Fruit of the Spirit

We all know the words of it, but do we really understand what it means to have the fruit of the Spirit.
I'm going to take them one at a time (cause that's about all I can handle, unless I've really had a lot of Spark!):
Love: love comes in many forms, even in the Bible the Greek translation for love can be very different. For example, the Greek language has 4 words for love: eros, storge, philia and agape. Since the NT was written originally in Greek, I think it is wise to know well the meaning of each of these.
Eros=love=this is the word that we get erotic from. It is basically that animal attraction kind of love. It is the sensual kind of love or romantic love.
Storge=love=committed love, love between family and/or friends/familial love.
Philia=love=good Samaritan kind of love/brotherly love
Agape=love=the highest form, unconditional love
I believe that the type of love that we possess when we are portraying the fruit of the Spirit is agape love. As I was studying the word meanings for each of these, I noticed that agape got the most written about it. It is the most difficult for us to achieve. I believe that is because society does everything to steer us away from this kind of love. Certainly we are always asked to have philia love, by helping others, we naturally possess storge love for our spouse, children, parents, etc. and eros love is also a natural instinct that appears to come once our hormones develop.
So, as I strive to be more like Jesus, I will keep my mind centered around agape love and more importantly start showing my agape fruit at home. We CAN change the world, however we MUST start at home. what kind of witness would I be if I was mean, selfish, distant or non-communicative at home, then went out and tried to be God's hands and feat in the community? What would people have thought of Jesus if he was short tempered and distant to the disciples and then went out and loved on others? They would have thought he was a hypocrite!
Lord, give me the strength to bloom fresh with your agape love! This love can only come from You! Until I put my life continually in the control of the Holy Spirit which have so gracefully left within me, I will never be able to reach this high form of love that you desire for each of us. show me when my fruit is starting to wilt. Open my eyes that I may see as You see Lord.
Lord, thank you for the Spirit is there always, will guide me when I ask and that wants to live in and through me to glorify You!
Your humble servant,
Jenni

Paths

Ever wonder why God talks about paths so often. It seems everywhere I turn He is talking about one's path. In Proverbs 14 He says "Those who follow the right path fear the Lord". Hmm, fear the Lord? that's always been a bit confusing to me. So today, I'll look it up. One definition is "a feeling of anticipation or anxiety caused by the presence or imminense of danger". Surely, that cannot be what God is referring to. Why would we take a path that causes us to feel the imminense of danger? I think God wants us to unpack this on our own. Everyone's reaction to fear is different but at it's core, how do we react when we are afraid of something. Our sense become more acute, we listen more intently, we look around noticing everything that surrounds us, we take it all in trying to determine our next step. Maybe God is saying that when are His we are to stop, take it all in and plan our next step for "fear" that we may take a wrong step. God wants us to keep our eyes on Him, looking to Him for our next steps yet being aware of our surroundings so as to never cause another to stumble and fall. Perhaps God is telling us that when we are the right path we will be more concerned with Him than ourselves. fear often gives a sort of "out of body" experience where we go beyond our self. Maybe, God is telling us that when we fear Him we will move beyond ourself and we will be consumed with Him. I've always thought of this word in the Bible as more representative of reverence however in doing the word search this morning I can't really find that as a translation. the funny thing is not matter how I search it, I can't even find a Greek word for fear. That makes me think either the translation has been obscured in some way or that God truly wants us to unpack this for ourselves. Since the Bible is God's unblemished word and since He allowed the translation over the years, I have to believe and have faith that this word "fear" is not a mistake and that God allowed it's use. Therefore, we know that God doesn't want us shaking in our shoes, and He doesn't expect us to take a path that leads to Freddie Kruger, so the fear of God, must be something way cooler. It must be something that brings us closer to Him.
I think I'm going to think on this for another day or so and come back to it. I love how God's Word challenges me and brings me to new heights.
But, for today, I will choose the path that causes me to fear my Lord!
Under His grace and presence,
Jenni

Perspective

Over the past few days I've been a little consumed with the idea of perspective. Answers.com defines perspective as "a mental view, the subjective evaluation of a relative significance. Along with the idea of perspective, God has continuously led me to Proverbs 3:3. We all know it, it's the verse that tells us to lean not on our own understanding. Particularly in context of today's entry, I feel like God is telling to stop putting my perspective on issues, but to look through His lenses. When I can get out of my own little world and my own finite mind, and see past what has offended me or what is breaking my heart, I can often times handle the world around me much better. Sometimes, He may be saying not necessarily to look at things from His perspective but from the other person's perspective. We define our own reality through our perspective unless we can move beyond that into someone else's perspective. take for instance (an easy example), I love, love, love my new jeans (I don't even have new jeans, but I remember when I got my first pair of Lucky's and I felt "Lucky", I loved them so much!) but when I come home my daughter says "OOOH MOM!!! Did you really spend money for those?" what then do I do? Do I continue to where them because from MY perspective I "love, love, love" them, or do I re evaluate? Maybe, I love them so much because the sales person was telling my how skinny I looked in them, how amazingly younger they made me look and I developed that salesperson's perspective by the power of influence, or maybe I just love them because they are new and I paid too much money for a pair of silly jeans. However, when others just take a glance my way, they may see that they are actually too tight, they shouldn't be worn by someone over the age of 20 or they just don't look good on my body type. If I can look past my own perspective and take my daughter's into account, I may be far better off and save myself a ton of embarrassment.
When God calls us to humble ourselves, I believe He means in every area. We are not God, thus our perspective is not always right. To be humble is to "show differential or submissive respect"....OUCH... submissive respect. What's up with that? It seems like it all goes back to the "R" word again. Respect. It's all come full circle again. I take my eyes off of myself, I do not focus on my own understanding, I humble myself in all circumstances and perhaps I'm getting closer to the Godly respect that He is asking from me.
Hmmmm. Points to ponder for the day ahead.

Trust in the Lord

Some days I feel so burdened by everyone I know who is hurting so deeply. Today I am reminded that Proverbs 3:3 says "Trust in the Lord and do not depend on your own understanding". Wow!! Seems so simple yet it is so profound. As I sit here asking God "why her?", "why that one?", "what could your purpose possibly be in that", He reminds me to get out of my worldly head and focus my eyes on Him. Then I go to II Samuel 11-13.... OK, how does this work? David, the mightiest kind so far in all of the Israel, whom God says is a man after his own heart, gets so caught up in himself he takes Bathsheeba for himself and then is afraid he's going to get caught so he has her husband killed! How often, do I do wrong and then think I can hide from God? that mindset is so crazy when I know that I know that God knows and sees ALL, yet I still sometimes try to hide. Or, how about this, I try to cover it up like David did. I tell myself, " Well, I know I did this wrong, the Lord will hopefully forgive me (notice I haven't even asked God to forgive me yet, nor had David), but maybe if I just do this really good thing, I'll just not have to deal with the consequences of my sin." I don't think God works like that (and we shouldn't either as parants). When David is busted (when Nathan brings to light that God knows exactly what he has done), David repents (that should be my first thought after I realize I've messed up), but God tells David there will be consequences. No matter how much David fasted, prayed, probably begged God, God still punished David. When we do wrong, we need to be punished (just like our kids do) so that we will remember the error of out ways and not return to "our own vomit" like those of the world do. Then......it struck me like a ton of bricks.. Our God is so abundantly good! As soon as the baby dies that was a result from David's sin, God blesses he and Bathsheeba with another son. Not just any son, but the son who is going to be even greater than David as a leader, they have the future king Solomon!! How good is out God? So good, that even when we, His children, mess up, He still loves us and has so many blessings set aside for us. All He asks of us is to repent, acknowledge Him and turn from our sinful ways. How often I look at my circumstances and think "why me?", then I look back and remember something I may have done or thought that I did not cast off and repent for. I think it is so important to take time each and every day to reflect on the day that just passed and recognize where we went wrong and ask for forgiveness, then focus our eyes back on our Heavenly Father who is there to pick us up and help us stay the course.
I know this post is really rambling, but I feel like that's what my mind is doing today, it's rambling. I go back to the beginning about all of those hurting so deeply. My heart is absolutely breaking for teens right now. I know of so many that are hurting and have such a difficult time getting out of the world to get their eyes back on God. I wish I could just reach in, wrap them up in a big hug, whisper in their ears that God so loves them that He gave His one and only precious baby boy to DIE for them. How can you look in the mirror and not see how preciuos you are?! God LOVES YOU!!!! I feel like Satan is on the war path to destroy marriage and our God has said "It's not time yet". I do know that I can storm the gates of Heaven on behalf of each marriage and each teenager and pray the blood of Jesus over each one. I do know that God has given me the power throught the Holy Spirit to stand in the gap for them when they can't seem to see the light (yet). We WILL win this battle. This is not a battle of flesh and blood, but a spiritual battle. Satan is already defeated in the Heavenly realm, we just need to keep up the good fight and defeat him here. I'm donning my spiritual battle gear today; my breatplate of righteousness, my sword of the His Holy Spirit, my feet are firmly planted in His truth, my helmet of salvation (no one can take that away!), and my shield of faith. Most days I do totally have the faith that can move mountains. I believe with all that is in me that God will restore marriages, he will save these hurting teens, He will cure these babies of cancer. God is on the move and He is much, much more powerful than that nasty, ugly Satan who is also prowling in our midst. We will defeat him!!!!!
Thank you Lord for the power of the cross! You have given each of us the power through the Holy Spirit to put Satan under our feet! I see Jesus riding the white horse to battle asking who will join him. I say to him "yes Lord, I will ride with you!" Some days the ride is so hard and I want to throw in the towel, but then I remember again that God tells us to not trust in our own understanding, His ways are so much higher. I will trust God today!! I will keep my eyes up not focusing on what I can see but focusing on His Word that shines the light on all that is evil. Light whens over darkness every time. We don't shine dark into the light, we shine light to overcome the dark.
I will ride with Jesus today!