Pride looks to what we have accomplished to establish our sense of worth. Patience looks to what we have received from Christ to know that we have worth. When Martha received Jesus into her home, she attempted to establish her worth in Jesus’ eyes through all her preparations. Thus Mary’s failure to help her and Jesus’ apparent lack of concern for Mary’s laziness was seen by Martha as undermining her worth as a person. Martha learned from that encounter. This time she was not focused on any preparations. She was free to focus on Jesus and what he desired to bring to her life at that moment. What she got was the love of Christ and a reaffirming of her faith in Christ. What a different Martha we see.
Grace is favor given even when there is no merit to earn that favor. Grace looks solely to the merits of Jesus earned for us at the cross. Grace gives us worth apart from what we have done or will ever do. Patience is simply living out this gift. Patience allows this gift to unfold in our lives under its own terms. Patience is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives because it does not come to us naturally. That is why Paul calls it a fruit of the Spirit. When the Spirit is allowed to produce this fruit in our lives, others see our tremendous worth. That takes us to our last point.
When Jesus visited Martha’s home, she capped the evening with some very harsh words about her sister. Her goal for the evening had been to serve. Pride turned the evening into a frustrating disaster for her. It is a much different Martha who leaves Jesus this time and goes back to her sister. She calls her sister aside from all the other mourners and tells her of Jesus’ arrival. She refers to Jesus as “The Teacher.” When Jesus visited her home, he had come as teacher. This was quite and honor since his students were women. Teachers in Jesus’ day did not teach women. This time Martha had learned from the Teacher and was eager for her sister to receive as well.
When patience is at work, the stress level drops because the concern is no longer on what I want to do. Instead the concern is what does Jesus want me to receive and how does he want me to share it with others. Jesus taught this kind of patience by the example of his own ministry. He came not to be served but to serve (Matt 20:28). His life was focused on what his Father had given him and lived according to how that best could be shared with the world. For Jesus, that meant the cross. While he was on earth, he never used his power as the Son of God for himself. He used it in service to God and to us.
Through the working of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promises to work that kind of patience in each one of us. As we practice this fruit in our lives, we come to appreciate more deeply the love and the power of God.
Showing posts with label Fruit of the Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fruit of the Spirit. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
PATIENCE 3
Pride builds a fortress of sticks. A strong wind or a careless fire and its gone. As a result pride is always fearful of the unforeseen and must always control those around it lest they carelessly destroy what it has built. Pride wishes to present a good face to the world through its acts of charity but lives with the knowledge of just how hollow that face is. Pride believes only in itself thus has worry as its high priest. Such is the insecurity of pride.
Patience invites us to shift focus from pride to the one who gives genuine security. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed his power over life and death. “I am the resurrection and the life…whoever lives and believes in me will never die,” says Jesus. How do you find greater security than that? Patience can afford to be patient because it knows who has the final say about life and death. Patience knows it can risk love because it is ultimately and always loved by Jesus. Patience invites us to not only confess our sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing but it urges us to stop for a moment and reflect on the great mystery of this high love Jesus has for us. This reflection gives perspective on life.
Reevaluation leads to reaffirmation. What a beautiful testimony Martha gave to who Jesus was. Her testimony showed tremendous insight into Jesus and his mission in this world. She saw him as the “Christ,” the Anointed or Chosen one, whom God had sent to save her people.[1] Martha also recognized that in Jesus she was seeing no ordinary man. He was also the “Son of God.” In Jesus God had taken human flesh to fulfill God’s plan to save the world. This Jesus would rescue her brother from death. She was safe putting Lazarus in his hands.
Patience enables us to reaffirm our faith in Jesus as the Christ. As Martha’s loss found resurrection in Jesus, so too our losses find new life. Christ gives us the power to turn our deepest needs over to him. We need not attempt to control or manipulate but simply receive what Christ will give confident of his power and goodness.
[1] The title “Christ” means “Anointed One”. Priests and kings were installed into office by having scented oil poured over their heads. The title “Anointed One” came to summarize for Israel her hopes that God would send one who would ultimately rescue Israel.
Patience invites us to shift focus from pride to the one who gives genuine security. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed his power over life and death. “I am the resurrection and the life…whoever lives and believes in me will never die,” says Jesus. How do you find greater security than that? Patience can afford to be patient because it knows who has the final say about life and death. Patience knows it can risk love because it is ultimately and always loved by Jesus. Patience invites us to not only confess our sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing but it urges us to stop for a moment and reflect on the great mystery of this high love Jesus has for us. This reflection gives perspective on life.
Reevaluation leads to reaffirmation. What a beautiful testimony Martha gave to who Jesus was. Her testimony showed tremendous insight into Jesus and his mission in this world. She saw him as the “Christ,” the Anointed or Chosen one, whom God had sent to save her people.[1] Martha also recognized that in Jesus she was seeing no ordinary man. He was also the “Son of God.” In Jesus God had taken human flesh to fulfill God’s plan to save the world. This Jesus would rescue her brother from death. She was safe putting Lazarus in his hands.
Patience enables us to reaffirm our faith in Jesus as the Christ. As Martha’s loss found resurrection in Jesus, so too our losses find new life. Christ gives us the power to turn our deepest needs over to him. We need not attempt to control or manipulate but simply receive what Christ will give confident of his power and goodness.
[1] The title “Christ” means “Anointed One”. Priests and kings were installed into office by having scented oil poured over their heads. The title “Anointed One” came to summarize for Israel her hopes that God would send one who would ultimately rescue Israel.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
PATIENCE 2
In Luke 10 when Martha welcomed Jesus into her home, her motive was to exchange good hospitality for his affection. It ended in disaster for Martha. This encounter is much different. Like the visit to her home, she is upset and disappointed by Jesus’ apparent inattention to her need. This time, however, she presents her need and her feelings without the anger and frustration present before. Her focus was on Jesus not any preparations. She was free from the tension of “Let’s make a deal.”
Spirit-produced patience moves us beyond the need to bargain with Jesus for what we want. Before it does that it first enables us to be honest with God about why we want what we want. The role of confession is vital at this point. Daily confession is not for the purpose of rehashing our sins. Its purpose is to provide a setting for an honest look at what motivates our actions. We then take responsibility for our sinful motives and actions. God responds by forgiving our sin for the sake of Christ’s payment for our sin on the cross. Not only does he forgive us but also he goes on to purify the motives of our hearts (1 John 1:8-9). All this the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to prepare us to bring our requests to God.
When Jesus visited Martha’s house, she had an issue with Mary and her failure to help her in the kitchen. But it was Jesus who caught the brunt of her anger. Martha had failed to establish healthy boundaries. Her preparations took her to the point of exhaustion and total frustration rather than to service. Her worrying and stewing over Mary’s failure to help and Jesus’ apparent lack of concern led her to be very rude to her house guest. Her outburst brought a reprimand from Jesus.
The fruit of patience brought a different Martha to Jesus this time. Instead of anger and frustration demanding that Jesus take action, Martha patiently presented her need concerning her brother. Once our motives have been clarified and purified through confession and forgiveness, we too will find that our emotions do not have as much power to force us beyond healthy boundaries whether in our relationship to God or to others. Patience helps us to seek not merely what is right from our perspective but to receive from God what is righteous in his eyes. Patience helps us recognize when we are pushing ourselves too far. Patience shifts our focus from self and self-pity to Christ and his love for us.
In this brief exchange between Jesus and Martha, we can sense that Martha genuinely accepts Jesus’ words of comfort. Pride is always suspicious of the motives of others. It always reads into others’ words of comfort and affection its own selfishness and ambition. It ultimately robs us of the very thing we desperately seek, which is the love and affection of others.
Patience given by the Holy Spirit produces much different fruit. It recognizes that not everyone will express affection the way we might. It is willing to give others the benefit of the doubt when they do not respond to our acts of affection the way we think they should. It rejoices in the moments of intimacy we are given with friends and loved ones. It enables us to let go of times when we are unappreciated. Patience always reminds us that our worth is in the one who died for us and rose again to give us eternal life. His first motive in dealing with us is always love.
Spirit-produced patience moves us beyond the need to bargain with Jesus for what we want. Before it does that it first enables us to be honest with God about why we want what we want. The role of confession is vital at this point. Daily confession is not for the purpose of rehashing our sins. Its purpose is to provide a setting for an honest look at what motivates our actions. We then take responsibility for our sinful motives and actions. God responds by forgiving our sin for the sake of Christ’s payment for our sin on the cross. Not only does he forgive us but also he goes on to purify the motives of our hearts (1 John 1:8-9). All this the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to prepare us to bring our requests to God.
When Jesus visited Martha’s house, she had an issue with Mary and her failure to help her in the kitchen. But it was Jesus who caught the brunt of her anger. Martha had failed to establish healthy boundaries. Her preparations took her to the point of exhaustion and total frustration rather than to service. Her worrying and stewing over Mary’s failure to help and Jesus’ apparent lack of concern led her to be very rude to her house guest. Her outburst brought a reprimand from Jesus.
The fruit of patience brought a different Martha to Jesus this time. Instead of anger and frustration demanding that Jesus take action, Martha patiently presented her need concerning her brother. Once our motives have been clarified and purified through confession and forgiveness, we too will find that our emotions do not have as much power to force us beyond healthy boundaries whether in our relationship to God or to others. Patience helps us to seek not merely what is right from our perspective but to receive from God what is righteous in his eyes. Patience helps us recognize when we are pushing ourselves too far. Patience shifts our focus from self and self-pity to Christ and his love for us.
In this brief exchange between Jesus and Martha, we can sense that Martha genuinely accepts Jesus’ words of comfort. Pride is always suspicious of the motives of others. It always reads into others’ words of comfort and affection its own selfishness and ambition. It ultimately robs us of the very thing we desperately seek, which is the love and affection of others.
Patience given by the Holy Spirit produces much different fruit. It recognizes that not everyone will express affection the way we might. It is willing to give others the benefit of the doubt when they do not respond to our acts of affection the way we think they should. It rejoices in the moments of intimacy we are given with friends and loved ones. It enables us to let go of times when we are unappreciated. Patience always reminds us that our worth is in the one who died for us and rose again to give us eternal life. His first motive in dealing with us is always love.
Friday, June 12, 2009
PATIENCE 1
Most Christians are familiar with Jesus’ visit to Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Many are not aware of another visit to these same women (John 11:20-28). This visit was under very different circumstances. This visit was occasioned by the death of their brother Lazarus. Here we meet Martha again but this time a very different Martha. On this visit she models the very essence of the fruit of the Spirit called patience.
The story begins with Lazarus dying. An urgent message is sent to Jesus to come and heal his friend. Strangely he waited two more days before going to his friends. By the time he arrives, Lazarus has been in his tomb for four days. It is too late. Yet the sisters waited for Jesus. When he arrives, Martha is the one who goes out to meet him. This is where we see the Spirit shine in Martha’s life.
John tells us, “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him.” What a different picture we see of Martha from Luke 10. Here she goes out to meet Jesus, not clean the house, serve a meal, or fuss over all the preparations. She goes to sit at Jesus’ feet as Mary had done earlier. She goes to engage him about her brother’s death. She goes to see him and he alone is the focus of her attention.
Patience is often portrayed as sitting and waiting. Patience is much more active than that. When we are engaged by circumstances that challenge our patience, the first step is not to simply sit and wait. The first step is to bring our hurt and concern to Jesus. He is the one to give our problems proper perspective. He is the one who can solve them. He is the one to whom we need to give our undivided attention. Patience begins by study of the Word and struggling with that Word in prayer and reflection. There the Spirit draws us. There is where Jesus meets us.
The story begins with Lazarus dying. An urgent message is sent to Jesus to come and heal his friend. Strangely he waited two more days before going to his friends. By the time he arrives, Lazarus has been in his tomb for four days. It is too late. Yet the sisters waited for Jesus. When he arrives, Martha is the one who goes out to meet him. This is where we see the Spirit shine in Martha’s life.
John tells us, “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him.” What a different picture we see of Martha from Luke 10. Here she goes out to meet Jesus, not clean the house, serve a meal, or fuss over all the preparations. She goes to sit at Jesus’ feet as Mary had done earlier. She goes to engage him about her brother’s death. She goes to see him and he alone is the focus of her attention.
Patience is often portrayed as sitting and waiting. Patience is much more active than that. When we are engaged by circumstances that challenge our patience, the first step is not to simply sit and wait. The first step is to bring our hurt and concern to Jesus. He is the one to give our problems proper perspective. He is the one who can solve them. He is the one to whom we need to give our undivided attention. Patience begins by study of the Word and struggling with that Word in prayer and reflection. There the Spirit draws us. There is where Jesus meets us.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Joy replaces Anger
The problem with harboring anger is that one is left with a lot of bitterness, self-pity, and a lousy attitude. When God forgives our sins of anger, the Holy Spirit replaces the anger with something new and refreshing. We receive the fruit of the Spirit known as joy. Turning to Paul’s letter to the Philippians, especially the fourth chapter, we see how amazing that joy really is.
Paul wrote this letter from prison. He was not a free man when he wrote, yet he wrote as the freest of men. His counsel from prison was to rejoice. When we sit in our own prison of self-pity and anger, what wonderful counsel it is to bring us freedom.
Paul understood that joy was not something we manufacture inside ourselves. It is fruit that the Holy Spirit bears in our lives. He does that by empowering certain practices in our lives. Let’s look at what they are.
Paul says in verse five that you practice joy when you “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” To make this happen the Holy Spirit has to do two things. First, he takes from us our legal rights. That is total opposite of what anger demands. To be gentle is to give up any claim we h
ave to restitution for what wrongs have been done us. This gentleness is illustrated in God through Jesus Christ. God did not treat us according to what justice demanded concerning our disobedience to him. Jesus instead took our punishment on the cross. Because of what Jesus did for us, God can now be gentle with us by being kind, patient, and generous toward us.
Anger is quick to demand justice and, if left to fester, revenge. The Holy Spirit frees us to turn the issue of justice over to God and empowers us to love our enemies (Matt 5:43-48). This love may never equate to liking an enemy, but it will show itself in gentle ways we deal with our enemy. This gentle choice is available to us by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Second, the Holy Spirit points to the sun. In Ephesians 4:26 he says, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” He does not expect us to simply drop our anger or ignore it. He does not expect us to solve every problem before sundown. He enables us to process the anger. This happens when we turn our need for justice and revenge over to the Lord. This happens when we reflect on the love and forgiveness that is freely ours in Jesus. This happens when we make the choice to be gentle rather than vengeful. It is then that we are able to listen rather than speak and slow down the process of anger by not allowing it to fester in our lives (James 1:19-20).
Paul wrote this letter from prison. He was not a free man when he wrote, yet he wrote as the freest of men. His counsel from prison was to rejoice. When we sit in our own prison of self-pity and anger, what wonderful counsel it is to bring us freedom.
Paul understood that joy was not something we manufacture inside ourselves. It is fruit that the Holy Spirit bears in our lives. He does that by empowering certain practices in our lives. Let’s look at what they are.
Paul says in verse five that you practice joy when you “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” To make this happen the Holy Spirit has to do two things. First, he takes from us our legal rights. That is total opposite of what anger demands. To be gentle is to give up any claim we h
ave to restitution for what wrongs have been done us. This gentleness is illustrated in God through Jesus Christ. God did not treat us according to what justice demanded concerning our disobedience to him. Jesus instead took our punishment on the cross. Because of what Jesus did for us, God can now be gentle with us by being kind, patient, and generous toward us.Anger is quick to demand justice and, if left to fester, revenge. The Holy Spirit frees us to turn the issue of justice over to God and empowers us to love our enemies (Matt 5:43-48). This love may never equate to liking an enemy, but it will show itself in gentle ways we deal with our enemy. This gentle choice is available to us by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Second, the Holy Spirit points to the sun. In Ephesians 4:26 he says, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” He does not expect us to simply drop our anger or ignore it. He does not expect us to solve every problem before sundown. He enables us to process the anger. This happens when we turn our need for justice and revenge over to the Lord. This happens when we reflect on the love and forgiveness that is freely ours in Jesus. This happens when we make the choice to be gentle rather than vengeful. It is then that we are able to listen rather than speak and slow down the process of anger by not allowing it to fester in our lives (James 1:19-20).
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