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Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

Joyful Monday! Facing Rejection with Joy

Posted in Faith, Holy Spirit, Joy, Podcast, Rejection, tagged on December 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Seemed like a tough couple of weeks for Paul and Barnabas. 

The story is in Acts 13:15-52

The two apostles preached a really good sermon about God’s promise to send a messiah, Jesus, who was raised from the dead, offered forgiveness of Sins and a hope for the future.

But some of the religious people didn’t like their message and tried to put a stop to it, using devout men and women of the area to raise a stink.

The passage is clear, it was the good people doing the persecution. Rejection from bad people is expected but from those trusted to live right?

But it didn’t bother Paul and Barnabas, they just moved on to the next town. Neither did it bother the new converts, Acts 13:52 said they were “filled with Joy and the Holy Ghost”.

This is the focus of today’s “Joyful Monday”.  

We all want to be appreciated, especially by those we value. But JOY must be found elsewhere than acceptance from people, even good people.

Joy comes from a personal relationship with Jesus and is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Martin Luther, from back in the 1500’s, wrote these Lyrics,

“The Spirit and the gifts are ours; through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!” (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God”)

Full surrender to Christ and living in the Holy Spirit is where JOY invades.

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Turmoil and Peace of Following Jesus

Posted in Christ, Disciples, Discipleship, Faith, tagged , on April 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

JesusCalsmsStormMatthew 8:23-26

The story is brief, Jesus enters a “ship”, the disciples follow, and the going gets rough.

Storms happened all the time, ships sank all the time; the danger was real and the disciple thought they were going to die; others had died in just such circumstances and Jesus was asleep, letting it all happen.

Frantically they wake Jesus, but his response is to rebuke them for being fearful. Then he rebukes the wind and sea and all becomes calm, inside and out.

Jesus expected his disciples to realize with him there’s no going under but over.

I chose to follow Jesus, like his disciples. The storms of life threaten like they did his disciples. I am fearful like his disciples and, like his disciples, I have Jesus present though sometimes he appears to be sleeping.

Jesus expects me to not be fearful but trust God will see me through, storms are no match for him and me together.

– fritz

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Faith Is Not Enough!

Posted in Christ, Faith, Maturity, tagged on May 11, 2013| 1 Comment »

stream

Simon Peter … to them that have obtained like precious faith with us … Add to your faith … virtue…knowledge …temperance … patience … godliness … brotherly kindness … charity. For if these things be in you … ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful … but he that lacketh these things is blind…” — 2nd Peter 5:1-10

Faith in Christ, alone, makes us his but it isn’t all he wants to accomplish. God’s intent is not to just take us to heaven, he wants to do something with us here.

There are several additives listed but one that gets easily overlooked is “Brotherly Kindness”. It can’t be done when alone. Being kind to brothers, sisters, neighbors, or anyone can’t be done from the prayer closet.

Isolation is the goal of our culture and time in history — living in our own world the way we want, content to be left alone, perturbed when others try to enter. That’s the flow of the river we swim in and the current carries us along without us realizing…its not spiritual it’s cultural, just going with today’s flow.

We must choose to come out and interact with people, especially people of faith.

If regular church attendance, mingling and interacting with people who are different, is not on the agenda; if letting people we don’t know well in is not our style then it will blind us to God’s purposes and stunt our growth!

Don’t let the stream of our culture prevent the embracing of God’s desires and blessing. Reach out and show brotherly kindness.

— fritz.

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