Tag Archives: Living like Jesus

Fruit of the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

June 24, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. –Galatians 5:16-25

What struck me as I read through the above scripture was that at times, I spend more time in the works of the flesh mode than in the fruit of the Spirit. Probably, like most of you who read this, I do not dwell on the first six which are the most common sins of the flesh nor on envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like that. I am stuck in the middle trying to interact with people with whom I totally disagree and who totally disagree with me. Dissensions and factions exist in my life. I invest a lot in wrestling with God to straighten out my attitude so I can approach people without anger or quarrels. Such negative responses rarely help.

The King James Version of the Bible translates the word Greek word makrothumia as longsuffering.  NRSV quoted above uses the word patience. While the word patience is much nicer to hear, I think longsuffering describes my attitude better. However, the scripture describes the gift of the Spirit, as all those attributes rolled into one big gift. So, if I have love, I must also have the capacity for patience—longsuffering. We must welcome all the gifts as they become necessary in our lives. A train is not a train with just one car. It must be linked together to fulfill its purpose. Any empty cars between the engine and the caboose, are present and prepared for use when needed as are all the components of the gift of the Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, help me improve my skills using all of your gifts. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Leaving our Ivory Palaces

Living in the Spirit

June 19, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:26-39

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. –Luke 8:32-39

One of the greatest challenges we face in these days of divide and conquer is sharing our faith with loved ones and friends when they are on a totally different path. I belong to a Christian Facebook group and cannot believe how many postings I have seen where people had been asked to leave their church because they did not support the political viewpoints of its leaders. Also, I have read many posting where people had not responded to any political discussion but had made the difficult decision of leaving the church they loved because it has drifted away from its purpose. Thus, I do not take likely the assignment Jesus gave the man he had healed of the demons when he said, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’

I like the idea of finding issues and actions on which we and our loved ones can agree. Work on a Habitat house together. Feed the hungry. Adopt a nursing home and visit its residents who do not have anyone. We need to all get out of our ivory palaces as the old song says and address the great needs of people like the ones that crossed Jesus’s path regularly and he stopped and cared for them. If we see the world through Jesus’s eyes we might find our way to Oneness.

My Lord has garments so wondrous fine,
and myrrh their texture fills;
its fragrance reached to this heart of mine,
with joy my being thrills.

Out of the ivory palaces
into a world of woe,
only his great eternal love
made my Savior go*.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in spending some time each week living life among people as you did when you walked this earth.  Amen.

*The first verse and chorus of Out of the Ivory Palaces by Henry Barraclough see at https://hymnary.org/text/my_lord_has_garments_so_wondrous_fine

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Wisdom

Living in the Spirit

June 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4

Does not wisdom call,
   and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
   at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
   at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
‘To you, O people, I call,
   and my cry is to all that live.

Wisdom: the effectual mediating principle or personification of God’s will in the creation of the world: logos. Wisdom encompasses words like knowledge, insight, virtue, judgment, and prudence*.

I think this is the first time that I have looked up the meaning of a word and discovered that it originated from the personification of God’s will.  Jesus taught his followers in Matthew 10:16, ‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The “What would Jesus do?” fad that coursed through faith communities a few years ago was spot on. We do not always take the time to seek what Jesus would do.

Serious athletes follow a strict life plan that includes everything from getting enough rest and eating right to routine exercise topped off with a lot of practice. They develop what is called muscle memory so that when they are in the middle of a game their body and mind work together smoothly automatically. The Proverbs quote above is telling us we need to be as aggressive as an athlete about understanding and following God’s will in all that we do.

Prayer: Lord, create in us clean hearts so that when we communion with you we receive your messages rather than filtering them to what we want to hear. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Wisdom

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

All Together

In the Spirit

June 4, 2022

Scripture Reading:

John 14:8-17, (25-27)

Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. –John 14:8-13

Are we doing the works that Jesus did? Indeed, Jesus came to us as God incarnate, but we were all made in the image of God and apparently gifted in some way to do some part of the works as Jesus did. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11:  

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

We are not called to do everything, but we are called to do something. Jesus called us all together (1 Corinthians 27) to be the Body of Christ in the world today. Using each of our gifts to God’s service, together becomes more than the sum of our parts.

Prayer: Lord, help us to discover our gifts, and use them as our part of your Body. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Tempted

Lent

Oklahoma ranks 5th in Food Insecurity

March 5, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.”’ –Luke 4:1-8

Every time I read the above scripture, I am reminded of the spirit-walks young indigenous people from tribes in the United States take as a part of their maturation experience. God does indeed work in mysterious ways across all peoples when we open our hearts and minds to the Great Spirit.

Bread in some form is the primary staple food in most cultures, including the culture of the ancient Israelites. As the Israelites began their sojourn in the wilderness after escaping from Egypt they panic when their food supply was exhausted. God provisioned them with manna from heaven. It is the remembrance of that story that Jesus uses to refuse the devil’s temptation to turn a stone into bread. The devil was also testing Jesus regarding whether he accepted, understood his role as the Son of God. Beyond that, Jesus was forced to consider whether he would use his storehouse of power for his own benefit, a very important consideration for those who have much. Jesus answered it well as a model for all of us when he fed the 5,000.

We, too, must deal with similar temptations.  In 2019, more than 1 in 7 children—10.7 million—were food insecure in the United States, meaning they lived in households where not everyone had enough to eat*. The United States ranks third regarding all food insecurity in the world following Singapore and Ireland. The rest of the world has even worst hunger. Yemen and Venezuela are among the bottom of the rankings according to the Global Food Security Index**.

How can we best Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him through assuring food availability for the masses?

Prayer: Lord, as we walk with you through the wilderness of the world’s temptations, let your Spirit fill us with the courage to feed the hungry. Amen.

*https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-child-hunger/#:~:text=Millions%20of%20children%20entered%20this,eat%20(see%20Table%2010).

**https://www.glaubfm.com/blog/us-ranks-3rd-global-food-security-index#:~:text=The%20Economist%20Group%2C%20supported%20by,list%2C%20following%20Singapore%20and%20Ireland.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Tantrums

Living in the Spirit

September 12, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 8:27-38

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ –Mark 8:34-48

As I observe adults in our world today, I am often reminded of what has been dubbed the terrible twos.

Two-year-olds undergo major motor, intellectual, social and emotional changes. Also, children at this age can understand much more speech than they can express — a factor that contributes to emotions and behaviors that are difficult for parents to interpret.

Two-year-olds are struggling with their reliance on their parents and their desire for independence. They’re eager to do things on their own, but they’re beginning to discover that they’re expected to follow certain rules. The difficulty of this normal development can lead to inappropriate behavior, frustration, out-of-control feelings and tantrums*.

Jesus’ statements, in the above scripture, address this point of development. When we can set living like Christ as our priority, everything else falls into its rightful place. God wants all of God’s children to have enough of the necessities of life to fulfill their calling as Christ-followers using all their gifts. When some are exceptionally gifted more is expected of them. It does not mean they are better than anyone else. While there will always be different levels of wealth, the point at which anyone’s wealth crosses over into greed they lose their connection to following Christ. The same is true of power. Our self-righteous use of power endangers others causing us to fail to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  Thus, we fail God, too.

Prayer: Lord, we are afraid of what we do not understand. We cannot put into words how that impacts us. When we feel out of control, reassure us that you are in control and grant us the knowledge of your righteousness to guide our behavior. Amen.

*https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/terrible-twos/faq-20058314

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Righteousness becoming Self-Righteousness

Living in the Spirit

September 1, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 125

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
   which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
   so the Lord surrounds his people,
   from this time on and for evermore.
For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest
   on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous may not stretch out
   their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
   and to those who are upright in their hearts.
But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways.
   the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
   Peace be upon Israel!

I do not think anyone, including children, should have to leave their homeland to escape starvation, being taken as slaves, trained as criminals or terrorists, or exploited into the sex industry. Our world is full of people caught in these situations. These people fleeing from such circumstances are called refugees. Most citizens of the USA stem from families coming here as refugees.

As I read the above Psalm, I was struck by the phrase For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous.  Who determines what is righteous? I am confident my ancestors who came to the USA to escape religious persecution believed they were righteous, as did those who fled famine. They were saving their lives and the lives of their children. But when does righteousness morph into self-righteousness, bringing the scepter of wickedness to our land?

Our ancestors called it Manifest Destiny. God gave this land to us without regard to who was already living here.

I was not surprised when I read the will of one of my southern relatives who left his slaves to his children along with horses and cattle. However, I was taken aback when I read an ancestor’s will who lived in Massachusetts in the 1600s. He gave his “negro man” to one of his children. I was unaware slavery was pervasive across most of the territory inhabited by whites along the eastern coast.

The more I observe human behavior, the more I understand that God calls us to live in God’s intentional righteousness all the time. That requires us to dig deeper into scriptures than just picking and choosing from antiquated language that agrees with our philosophies. It makes it even more important to observe and follow the words Jesus said and his ways of being. Such study will force us to realize that when we ask what’s in it for us about anything, we must understand that the only appropriate answer is God’s love and righteousness and act accordingly.

Prayer: God of the Ages, strengthen our intentionality living in your righteousness. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Guilt or Responsibility

Living in the Spirit

July 11, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ –Mark 6:14-16

Guilt struck Herod when he heard about the teacher Jesus and assumed John the Baptist had returned from the dead. The dictionary definition of guilt* is:

  1. the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously
  2. feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one’s behavior

I like Freud’s idea that guilt is anger turned inward.

We live in an interesting time—an anti-guilt time. Guilt is usually not helpful. Indeed, it is a primary source of depression. But that does not mean we cannot discuss our nation’s history of slavery because we are not responsible for the sins of our ancestors. Likewise, we cannot study critical race theory because it might hurt the feelings of people whose ancestors practiced racism. Are not those two issues contradictory in terms, or do they complement each other?

I, too, do not think guilt is helpful when it channels our energies in self-destructive ways. A little responsibility that creates remorse**, however, could be beneficial. We do need to learn from history if we do not want to repeat its harmful elements. Most of the Bible is an attempt to help us learn from mistakes. I was amused when I toured Thomas Jefferson’s plantation and saw the bible he created after cutting out the parts he did not like. I do not like the violence attributed to God in the bible, but I read it. That study sent me to deeper analysis with comparisons to the teachings of Jesus. I am still exploring that today, but I do not either cut it out and ignore it or swallow it wholesale as God’s way of being in the 21st century. I do wonder at times how much we humans substitute our way for God’s way. The key to me is understanding that Jesus embodies the Word of God, and that is the light by which I try to read.

Prayer: Lord, free us from the strangling nature of guilt while helping us seek your way and your truth through recognizing you as our Word. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/guilt

** a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs (as injuries done to others)

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God’s Tears

Living in the Spirit

June 22, 2021

Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3:22-33

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
   his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
   ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

For the Lord will not
   reject forever.
Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
   according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict
   or grieve anyone. –Lamentations 3:2-24, 31-33

God could be considered guilty of causing grief because he gifted us with free will. People cause grief on themselves and others. I watched the movie Selma recently and was surprised to hear the actor playing Martin Luther King, Jr. says God was the first one to cry for your son. I first heard that phrase following the Oklahoma City Bombing when it was significant to a whole community and the families directly involved. I do not know who said it first, but its original source might have been the scripture above when that author states for [God] does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone. How hard being God must be when he trusts us to do justly and practice righteousness.

Our closet human experience in emulating God is raising children, which is similar to forming Christ-followers*. Hebrews 5.12-13 states For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness.

Our faith growth must be pursued intentionally. We watch our children struggle to roll over, crawl, and walk while they explore, constantly making sense of the world around them. With toys and games, loving hugs, and redirection to safety, they learn the art of being an individual capable of self-care. Most of us were introduced to God by other people. As we mature, we establish our relationship with God based on our experience and study. Paul dealt with the faith growth of adults all the time, often adults who grew up with the concept of many gods. In 1 Corinthians 13:11, he writes, When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.

Today we struggle with varied theologies of God and the influx of many gods we do not even recognize as gods. I thank God for the gift of God’s Son, who dwelt among us and shared his wisdom and truth. We would do well to enrich our connection to his way of being and his teachings.

Prayer:  Eternal Parent, guide us back to the fundamentals of faith taught in word and in deed by Jesus. Amen.

*For a rather technical description of faith-development see James Fowler’s book Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Tiptoeing Around the Edge

Eastertide

May 24, 2020

Scripture Reading: John 17:1-11

‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. –John 17:6-11

I often find myself pondering: Why has the church, the Body of Christ, failed in becoming one? Where are we failing to Love God and be God’s conduit to share God’s love throughout the world? How have we failed at creating a world ruled by love?

Christ called us to do precisely that. And yes, there are those pesky principalities and powers* as the King James Version of the Bible names them that get in our way. But we do serve an awesome God who sent Jesus to model a way of life that, if lived, will result in the fulfillment of the goal of oneness in the whole world ruled by love. J. B. Phillips published his book, Your God is Too Small in 1953. It is still available today and a good book to read, but I think the titled says it all. We only dance around the edges of being the Body of Christ.

Occasionally when a tornado hits or a 100-year flood occurs or an out of control virus strikes, we see both the positive forces of God’s love and the opposing forces of greed battling for dominance. We desperately need to learn to discipline ourselves to love God and love others all the time as we welcome all to become a part of the Body of Christ as God defines it not as we want it to be.

Prayer: God, who is Love, forgive us for tiptoeing around the edges of being the Body of Christ. Help us join your cause with our whole beings. Amen.

*For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.