Moments of Quiet Truth

     I was reminded this morning by the Lord, that love is both a choice and a Person. “ Love suffers long, and is kind .” 1 Cor. 13:4      I so easily get wrapped up in my agenda for what I would like to see happen in the lives of those I love. I become so convinced that my desires for them, my plans for them are what is best for them. I strive so hard in prayer for God to work out MY plans for them and then get frustrated when He doesn’t listen or do things according to my timeline.      He is so good to remind me that HE is God. He is in complete control of the situation and He will work all things in each of our lives out so that HE is magnified both in our hearts and minds and in the hearts and minds of those whom I know.      How do I respond to Him when I am reminded of these things? How do I respond when He shows me my heart and the incredible self-centeredness of it? How do I respond when He reminds me of His...

     I was reminded this morning, as I was studying 1st Thessalonians that Paul was giving thanks for the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the gospel that he saw in the lives of the Thessalonian believers. It reminded me of what Paul prayed for the Ephesians in chapter one, or better yet how he prayed for them. He starts out his prayer in verse 15 thanking the Lord for their faith and their love toward all the saints and then he proceeds to ask the Lord to give them wisdom and understanding in who they are in Christ and of the power they have available to them because they are in Christ. But what a stuck out to me is that Paul’s first thought is that they are believers and that there is evidence of the fruit of the gospel in their lives He doesn’t start with everything that needs correcting or improving (even though what he asks for is biblical). He starts with praising God for who they already are. Paul spends several verses in 1st Thessalonia...

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭ “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of...

How do you respond when you experience something that makes you feel uncomfortable, not the one in control, and vulnerable? How do you respond when the situation is divinely orchestrated and yet you’ve been taught all of your life that this kind of scenario doesn’t happen anymore, that God doesn’t work this way anymore, that the gift God wants to give you doesn’t exist anymore - that it’s no longer necessary? Are you scared? Leery? Sceptical? Doubting? How long do you argue with God about the legitimacy of it? How much time do you spend in the Word seeking to know what God’s heart truly is, even if it means changing your position on it? How much time do you spend seeking Godly counsel on it? How much time do you spend with Him, not arguing but asking? When do you finally yield and accept the gift He’s offering? This gift was given to strengthen your faith in Him and His ability and to be used to build up the Church. I can tell you from personal experience that one major enemy t...