Hamburger, Jelly, and the Fruit of the Spirit

 

When my friend, Machelle, asked her three-year-old grandson to name his favorite foods, he listed them: hamburger, jelly, and the fruit of the Spirit. In his preschool mind, the list seemed logical: these were things he had enjoyed at one time or another—the hamburger at dinner, the jelly on some toast at breakfast, and the fruit of the Spirit through the actions of his parents and those who loved him. He heard and remembered this spiritual tidbit about fruit and decided to add it to his favorite foods list. Why not?

Galatians 5:22-23 teaches us “ . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. . . (ESV). When we accept Jesus as our savior, we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV). This encouraging fact means that God marked us as his own by giving us his powerful Spirit to live inside of us! This seal serves as a guarantee that our inheritance in the Kingdom of God is real–not only here on earth but in Heaven as well. Because we possess the same Spirit who is also in our Savior, we are able to produce fruit–or character qualities–that make us look more like Him. But, being able to look more like Him does not mean we always choose to live more like Him. The reality of sin complicates things.

When we allow our sin-tainted will to guide us, we are tempted to gorge on the false foods of self-sufficiency and pride. These can make us feel full for a while, but they won’t lead us toward Life. True life is found in God and in the Spirit he freely offers. When we allow that Spirit to transform us, we can deny our sin and we can feast on the fruit of holiness. This fruit–God’s very nature–is given to enliven and make us more like Him, but it is also meant to be shared. So in a world full of brokenness and grief, Christ-followers can exude beauty, wholeness, and hope; humanity hungers for these. So let’s offer them our bounty, but introduce them to the Giver as well. Wouldn’t it be grand if everyone we met went away full of the Spirit and filled to the brim with fruit? Make us faithful and fruitful, Lord.

Next time someone asks me about my favorite foods, I will start with tortilla chips and ice cream, but, like a certain three-year-old, I will continue with these: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Why not?

 

Heart Healing Words

Recently, my sister, Tanya, was experiencing episodes of a chaotic and irregular heartbeat. Not only did the electrical system in her heart seem to be misfiring at the most inopportune times, but the stress created by this uncertainty severely limited her active lifestyle. Finally, after a particularly scary event on her daily walk, Tanya made an appointment with a heart specialist and decided to receive a heart ablation per his recommendation. An ablation is a surgical procedure that is used to treat irregular or abnormal heart rhythms, and Tanya’s was successful. But the anxiety that had been created by this malady still haunted her, making her doubt the surgeon’s opinion. She still felt great fear every time she attempted anything that would raise her heart rate significantly. So, after many months of feeling like a victim of her unfortunate circumstances, Tanya revisited the surgeon and exclaimed, “I just want to be able to do the things I used to do!” and the doctor’s swift response was, “You can.” He told her that the procedure had healed her heart and that she should just stop thinking about it.  This whole experience was transformative for Tanya because she chose to completely trust the doctor and take him at his word. She knew that he was skilled and esteemed and she chose to believe that his action to heal her heart had been successful. She no longer needed to worry. She could do the things--walk, hike, run, rejoice--she used to do and she could do them with gusto.

 

Words have power to change how we feel about ourselves. Tanya believed the doctor’s declaration and it ushered her from fear to freedom.

 

If the words of men have the power to transform our lives, how much more the words of God? Do I truly believe the things God has spoken in the Bible? 

What does he really think of me? Here’s God’s honest truth:

1. GOD LOVES ME! Romans 8:38-39 tells us it’s true. The Creator of the universe thinks I am the cat’s pajamas (although none of my cats ever wore pajamas, I think this is a huge compliment!) 

2. I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY HIM. Not only chosen, but also an heir to an amazing inheritance with Jesus in Heaven (Ephesians 1:11-14)

3. I AM PRECIOUS AND HONORED. I love reading Isaiah 43 when I am feeling low or insignificant because I know if God calls me by name that I am special.

4. HE GIVES ME POWER TO CONQUER SIN. Sanctification is a long process of making mistakes and then turning back to God. The painful truth of the matter is that while I am in this world, sin will be present in my mortal body. However, I have a choice of whether to follow my sin or follow my Savior. God has given me a helper in the Holy Spirit–John calls it an Advocate–who can assist me in making good choices that glorify God. I won’t always make the right choice, but as a Christ-follower, I have been equipped for success by the Holy Spirit inside me.

5. I CAN’T OUT-SIN JESUS’ BLOOD. When I wallow in my missteps or carry my shame around as a punishment, I am telling Jesus that his sacrifice for me is not enough. But 1 John 1:9 tells us what is actually true: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus' blood was enough for the whole world’s sin–including mine.

6. GOD IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING ME HOLY THAN HAPPY. God does want me to have an abundant life, but that abundance may look different than I had envisioned because Father knows best and Tori thinks she knows best but doesn’t. This doesn’t mean that I have to fear things that God allows, but it does mean that in this world I will have trouble because the world is broken. I can be encouraged, though, because in the end, God wins.

7. MY LIFE REALLY ISN’T ABOUT ME AT ALL, IT’S ABOUT GOD. In this insta-world with abundant selfies and admonitions to follow my heart, I need to remember that my life needs to be focused on someone else: my Creator. He is the one who will meet all my needs, help me to thrive, and make me feel like I am worthy of love. Our narcissistic world does not provide hope. But my supreme God does: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” I am not “all that” but God is. He created me and he deserves all the glory. It’s so good for me to remember that.

People’s words can transform the way we think. God’s words can transform our very hearts. The Ultimate Physician has not only healed our hearts, he has poured his life--his righteousness--into them and he has told us so. Do we really believe him? The words he says about us are true, and when we do believe them, we can experience freedom to do the things we were designed to do--to run with freedom, not fear, and with gusto towards the beautiful life he has given us. Praise be to our Healer!

Update: Since first writing this piece, my sister has not only been able to start running, but she faced her anxiety head on by completing a MARATHON in November–with me!

 

God's Mystery Unvieled

                                         The star which frightens brings Good News!

The shepherds hail God’s name!

The Heavens sing, the sheep bow down, 

all earth now greets Shalom!

Peace we prayed for now has come

The galaxy proclaims,

“He who loves you has been born

Come greet Him, Christ the Lord!”

Born for grief, this little One

His mother’s heart pierced through

Peace and Justice will prevail

God’s Mystery unveiled.

May you have a very blessed, Christ-focused Christmas!

The Newborn King

 Enjoy a repost from December 2016...

This is my new grand niece, Amelia Josephine, born two just two weeks before this picture was taken.  I had the privilege of spending her very first Christmas with her along with lots of extended family.  We spent most of our holiday time "ooing" and "ahhing" over her tiny perfection and watching her 22-month-old brother do cute things.

As I held little Amelia in my arms, I was struck by the reality—THE REALITY-- that Christ was born to us as a baby--A BABY!  At this time of year, we read and sing of this fact often;

"You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." 

   "The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head." 

"Holy infant so tender and mild" 

 "Glory to the newborn King"

But do we truly understand what Christ did for us by becoming utterly helpless?  Do we comprehend how He left His place in Heaven and confined Himself in skin?  Do we grasp how our most powerful God allowed Himself to sleep silently in an animal trough?  Can we truly fathom that the same voice that created the entire universe now limited Himself to a feeble cry?

It’s absurd, really.  A limitless, ageless God chose to intersect time and space and become a limited, time-bound man; and not just a man, a baby; tiny, helpless, poor.

So why did He do it?  God saw His children needed Him.  Yet, because of their sins, there was no way they could get to Him.  So He became one of them, and He lived among them to save them and bring them close again.  Not only did He live with them; He loved them; and He died for them…and in their place.  And then He rose again—conquering death, their greatest foe. 

He chose to enter the world in a way that none expected; not as a king; wearing extravagant robes and sitting on a royal throne, but as a baby; swaddled with strips of tattered cloth and lying in a hay-filled manger.  Our mighty, strong, omniscient God chose to come to us in the most unthinkable form, wrapped in skin and humility; a tiny newborn babe.

Just like little Amelia.  Just for little Amelia.  And just for you too.

What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

~Matthew 1:21

Joseph's Journey

 

Many miles and dusty valleys

Tired donkey, tired wife

Many people but no refuge

Desperate husband, soon...new life!

Big dark city, small dank stable

Sounds of livestock, bright starlight

Bedding down in hay for horses

Frightened mother, strange still night

Pain is coursing, man is pacing

Time is birthing God’s own Son!

Red and wrinkled, baby Savior

Are you the Long Expected One?

Great rejoicing with the angels!

Great rejoicing in the field!

All at once, time races forward 

Grace now present, Word fulfilled 

Awestruck wonder, man is speechless

Grateful heart and weary soul

Gently kneeling low to greet him

Welcome baby, welcome Lord!

Usher Her Home

Anna’s prayers were interrupted by a loud voice--a deep, booming voice--announcing something in the temple courts.  As she got up stiffly, slowly, she could just make out the words, “...a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory to your people Israel!” What...or who... was this light, this glory?  Opening the door of her room slightly, she could see a young couple and an old man.  Was that the weaver, Simeon?  What did he hold in his arms?  Was it a lamb?  A sacrifice to cover his offenses? The bundle was small, swaddled in a worn serving cloth; it began to move, then cry.  It was a baby!  The weaver was holding a baby!  

It had been a sweet seven years.  Though Anna and her husband ached for a child of their own, they had become content in their togetherness and the simple routines of life.  Then tragedy struck; Anna’s beloved husband, Adah, had been working on a grand structure --a tall and majestic theater--for most of their short marriage.  One gray autumn afternoon, just after the mid-day break, an angry storm rolled in from the east. With one gust of its violent breath, the wind toppled the scaffolding which held Adah.  Thrown to the ground, Adah was killed instantly, pinned by the stones which had once provided for his life. Now homeless and hopeless, Anna begged the priest to allow her to live in one of the empty storage rooms which lined the front wall of the temple.  Normally used to store worship items and fuel for the altar fires, this small, windowless room had been abandoned in favor of the larger ones nearer the rear door.  Close to the temple courts, it allowed Anna direct access to the people that came there.  These people, the regulars to the temple, became the family that she had lost when Adah died. Ministering to these same people became the focus of her meager, but fulfilled, existence.   She used her long days, sometimes fasting, always praying, to lift these people to the Lord.  Anna, a prophetess of God, often sensed the burdens of those God brought into her presence, and praying for them, sent them on their way confident that they had met God through her words. Her quiet contentment with God’s sovereign plan had pulled her out of her own hopelessness nearly 70 decades earlier.  She had learned to hope in Him and wanted others to do the same.   

Anna’s mind was jolted back to the present by another shrill wail.  It was the cry of a newborn.  The old man handed the baby carefully back to the mother.  Was she crying as well?  Slipping on her sandals, Anna opened her door wider and stepped out into the court.  The baby’s cries had stilled.  But all was not quiet.  The old man began shouting, “He is here!  He is here!  Messiah is here!  He has come!”  The Messiah?  The Lord’s Anointed?  The Deliverer for whom she had prayed?  As she neared the baby and his parents, a strong stinging breeze moved a strand of gray hair across her face. As she pushed it back into place beneath her scarf, her spirit also cried; “Yes!  He is here!  He is the One!”  Anna had long ago learned to trust those spirit promptings, and her shuffling steps moved quickly towards the child.  A song erupted in her soul and came out of her mouth as she greeted his parents and the elderly weaver, “Today I have seen my long awaited Messiah!  This baby is my Lord!”  Tears streaming down her lined face, she kissed the tiny cheek and placed a gnarled hand upon his downy head.   The other hand she placed upon his mother, and she blessed them saying, “May this Tender One be a light for all of those in darkness as he brings glory to the Holy Father.  May you, Holy Father, guard this mother’s heart as she learns to trust in your plan.”  The prophetess left the trio then, gratefully proclaiming Messiah’s appearance.  The baby’s mother was overcome with emotion...or was it confusion?  She and the baby’s father, toting twin turtle doves in a wicker cage, carried their sacrifice toward the temple’s altar.

As she entered her dark room, Anna’s bright mood turned to sorrow.  Recalling the prophet Isaiah 53, read last Shabbat by the visiting Rabbi, Anna knew that this child was born to bear her iniquities--the ones now temporarily “covered” with the blood of animals;“By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.” This sin-bearing Messiah was God’s plan of old--from the beginning of time!  How Messiah would do that, she did not know.  But, that he would do it was certain.  Did she feel her hope returning?  He had been sent to live in Shalom. He had been sent to love his own.  He had been sent to save all sinners. He had been sent... the Perfect Lamb. 

No, Anna had not brought a child into her home, though she wished and hoped for one.  But now, this baby, this Glorious Child whom she had kissed with her lips and touched with her hands, this Messiah, had come for her--for her!  Sent from Heaven to subdue sin and defeat death, this baby was God’s perfect plan.  His birth would prepare him for death.  

And his death would usher her Home.

Red Bird Devotions #30

One Ear Open

When my kids were just babies, and even when they got older, I could sleep soundly yet somehow wake to their slightest sigh.  I think mamas have this special ability--probably because they are so sleep deprived--to drift off, yet still listen for their very precious ones.  Oftentimes, my kids would just be crying in their sleep or reacting to a confusing dream, but I would hear them; then I would rise from my comfy bed and go to check on them.  I wanted to make sure all was well. Only when I knew they were safe could I go back to sleeping--with one ear open. 

Shouldn’t we do that with God too?  This world is very noisy. We can get lost in distraction. But, if we tune our ears to listen for even his slightest movement, his still small voice, we will be able to discern his “movement” even when our minds are elsewhere.  If we learn to listen with one ear open while we are going about our daily lives, we will be amazed at all he will show us.  Sometimes he may say, “Look at my sunrise.  I did it for you!” Or, “See that angry young woman? She needs you to notice her.”  Or “Even though you have been offended, offer grace.” Or sometimes, he will just say, “Slow down, Tori.  I need you to quit working and sit at my feet and listen.”  That’s when I need to stop, be silent, and open both ears wide.

When I tune my mama ears to listen to my Father, I learn the patterns, the cadences, the intonation of his voice. I see my small part in his big plan and I’m willing to move when he calls. 

Then, when I hear him stirring, I can rise from my grogginess, my forgetfulness, and my selfishness; I can rush into his presence saying, “Abba, Father, I am here!”

Abba, Father, I am here!

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 

Isaiah 6:8

“Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10