Foundations June 25, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 10-12

And the fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness…

Proverbs 15:1 (NIV) A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Kindness is communicated much through words and goodness through acts of generosity. Gentleness is evident through a disposition and an inner spirit, but also through tone of voice. There are a lot of angry people in the world, and as the saying goes, “hurt people hurt people.” Yet it is so easy to judge those who come across angry. The waitress who seems as though she’d rather pull out her fingernails than take your order, the grocery clerk who is annoyed when you decide you don’t actually want to buy that can of corn, the government worker who decides that you and your van full of kids are the lucky ones who need to be randomly searched at border crossing – these are the people we are quick to make a snide comment about after the ordeal is over. But is this how God would have us respond?

When we can speak gently and kindly to those who seem angry and annoyed, we often will notice that our gentleness and care changes their disposition – all they needed was someone to show them that they are a valuable individual. But what about those times after the waitress has walked away or when we’re rolling our cart to the car or once we’ve gotten through the border? We’re often quick to make jokes and inwardly curse the person with the bad attitude. Scripture tells us that a gentle answer turns away wrath; perhaps this is true even when the moment is over. Perhaps God is also telling us that a gentle response turns away His wrath. He holds us accountable for the things we say, even if it is out of earshot of the one we’re talking about.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Think about your tone of voice. Is it friendly, warm and inviting? Or is it demeaning, condemning and impatient? Confess things in your tone that reveal a lack of gentleness and ask God to work your heart like dough, kneading you into a gentle disposition.

2.  Is there someone you know you will be in contact with today that is very hard for you to treat gently? Ask God now already to soften your heart and your tone when speaking to them.

3.  Ask God for a heads up to what you might face today. What response does He want from you when you meet angry people?

Foundations June 24, 2012

And the fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness…

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Gentleness goes hand-in-hand with humility. Some see gentleness as a weakness, but in fact it is a quiet strength and takes immense control. One who is gentle is humble and tender-hearted even in trial. This was Jesus, who prayed forgiveness for His executioners. This was Stephen who prayed mercy for those who were throwing stones at him.

Jesus said that His yoke was easy and His burden light because He was gentle and humble in heart. One does not look at Jesus’ responsibilities and think “easy” and “light.” His yoke was not easy in the sense of painlessness or light in the sense of triviality. What Jesus had to do could be called easy and light because it was total surrender to the Father’s will. The formula was easy: obey the Father; the weight was light: He was in the middle of the Father’s will, which was exactly where He was the safest and most honoured.

If we are gentle and humble in heart we will submit ourselves to the Father’s will for our lives and in this we will find rest, even if it brings pain. The road of persecution and struggle looks treacherous to those who have never walked it, but to those who travel it, it becomes a joy and an honour. There is rest in Jesus, no matter our circumstances. If we are in the centre of the Father’s will for us, we will find rest there. When we live humbly and gently, showing gentleness to others, we will be able to guide people into the rest that is found only in our Lord.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Ask Jesus to teach you something from His character of humility and gentleness.

2.  In what way do you need to experience the rest that is found in Jesus today? First ask yourself: Am I in the centre of God’s will today? Are you living obediently surrendered to Him? If there is anything you need to make right with Him take time to do that. Then tell Him what troubles you and ask Him to give you the rest that He speaks of in Matthew 11.

3.  Ask God to prepare you for trials that may come your way one day.

Foundations June 23, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 7- 9

And the fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness…

1 Peter 3:4 (ESV) 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.

If you were asked to think of the gentlest people you know, a number of names of quiet, soft-spoken, introverted individuals might come to mind. But these are not necessary signs of gentleness. People can be quiet and soft-spoken and even nice for a variety of reasons, and sometimes these are covers for insecurity, fear or manipulation.  

Gentleness is a quality of a soft heart. Peter urges his female readers to take on a gentle and quiet spirit. He doesn’t say “be quiet!” but to have a quiet spirit.

If we want to be gentle – tender and kind and compassionate – towards others, we need to submit our hearts to the Holy Spirit. We need to quiet our hearts that we may hear His voice even when there is noise and action going on around us. He is available to guide and direct us in what we do and say, that we may minister effectively to those around us. Learning to hear Him is a process, but the important thing is that we respond when we do hear Him. Perhaps someone hurts you and you sense that you are supposed to be thankful to God – be thankful! Or you are standing in line for coffee and you have the idea to pay for the lady behind you – pay for her! Even in the midst of fun and laughter, be aware that God may ask something of you. This quieting of our hearts will grow us in the fruit of gentleness as we learn to put God’s voice and opinions as the priorities of our radar.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Think of someone who you believe is truly gentle. How is their gentleness evident? What can you learn from this person?

2.  Make it your aim today to say “yes” to Jesus. Even now, determine 4 “checkpoints” for your day where you will stop and ask yourself, “Have I been listening for the voice of the Spirit?”

3.  Prayerfully come up with a good definition for the word “gentleness.” How are you doing in this area?  How might you need to grow?

Foundations June 22, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 4- 6

And the fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness…

Proverbs 3:3-4 (NIV) Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

The word “faithfulness” is mentioned less than 80 times in the Bible, and not even a handful of those reference the faithfulness of man, probably because man finds faithfulness a tough road to walk. Thankfully the Bible highlights the lives of ordinary men and women who chose to walk the road anyways. Noah and Joseph and Daniel and Ruth and Mary teach us that it is possible to be a person of integrity who is faithful with responsibility and reliability.

Faithfulness and love will win us favour in the eyes of God and of man. God may ask us to do things that cause others to shake their heads at us in confusion or disappointment, but following God is not completely without benefit on this side of heaven. God is a gentleman who operates in full integrity of character. When we follow in his ways, our faithfulness will translate into integrity of character, too. As Christians, we must be people who are responsible with the tasks given us by God and man, and we must be reliable to follow through on what we say we will do. The true Christian life is a dynamic one, fueled by a relationship with Jesus. We will affect others. There are countless stories of persecuted believers who, through faithful love and service and integrity, have influenced their own torturers and lead many sinners to the King. Let love and faithfulness never leave you! Do what it takes to remain passionate for Jesus. Read a Christian biography, challenge yourself to evangelize, memorize Scripture – these things teach us to grow in the love and faithfulness of Christ and others will be affected too.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Ask God to remind you of a commitment that you made that you have not followed through on. Plan to get that done today.

2.  Do you feel your relationship with the Lord lacks passion? If so, don’t just let it be! Talk to Christian friends and coworkers, take a suggestion from this devotional and ask God to renew a fire in you.

3.  Mediate on the verses for today and ask God if there is anything specific He’d like to reveal to you.

Foundations June 21, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 1- 3

And the fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness…

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (ESV) We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

Paul and many of the believers were faithful ministers of God, and here he lays it out clearly, first listing all the things they’ve endured (beatings, imprisonment, etc.), then showing how the character and power of God enabled them to do so (purity, kindness, etc.), and then declaring how they were empowered to serve and minister in spite of all they endured (speaking truth and living righteously)! These men and women were faithful to God and to their ministry no matter what. They did not retaliate when others slandered them. They did not demand respect when they were dishonoured. And they were not offended when friends and family acted as though they were strangers. And with all that they went through, they were still able to claim that though they had nothing, they possessed everything. What faithfulness!

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  The faithfulness described here is clearly fruit. It has been cultivated through hardship and testing. How would you like to grow in the fruit of faithfulness? Come before the Lord with your request and ask Him to grow this in you. Tell Him you are willing to grow it whatever way it takes.

2.  How does God want to encourage you through the passage you read today? Is there an area where you struggle to be faithful in your commitment to Christ? Be brave and ask another Christian to pray for you today.

Foundations June 20, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Isaiah 64-66

And the fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness…

Hosea 2:19-20 (ESV) And I will betroth you to Me forever… I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

A betrothal is a promise of marriage. It was the engagement period of Old Testament times and was as binding as marriage itself, though consummation came only after the wedding. The verb for consummation is “to know”. Adam knew Eve and Abraham knew Sarah. The physical, spiritual and emotional intimacy between husband and wife is a sort of “knowing.”

Through the prophet Hosea, God makes this promise of fidelity to His people. And He says to us: “You are My bride. I am coming to marry you and when I come you will truly know Me.” We will see Jesus face-to-face. We will be in His presence and we will know the cries of His heart. His cries will be our cries and we will be full of His joy and His life.

Jesus is betrothed to us in faithfulness. He waits for the Father to say, “Now is the time! Go to your bride!” He is not squandering His time. He is not pursuing other lovers to pass the time away. He is working to prepare a beautiful home for His bride – a home that He takes joy and pride in building because He knows His bride will love it.

Meanwhile, the Bride of Christ is off biding her time in brothels. That was the picture painted by the prophets and that is the picture that much of the church displays today. There are so many things competing for our attention, some sinful, some good some neutral. But is Jesus our first love? Would we be willing to surrender all for Him if He would ask us? Do we pursue Him as a Person, looking forward to joining Him and entering into the wonderful home He has prepared? Jesus has promised us His love and fidelity. Are we the pure Bride He is waiting for?

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Take a few moments to pray and intercede for our nation. Confess sins on Canada’s behalf – things like abortion, adultery, pride – and ask God for a turning towards Christ. Pray for Pastor Ray and Fran and their ministry to the Canadian church.

2.  Ask God to speak to you about this picture of bride and groom. Ask Him to speak to you about how He values you as His bride. Ask Him about the vows He has made to you. Respond to Him.

3.  Ask God to grow your love and faithfulness for Him today.

Foundations June 19, 2012

Prophet’s Reading Plan: Isaiah 60-63

And the fruit of the Spirit is… goodness…

Psalm 116:12 (NIV) How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?

The goodness of God is so great; we cannot repay Him for anything He has done. We need God, but God will never be in a position where He will need anything from us. We cannot repay, we can only respond.

Peter tells us that through the goodness and glory of God, we have been given everything we need for life and godly living. Through His promises and His goodness, we can escape the world’s corruption and our own evil desires. And because of this, he says, we are to do more than just put our faith in God. We are to add to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-control and a host of other things. (2 Peter 1) In response to what God has done, we must put our trust in Him AND we must do good.

Goodness is a more active quality than kindness. Goodness is to see a need and meet it, thus it requires a generosity that overflows from kindness. As believers we are to be the hands and feet of our Lord. Jesus invested into people. He didn’t just pat the children on the head as He walked by; He called them over and sat with them. He didn’t just pray for the sick; He healed them and forgave their sins. He didn’t just allow His disciples to watch Him in action; He walked with them and taught them the ways of the Father.

Kindness is the outskirts of goodness. God will ask us to venture past the kind words and encouragements and get our hands “dirty” serving people with love and generosity, mirroring the goodness of Christ to a desperate world.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

1.  Ask Got to fill your heart with joy and thanksgiving in response to His goodness. When you are ready, ask Him for specific ways that He wants you to respond to His goodness today through active service.

2.  What are some things on your heart and mind that could stand in the way of you showing goodness to others today? Will you entrust these worries to the care of Christ?

3.  Ask God to give you a word or picture or thought about your day today; ask him for anything specific He’d like to say.