Number Five is Kindness

 

The fifth fruit named in the fruit of the Spirit in the King James Version of Galatians 5:22 is gentleness. However, many other translations including the New King James Version, the New Living Translation, the New International Version, and the Amplified Bible all use the word “kindness” in this position. We know that God Himself is kind.

 

Psalm 117:2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

 

Joel 2:13 “…Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”

 

Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”

 

Kind Words

Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, considerate, warm, and sympathetic. One of the basic ways to show kindness is through kind words. We were taught as young children to say please and thank-you. We can further show kindness with our words by saying encouraging words, expressing words of sympathy for those who suffer loss, and by using our words to give compliments. (This is not to be confused with flattery, which is usually given from a self-serving motive). God gave us the gift of speech and we can use our words to bless others. The virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 is said to speak with kindness:

 

Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

 

Kindness in Forgiving

Another way to show kindness is to forgive. The very first fruit of the Spirit is love. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter, we see that kindness is a quality of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love suffers long and is kind…”

To suffer long is to accept that people are sometimes rude and inconsiderate and we are to take their bad behavior towards us and respond to it with kindness. This isn’t always easy to do but the Bible says we are to forgive. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6, He actually made forgiving people a direct condition for us to receive forgiveness from God.

 

Matthew 6: 14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Luke 17: 3-5 “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him. And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’”

 

After hearing that they might have to forgive the same person seven times in one day, the disciples’ response was, “Increase our faith.” They knew that having a forgiving heart was something that would take an increase in faith in God. Only God could give us the strength to become forgivers.

 

Ephesians 4:32 “and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

 

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God…”

 

Kind Thoughts

Perhaps our problem is not actually holding something against someone; perhaps it’s just being ungenerous with our thoughts towards them. Every once in a while, I’ll hear someone say something, and think, “She’s only saying that because…” Sometimes we have ungenerous thoughts toward our own pastor, thinking, “Oh, he only said that because he was mad because…” Why are we so suspicious of each other? What would we lose if we just gave people the benefit of the doubt?

 

The Love Chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that “(love)…thinks no evil.” Another translation says “keeps no accounts of evil.” Verse 7 goes further, saying, “(love) “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” The Message Translation says “always looks for the best.”

 The Bible says that the measure that we use to judge someone is the same measure by which we will be judged. In a verse that I always thought had to do with giving and receiving money, my pastor pointed out that this verse actually has to do with how we regard each other.

 

Luke 6:37-38 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

 

Being Patient with Others Shows Kindness

We also show kindness when we show patience. I want my grown daughters and my grandchildren to do certain things, and often say things like, “Well how come you didn’t call the company? Five days later I might say, “Did you call the company yet? How come you didn’t just call?” When I hear myself doing this, I know that even though I’m looking for them to receive any advantage due them, I am acting in a way of control. I read someplace lately that we have to set people free. Of course we wouldn’t our children to hurt themselves or commit any crimes, but we have to learn that when it comes to their lives, we have to set them free. Good advice can be given. When it becomes annoying, we have to stop. Being patient, letting our adult children make their own decisions, is a way of showing kindness.

We also show kindness when we respect people’s opinions. My son-in-law and I had a huge debate at the end of my recent visit to my daughter’s house. This debate, and the intensity of emotion it brought about, left a mar on my visit. I see that I was not acting in kindness. Sometimes we’re so certain that we’re right about something and the other person is wrong, we forget that we’re suppose to reflect the spirit of Christ. This is true especially as we try to witness to people about salvation. If we come off like a big know-it- all, people are just not interested. We have to witness in love, and if we feel like we are crossing the line into debate, we have to be able to graciously end the conversation on a good note.

We also have the opportunity to show kindness in our daily lives as we interact with the public.  I worked in customer service for over twenty years. It always seemed that the people who were the most impatient while waiting in line were people who said they were Christians. I do know that as Christians, we aren’t going to perfectly portray Christ every day of our lives; however, it is a poor witness to sigh aloud and say mean things about the clerks while we’re in line waiting for a service. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. Any time we have a chance to let our lights shine, we should. Hold the door for someone, smile at someone, at the very least, don’t scowl.

 

Kindness in Giving

We’ve been discussing “giving” all along. Showing kindness means giving: giving the benefit of the doubt, giving courtesy, giving encouragement, giving a smile or a friendly gesture. But there is another kind of giving: giving time and giving money. In all honesty, we have a problem with giving. We don’t want to give to a homeless person begging on the street because we think they might be a con-artist. We don’t want to give to charities because we think that the charity itself is not run efficiently. (My favorite: Why don’t they get money from the rich people?)  We don’t want to give at church, asking each other, “What are they doing with all that money?” Churches won’t give to charities because trustee boards feel that the church is barely staying afloat itself, so how can we give to others?

 All through the Bible we are told to give to the poor. We’re told to share. I see that I need to pray and ask God to make me a “cheerful giver” as described in 2 Corinthians 9:7. I see that the hesitation to give is completely wrapped up in fear: the fear that I won’t have enough for myself, the fear that other people aren’t giving and that would make me a “sucker” if I gave, fear that I am being taken advantage of, fear that churches and charities aren’t using my gifts wisely, and most of all, the fear that I’ve lost all my autonomy and am have become a “religious nut.”

 Jesus said, in Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I want my heart to be with Him, not with my wallet. In the book of Acts, the early church pooled their resources and made sure that no one went without.

Acts 4:34-35 “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”

Imagine if we had this kind of love among us, to make sure that no one went without. Imagine what we could do for our church bodies, our neighborhoods, and even for international charities. I hate to admit it, but I can’t whole-heartedly say that we’re reflecting the fruit of kindness if we’re not giving.

 The good news is that we can become cheerful givers, and once we do, God will make all grace abound to us and we will have all sufficiency in all things for ourselves and plenty left over so that we can continue to give.  The source of encouragement comes again from 2 Corinthians 9:7-8:

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

 

Patience is a Virtue

 Fourth is Patience

The King James Version of the Bible lists the fourth fruit as “longsuffering.” According to the dictionary, “longsuffering” means patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties. We could go further and say that it means resisting anger and showing patience when dealing with people!! God was surely (and still is) “longsuffering” when it comes to us.

 

Romans 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

 

Ephesians 4:1-2 “…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love “

 

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.”

 

1Thessalonians 5:14 “…be patient with all.”

 

Patience Involves Perseverance.

Perseverance is defined as steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

 

  Romans chapter five begins by telling us that we have peace with God and we can rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Then Paul writes,

Romans 5: 3-5 “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Glory in tribulations? Who likes trouble? Yet this is what the Bible says. Trouble teaches us how to keep moving forward in spite of the difficulty or delay in achieving success. This steadfastness produces character and character produces hope.

The definition of hope is “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” Another definition is “a person or thing in which expectations are centered.” This definition applies to us, believers in the salvation given by the finished work of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the person in which are expectations are centered. He expressed this before He went to the cross.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

 

 

 

Patience involves waiting.

Patience is not apathy. It is waiting with the confident expectation of good. The Bible says that all the promises of God in Christ are Yes, and in Christ, Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

 

Job, who had been through more than any one person should be able to take, even though his friends said he must have sinned, answered that after everything, he would still wait.

 

Job 14:14 “…All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.”

 

Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

David, in the Psalm 37 begins the Psalm telling us not to fret because of evildoers nor to be envious of those who appear to prosper while they’re doing wrong.

Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him…”

 

 Isaiah 40:31 tells us, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

 

Luke 21:19 “By your patience possess your souls.”

 

James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 

James 5:7 says, “…See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it…”

 

1Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

 

I have such a hard time with patience. I know that God is “completing the good work He started in me and will keep completing it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6). We have to have patience while God works out our trials and we have to be patient while God transforms us into the image of His Son. This work God started is an ongoing work. He started it and He’s fine-tuning it.  Patience is standing – not standing still- but standing in agreement with what God says He will perform. The Bible says that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and that we are already blessed with every spiritual blessing according to Ephesians 1:3.

 One way to cultivate patience is to constantly recall the way God has moved on our behalf in the past. Jeremiah did this in the book of Lamentations. His people were in the midst of destruction and captivity and Jeremiah rightly “laments” his grief.

Lamentations 3: 17 “You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.” Yet by the time we get to verse 21, we have Jeremiah “remembering” his source of hope.

Lamentations 3: 21-26 “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I have hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.”

 

Patience is a Virtue?

This phrase is supposedly taken from an epic poem from the fifth century. Whether or not the poem itself is based on any Biblical principle isn’t clear. What is clear is that when the woman with the issue of blood “snuck up on Jesus and touched the hem of his garment,” He responded, “Some virtue has gone out of me.” Now the word virtue is defined as “high moral standards.” For Jesus to say some of his “high moral standard” has gone out of him is to say that part of His goodness was extended to this woman because of her faith. 

Mark 5:30 “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”

Interestingly enough, the New King James Version says, “some power had gone out of Him.” So now we can say that patience is goodness and patience is power.

 

Having Patience leads to peace with people

Galatians 5:22 begins with “the fruit of the Spirit is love.” Love is listed first in the attributes of living a life influenced by the Holy Spirit. Love can be thought of as number one on the list or love can be thought of “the fruit” itself, with the rest just being evidences of love. We see that 1 Corinthians 13 is often called “the love chapter.” And we see in 1 Corinthians 13:4 that “love suffers long and is kind.” As we relate to others and interact with them, we have to extend patience. Everyone is not going to think what we think or agree with what we say. Everyone is not going to act the way we think they should act or do the things we think they should do. We have to respect people enough to not jump in with our opinions while they’re talking. Even if we believe that we are right, we have to have the patience to hear people out and to allow them to live the way they see fit. Even when we’re trying to tell them about God’s goodness, we have to be sure that we are speaking in love, not in our own “rightness.” A lack of patience and a lack of tolerance for the opinions of others lead people to tune out any message of the gospel. God is certainly patient with us, let’s be patient with everyone.

 

 

Peace Within and Peace With Others

           Peace With People

Mark 9:50 “…have peace with one another.”
Romans 12:18 ^“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men”
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all people…”

In order to have peace with people, we must revisit the “Love Chapter” which is 1 Corinthians 13, specifically verses 4-7:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up. Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Here is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 from the Message translation:

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Peace with people requires love. We must love God, love people, and love ourselves. We demonstrate this love by taking the form of a servant rather than a master.
(See Mark 9:35 “…If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”) We

humble ourselves, not forcing our opinions on others, nor despising the other’s opinions. Peace demands that we leave vengeance to God, who will right all wrongs in His time.

Romans 12:19 “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
It’s not our job to “set the record straight” or fight for what we think rightfully belongs to us. Unfortunately, the church is full of examples of the absence of peace. It’s not our job to judge the world; we’d do better to make sure that we as individuals are walking in a way that reflects the Holy Spirit. It is absolutely necessary that we forgive when we feel that we’ve been wronged. It is absolutely necessary that we refuse to find a scapegoat when things don’t go our way. There are things in life that aren’t going to go our way. Sometimes it’s our own fault and sometimes it is someone else’s fault. But in that case, we have to forgive them (and forgive ourselves) and move on.


The passage in Galatians 5 that describe the fruit of the spirit, begins with what is not of the spirit but of the “flesh” Note that although these verses speak of many things including sexual immorality and even murder, the emphasis is on the fact that these “works of the flesh” are the polar opposites of the Fruit of the Spirit listed in verses 22 and 23. This list in verses 19-21 includes hatred, contentions outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, and dissentions. Galatians 5 concludes with

“Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

We’re to pursue peace, seek it, look for it, and find a way to maintain inner contentment and peace with other people. Obviously, if I’ve been working on controlling my temper, forgiving others of real or perceived injustices, refusing to hold a grudge, I can accomplish a certain amount of peace in my relationships with others. Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

This verse indicates that there are times when it’s not possible and there are times that the situation doesn’t depend on just my own peaceful state. As good as the word “peace” sounds, it could end up being unattained, or perhaps attained in an unpeaceful way. When we see someone being taken advantage of, are we to ignore it just for the sake of peace? Peace is a fruit of the Spirit listed with love and goodness. Sometimes we actually have to work to ensure goodness for others. There’s a slogan often used in civil protests that says, “No justice, No peace.” There is no peace for a given society if portions of the society fell their rights are trampled upon. Remember what God said to His people:

Isaiah 58:6-7:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?       
The people were so proud of themselves, bragging that they have observed their “fasts.”They followed a religious “practice” of abstaining from food for a period of time. God responded that the kind of “fast” He wants is for us to free those that are unjustly imprisoned, provide the poor with food, clothing housing and opportunities. In other words, He wants us to share. He wants us to treat people right. He gave us His peace when He gave us His own Son. We can spread His peace to others when we act in true justice.
    

Peace of God and Peace With God

Peace: an absence of hostilities, harmonious relations, inner contentment, serenity

 This present world is filled with hostilities and harmonious relations seem to only exist in an idealistic imagination of someone who’s never watched the news. There is a huge misunderstanding about peace and God’s kingdom of peace. God’s present “kingdom of peace” is inside of us as individuals. Anyone who’s ever heard of Christmas knows the verse Luke 2:14 that says, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” So if that was over 2,000 years ago, where is the peace? Unfortunately this verse has been misstated. Modern translations render this verse as  “peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” All those who have accepted the gift of faith are qualified to be included in those with whom God is pleased.

Luke 2:14 in The Message:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

 Luke 2:14 in the New International Version:

 Glory to God in the highest heaven,
 and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

Right now, God’s peace is inside of us as individuals. There will, however, be a time when this kingdom of peace will be an actual kingdom spoken of in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His Shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  This kingdom of peace, when “the government will be upon His shoulder,” doesn’t occur until after the Second Coming of the Messiah, however in this time, right now we can have the peace of God in our individual lives.
That being said, however, doesn’t mean that the individual who has accepted the peace of God through faith in the finished work at the cross is not concerned with the state of other human beings. In gratitude to God, as a response to His great love for as individuals, we are inspired to lift up others. The peace of God in our lives fills us with compassion to help those in need. It also fills us with the desire to help remediate the damage we’ve done to our planet. Unfortunately, it seems that what the world sees “Christians” doing is just going to church. We do see individuals risking their own safety and comfort and going out into the world feeding the hungry, digging wells, providing medical services and promoting justice. True peace for the individual causes him to want peace for others. Those of us who haven’t yet found our own inspiration as to how we will spread the peace of God, are trusting that He Himself will open our eyes to our own gift for spreading His peace.

Peace Began with God

1 Corinthians 14:33 ^“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…”

Philippians 4:9 “…the God of peace will be with you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23 ^“ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely…”

All throughout the bible we read, “the God of Peace, the Prince of Peace, the author of peace, which lets us know peace is an attribute of God Himself. In fact, every time Jesus greeted His disciples (especially after His resurrection,) He greeted them with the word “peace.” The Hebrew word “Shalom” which is usually translated as peace, actually means “wholeness.” It includes good health, provision, and total well-being.  The implication here is that when Jesus greeted His disciples with the word “peace” He greeted them with more than just, “have an absence of hostilities” or “have inner contentment.” Instead, His greeting included, “Don’t be afraid,” “Be well,” Be prosperous,” and “have inner contentment.” Peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is our dependency of God to work it all out and protect us in spite of trouble.

 

God Provided a Way for us to Have peace with Him

1 John 4:18-19  ^“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  We love Him because He first loved us.”

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:10 “ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

God gave us the opportunity to have peace with Him, to not be afraid of his wrath or punishment. Because He loves us with a perfect love, we have no need to fear. God punished our sins in the body of His own son. God demonstrated His great love for us by redeeming us from the penalty of sin and by declaring us righteous in His sight. If this sounds really simplistic, we must remember that a steep price was paid for this peace. Because we so often we hear the phrase, “Jesus died for our sins,” we’re almost tempted to treat this as a small thing. Jesus suffered public mocking and inhumane suffering even before He actually went to the cross. The prophet Isaiah told us what would happen to Him 700 years before the actual event. Isaiah 53:5-6  says “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; And the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

 

The book of Matthew describes the actual events leading up to the crucifixion itself. Matthew 26:37 says that even before His arrest, in the garden of Gethsemane, “He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.” Luke 22:44 says “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”  Note how Jesus was first taken to the high priest, where he was abused by the temple guards there and then taken to the Roman governor, where he was mocked and beaten by the Roman guards in their private garrison, in addition to the public scourging:

Matthew 27:26-31 “Then they spat in His face and beat Him and other struck Him with the palms of their hands. (This describes His treatment at the hands of the temple guards, the servants of the religious leaders. Later, after Jesus had been turned over to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate who repeatedly said he found no fault with Jesus, still had Jesus scourged. The Roman scourge was a short whip of three straps with scraps of metal knotted in. This instrument would tear off the person’s flesh with each lash and there would be excessive bleeding.)  27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium… 28. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand, And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30. Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.   

 

 

Having His Inner Peace

Psalm 119:165 “Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.”

Philippians 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Inner Peace Gives us courage In addition to no longer having to fear of punishment for sin, inner peace includes freedom from fear of people or circumstances. Peace also includes contentment, and freedom from anxiety. This world is so full of people and circumstances that will cause us to live in constant fear. There’s the risk of getting killed by terrorists, the risk of contacting a fatal disease, the risk of losing our income, and the risk of losing those we love. In order to have relief from these fears, we have to accept the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we belong to God. He’s the Creator of this entire universe and He loves us unconditionally. We also have to remember the promises in His word:

Psalm 91:5-7 “⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.”

Psalm 118:6 “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” This is reiterated in the New Testament in Hebrews 13:6 “So we can boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 121:7-8 ^7 “The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.”

Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.

Inner Peace Gives us Contentment

One of the things that rob us of peace is the idea that we have to have more things. God did promise us in Matthew 6:33 to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things would be added unto us.” We know that “things” in this particular context, is referring to clothing, shelter, and food, since the previous verses in that chapter deal with how God feeds the birds of the air and how He clothes the grass with beautiful flowers.

^{Matthew 6:25} “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I have to admit that I have trouble with this idea of wanting. All day long, my thoughts play an ongoing recording of “I want new clothes, I want a new phone, I want a tablet, I want to update the bathroom. I want a Coach bag. And of course, I want a new car.” Every time that recording starts to play, I have to remind myself that “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The recording stops for that moment and then later it comes back. We live in a society that tells us that we have to have more. The commercials on television make us think that everyone has these particular things but us. If we’re walking in the fruit of the Spirit, we’re not supposed to give in to the idea that we need more and more things in order to be fulfilled. The Bible speaks to us about having contentment:

Philippians 4:11 “…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”

^{Hebrews 13:5 “}Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

^{1 Timothy6:6 “}Now godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. ⁸ And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

1 Timothy 6:10 “for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” is a verse that has been misconstrued and misquoted over many years. We need money to buy goods and services and we need money in order to give to the poor. In fact, in Ecclesiastes 10:19, Solomon said that “money answers everything.” What Paul wrote to Timothy about money has to do with greed. He points out that people’s “love of money” has caused them to basically ruin their own lives. Thinking about money all the time is truly a “peace destroyer.” The word “covetousness” is defined as inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy. Jesus, in Mark 7: 22 listed covetousness as one of the things that defile people alongside things like thefts, deceit, lewdness, and blasphemy.  The Bible tells us that we are supposed to be fed, sheltered, clothed, and have money to donate to charities and to churches. However, we are not to love money and we’re certainly not to trade our peace for money. The Bible says that God’s grace (His unmerited favor towards us) will cause us to receive all we need and to have enough left over to help others.

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”



The Bible also tells us that if we have a need, we’re to ask God through prayer, being sure to give thanks, and that we will receive peace, His peace which passes all

understanding. Is the answer to our request “peacefulness while we wait” or is the answer God’s peace itself?

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Showing God our love

   Showing God our love

Part of the definition of love involves caring about the well-being of another. We know that God’s well-being is already established, so a sensible interpretation of caring about God’s well-being is caring about pleasing Him. We know that God experiences pleasure. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that He “rejoices over us with singing.” One of the obvious ways we show our love to God is by praising Him. Hebrews 13:15 says, “…let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

 We must also accept His great love for us, which includes accepting and valuing ourselves.

If we ever question our own self-worth, we have to remember that according to Genesis 1: 26, “God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” Further, He sent His own Son to redeem us from the condemnation which was the result of man’s disobedience. Romans 5:8 tells us that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And according to Ephesians 1:6 “He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Eugene H. Peterson expressed this concept so beautifully in The Message:

Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

We must rely on Him, the way a child relies on her parent. Jesus said that unless we became like little children we would not enter His kingdom. We have to humble ourselves before Him, seeking His will above our own.

There’s a verse in Psalm 34 that says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I always thought this meant that if I delighted in Him, He would give me whatever I wanted. However, I just learned that the desires He’ll give me are the desires He wants for me. In other words, He’ll change my mind about what I thought I wanted. His desire according to Matthew 6:33 is that I “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things would be added to me.”

Another way we show our love to God is by being grateful.

We show Him our love by trusting Him, believing what He said in His word and believing in His good plans that He has for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Keeping God’s Commandments as proof of our love for Him

I’ve heard many ministers say that the way we show our love to God is by keeping His commandments. Jesus said to His disciples many times “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keep them, it is he who loves Me…”

John 14:23 “…if anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…”

John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love…”

John 15:12 “This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.”

 It’s important to remember what the most important commandment was the one given by Jesus before He went to the cross: love one another! The most important way we show God our love is by obeying His command that we love one another. In order to have and abide in the fruit of the Spirit is to first have the Holy Spirit inside. If we’re ruled by God’s Spirit, we will easily overcome the temptations to lie, cheat, steal, engage in idolatry, disobey our parents, etc. Remember when the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, they were also given an out: they could present animals to the priest for sacrifice once a year to be cleansed from sin. Thank God that when Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin, was offered up, our sins are forever forgiven by the blood that He shed. Once accepting Christ into our hearts and being filled with the Holy Spirit, we are redeemed from the penalty of sin. The Bible says that the commandment to love each other is the fulfillment of all the earlier commandments.

Romans 13:9 “⁹ For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

 

How do we love God?

There is a story in Luke 7, verses 36-50 that tell how Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee to eat. This incident is also mentioned in Matthew 26: 6-13 and Mark 14: 3-9.

The version in the gospel of Luke is longer and more detailed. Jesus had been invited to the home of a Pharisee called “Simon the leper.” While there, a woman expressly stated to be a sinner, began to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Afterwards, she began to anoint His feet with fragrant oil from an alabaster box. The Pharisee host inwardly criticized this display, thinking to himself, “If this man, Jesus, was really a prophet, He would know this woman touching Him was a sinner.” Jesus, knowing the Pharisee’s thoughts, told him a parable:

Luke 7:41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii (one hundred weeks worth of wages), and the other fifty (ten weeks worth of wages). 42. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43. Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He (Jesus) said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 47. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

It appears that the act of showing love is what allowed this woman’s sins to be forgiven. She never confessed anything, she never made any promises. She showed her love and her sins were forgiven. Sometimes when we read the command throughout the Bible that we are to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds, it almost seems like such a harsh command: Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Jesus actually calls this the greatest commandment in exchange with a lawyer in Matthew 22.

Matthew 22: 35 Then one of them, (one of the Pharisees), a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37. Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  See Mark 12:28-31 and Luke 10:25-28 for their accounts of this exchange.

This command isn’t harsh at all when you consider that God has provided the way for us to love Him: It is to receive the great love He has for us!

 1 John 4:10 tells us that “ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Verse 19 in that same chapter says, “We love God because He first loved us.” Max Lucado wrote in (in Today’s Word, March 14, 2014), “The love of God is born within Him, not from what we find in us.”

Yet, I want to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with my entire mind both in response to His great love for me and because of who He is. He is the sovereign creator of the universe. He holds the planets, the galaxies, and the seasons. He created man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into us.  How do I separate loving God for what He does from loving God for who He is? When I list who God is to me, the list is almost indistinguishable from what God does for me. He is my redeemer, my Father, my healer, my savior, my friend, my provider, and my protector. Because God is high above us, we can’t show Him love the way we would show love to a friend or family member, say by buying them a gift or doing them a favor. We can only express our love through praise and worship and submit ourselves to Him so that we can receive more of His attributes. Going back to the woman with the alabaster box in Luke 7, she showed her love and her sins were forgiven. Conversely, her sins were forgiven because she showed love. Her tears showed her genuine repentance and adoration. Her anointing Jesus with the expensive perfume was her praise and adoration.