, , , , , ,

What Does It Mean to Love God?

What does it mean to love God? In today’s world, where there are many voices calling for your attention, some would say their way of loving God is “the” way of loving God. Others might say that loving God is relative and depends upon your situation and circumstance. One thing we do know is: to love God is to give your total allegiance to God’s love and to allow that love to shape the way you live.

Read Matthew 22:34-40 

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Reflect on Matthew 22:34-40

When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, his answer brought the meaning and purpose of faith clearly into focus: love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself.

In this blog, I want to explore what it means to love God. We will explore loving neighbor in the next blog.

When Jesus says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” he is talking about a total, all in, commitment to God’s way. It is essentially becoming who God created you to be.

To go deeper. Loving God is not a matter of what you say, it is a matter of what you allow God’s love to do in your life.

It means loving others even when it is difficult, trusting when life is painful and confusing, and allowing truth to shape the way you think about and interact with the people you encounter each day.

To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind is to allow God’s love to become stronger in you than the hatred, fear, or pain around you.

To love God is not simply about following rules. It is about becoming a person whose life is shaped by love.

So, the greatest commandment, to love God, is more than what you believe. It is about how love makes you and shapes you into who God created you to be.

For John Wesley, this scripture gives a foundation to his emphasis upon holiness of heart and life. loving God and loving neighbor are not separate goals, but the two dimensions of your life being transformed by God.

Respond

Little Suzy girl asked her father, “Daddy, what does it mean to love God?”

Her father thought for a moment and said, “It means that God is the most important person in your life.”

She nodded, but she still did not understand. So, she asked, “Does that mean I have to think about God all the time?”

Her father smiled. “No. But, let me tell you a story.”

There once was a young man named Tommy. He had grown up in a small town where most things were peaceful, but there were times people would have small disagreements. Tommy’s dad was one person in town who tried to be a peacemaker. That was one of the many reasons Tommy loved his dad.

Even though he was an adult and out on his own, Tommy liked sitting with his mom and dad in worship. He loved his parents and especially liked the conversations they had after worship. He called those conversations ‘having the preacher for lunch.” One of their conversations was about what it meant to love God.  

One Sunday, when Tommy arrived at the church to worship, his dad was not there. He asked his mother, “Where’s Dad?”

She responded, “He’s at home. He said he had several things on his mind.”

After worship, Tommy stopped by to visit. He found his dad sitting in his favorite chair by the window.

“Dad, are you okay? Mom said you had several things on your mind.”

His father looked out the window and said, “I’ve been thinking about something, Son.”

“What?”

“Your mother and I have been married for forty years. I love her more today than I did when we were young.”

Tommy smiled. “That’s nice, Dad.”

His father continued, “But I don’t spend every minute telling her I love her. I don’t have to. I know her. I trust her. I try to do what makes her happy. And when I make a mistake, I ask her to forgive me.” He paused and then said, “That’s what loving God is like.”

Tommy sat quietly.

His father said, “You love God by getting to know God. You love God by trusting God. You love God by trying to do what God asks. And when you fail, you come back and ask God to forgive you.” Then he added, “And if you really love God, you will begin to love the people God loves.”

Tommy looked at his father. “Even the difficult people?”

His father smiled. “Especially the difficult people.”

Suzy’s father concluded his story by saying, “To love God is to make God the most important person in your life. You love God by trusting God’s love for you and for others. You love God by loving the people God loves.”

Suzy said, “So, loving God means more than thinking about God but loving the way God loves.”

Her father replied, “Now you know what it means to love God.”

Loving God is not simply about saying the right words or attending the right worship services. It is about a relationship that changes the way you live and how you relate to the people around you.

When you love God, you begin to trust God, obey God, seek God’s presence, and love the people God has placed around you.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37). And Jesus immediately added: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39).

Your love for God is revealed in the way you love others. I’ll explore loving your neighbor in the next blog.

Return

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways did you love God? How did you work for the good of the people around you? How did you let people love you? With whom do you need to celebrate God’s love and the ways you have been able to love God and love your neighbor? What will you do differently tomorrow?

, , , ,

The Fruit of Self-Control

When it comes to self-control, I like these words from James, “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). Self-control is learning to respond with love rather than reacting without thinking.

It is not simply “trying harder” or suppressing your feelings. Self-control is, by God’s grace, the ability to manage your desires, emotions, words, and actions so that they are brought under the direction of God’s love.

Paul lists self-control as one of the fruit of the Spirit.

Read Galatians 5:22-23

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Reflect on Galatians 5

The biblical understanding of self-control is different from our cultural understanding. It isn’t about denying yourself what you want. It is about not allowing what you want or your desires to become your master.

The Greek word for self-control means mastery over oneself, restraint, or disciplined control of your desires. Paul understood this when we wrote to the Corinthians, “I will not let anything master me” (I Corinthians 6:12).

In one sense, self-control is strength placed under the authority of love.As an example, self-control is experienced in your response to anger. When you are rooted in God’s love you might be angry, but love has taught you how to express that anger. You might disagree with someone, but love has taught you not to humiliate them. You might have the power to retaliate, but love has taught you to offer forgiveness.

In another sense, self-control, under the authority of love, is simply knowing when not to speak. The text you choose not to send. The criticism you choose not to voice. The argument you choose not to win. The gracious response you send in place of the angry one.

These are all acts of spiritual maturity, products of the fruit of self-control. You cooperate with God’s Spirit as God forms your character. The goal is not to become a person who has perfect control over everything. The goal is to become the person who God created you to be, living under the authority of Jesus, God’s love in human form.

If gentleness is strength in the hands of love, then self-control is strength under the direction of wisdom. Together they describe a follower of Jesus who has strength but does not need to use it destructively

Respond to Galatians 5

Think of ways you might respond to your family, your colleagues, your friends, and neighbors today. With whom might you need the self-control to respond with love instead of anger?

You might think of it this way. Joe received an email from a colleague that made him angry. The message questioned his leadership, criticized a decision he had made, and, at least in his mind, completely misunderstood the situation.

So, he immediately began writing a response. Every sentence was sharp with anger.  He typed, “If you had bothered to understand the situation…” Then another sentence. “Perhaps you should worry more about your own responsibilities before criticizing mine.”

He finished the email, reread it, and felt a strange satisfaction.

As his finger hovered over “Send,” he remembered something his father had taught him: “You don’t have to say everything you’re thinking just because you’re thinking it.”

So, he stopped and closed the laptop. He went for a walk. He prayed and thought about what he was doing.

The next morning, he read the email again. Much of what he had written was true, but it wasn’t loving, constructive, or necessary. So, he deleted it and wrote a different response: “Thanks for sharing your concerns. I don’t see the situation exactly the same way, but I’d like to talk about it. I think we’ll understand each other better if we have the conversation face-to-face.”

The conversation didn’t magically solve everything. They still disagreed. But Joe walked away with something more important than winning an argument. He had won a battle with himself.

That is self-control.

Self-control isn’t pretending that you aren’t angry. Joe really was angry. It isn’t pretending that you don’t have something to say. He had plenty to say. Self-control is having the strength to choose what you do with what you are feeling. It is having the wisdom to choose what you do with your anger and the words you choose when you respond.

The world often measures strength by what we can control around us. The Bible measures strength by whether we can learn to control what is within us.

Sometimes the greatest victory isn’t winning the argument. Sometimes it’s having the strength not to become the person your anger is tempting you to become.

Return at the End of the Day

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways did you use self-control? When you felt yourself become angry, how did you respond? When you wanted to speak harshly, what kept you from speaking your mind? With whom do you need to celebrate your self-control? What will you do differently tomorrow?

, , ,

The Fruit of Gentleness

Gentleness is one of those characteristics we often admire but don’t always understand. In a world that rewards being loud, forceful, and reactive, gentleness can easily be mistaken for weakness. We sometimes assume that strong people must be tough, decisive, and unwilling to back down. But Jesus offers us a different model.

Jesus described himself as “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). He could speak difficult truths, confront injustice, and challenge those who misused their power. Yet he never needed cruelty to demonstrate strength. His strength was expressed through compassion, patience, humility, and love.

The fruit of gentleness is not the absence of strength. It is strength placed in the hands of love.

Gentleness changes the way we speak to one another, the way we respond when we are offended, the way we exercise authority, and even the way we disagree. It invites us to ask a simple but challenging question: What if the strongest thing we can sometimes do is choose to be gentle?

In a culture that often celebrates winning, gentleness reminds us that following Jesus is not primarily about winning arguments or proving our strength. It is about becoming more like Jesus. It is about becoming who God has created us to be.

Read Galatians 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

Reflect on Galatians 6

Biblical gentleness is the strength to treat people with grace when you have every opportunity to treat them harshly. The Greek word often translated gentleness is the same word translated meekness in the Beatitudes. It describes a person who possesses strength but chooses to exercise it with restraint and love.

Gentleness is strength under control. By the work of God’s spirit within you, you have the ability to respond to others with humility, patience, and compassion rather than force or harshness.

Notice the word “restore” in Paul’s letter. Just after giving examples of the fruit of the spirit, he offers instruction on caring for others. So, the goal of gentleness is not to win, punish, embarrass, or prove someone wrong. The goal is to help another person become whole or to become who God has created them to be.

Gentleness reflects the character of Jesus. To become more like Jesus is to become increasingly gentle in the way we treat people.

So, Paul is instructing the followers of Jesus in Galatia that gentleness is not weakness or passivity. Gentleness is being so self-aware that you can have difficult conversations. By the work of God’s Spirit within you, you have the grace to challenge hypocrisy, injustice, and what is wrong without being cruel or vindictive.

He also instructed the followers of Jesus in Ephesus with a similar teaching by connecting gentleness with humility, patience, and love. He wrote, “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2).

Gentleness is about creating space for others to be heard even when you feel you have the right to argue your point or to have the last word.

Respond to Galatians 6

So, how will you produce the fruit of gentleness this week? Ask yourself these questions, “How can I speak the truth without destroying the person who needs to hear it?” Or, When I have the power to hurt, shame, silence, or overpower someone, will I instead choose the way of Jesus, the way of gentleness?

Maybe think of it this way. There was once an old gardener who had spent most of his life caring for roses. One spring, a young apprentice began working with him.

One morning, the apprentice was pruning a rosebush when he accidentally broke one of the largest branches. The branch had several beautiful buds on it, and the apprentice knew he had ruined the plant.

He became embarrassed and waited for the gardener to become angry. The gardener walked over, looked at the broken branch, and said, “You were trying to help the rose grow, weren’t you?”

The apprentice responded quietly, “Yes.”

Instead of scolding him, the gardener showed him how to cut the damaged branch cleanly and care for the wound. Then he placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder and said, “You will make mistakes while you learn. I don’t want you to be afraid of making mistakes. I want to help you learn from them.”

Years later, the apprentice became a gardener himself. He remembered that moment, not because the gardener had corrected him, but because the gardener had not humiliated him.

Gentleness doesn’t ignore mistakes. The gardener still corrected the problem. But he understood what Paul had written, “If anyone is caught in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

So, how will you produce the fruit of gentleness this week?

Return

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways were you gentle with them? In what ways were you firm but caring? With whom do you need to celebrate their gentleness with you? What will you do differently tomorrow?

, , , ,

The Fruit of Faithfulness

Who comes to mind when you hear the word “faithfulness?” Is it someone trustworthy? Someone dependable? Someone who shows up no matter what? Someone who keeps their word?

I like that one. Someone faithful is someone who keeps their word. Maybe a better way to say it is, someone who keeps the Word.

In John we know that the word became flesh in Jesus. We also know that Jesus is God’s love in human form. That means at the heart of faithfulness is God’s love and we are being faithful, keeping our word, when we love one another.

Maybe we can look at it this way. Faithfulness is not about trying harder to be better. It is about a relationship with Jesus and making that relationship the center of everything you do. 

Eugene Peterson, author of Working the Angles and the translator of The Message, in an interview said that there is a strong fundamentalist attitude that has penetrated all parts of faith. It is an attitude of telling people what to believe and how to act. It is this attitude that has gotten in the way of the intimacy of relationships and of paying attention to Jesus. 

Paying attention to Jesus is countercultural in today’s environment. But that paying attention, or keeping the Word, is at the heart of faithfulness. 

Christian Faith 

John R. Hendrick, in his book Opening the Door of Faith, defines Christian faith as a centered, personal, relational response involving trust and obedience. 

Centered

First, the Christian faith is centered. According to the scriptures, the object of Christian faith is the living God revealed in the person Jesus whom we call the Christ. It is not a generic faith or general faith. The object is not a philosophy of life or a system of ethical ideals or a set of beliefs to which we give intellectual acceptance. The object of Christian faith is the living God revealed in Jesus. 

Personal

Second, Christian faith is personal. It is personal because it is centered in a person, a living person, Jesus whom we know as the Christ. According to the scriptures, Jesus is the One who was dead, is alive, and is alive forevermore. Christian faith takes the resurrection of Jesus seriously. It is not a historical event that happened over two thousand years ago. It is not “what would Jesus do?” It is the dynamic action of, “what is Jesus doing” in our lives today. By its very nature, Christian faith is personal because its object is a living person. 

It is also personal because it requires a personal response from each human being. Not all people will respond to Jesus in the same way. Some people will accept this personal response and others will reject it. The bottom line is you cannot have faith for another person. Ultimately, each person must own the faith for herself or himself.

So, Christian faith is personal not only because its object is a living person but also because it requires a personal response. 

Relational

Third, Christian faith is relational. It is relational first because it makes possible a right relationship with God. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, wrote, “For it is by God’s grace you are saved, through trust in God” (Ephesians 2:8). It is the grace of God that provides the basis for a relationship with God. 

Faith not only properly relates you to God; it also properly relates you people – all people, The bible calls them your neighbor. You cannot be properly related to God and improperly related to neighbor. Your relationship with God is bound up in your relationship with the people around you, and your relationship with others is bound up with your relationship to God. You cannot claim to love God while you hate your brother or sister. 

Faith not only establishes a relationship with God and neighbor, but it also helps you become an integrated person. It helps connect your head with your heart, your intentions with your behavior, and your talk with your walk. When you are in relationship with God and with your neighbor, you are one with yourself. 

Christian faith is so dynamic that you have a new respect for and stewardship of God’s creation. While you are related to God, your neighbor, and yourself, you can no longer be content to treat God’s creation selfishly and thoughtlessly. 

Centered, Personal, Relational Faith

Christian faith is a centered, personal, relational response of trust and obedience. Although emotion and goodness are results of faithfulness, the foundation of faith is based upon who God is and what God has done on your behalf. The foundation of faith is not your commitment to God but God’s commitment to you. Your faithfulness is not a mental acceptance but a full, all in, involvement of your whole being…body, mind, soul, spirit, senses, and will.  

So, your response is one of trust and of obedience. Trust is the personal and relationship aspect of faith. Obedience is your ethical aspect of faith. As a follower of Jesus, your allegiance is first to God. Your faithfulness is seen in your relationship with God and with the people around you.

Three Practices of Faithfulness 

Here are three practices to help develop and nurture your faithfulness as a follower of Jesus. There is nothing magical here. Just three ways that help you focus upon Jesus and reveal who you are in your relationships. 

1. Spend Time with Jesus

Spend time with Jesus. Read John 4:5-9. In the scripture, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also… Whoever has seen me has seen the father.” 

The theme in John’s gospel is “If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God.” The implication is that the work of God is seen in the work of Jesus. The work of God’s love is seen in the way Jesus loves. 

Then, Jesus turns things around and says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” In other words, faithfulness is to live the life of Jesus, loving people the way Jesus has loved you. 

Spend time with Jesus to experience who God is and what God expects of you. Your time with Jesus is an active response of faithfulness. Your time with Jesus will be seen in the way you love others. 

2. Learn the Ways of Jesus

Learn the ways of Jesus. Read Matthew 28:18-20. In the scripture, Jesus says, “…teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” 

The theme in Matthew is “God sent Jesus to teach us how to live a righteous life.” So, to believe in Jesus, to trust and obey Jesus, is to live a life of righteousness. When you read Matthew’s story of Jesus, righteousness is not the purity of living as much as living in the right relationship with God, “Love the Lord your God…” and the right relationship with others, “love your neighbor as yourself.” The implication is that you learn and obey the ways of Jesus to teach others the way of Jesus. 

When Jesus says, in what we know as the great commission, “teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you,” he is referring to living in a loving relationship, working for the well-being of neighbor, stranger, and enemy. He is referring to the way you make promises and commitments to the people around you. He is referring to forgiving others as you have been forgiven. 

Learning and obeying the way of Jesus is what God expects of you as a son or daughter. What you learn and what you share is an active response of trust and obedience. What you learn and obey will be seen in your relationships. It will be seen in how you work for the good of others with integrity and trust.  

3. Live the Life of Jesus

Live the life of Jesus.  Read Mark 1:21-27. In the scripture, there is a shouting match in the sanctuary. Jesus confronts an unclean spirit. In doing so, he sets a person free to be who God created him to be. 

The theme in Mark’s Gospel is “God sent Jesus to oppose all the evil, suffering, and pain in the world.” The implication is, to spend time with Jesus, to learn and obey the ways of Jesus, will lead you to oppose the evil, suffering, and pain in your communities, neighborhoods, and the world at large. 

Even the unclean spirits know who Jesus is (intellectual acceptance). “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” There is no change of behavior. No love of neighbor or enemy. Just a disruption of the life of a man, who knows who Jesus is, but who does not live in trust and obedience. 

When you read Mark’s story of Jesus, Jesus is restoring relationships. When he heals the man with leprosy, he is restoring the man to his family, to his community, to his synagogue, to his job. When Jesus encounters the man with demons in the cemetery, he frees the man from the pigs, from living life as if he were dead, trapped in the evil of his living. 

Repeatedly in Mark’s story, Jesus is facing the evil of unclean spirits that lead to the suffering and pain of the people he encounters. To live the life of Jesus is an active response of trust and obedience. Your living will reveal how you face the challenges and difficulties of this time. 

Faith Shaped Leadership

These three practices can and will assist you in deepening your faith and producing the fruit of faithfulness.

So, as a follower of Jesus, what are you doing to pay attention to Jesus and to develop your trust and obedience? Let’s not make it an intellectual exercise, but with trust and obedience let’s actively commit ourselves to God and to one another for the transformation of our lives, our families, our communities, our church, and the world. 

Someone who is faithful is someone who keeps the Word. The heart of faithfulness is God’s love, and we are being faithful, keeping our word, when we love one another.

, , , ,

The Fruit of Generosity

If you are like me, when you hear the word “generosity,” you immediately think of someone giving a significant gift like money. But have you ever considered that being generous might also mean giving someone the benefit of the doubt?

Think about it. Instead of jumping to the worst possible conclusions, you might consider that they are doing the best they can. Before jumping to conclusions, consider what they might be experiencing within themselves, their families, or their life situation?

Brené Brown, in her book, Dare to Lead, writes that generosity is giving others the benefit of the doubt and generously interesting their motives.

As a follower of Jesus, living a holy life, filled with God’s love, generosity is a fruit you produce. Paul gives a description of the soil for cultivating the fruit of generosity.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Make sure no one repays a wrong with a wrong, but always pursue the good for each other and everyone else. Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Reflect on 1 Thessalonians 5

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes about how to treat difficult people and then moves to how to cultivate an inner posture of joy, prayer, and gratitude.

He begins with relationships. When someone hurts you. Often your immediate response is retaliation. “You hurt me, so I’ll hurt you.” Paul says that as a follower of Jesus, you are to break that cycle. He doesn’t say “Don’t retaliate.” He says, “Always seek to do good.”

The point is that you don’t simply avoid revenge; you look for ways to bless, heal, reconcile, and serve others, even when they don’t deserve it. To seek the good of others is to love them. You love them even if they hurt you. You always seek to do good to those who mistreat you.

Then he says, “rejoice always.” Your deepest joy isn’t determined by whether life is going well. Your joy comes from knowing that God is always with you. You can experience sadness, brief disappointment, and even anger while still possessing a deeper joy. Joy is not the denial of pain and disappointment. Joy is rooted in the confidence of God’s presence in the midst of the pain and disappointment.

Then comes the direction to “Pray continually.” Paul instructs his readers to develop a life in which conversation with God becomes woven into everything you do. You live in the ongoing awareness of God. Prayer becomes a posture, a way of living, a way to approach every situation and circumstance.

Then, give thanks in all situations and circumstances. Paul doesn’t say to “give thanks for all circumstances.” He says, “to give thanks in all circumstances.” You don’t have to be thankful for grief, injustice, betrayal, or suffering. But even in those circumstances, you can find reason to say, “God, I am grateful that you are with me in the midst of this.

Gratitude changes the way you see your circumstances. It might change the situation, but it allows for the opportunity to acknowledge that God is with you, and nothing can separate you from God.

Paul provides fertile soil of generosity. Rooted in generosity, you respond with goodness rather than retaliate. You cultivate joy, remain connected to God, and practice gratitude when you cultivate generosity. This is a life shaped by the character of Jesus.

Respond to 1 Thessalonians 5 

How will you be generous today?

Brené Brown defines being generous as extending the “most generous interpretation possible” to the intentions, words, and actions of others. Giving others the benefit of the doubt and generously interpreting their motives.

Maybe you can think of this way.

What’s Your Most Generous Interpretation?

I read recently of a mother who was teaching her two children what they might expect in a new school environment. She had taught them to be kind and genuine and how to navigate the complexities of the new school.

At the end of one school day, her oldest daughter began to explain about the most recent incident of bullying, hurt feelings, and distress. Although the mother had taught her children to use their words, seek adult support, and defend themselves, the “lessons were lost in the heat of this moment.” She declared, “Why didn’t you simply put the girl in her place?” Her words were a direct command to end bullying once and for all.

Her youngest child replied, “Mom, something hard must be going on in her life. Maybe we should pray for her.” The words coming from her first-grader stung, and the mother immediately regretted what she had said.


The decision not to repay a wrong with a wrong is a way of living that results from our desire to express gratitude rather than fear. It is a lifestyle that includes an attitude of kindness and generosity even in the face of unfairness. It requires continually cultivating holy habits that foster a better world for everyone.


It is difficult to be a positive witness of God’s love without aligning your words and actions. Nothing will be solved by repaying wrong actions with wrong actions. When we see and experience wrongs, choose a different path. The path of generosity reflects the love you have received in and through Jesus.


What kind of community would exist if we truly cared about each other? How different would our world be if we were generous with the people around us, in the decisions we make, and in the actions we take?

In a world where bullying, meanness, selfishness, and greed exist, choose to respond from a place of generosity and actively work for the good of everyone. Generosity requires us to live like Jesus, in a Christlike manner, which is often counter to the world’s view.

So, how will you be generous today?

Return 

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways were you generous with them? In what ways did you assist others in being generous?  With whom do you need to celebrate the generosity you have experienced in and through them? What will you do differently tomorrow?

, , ,

Producing the Fruit of Patience: Trusting God Below the Surface

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” Galatians 5:22-23.

Have you ever prayed for patience? It is not an easy prayer. I heard of a person who once prayed, “Lord, make me patient and make me patient now!”

Patience

As much as we sometimes think it is, patience does not mean simply waiting.

There are two words for patience in the New Testament. The word “hupomone” means steadfast endurance, perseverance, or remaining under a heavy load. The other word “makrothumia” means long-suffering or slowness to anger in relationship to people.

“Hupomone” is used when enduring difficult situations or life circumstances without giving up. “Makrothumia” is used with people. Forgiving offenses or responding without retaliation.

Neither word simply means waiting. Both are Spirit-empowered. Whether it is the ability to endure difficulties, wait on God without complaining, or treating others with love and generosity, both are rooted in God’s grace. Patience is a gift from God that is greater than waiting for a preferred result.

Patience Includes…

Patience includes enduring tough situations and circumstances. Job remained faithful through immense suffering. Jesus demonstrated perfect patience by enduring rejection, suffering, and the cross while showing compassion and forgiveness. So, patience is remaining faithful when life is difficult. Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25).

Patience includes a special care for people. It is responding by being slow to anger and quick to listen. It is responding with generosity instead of reacting critically or harshly. It is offering forgiveness without demanding something in return. So, patience begins with a focus upon people and upon strengthening relationships. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Be completely humble and gentile; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Patience includes trusting God’s timing. It is believing that God is working even when answers are delayed. So, patience is an active trust as opposed to passive waiting. It means remaining faithful, loving, and hopeful because you believe God is faithful. The Psalmist wrote, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalms 37:7).

Ultimately, patience includes trusting God’s Spirit in your life as opposed to relying upon your human willpower. Patience, being part of the fruit of the Spirit, is rooted in love. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Love is patient, love is kind…” I Corinthians 13:4).

Working Below the Surface

Here is a story that illustrates God is working below the surface, even when we cannot see the results.

When a farmer plants the seed of a Chinese bamboo tree, nothing seems to happen for the first year. He waters it, fertilizes it, and tends the soil every day.

The second year, still nothing appears above the ground.

The third year, nothing.

The fourth year, still nothing.

Imagine the neighbors. “Why are you wasting your time? That seed is dead.”

But the farmer keeps watering, trusting that something is happening that he cannot see.

Then, sometime during the fifth year, a tiny shoot breaks through the surface. Within a matter of weeks, the bamboo grows 80 to 90 feet tall.

The question is: Did the bamboo grow in six weeks, or in five years? You know the answer.

Strength, Growth, and Patience

During those unseen years, the tree was developing an extensive root system capable of supporting its incredible height. Had it grown sooner, it would have collapsed under its own weight.

God often works that way in our lives. We pray. We wait. We trust. Even though it seems as if nothing is happening. Patience is trusting that God is working below the surface, even when we cannot see the results. Like the bamboo tree, the greatest growth often begins where no one else can see it.

Planting Seeds that Require Patience

And when it comes to people, Patience is the willingness to invest in the lives of people with whom we may never see the results. Parents plant seeds of faith that may bloom years later. Teachers shape lives that may not bear fruit until adulthood. Churches faithfully grow followers of Jesus knowing the harvest belongs to God. Every act of obedience, every prayer, every word of encouragement, every sacrifice, and every expression of love is a seed planted in the lives of the people God sends our way.

So, be careful when you pray for patience. God will continue to work in your life in such a way that the people around you will experience God’s love and become more who God created them to be. Be patient because it will happen one person at a time.

Lord, make me patient by giving me the faith that you are working deep within me so I might love others as you have loved me. Amen

, , , , ,

Producing the Fruit of Joy

As a child, when I attended Vacation Bible School, I learned the song, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.” At that time in my life, I had no idea what I was singing, but obviously, it made an impact on me.

What is the joy we sing about? If we look at joy in the scripture, it is much deeper than happiness. Happiness is often based on circumstances, while joy is a deep, enduring delight rooted in God’s presence, character, and promises, regardless of our outward circumstances.

Read Galatians 5:22-23

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…”

Reflect on Galatians 5:22-23

Paul lists joy as the second fruit of the Spirit. This means joy is not something we manufacture through positive thinking. It is produced by the Holy Spirit as we remain connected to Jesus.

The word for joy in the Greek is “chara.” It comes from the same root for grace which is charis. This is significant because it tells us that joy is the natural response to experiencing God’s grace.

With that in mind, a good definition of joy is, “the Spirit-given confidence and delight that comes from knowing God, trusting God’s promises, and experiencing God’s presence, regardless of life’s circumstances.”

Joy is rooted in God’s character and not in the changing circumstances in which we live. It flows from God’s grace, is sustained by the Holy Spirit, and coexists with suffering.

In the scripture, joy and sorrow are not opposites. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” (2 Corinthians 6:10) and James encouraged believers to, “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials…” (James 1:2)

This does not mean suffering is enjoyable. Rather, we can rejoice because God is at work even through disappointment and pain, producing perseverance, maturity, and hope. Jesus offers hope to us as his followers, “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

Jesus himself endured the cross “…for the joy set before him…” (Hebrews 12:2) His joy came from being faithful to God’s plan and purpose. As Jesus followers, our joy is centered in the plan and purpose of Jesus. Henri Nouwen wrote: “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

While joy is a fruit of the Spirit and ultimately God’s gift, Wesley taught us to cultivate practice like the “means of grace” to keep ourselves open to the work of God’s Spirit in us.

I believe that is part of what Paul was saying when he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Respond to Galatians 5

One winter morning in Washington, D.C., thousands of commuters hurried through a busy Metro station. Most had somewhere important to be. Heads were down, coffee in hand, eyes fixed on the clock.

Standing near a wall was a man with a violin. He began to play some of the most beautiful music ever written. For forty-five minutes he performed six masterpieces with extraordinary skill.

Nearly everyone walked by.

A few slowed for a moment, then hurried on. Several dropped a dollar into his violin case without stopping. Children wanted to linger, but their parents tugged them along. In all, more than a thousand people passed him, yet only a handful truly listened.

What the commuters didn’t know was that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. Just two nights earlier, people had paid over $100 each to hear him perform in a sold-out concert hall.

The music hadn’t changed. The musician hadn’t changed. Only the setting had changed. Many people missed something beautiful because they were too consumed by their circumstances.

How will your life be filled with God’s presence today? The circumstances might be ordinary. They might be difficult, but God’s song is still playing. Joy is not found because life is easy. Joy is found because God is present.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. How about you? Where will you find joy today?

Return

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways did you experience joy? In what ways did you help others experience joy? With whom do you need to celebrate the joy you experience in and through them? What will you do differently tomorrow?

, , ,

Producing the Fruit of Love

Loving like Jesus is not easy. Learning to love and modeling love is the challenge of every follower of Jesus. Some people put a lot of emphasis on the social aspects of love, while others emphasize the personal aspects.

Loving like Jesus is not easy. In the midst of our cultural wars, we have made enemies out of the people who disagree with us. We have used the words of Jesus as instruments of pain and separation instead of instruments of agape and reconciliation. Jesus says that the mark of true discipleship is seen in how we love one another. 

Am I missing something when I think that Jesus meant for us to work on bringing people together instead of separating people. As followers of Jesus, the challenge is to love others as Jesus has loved us. Is it possible to love as Jesus loves in the world in which we live?

What would happen if we began to see each person we meet as someone God loves and is longing to be loved?

Let’s use the pattern of Read, Reflect, Respond, Return as a tool to learn more about loving as Jesus loves.

Read 1 John 4:7-21

7 Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. 8 The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. 10 This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins.

11 Dear friends, if God loved us this way, we also ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God remains in us and his love is made perfect in us. 13 This is how we know we remain in him and he remains in us, because he has given us a measure of his Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world. 15 If any of us confess that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in us and we remain in God. 16 We have known and have believed the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them. 17 This is how love has been perfected in us, so that we can have confidence on the Judgment Day, because we are exactly the same as God is in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love because God first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God” and hate their brothers or sisters are liars. After all, those who don’t love their brothers or sisters whom they have seen can hardly love God whom they have not seen! 21 This commandment we have from him: Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also.

Reflect on 1 John 4:7-21

When John writes “God is love,” he is letting us know that love is the character and nature of God. He writes that we see and experience God’s love in Jesus. Because we have experienced God, then we are free to love one another. The evidence that we know God and God’s love is seen in the way we love others.

John also explains that perfect love drives out fear. So, those of us who abide in God’s love can face loving others with confidence because we live in a relationship with God.

Then John gives us a practical test of our faith. He writes that the one who does not love does not know God. It is impossible to love God while not loving our sisters and brothers. Your love for God and your love for others is inseparable.

To love God means you love your neighbor, your family, the stranger, those with whom you agree, those with whom you disagree, and even those you consider your enemy. You love who God loves…and that is everyone.

For John, God’s love is the source, model, and motivation for those of us who follow Jesus. Our faith is demonstrated by loving others as God has first loved us.

Respond to 1 John 4:7-21

John writes, “We love because he first loved us.” The Christian life is not about trying harder to be loving; it is about staying connected to God who is love. We reflect the love of God that shines into us and through us. When we receive God’s love, we naturally reflect it to others, and the darkness begins to give way to light.

God’s love is the source, and our love is the reflection.

Maybe you can think of it this way. A little girl received a small mirror for her birthday. One afternoon, she took it outside and noticed that when she tilted it toward the sun, the mirror reflected a bright beam of light. She discovered that she could direct the light into all directions, especially under bushes and into places where there were shadows.

Her grandfather watched for a while and then asked, “Where does the light come from?”

She smiled and said, “From my mirror.”

He replied, “Well, not really. The mirror doesn’t make the light. It simply reflects the light.”

, , , , , ,

Raising a New Generation of United Methodists

As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, I want to offer a way that can and will make America great again. The way I propose is rooted in the Wesleyan movement started by John Wesley in the 18th century.

Leonard Sweet says that the Wesleyan Revival was born on its knees, rooted in fasting and prayer. For Wesley, prayer was the most powerful force in the universe.

Listen to what others have said about the Wesleyan movement.

The Wesleyan Movement

Roger Starr, a journalist known as a liberal, Jewish, Democrat, when writing for a journal called The Public Interest, discovered there was only one other period in world history that matched the time in which we live. It was 18th century England. There were problems of addiction, families decomposing, pollution, crime, violence, and rioting.

To find out what pulled England out of its crises, he consulted a historian by the name of Nathan Hatch at Notre Dame University.   Through his research,  he discovered that the thing that saved England was a movement called Methodism started by John Wesley.

Starr wrote, “Now, I don’t even know any Methodists. I don’t know anything about them. But Wesley started a movement that literally saved England. It was a movement that had profound social, economic, and political consequences and transformed and indeed saved that nation. And maybe what we need to do is to study those Methodists to find out how they did it, and to duplicate what they did back in the 18th century.”

Shortly after Starr’s article, George Will, a journalist known as a conservative, Roman Catholic, Republican, wrote an editorial for The Washington Post. Will wrote, “I never thought I’d agree with anything Roger Starr has ever written. But you know, this liberal has got a point. It is that in the 18th century you had the German and French revolutions, and other revolutions around the world, but you don’t have an English Revolution. But they did, you see. It was called the Methodist revolution. Because these Methodists turned their world upside down, maybe what we need to do is to take Roger Starr seriously and look at what was the secret of those Methodists.”

Then Will added, “I know this is going to sound strange for me, saying that we need some more Methodists to save this world, and I hate to end the column this way, but does anybody out there have a better idea?”

About a month after Will’s article, Fred Barnes, a journalist known as an evangelical, Episcopalian, moderate, and editor of the New Republic, wrote an article in response to George Will and Roger Starr.

He expressed both agreement and disagreement with Starr and Will. Barnes agreed that the world today needs another Wesley but found Will’s and Starr’s analysis coming up short.

He wrote that they forgot one thing: “The source of Wesley’s power was religious faith, and religion of a peculiarly social kind. Wesley’s evangelism was inseparable from his social activism.” People today are not just hungry for the things of the world, but for the things of the Spirit.” A secular Wesley with tips on how to shake poverty won’t grip the underclass.  But a religious Wesley, a new Martin Luther King, Jr. might. I understand why Will didn’t play up Wesley’s religious appeal.  Some people insist that religion not only can’t solve social problems, but it also shouldn’t even enter the national debate on them at all.” Barnes wrote, “I disagree on both counts.”

He wrote, “What they forgot was that basically the Methodist Movement was at heart, a spiritual awakening. Yes, it had tremendous economic, social, and political consequences, but it began as a spiritual revival…And unless we get in this nation a spiritual awakening and a spiritual revival that will create these kinds of economic and political implications in our day, it won’t work. It has to begin as a movement of the Spirit or else it doesn’t go anywhere. But we have to begin. We have to have a new generation of Methodists who will do for this day what they did in the 18th century.”1

Raise a New Generation

I suggest that we give them what they are looking for. Let’s start a movement of the spirit, a movement of holiness, that will make America great again. It is time for us, as United Methodist Christians, to bring hope to the people of our country.

As we celebrate 250 years as the United States of America, let’s begin to raise a new generation of Methodists to do in our day what those early Methodists did in the 18th century.

, , , ,

Begin to Engage Your Community – Part 3 – Koinonia

Engaging the community is about God’s business. It is about following Jesus in relating to and loving others within the community in which you are located.

To help resource you in Engaging the Community, let’s focus on two distinct community ideas. The first is koinonia found in the New Testament. The second is the community in which your congregation is located. In both communities, you can share the gospel and grow your relationship with Jesus and the people entrusted to your care.  

To focus on these two concepts, remember that you are about God’s business. So, through the lens of being a follower of Jesus, what does it mean to live in community with other followers of Jesus and what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in a diversity of people and beliefs?  

It is important to know and understand koinonia as you engage the community in which you are located. So, let’s start with koinonia, the New Testament understanding of fellowship or community.   

Read Acts 2:42:47 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.  

Reflect on Acts 2

The first followers of Jesus, “…devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship…” Gathering in community was important. It is mentioned three times: They devoted themselves to “fellowship” (verse 42), “All who believed were together” (verse 44), and “Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple…” (verse 46). Being together was an important characteristic of their faith development.  

Koinonia

This fellowship was known as “koinonia.” Before describing what “koinonia” is, let’s identify what it is not. Koinonia is not formal gatherings for potluck dinners nor informal gatherings of people who are like us. It is neither being a part of a country or civic club nor is it like being a part of a service organization. Koinonia is more than participating in worship. All of these are good and needed, but they do not describe what those early followers of Jesus experienced as koinonia. 

Koinonia for them was gathering to listen and learn of the gospel (apostles’ teaching). They were trying to make sense of what they had experienced at Pentecost. Gathering was to eat together, (breaking bread). It was an expression of God’s love, agape, working for the good of others, especially those who had little to eat. Gathering to pray (prayers). They gathered with glad and generous hearts in gratitude to God, seeking direction on how to live their lives as followers of Jesus. 

Koinonia and John Wesley

It is this same koinonia that John Wesley experienced when he expressed that “I felt my heart strangely warmed, I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”  

Wesley was motivated to establish a koinonia system to help others, whose hearts were also “strangely warmed.” He was surrounded by people who not only wanted to hear the gospel but wanted to experience it. They lived in a time of spiritual apathy in which there was a disconnect between themselves and their faith. There was also an institutional disconnect that created disillusionment and distrust of the church.  

Wesley’s Aldersgate experience became a model for heartfelt faith. For the people whose hearts were warmed by God’s love, Wesley developed a system to help keep the heartfelt faith alive with experiences of care, support, encouragement, and correction.  

Koinonia and Methodism

He developed community by using class meetings and bands in which followers of Jesus were nurtured in faith and held accountable with compassion. People cared for and looked after each other’s souls. It was in the fellowship where loving hearts set other hearts on fire.  

Koinonia was woven into the DNA of those early Methodist Christians. Whether you are a United Methodist or not, this koinonia has shaped your faith as a Jesus follower. It is an essential experience in assisting you in becoming who you are created to be.  

Embodying Koinonia

Although I did not know it then, my earliest memories of faith are of people teaching, caring, supporting, and encouraging me in the faith community. Whether it was a fourth-grade Sunday school teacher telling me I would go somewhere else in the world to tell others of Jesus, a junior high school teacher who taught me to pray and to listen for God to speak, a high school teacher who cried with the class the day after a major disaster, or the Jesus followers who nurtured me in faith with compassion from a child to an adult, koinonia was part of my experience in becoming who I am today.  

Over the years, I have attempted to develop koinonia through small groups or other fellowship experiences. Still, the most common experience in which I have experienced koinonia is when it was woven into the fabric of the community of faith. It was when other followers of Jesus, whose hearts were warmed with God’s love, shared their faith and love with one another, the larger community, and the world.  

Heartfelt Faith

As a follower of Jesus and a Christ-centered leader, you lead with a heartfelt faith. There are two aspects of this heartfelt faith: the experience of God’s love in each individual’s life and the gathering of followers of Jesus who have experienced God’s love. Think clearly about providing opportunities for the “warm heart” and the structures of care that will lead to transforming individual lives, communities, and the world.  

When Wesley insisted that “true Christianity cannot exist without the inward experience and the outward practice of justice, mercy, and truth,” he gave us our focus on koinonia.  

So, take a moment to reflect upon these questions for yourself:

  • How is my relationship with Jesus growing in depth and expression?
  • How am I living out my heart being warmed by God’s love?
  • How do I grow in faith and live out my faith in meaningful ways? 

Take a moment to reflect upon this question for your faith community:

  • Am I developing the structures of care where people can grow in grace and discipleship, where the fruits of the spirit are being cultivated, and where loving hearts are setting others’ hearts on fire?  

The early followers of Jesus “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship…” So, one of the characteristics of engaging the community is to develop koinonia, Christian community. 

Respond

Beware of moments when your heart is “strangely warmed” by the presence of Jesus in the lives of the people you encounter and in the situations you find yourself today. Continue to be mindful of how you are growing in faith and living in God’s love.  Be intentional in extending God’s love to the people around you. Ask God to help you be a blessing to someone, somewhere today. 

Prayer 

O God, thank you for your fellowship so I can grow in my faith. By your grace, continue introducing me to people who can provide care, support, instruction, and correction. Thank you for the ways you have provided for me to become more of the person you have created me to be. Give me the faith to trust you more. Make me aware of the people around me today so that I might become a blessing to someone, somewhere today. I offer myself to be in koinonia with you in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you encountered today. In whom did you meet Jesus? How was your heart strangely warmed? What structures did you put in place to give others care, support, encouragement, and hope? What do you need to do to lead others into koinonia? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to become more who God has created you to be. 

As you learn and grow in engaging the community, keep in mind, who you are is how you lead.

Next, we will look at the second concept of community in Part Four of Beginning to Engage the Community.