Gentle Response

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law"- Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV).

I have a young cat who displays a fruit of the Spirit. This discovery began with a caught mouse. Tiger Lily, who looks more like the Wookie in Star Wars, was so careful not to kill or injure that mouse. The image of her carrying the mouse gently with her front teeth, like a mother cat carrying her kitten, head tipped back, and tail straight up in the air, from room to room, is vivid in my mind. She is a character, but she's also smart. An injured or dead mouse is no fun to play with. Tiger Lily's little mouse was stressed out, but finally got away from her and escaped, unharmed, under the dishwasher. (That means I still have a mouse in the house.) As Christians, we must be gentle with those whom God brings onto our path or we may injure them...or kill them off completely to the Gospel message. As Tiger Lily learned, you can do so much more, and you gain more time, with a gentle response, as you present the love of Jesus through your actions and words.The Apostle Peter instructed, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). Even Tiger Lily's gentleness might pay off. I wouldn't be surprised to see that same cat and mouse game going on again real soon. 

Spice It Up

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot"- Matthew 5:13 (NIV).

My husband and I went out to eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant last night, known for their delicious Pho, a flavorful soup with vegetables and noodles. I’d like to have seen my face when I took that first bite; it was terrible. The soup had no flavor. It was warm water with under-cooked vegetables. I asked them what had changed in their Pho recipe. It seems they left the spices out of the soup, saying some customers didn't like the flavorful seasoning as much as others did, so they were trying to take a middle-of-the-road-flavor stance. Yuck! That was no middle-of-the-road-flavor stance; that was a no-flavor stance. I couldn't eat mine, regardless of the amount of soy sauce I added; my husband, due to hunger, tried the hardest, but only got a cup of his soup eaten. Our lives, like the Pho soup, are no longer good if there is no flavor. It's a wasted life, like my wasted dinner, to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Sprinkling God into our life gives flavor; then the hungry are fed. Our needs are met, as well as those who transition in and out of our daily life. They take some of our seasoning we sprinkled, with them, and hopefully sprinkle it into the lives of others they meet farther down the road they travel. Jesus does not want us to have a middle-of-the road stance with His flavoring. A no-flavor life is a no-Christ life, in which, people will walk away as hungry as you are...and people can die of hunger. Spice up your life and those around you. Sprinkle a little Jesus and be filled.   

Be Happy

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live"- Ecclesiastes 3:12 (NIV).

I had a 9th grade student, years ago, who always had a smile on her face. Her name was Julia. You would think her smile was because she came from an affluent family, was a stunningly beautiful girl, and, to top it off, was one of the most gifted students I've ever taught. Her smile was always radiant and present, each and every morning. Yet, what wasn't visible, was that she had reasons to not smile: other girls were jealousy cruel to her, her boyfriend became so controlling that she had to break up with him, and then she broke her back playing soccer. Under her clothing, she wore her brace for the remainder of the school year. I was the Academic Team coach; Julia was my team captain and star player. I can remember being at competitions and she would lie down on the floor between rounds to relieve her back pain. She would lie there smiling, strategizing about the next team we were competing against. I'll never forget Julia's smile. Just the mention of her name, brings back the image of her smiling face. It makes me ponder what image I will leave behind. Will it be one of anxiousness, complaining, fear, sorrow, defeatism, or anger? Which appears the most Christ-centered? Yes, Julia was a Christian and she shared her faith and happiness, with me and others, through her smiles.

Sewing Lesson

"As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead"- James 2:26 (NIV).

I don't use my sewing machine. I do hem garments, replace buttons, and such by hand, but, my sewing machine, designed to create garments, sits in the floor of our guest room...lifeless; except for the fact that it is gathering dust and taking up space. My lifeless sewing machine could be an analogy of a Christian who has faith, but there are no works coming from that faith; it's nice to know it's there, in case I ever need it, but that sewing machine should be cranking out new shirts, pants, dresses, etc; just as my faith should be producing works. James says, "But someone will say, "Show me your faith [sewing machine] without deeds [garments], and I will show you my faith [sewing machine] by my deeds [garments]" (2:18b). When my life is over, will people remember me for having a sewing machine or by wearing the garments created by my sewing machine? Unused faith, like an unused sewing machine, is dead without the deeds that should spring forth. We don't want our faith to be gathering dust and taking up space.     

Well Built

"They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built"- Luke 6:48 (NIV).

Believers build their foundation on the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ. That applies to every area of our lives that we build upon: relationships, activities, jobs, finances, and our health. Another way to say it: We are to be Christ-centered. That certainty is followed by this one: Floods will come. The Scripture doesn't say "if" a flood came, it says "when" a flood came. Floods can shake your entire world, but you will be sustained, unshaken, if your life is centered around the Rock. Building on Christ is not a passive activity. Notice the man dug down deep. Any scrupulous contractor will tell you that you have to dig down to the hard surface before laying the foundation. That hard surface, "rock," keeps the foundation in place. As believers, our digging is accomplished by prayerfully digging into the Word. Anything built on top of such will survive any flood that comes. Dig deep and be "well built" brothers and sisters.