Month: March 2016

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22 MEV

I have known this passage for most of my life. I memorized it when I was a young child and have repeated it often. It never seems to lose its comfort. However, there has always been a challenge in it as well. How on earth can I have all of those attributes in my life?

So I have done what most of us do with such, I studied each and every characteristic and “tried” sincerely to implement them in my life. Never realizing that the attitude of me trying was going to end in frustration each and every time.

Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me. For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 MEV

I knew this one too. Yet, I had never put them together. When we choose to go deeply into our Lord’s heart and presence, we begin to experience a number of items that are usually not mentioned. Change occurs deep within us. It is a change that we volunteered for – for sure, but it happens, not because of trying, but because of fellowship. As we grow accustomed to giving and receiving love in Him, there begins a shift in our entire perception. Oh, it is not a rapid thing, nor a thing of accomplishment in any way. It is instead an adjustment in my core that aligns my heart in such sweet gentleness in Him.

What I have begun to understand is that His love is so complete, and His gentleness in me is so real that I know I am accepted as I am. His delight is in me. In that is a huge release into rest that allows a fellowship so deep that even my core relaxes into Him. I am very much “still in process” and I am sure will be all my remaining years in this sphere. There is much, much to adjust and renew; however, it is all done in such a beautiful movement that my heart overflows with His love.

Lord, You are so much more that we have ever dreamed. On this Resurrection weekend, may our fellowship and belonging together bless You in me.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations,….” Deuteronomy 7:9 MEV

Our LORD is more faithful than our seasons! I have been watching my iris beds as I saw the flags of these minature iris’ pop up a few days ago. This morning – the flowers have very faithfully arrived! The white ones have not yet been seen, but these beauties adorn my front lawn iris bed this morning. They will only last for a few days, so I will enjoy them – rain and all. I wanted to share them with you.

In my prayer time this morning, our Lord was instructing me (once again – He does it so often and in such patience) that He is faithful. Of course He is! But how easy it is to think about what our circumstances are proclaiming. If we are not cautious we will believe that what these situations say is truth. It is always only a passing season – simply because in a moment of time everything changes. So whatever truth it contains, it is brief. On the other hand, our beautiful Lord Jesus is always the same and always faithful to us as individuals and faithful to His word to us and in us.

So as we begin to see the first signs of our season changing, let’s embrace the momentary beauty and allow His faithfulness to be the center of our thoughts and actions. What a marvelous Lord we have. And just think, next spring, once again up these tiny beauties will come – if the earth remains.

“Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, that they may be one; even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.” John 17:20-23 (WEB)

If you will, for just a moment, allow this passage to be “seen” in your mind and Spirit. For years, I misunderstood what our Lord was saying and therefore, totally missed a very key understanding of this New Covenant that has been cut in Christ and given freely to all who will receive Him.

This passage is letting us know “separateness” has been eliminated in its fulfillment. By “separateness” I mean separateness from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The passage is not talking about something we do within the Body of Christ and is not talking about “unity” within the Body at all. The word “unity” does not appear in the Greek. Instead, He is praying about a reality that would be released within us when the Spirit was poured into us on that beautiful Pentecost Day!

This prayer in John 17 was completely fulfilled when the Spirit was poured out into His Body! There is nothing left for us to do about it, except receiving its truth. When He came inside, we became one Spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17) We have been embraced in the “gift of oneness” that is the nature of eternity in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He was praying that we would be one in the fellowship of the Trinity! In other words, the gifting of the Body with the Holy Spirit has eliminated any distance from God. We have been made complete in Him – lacking nothing!

This is a change in our being that has massive repercussions in our life. Our thoughts now accessing His, our plans now being laid in His, our hopes realized in Him, and our prayers always effective in Him. What an outlandish gift!

How can this be with such sin in our lives? That is the topic for the next post. Much has been revealed inside me and I am struggling to be able to describe what I have “seen” in Him. Bear with me and pray for it all to become clearer and clearer as I work with it in Him.

(WEB is World English Bible a public domain Bible accessible to all on the web.)