God (6)
Accept that peace from God that no one will be able to comprehend (7)
Trust God that He will keep our hearts and minds in His awesome care (7)
Get control of our thought life (8)

As you and I with God's help strive to do God's will in these areas, we have to be aware that our enemy, Satan, will be ready to pounce...that's a sure thing. This will be such a strengthening process for each of us. The things on the list will have to be things we put into consistent practice. However, God walks with us, strengthening us every step of the way.In it all, we will know a peace with God, an inner peace that can come to be a genuine part of us.

Just an added word from Philippians as I think of my blog friends:

I thank my God upon
every remembrance
of you.
Philippians 1:3

Dear Jesus, You died that I might know not only the salvation you offer, but that You and I might live in a close and loving relationship. I am trusting You and thankful for your love and strengthening. I love you. Amen