SELF CONTROL

The words self control or self controlled are used 17 times in the Bible. So I think being self controlled is something that God wants for us. Being self controlled is a part of holy living. Yeah holy living, that is not something the church talks about much. Let me define my terms, being holy is not being conformed to the thinking of the world. It is truly being of the mindset of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). Living holy is living by the Spirit.

So I think for believers to be self controlled means to give one’s self over to the Spirit to be controlled. It is a decision to be made each and every day, moment by moment. We need to pray without ceasing to be Spirit controlled. Since most of us do not pray without ceasing, we do not always live by the Spirit. We do not ask the Spirit to lead us because we want to do our own thing, follow our own sinful ways.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Galatians 5:16-17

God knows how we humans are so He provides us with the opportunity of forgiveness when we fail. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9

Living a holy life, a Spirit filled life, takes a believer a lifetime to master. It is only mastered once you meet Jesus face to face.

Seasons....

Monday, seniors received their cap, gown and graduation tickets. It was a bitter sweet time, a time of change. Sometime we welcome change and sometime we do not. There are friends we have for life and some for only a season.

There is a young person who I know will only be in my life only as long as we have a connection at Central. This person has had a great impact on me. I have had to think about some things because of this relationship and this thinking has given me the opportunity to grow as a person. I think growth is good, especially at my advanced age.

When all is said and done, I hope this person will say "She made me laugh, she made me think, she genuinely cared for me. Maybe she even loved me and she did not require me to think the way that she does before she loved me. I believe she has what she says she has, a relationship with Jesus. Maybe I'll look into what it means to have a relationship with Jesus."

GIFTS

Gary Chapman wrote a book The Five Love Languages. These "languages" are physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service and gifts. Chapman says "The giving and receiving of gifts can be a powerful expression of love, at the time they are given and often extending into later years." Gifts is not my primary love language, quality time is, but sometimes I really enjoy gifts. I like it when the person gives the gift for no special occasion, you know birthday, Valentine's, Christmas or to say thank you but a gift just because they love me or were thinking of me.

I have a co-worker who gave me several garments among them an ensemble that I wore to a wedding, a duster that I wore to a 50th birthday bash and a classic outfit that I wore to a funeral. The items have designer labels from stores that I do not shop. She gave me these items out of the kindness of her heart. I did not do anything to deserve them and she gave them without expecting anything in return. A true gift.

My pastor's Easter, I prefer to use Resurrection but that's for another blog, sermon brought to mind again that Jesus offers us the gift of salvation. It is not something that we "earn." We can see that as we look at the thief on the cross with Jesus. He had been convicted of some bad stuff to get the penalty of death on a cross.

Yet while on the cross he cam to realize:
He should fear God. (Luke 23:40)
Fearing God shows wisdom. (Psalm 111:10)
He was guilty as charged but Jesus was not. (Luke 23:41)
He felt that Jesus could "do something" for him (Luke 23:42)

Jesus "did something" for him, He promised him that he would be with Him that day in paradise. The thief was going to heaven. He was not baptized, didn't have the opportunity to do good works or have communion. He did not do anything to earn the right to go to heaven. Jesus gave him this gift because He cared about the thief. A true gift.

I'm glad Jesus' love language is gifts.


By the way, I think that God uses the language that speaks to us. I just used gifts to fit the theme of the blog :)

44 days.....

that is the number of actual work days that I missed due to the events of January 20th. That gave me a lot of time on my hands. I thought that I would take up reading, but that King James version of "Pilgrim's Progress" is on my dresser without me reading page one. On my back is not the sleeping position of choice for me, but laying down makes me fall asleep. I did a lot of sleeping.

I did read more Scripture than I would have otherwise, and I had plenty of time to reflect upon my readings. I believe all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Not that everything that happens is a good thing, or that it will feel good while it is happening. I do think however that our life experiences and challenges can be a time of learning lessons. Sometime we learn about ourselves, sometimes others, sometimes God. I think when we learn, we grow, we mature. If we embrace these opportunities for growth and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us we will be better for it.

There are a couple of lessons that will take me a lifetime to master. Pray before I start doing. I should not start a project and then ask God to bless it. That project may be a good one, but not for me to do. Be slow to speak and quick to listen. Sometimes all I am supposed to do is listen, not try to help solve the problem.

Oh yeah there is another lesson, watch your step! :)

ps The return to work went well. Thank you for your prayers. I will not send any more photos unless you request one.

Don't be stupid.....

do not be foolish, don’t act thoughtlessly. Instead, understand what the Lord's will is, understand, find out what the Lord wants you to do.
Ephesians 5:17 (combination of Contemporary English Version, New International Version and New Living Translation)

Back in the olden days when I worked as an engineer, the early eighties, the new thing was for companies, organizations and soon individuals to have a mission and\or vision statement. Everything that you considered doing was to be filtered through the mission statement. If it did not fulfill the mission you were not to do it. Hmmm, should we as Christians have a mission statement and filter our actions through it? Should we be open to do any and all good works? Should each of us adopt an orphan or take in a foster child? Should we all be involved in prison ministry? Should we all visit nursing homes and hospitals to encourage those who need encouragement? Should we all be involved in building homes for the homeless? We are being stupid, foolish and act thoughtlessly when we think we can do everything or when we think that we can not do anything. I think we should be open to any and all good works but we need to filter it through how God designed us to be. God has gifted us and equipped us differently so that when everyone does what he or she is gifted to do, all the good works are done.

If things had gone differently......

You would have been invited to my 50th birthday party. I had written a twenty minute monologue for the event. Over time I may share with you portions of it in my blog. The following is from the monologue.

Now that I am 50, considered by most to be older, I want to be a Titus 2 woman.
I want to be reverent in the way I live, to live in a way that honors God, to behave as those who love the Lord should. I do not want to be a slanderer, gossip or addicted to much wine, heavy drinker, drunk, but to teach what is proper, what is good, be a model of goodness, to give good counsel Then I can guide the younger women or By looking at me, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous self-controlled to live wisely and pure, be sensible and kind, to be ]sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) be a good homemaker, be a good wife. and to be subject to their husbands, to be submissive to their husbands, one who puts her own husband first. I want to be such that no one will malign the word of God because of me, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited) because of me. Then no one can say insulting things about God's message because of me. Then I will not bring shame on the word of God. I don't want anyone looking down on God's Message because of my behavior.

Titus 2:3-5 NIV MSG NLT CEV AMP

I AM LOVED

I have always been loved, from the womb to now. In addition to the usual suspects of my immediate family, I have been loved by extended family and by my church family, past and present. My church family and small group look out for me, regular calls, meals, whatever I need. I text my pastor, do you? My life time partner's pastor is good too, we do the email thing and the cell number is in my cell phone. My friends from back in day, high school, are there for me too. I am especially blessed to have people at Central who love me, after all I spend a lot of time there. I know who to go to when I need loving.

You know what all these people have in common? They know Jesus and since they know Jesus they know God and God is love. The Bible tells us that we will know Christ followers because of their love.

My family needs loving right now. My oldest beloved is not well (fluid inside and outside of the right lung and a blood clot is there too), but we know that God loves him a lot more than we do and He is in control. God is good and demonstrates His love by providing Christ followers to love us on His behalf.