Verses from Mama

Hearing God speak one Bible verse at a time.

Reaping What You Sow

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Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” 

Gardening season is upon us. How I love the days when the sun grows warm drying out our patch. The revving from the barn means the hibernating tractor is waking up ready to prepare the soil. Dad hooks up the rotavator to loosen the hardened ground. He goes over it again with the tiller until it is fine and ready to receive the seeds and plants we have picked out for the intended crop.

In years past planting time was a family project. After Dad furrowed a carefully measured row, each of you kids would get a cup of seeds. Together we would spread out and space the seeds a child’s hand width along each row. More recently Dad has done a lot of the work as you moved on to other endeavors, but this year we had a blast from the past.

This year we had special help from the young cousins as we planted the garden.

The planting occurred during the week when your small cousins were visiting. What a joy it was to show these youngsters the miracle of planting seeds. Instead of hurrying to get the job done we took the time to study each different seed. The bean seeds were white and much larger than the tiny brown lettuce and spinach seeds. We explained how the produce grown would correlate with the type of seed we planted. Beans only grow from bean seeds and lettuce only grows from lettuce seeds. Each seed produces its own fruit!

We can understand this concept so easily when it comes to planting a garden, but so many forget the spiritual aspect of this truth. God tells us not to be deceived. How we live our lives has a great effect on the future. When a person sows seeds according to their sinful nature, then they will reap the corruption that these actions bring. Yet when one sows seeds of godliness resulting from a life lived in the Spirit they will reap eternal life.

Sin always catches up with us. A life of selfishness leads to loneliness and straying from God’s commandments eventually produces grief and sorrow. Yet for those who follow God’s ways and seek His guidance in every thought and action, peace and righteousness are the results.

The garden seeds are planted and we now see bean plants growing in our bean row. In the same way lettuce is flourishing in the lettuce row and spinach in the spinach row. Why? Because you always reap, whether in plants or actions, the seeds that you sow!

Love,

Mama

Spiritual Living God’s Way

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2 Timothy 3:5 “. . . holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.”

How would you rate your relationship with God? In our house we have a saying. Whenever we see someone doing something that looks outwardly religious, we say they are so “spiritual.” But the roll of the eyes and the tone of voice conveys the opposite. Though it has turned into a joke for us, it really is nothing to laugh about.

There are many today who think that certain actions or words illustrate their virtue or closeness with God. Unfortunately, if one is relying on only these outward things, they are deceiving themselves. 2 Timothy 3:5 tells us that in the last days there will be many who hold to a form of godliness that is false. Their actions and “spiritual” sounding words will mean nothing if they have denied the power that God gives to those who truly belong to Him.

True godliness will always result in attitudes and actions that emulate God Himself. It is a deep inner change that results in pure outward actions. Just because someone goes to church every week, carries the largest Bible available, and can speak with flowery religious words does not mean that her life belongs to God. If their belief is real, it will produce the kind of devotion towards God that expresses itself in loving others just as Christ does. It will not be a forced way of life, but will happen naturally as the Holy Spirit works in and through them.

The Bible makes it clear that the natural inclination of man is to be “lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loves of pleasure rather than lovers of God (AND) holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.”

On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit will mark those who are truly godly. When an individual comes to God humbly and confesses his sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness. He fills this believer with His Holy Spirit Whose power will produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The old nature is gone and the new has come. These inner signs are the real test for genuine God-given “spirituality.”

So take a deep look into your own life. Are you trying to carry off a “spiritual” façade by holding to a form of godliness that denies God’s power? Is your inner life defined by the natural inclinations of the sinful human man? Are your right actions and words coming from a sense of duty only?

It is no laughing matter. Though some may be deceived by this false form of godliness, God will not be. Turn to God today with a heart of repentance and He will fill you with the truth of the true Spirit.

Love,
Mama

 

Don’t Just Live – Walk!

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Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Have you ever noticed how things have a tendency to fall apart? Let’s take our house for example. Regardless of how new something may be, things still regularly seem to break or fall into disrepair. 

Over the past year we have had car trouble, flapping house siding, a broken dishwasher, leaky pipes, faulty electrical lines, and on and on the list goes. It’s not enough just to live there. We need to keep moving forward with regular maintenance if we want to have a secure place to reside.

When a person comes to Jesus, God’s Son, as their Savior, they receive new life in Christ. The Spirit of God comes to dwell within them and provides the power needed to live as children of the King of Heaven. But it is not appropriate to continue living according to the old lifestyle. The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians, “if we live by the Spirit then we must also walk by the Spirit” (emphasis added).

Our natural tendencies of sinful living are still very active even when we accept God’s salvation. “For the flesh sets its desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Gal 5:17). Though we may desire to do the things God wants, it will be impossible if we are not relying on the Spirit to accomplish these things in us. 
Without utilizing the Holy Spirit’s power and walking with Him on a daily basis, the ungodly attitudes and actions of idolatry, strife, jealousy, anger, envying, and more will be the default of our human weakness. On the other hand, when we live by the Spirit and walk closely with Him His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will be evident in our lives. 
Just as our physical house needs regular maintenance, so does our spiritual walk require diligent attention. You can’t just live there; rather, you must be alert to the old tendencies that are constantly pushing their way to the surface. If the water pipes freeze and burst, you need to fix them. If a sinful attitude rears its ugly head, you must immediately give it to God and ask for His help in squelching it. Otherwise, the problem produces other, larger problems and the situation gets worse quickly.
This is much easier to do if you continue walking along and stay on top of things. In other words, don’t just live by the Spirit, but walk closely with Him through prayer and Bible study every day. Listen to God’s words, share with Him your thoughts, obey the things He says, and always be ready to do what needs to be done. Don’t just live – walk!
Love,
Mama

The Hand that Moves You

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Galatians 5:16-17 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

Who is controlling you? The Bible says there are two forces that can guide what we do and how we act. These opposing stimuli are our sinful flesh and the Spirit of God. How we live our lives depends on which power is filling us.
Many years ago I made a friend. She was a cute, bright yellow haired, spritely little thing with a quick wit and sweet (but sharp) disposition. We spent a lot of time together and enjoyed many fun times teaching young children. I always knew exactly what she was going to do and nothing she said surprised me. 
She became very jealous when I decided to marry Dad. She decided she needed to find a husband too, so she came to our wedding where she tickled the guests by asking if Dad had a brother. Uncle Matt unknowingly played into her scheme by standing up in the back and wildly waving his hands to announce his whereabouts. She took one look at him and quickly inquired, “Are there any other brothers?”
Everyone got a good laugh, but I was not surprised. The reason was that Dusty was my puppet. Everything she said or did, I orchestrated. Without me she could not act or respond, but when I slipped my hand into her body, she was free to move and speak as I directed. If someone else were to take her from me, she would have had a completely different personality. She was who she was because she lived through me.
As humans we have two choices as to how we live. When we gratify the sinful desires of the flesh it is because we are allowing our natural human disposition to guide us. These acts of the sinful nature are things such as sexual immorality, impurity, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, envy, drunkenness, and more. 
But when we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  Instead the fruit of the Spirit will be our predisposition. Our life will be characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
As humans we are different than a puppet because we can decide who will be our guide. Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. They choose to live by the Spirit and to keep in step with His leading. 
Dusty, my puppet, is who she is because I am the driving force behind all her actions and words. Who is controlling you?
Love,
Mama