PEACE

"You're home is so...(he glances around)...peaceful," our social worker made us laugh!!! With eight bustling children, our home is often not exactly "peaceful" and yet truly I hope it would exude peace. God can produce that, even in the midst of seeming chaos. He is, after all, perfect peace and my prayer is that HE is what people sense when they spend time in our home, His peace over us.

"You're so calm," to which I share my heart honestly, "If you only knew how much goes on inside." It's like the duck on the pond...steadily gliding along glassy waters seemingly with ease, yet just under the water's surface webbed feet paddle and peddle and forge on with determination and purpose, mysteriously propelled from underneath. That's totally me...duck on the pond girl.

Peace. He gives us peace. If we were peaceful on our own, we'd have no need of a Savior underneath. That's why Jesus came!

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

John 14:27

In pondering the fruit of the Spirit this week and focusing on peace today, I've been mulling through the oxymoron of pure peace that comes from knowing Christ which transcends our rather unpeaceful circumstances at times. In other words, I'm contending with the variability of circumstantial peace and God's peace - two completely different entities, independent one from the other. But, God's peace which surpasses our understanding trumps all.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:7

Everyone has a weak spot and our enemy plays the game. He'll poke where it counts and he's never ashamed to do so. Paradoxically, peace...or it's counterpart, fear, really...is my soft spot...don't let my calmness fool you (or me). That enemy, He pokes me there often and I know why.

I've noticed a common thread (that I've not been immune to according to God's ordination) in those who've experienced tragedy. Loss creates an immediate awareness of what we stand to lose, what our loved ones stand to lose and often this instigates an internal fight or flight coping mechanism called: fear. Unfortunately/fortunately (depending on how I process this thorn), this is true for me.

I was a teenager when my mom died of cancer. Her death was sudden, just two months following her diagnosis. It was devastating. I was wounded. And, scars remained on my young and already tender heart. But God had a loving plan for me.

In His wonderful, restorative grace and mercy, God has used that untimely, painful loss to shape my heart for Him, to cause me to need Him, to live these fleeting days on earth for Him and blatantly aware of the vapor that it is. God chose to catapult my adulthood journey toward Himself through origins of pain from my youth, which is really so like Him. He's used the "bad" for good. He always does and often does, and my perspective has been profoundly influenced...so has my need for peace.

Those scars on my heart I speak of, they've left painful memories that burden my peace at times. Etched memories leave a psyche with temptation to fear more pain, more loss. I must remind myself that this life is not our place of rest. We toil here these days we roam the earth as we await eternal Sabbath rest. We wait. And truly, if we can bring most glory to God through our strife, then so be it! If difficulty draws us into intimacy with the Savior, I accept it!

Until the final resting place, His peace...I seek it. I need it. I'm totally dependent upon it in my human frailty and peddling. I trust the Lord with all my heart, I do! AND, I need Him to establish peace. If ever I have peace, it's only because of the Lord. His peace is all I've got. ("All I have is Christ!") On my own I'm empty, empty, empty. I believe that's how He'd like us to be...emptied out, ready to be filled to the brim and overflowing with His Spirit, blindingly aware that HE is all we have! I believe that's why He granted me my thorn gift to bear.

Peace. He gives me peace. It's only from Him and He offers it. In my flesh I fail often, but in His peace I find rest. In my home I face challenges hourly, but in His peace my home rests. In my circumstances I encounter trials, but in Christ alone I place my trust and I find rest called perfect peace that only He can give! I find it.

So, I pour myself out (again and again) and I encourage my family to do the same so that together and by the grace of God, we might abide in a home filled to overflowing with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. (Galatians 5:22-23)

"The fruit of the Spirit is...peace."

Galatians 5:22



"You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Isaiah 26:3-4

 

Visiting my children's CD again today, I'm choosing peace and gaining courage to find it through encouraging music like this:

Peace, from To Be Like Jesus, Sovereign Grace Music

 

 

GENTLENESS

I want to be like Jesus.

 

This morning I read one of my favorite moments of Jesus' response to His offenders just prior to His crucifixion. Being questioned by the high priest after His arrest, "one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand" (John 18:22)...

 

...Jesus' response:

"If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?"

John 18:23

So calm. Bound, persecuted, beaten, spat upon and ready to die...yet calm, dignified, innocent.

 

I want to be like Jesus.

It's not unusual for me to track through the fruit of the Spirit and ask myself which ones I need to pray about for myself as well as my family members. God is faithful to help us when we submit our lives to prayer and the fruit of His Spirit is something we will always need more of. So, once again, I've been focusing on these fruits, asking the Lord to help me each day to intentionally pray for His infusion in my life and in the lives of those I love and care for. Today I'm dwelling on gentleness.

"But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

1 Peter 3:4

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:29

"He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young."

Isaiah 40:11

That's how I want to be...gentle like Jesus. It's interesting the dichotomy though. He may have been gentle, but no one was ever more bold. I'd like to be both like Jesus. I'd like to raise children who can be both just like Jesus. He can give us His gentleness and also boldness for His glory when we give ourselves to His doing.

So, I pour myself out (again and again) and I encourage my family to do the same so that together and by the grace of God, we might abide in a home filled to overflowing with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. (Galatians 5:22-23)

"The fruit of the Spirit is...gentleness."

Galatians 5:23

 

"But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."

1 Thessalonians 2:7

 

Most of the great songs that glue Scripture in my head belong to my children's CDs. Gentle Like Jesus is one such example. I'm thinking this is a good one for high rotation Scripture sticking today:

Gentle Like Jesus, from To Be Like Jesus, Sovereign Grace Music

LOVE

 

Dwelling on the fruit of the Spirit, the book of John has been such an encouragement to me lately. One thing that particularly strikes me about the way John writes of love is that he is described as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:20).

It's got me thinking...to be LOVED teaches one how to know LOVE for themselves. Therefore, let us not only receive God's LOVE as we abide in Him, but also let us LOVE one another with His LOVE and see how it multiplies...and multiplies!!!

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another." John 15:1-2, 4-5, 12-13, 16-17

So, I pour myself out (again and again) and I encourage my family to do the same so that together and by the grace of God, we might abide in a home filled to overflowing with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. (Galatians 5:22-23)

"The fruit of the Spirit is...LOVE."

Galatians 5:22

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

1 John 4:7-12

Cross references:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. 1 John 4:7 : ch. 3:11
2. 1 John 4:7 : ch. 2:29
3. 1 John 4:8 : ch. 3:10
4. 1 John 4:8 : ver. 16; 2 Cor. 13:11; [ch. 1:5; John 4:24]
5. 1 John 4:9 : See John 3:16
6. 1 John 4:10 : Rom. 5:8, 10
7. 1 John 4:10 : [See ver. 9 above]; See John 3:16
8. 1 John 4:10 : See ch. 2:2
9. 1 John 4:12 : ver. 20; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16
10. 1 John 4:12 : ch. 2:5

 

 

KINDNESS

The other day I found myself in a swarm of children (a typical scenario for sure), when someone stepped on my heel. I swung around with an irritated feeling inside, ready to reprimand the perpetrator, when I realized the child who'd stepped on my heel was not one of my own. It was a friend. Without a blink, I hugged the dear one and laughed it off. I really wasn't annoyed at all!

I caught myself and had to ask honestly why it was that I would be more frustrated if it had been one of my kids as opposed to one of our little friends??? What's the deal with my heart? And, the ironic thing as well is if you know me at all, then you know that I ADORE my children. Not only do I LOVE them, but I really, really LIKE them too. So why the annoyed reaction?

Well, this silly little moment has me thinking about kindness. How I treat my kids is how I'm treating Jesus. The Bible tells me so.

"And the King will answer them,

‘Truly, I say to you,

as you did it to one of the least of these

my brothers, you did it to me.'"

Matthew 25:40

Jesus LOVES children...so do I. I'm reminded though, that sometimes it's those we love most who we find ourselves most comfortable with and therefore more relaxed in our reactions. At our recent marriage conference, the speaker pointed out that the opposite of love is not hate, but rather apathy. I think he was right.

LOVE requires intentionality to a certain degree and I'm bent on remaining intentional...no matter how comfortable I get with my loved ones, my roomates, my family. I realize fully that even when "no one" is looking, there is One who always is...and He's the One who matters most. He can fill us with the fruit of His Spirit. He can fill us with His kindness. He has an infinite supply.

So, I pour myself out (again and again) and I encourage my family to do the same so that together and by the grace of God, we might abide in a home filled to overflowing with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Lord, you are faithful to help us in our weaknesses. We ask that you would pour out your Spirit and your abilities through us as empty, cracked vessels. May we shine a light that comes directly from you and give you glory because you are able.

"Love is...kind." 1 Corinthians 13:4

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

NOBLE'S BIBLE

Today, one of those moments we parents pray for happened. According to standard procedure, Mom and Dad set about our day with Bible reading, prayer, and a steaming mug alongside...and someone had been watching, taking it all in day after day.

Today, Noble asked for his first Bible. Fortunately, I make it a habit to pick up children's Bibles anytime I find one in new condition at the library book store or children's shop near our house, so I was excitedly prepared. I ran upstairs, found just the right one for Noble and inscribed his name in permanent ink.

Today, we witnessed first hand the power of modeled behavior. Our boy, so trusting and sweet, asked for a steaming mug too...his was warm milk. He sat by his father, read his Bible just like Dad, and learned without a word the importance of the Word.

 

 

Today, I (re)learned something too. I was reminded of the influence my relationship with Jesus has on my family, and not just my children, but upon my husband too.

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct."

1 Peter 3:1-2

Today, my heart rejoiced over a son whose impressionable little soul saw something of value in his Bible. He knows that it is good and he's hungry for it. Praise the Lord! Welling up inside, I observed something extraordinary taking place in the ordinary right here in my kitchen. (How cherished to capture the moment!)

 

Today, and every day, we the parents have the opportunity to mold the clay of our children's young hearts, to press fingerprints of God's goodness, to stamp permanent markings on tablets of human hearts. We have the opportunity. Will we make the most of it?

"And you show that you are a letter from Christ

delivered by us, written not with ink

but with the Spirit of the living God,

not on tablets of stone

but on tablets of human hearts."

2 Corinthians 3:3

Today, our Noble...our kind, gentle, precious gift of a son...began the journey of a lifetime into the infinite pasture of reading God's Word. My heart's prayer is that he would hear the Good Shepherd's voice, that he would come to know his Savior, that God's grace would fall upon Noble and open the eyes of his heart.

So I pray, "Lord, please hear this mother's cry. Please beckon my son to your call that he might seek and find when he seeks you with his whole heart, that he might come to know the JOY that flows from knowing you! God, you can do that."

Nothing matters more.

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."

John 10:3, 4, 14, 15