Verses from Mama

Hearing God speak one Bible verse at a time.

Communication and the All-Important Emoji

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Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

Our speech has a power beyond imagination. Things we say can often open or shut the door of a person’s soul. But this powerful force is more than just the words we say. Real communication is driven by attitude expressed in body language, facial expression, and tone of voice.

It’s funny how the most benign statements can take on new meaning when paired with a sarcastic tone. Anyone with a relationship conflict experience can attest to this. The wise person takes the time needed to get a negative attitude under control before facing a tense situation. Then words and actions are chosen carefully if the intent is to resolve the problem.

The difficulty our culture is now experiencing is that much conversation – good or bad – is not taking the form of spoken words. With the advent of texting many are choosing to have important conversations hidden behind a smart phone. This is not a wise move.

Recently, while responding to general question posed to me by text, Abigail, who was looking over my shoulder, chided me. “Mom, use an emoji or more punctuation! The person is going to think you are mad at them if you don’t.”

Really!! I never realized the importance of the emoji character until then. When you don’t speak face to face with someone they can’t read the unspoken signs to see if you are joking, serious, or being sarcastic; hence, the smiley face, laughing face, confused face, angry face, the thumbs up, or a variety of other characters to help get your real feelings across. Misunderstanding is compounded by the fact that with texting we are expected to respond immediately. If busy the quick OK (or just K) response may leave the person unsure of your real feelings as they are unaware of the unrelated project or mess you may be dealing with at the moment.

The Bible reminds us how important our speech in all walks of life can be. The Apostle Paul asked the Colossians to pray that God would open a door for him to speak God’s word to those who hadn’t heard it before. He wanted to make the message he was trying to convey very clear, and he understood the importance of using words filled with grace to gently season the meat of the salvation message.

We also need great wisdom in knowing how to respond to those around us if we want to show the example God wants us to have. This takes prayer, wisdom, and much thought. Spend time with God making sure your own attitude is in alignment with His. Ask for open doors for spiritual conversations and then speak face to face with people as much as possible. Let the love of Jesus shine through every word, every facial expression, your body language and tone of voice. These conversations may just be what opens or shuts a person’s soul. And our responses, empowered by the Holy Spirit, may guide a friend or neighbor to accept the Lord into their lives.

So remember . . . let your speech always be with grace . . . and if you must respond by text, be sure to use the all-important emoji.:-)

Love,

Mama

Four Roadblocks to Effective Witness

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All children of God are called to be witnesses of the salvation He has provided for the world. There are millions of people inhabiting the globe who are in slavery to sin and need to hear about the way to freedom through Jesus Christ. What often keeps us from sharing this good news? Second Timothy 2 gives four roadblocks that we must overcome in order to have an effective witness.

2 Timothy 2:3 “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

Roadblock #1: When we set out to give testimony to the things God has done for us, we embark on a spiritual war. There is an enemy who wants to keep the truth from those who are his prisoners. Those who are hurting the worst may be so entrenched in Satan’s lies they will not want to hear the truth even from those who deeply love them. Others think they are fine and don’t see their need at all. The messages and motives of God’s messengers may be misunderstood and literally, at times, all hell can break loose. As soldiers in God’s army we must be prepared to endure hardship without backing down from our calling, while continuing to love those who are hurting. This can only be done as we stay in constant contact with the Lord through the Bible and prayer.

2 Timothy 2:4 “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer.”

Roadblock #2: In a world of many distractions, it is easy to become entangled in the web of constant activity. We sign up for every call for volunteers whether in school, work, or church instead of evaluating what it is God has called us to do. We waste time sitting in front of the TV or scrolling through social media, liking pictures and reading posts to be more informed about what’s going on in our circle of friends. While none of these things is wrong, we often take them to the level of our life’s calling. These “civilian affairs” drain our time and energy and take us away from the battles our commanding officer has called us to fight.

2 Timothy 2:5 “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.”

Roadblock #3: Sharing our faith with those around us must be done according to the rules. We tend to think a person will come to Jesus because of our knowledge and our ability to formulate our thoughts well. But this is not the case. The Spirit of God is the One Who makes inroads into a person’s heart. We are just the conduit for this power. We must study to show ourselves approved unto God. We must pray daily for our friends and family members, asking God to do the work in their hearts. Then we must be available to speak as the Holy Spirit leads us. He will give us His words and His timing to break through to those He is calling.

2 Timothy 2:6 “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”

Roadblock #4: In order to share in a spiritual crop, we need to plant the seed. So often fear or feelings of inadequacy keep us from doing what we can do and we miss the opportunities that are all around us. First Peter 3:15, says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” If we want to have an effective witness, we must plant the seed! This is hard work and can take a lot of time, but the rewards are amazing!

Each of us is called to tell others about our sure hope of salvation in Christ. It is not an easy job and there are many roadblocks, but we are guaranteed success by focusing our hearts and minds on the One Who leads the way. Endure hardship, don’t become entangled in civilian affairs, run according the rules, and start planting the seed. Be assured that God will use your effective witness to bring many people to Him.

Love,

Mama

2017 – The Year of Death

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Galatians 5:24-25 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” 

It’s that time of year again; it’s the time when everyone comes to the bend in the road that leaves the past behind and moves them forward into the future. It is a common practice to look back one last time to consider all that has transpired and plan for what can be accomplished in the future. In so doing many make a list of New Year resolutions. As I have thought about the days ahead, I have decided that 2017 will be the year of death.

Now don’t get too panicked. I am not planning on kicking the bucket in the near future, Lord willing. I have simply decided it is time to take seriously some struggles in my life. When Christ was crucified on the cross He became the substitute for all who believe. The One Who was perfect and holy took upon Himself the sins of the world and took the punishment in our place. Those who have faith to believe were crucified with Him. We have died and when God looks at us He no longer sees our sin but the sacrifice Jesus Christ made in our stead.

We now live our lives with the power to overcome sin because the Spirit of Jesus lives within us. But because we live in a fallen world our sinfulness often continues to control us. This isn’t necessary because we now have the power to do what is right, but we often do not choose to live by the power that God has given us.

If you, like me, examine your life carefully, you will find areas that have not completely died with Christ. There are still thought patterns and actions that persist in rising from the grave and taking on a life of their own. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of it!! I have decided that 2017 is the year of death.

We must actively and continually crucify those areas that are haunting us and bring them under control of the Holy Spirit. Walking in step with Him on a daily basis can help us realize this goal. We must ask Him to show us the areas in which we are lacking. Pray for the power to overcome them. Listen carefully for guidance in each decision, each word, and in each step of life. Ask forgiveness when we make a wrong move and continue to follow each prompting immediately.

Will you join me in my New Year’s resolution? Identify areas of your sinful nature that are still alive and well, take the bull by the horns, and crucify them. If you belong to Jesus you have the power to do this. Jesus has already accomplished the hard part in your place and all you must do is keep in step with His Spirit.

It is going to be a good year. 2017 – The Year of Death!

Love,

Mama

 

Photoshop – The Answer For Imperfect Pictures

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Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”

front-door-croppedIt is so much fun to experience something new. Sometimes when you learn new things you can transfer the techniques to other parts of life and other times you can’t.

I have really been enjoying my photography class, but one of the challenges has been learning a program called Photoshop. It is pretty complicated when you dig into all that is available, but I have been thrilled at the few things I have been introduced to. One of the best features for me is that you can take a good picture and make it even better – in fact you can almost make it perfect.

I applied these techniques the other day to an image of our house. The photo was beautiful but it really showed the flaws that were there. So, no problem, I repainted the peeling paint on the front door, removed the weeds from around the porch, brushed away the dead grass that covered the foreground, and added a little extra light to brighten things up. In a matter of minutes I Photoshopped away everything I didn’t like. And it felt so good!

Wouldn’t it be great if we could remove every physical or personality flaw we find in others or ourselves? What if we could remove any unwanted circumstances or fix the results of our bad decisions? It would especially be helpful if we could blot over difficult experiences and lighten up dark days. Unfortunately this program doesn’t work for real life situations. We cannot Photoshop our lives to perfection no matter how hard we try.

But we are not left in complete despair. When Jesus reached the age where God had appointed Him to start His earthly ministry, He had the opportunity to read Scripture in the temple. He stood up in front of many older, learned men and read from Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.” At the conclusion of His reading He announced to the listeners, “Today in your presence this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Then He sat down.

God saw that the world was not perfect. It had been corrupted by sin and its results. So He sent Jesus to make things right. The good news of salvation came and was accomplished through the Son of God Who was perfect. He would die and rise again to provide healing to all whose hearts were broken, liberty to all who were held captive, and freedom for those in chains to sin. He wasn’t going to just Photoshop over the situation to make it look right; He was going to provide the way for everything and everyone to be perfect in their standing before God.

For those of us who believe what the Bible says and receive this gift of salvation, God looks at us and no longer sees all the flaws. He sees us through the lens of Jesus’ blood and all the imperfections brought on by sin are gone. He replaces ashes with a garland, mourning with the oil of gladness, and the spirit of fainting with a mantle of praise. We are forever righteous in His sight.

Do you recognize the flaws that sin has left on your life? Jesus, not Photoshop, is the answer for imperfect people like you and me. Now that’s a picture I can get excited about!

Love,

Mama

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The Importance of Setting Goals

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1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

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“. . . goal setting is helpful for athletes, businesspeople, weight watchers, and teachers” . . . and God’s people!

Goal setting is a common practice in all walks of life. Cross country runners seek to attain a personal best time as the run their race. Businesspeople set goals for advertising and financial gain. Weight watchers choose a goal weight for their height and bone structure. And teachers decide what goals they want to accomplish in the education of their students.

The Apostle Paul was a very active writer with very specific goals. He penned numerous letters to various churches for the purposes of strengthening, encouraging, and teaching the members about the things of God. In the book of 1 Timothy, Paul wrote to an individual. Timothy, his protégé in the faith, was a member of Paul’s missionary team, and at Paul’s request he stayed in the city of Ephesus to stand against some tough opposition to the church and the Christian faith.

Paul recognized the difficulties Timothy was facing and wrote him a letter. It wasn’t a newsy note, but a letter with a purpose. Early on Paul explained that his letter would be full of instructions with certain goals in mind. He desired that Timothy and the Ephesian congregation would develop love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

These three things should still be goals for Christians today. We become aware of our weaknesses in these areas by allowing God, through His word, to reveal the places in our hearts that need reshaping. The goals are accomplished as we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s powerful guidance with obedience.

  • Love from a pure heart: It seems like it would be easy to love. We love those who love us. Or we love those who can do things for us. But loving with a pure heart has no thought of self. It is loving because God loves. It is loving without expecting pay back. It is desiring good for all regardless of how they treat us. This kind of love is impossible without being fully connected to God through Christ.
  • Love from a Good Conscience: In order to live our lives God’s way and to love others God’s way we must maintain a good conscience. It is essential to stay sensitive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit as He points out areas in our lives not in line with God’s will, and to immediately confess anything He reveals so we can receive the freedom that comes with forgiveness. In this way our relationship with God will deepen and our testimony before others will remain strong.
  • Love from a Sincere Faith: Faith will always be under attack. There is an enemy who seeks to destroy the truth any way he can. Timothy was facing this struggle and so do we today. There are always men and women who seek to turn victims from sincere faith in God to strange doctrines. Many get caught up in false spirituality, which focuses on myths and speculations rather than the truth in God’s word. Even those who understand God’s truth can be swayed to mistrust their Savior if they take their eyes off Christ and focus on their personal understanding of their circumstances. Paul recognized that maintaining a sincere faith is always a fight.

Paul had a goal for writing his letter to Timothy, and God has preserved the letter for us. Things haven’t changed much in two thousand years. So let’s ask God to help us to love Him and others from a pure heart, to develop a good conscience, and remain strong in sincere faith. After all, if goal setting is helpful for athletes, businesspeople, weight watchers, and teachers, it follows that we who are God’s children and desire to be faithful to him should set goals as well – to achieve much for His glory and honor.

Love,
Mama

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones But Words Can Also Hurt

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1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

IMG_2955Whoever came up with this saying was not thinking clearly. While physical attack is very harmful, vicious words can also produce much pain and devastation. In fact, words are often a tool of the devil.

When you enter into a successful spiritual ministry of any sort, be alert. It is very likely that you will experience some type of verbal opposition. Over and over this is seen throughout the Bible, and yet we are often so surprised when similar things happen to us. When we are hit with opposition it is easy to become discouraged and feel like our hard work is a failure. In these times it is important to remember that the work is not really ours. It is our job to be faithful and God’s job to bring the results.

Paul and Silas entered the city of Thessalonica with a very recent history of suffering and mistreatment in the nearby town of Philippi. Most would have been tempted to return to the safety of home and hearth feeling as if they had done their time of service for God. But Paul and Silas were different. God gave them a boldness to continue preaching the gospel message to all who would listen despite the difficulties.

As they came to Thessalonica, Satan’s most successful tool to hinder their ministry was the flurry of accusations that these messengers were out for their own benefit, greedily seeking glory and fortune from men.

After Paul and Silas had spent only a very short time in Thessalonica, the malicious words stirred up the religious leaders, creating painful persecution. Paul and Silas were again forced to run for their safety. It may have seemed that the missionaries’ ministry was coming to a quick end, but things were not what they seemed. God was still at work.

Paul assured the Thessalonian believers in a letter that his visit to them was not in vain. God had chosen them and opened their hearts to receive the message of salvation for what it was – the word of God – through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Paul went on to remind these new believers of the truth regarding the accusations against him. None of them were true and he only had their best interests at heart. By recalling the round the clock labor and the hardship they endured so as not to be a burden, the believers could be witnesses of the upright and blameless behavior the missionary team exhibited. Paul expressed his deep longing to come back to them, but lamented that again the enemy, Satan, hindered a visit.

I have noticed that one of Satan’s greatest hindrances to gospel ministry is harmful words. So often those who should be working together for the cause of Christ develop difficulties because of disagreements or misunderstandings that occur within their circles. The words can come from the outside but often they come from the inside. Opinions are spoken in haste or taken out of context, feelings are hurt, disagreements occur, and unity is threatened. This is why it is so important to be careful about reacting prematurely to things we hear. Do not believe everything and go straight to the source if you have any concerns or questions. Don’t go around talking to others and spreading the poison. Be kind and considerate when you don’t agree on menial points, and be willing to work together despite differences.

Above all, don’t be discouraged when it seems a ministry has hit a wall because of false words and accusations. Remember that this is a regular tool of the devil, but God is bigger than this hindrance. Pray even more about the circumstances and trust God for the results. It is his responsibility to bring the fruit.

Sticks and stones break your bones and words can also hurt you, but don’t be discouraged. God knows the truth, He examines hearts, and He will be your witness. So don’t turn back. Grasp the courage that only God can give and continue on. For those who are truly seeking to please and serve Him selflessly will someday see that, like Paul, their labor was not in vain despite the opposition.

Love,

Mama

Follow the Scout Motto – Be Prepared!

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Matthew 26:41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Be Prepared!

IMG_2698Since 1907 this has been the motto of the scout movement. All Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts make it their duty to be prepared in mind and body to know the right thing to do, to be willing to act on it, and to be physically fit to carry out the action when necessary.

None of our family, aside from my brief stint with the Brownies in elementary school, has been a scout member. Even so, this motto is one that we should all consider making part of our life strategy.

Jesus knew that His time on earth was short. He understood what the next few hours would hold for Him – the betrayal, the ridicule, the pain, the torture, and the weight of the world’s sin. Death on a rugged cross was why He had come to earth and His final hour was drawing near.

During the last Passover supper, Jesus prepared His disciples with much information regarding what was ahead. He acted out a picture of the purpose of His death by washing their feet. He had come not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many.

He comforted them with the promise of the Holy Spirit Who would give them power and lead them into all truth.

He encouraged them by explaining how they could bear much spiritual fruit by remaining in the vine. By abiding in Christ and letting His words abide in them they could ask whatever they needed and it would be done.

He warned them of rejection and tribulation but reminded them that He had overcome the world.

Finally, He prayed that God would not take them out of the world but keep them from the evil one.

All of this Jesus did so that His disciples would BE PREPARED for what lay ahead.

Yet, even this was not enough. There was something they needed to do.

While in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus went away by Himself to pray. His soul was deeply grieved over all that was about to occur. He asked His disciples to keep watch with Him, but they could not keep their eyelids open. The warmth of the evening and the activity of the day weakened their stamina and soon there were snores echoing throughout the otherwise quiet sanctuary.

Jesus, heavy with grief, returned, awakened them from their slumber, and urgently imparted some important advice. He knew what was coming and how crucial their preparation of mind and body would be when temptation crept up on them. At the moment of decision His previous teaching and preparation would be forgotten if they had not prepared their minds and bodies through prayer. He said,

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation.” 

The men groggily listened to His warning, but then rolled over and continued snoring. The hour of Jesus’s betrayal and suffering was at hand but these followers were not ready for what lay ahead. Though their spirit might have been willing had they understood, their exhausted flesh was weak.

Later we read that all of them deserted their Master in His greatest hour of need. Peter, who boasted of loyalty, went as far as to vehemently deny that he even knew Jesus. How sad they all were when they realized that their lack of preparation caused them to do the wrong thing.

What a lesson this is for us! The Scout Motto, while a good life strategy, is also necessary spiritually to protect us from all temptation. Unlike Jesus, we do not know what a day holds. We must keep watching and praying so that we can withstand whatever comes across our path.

I am glad Jesus was prepared to suffer and die for my sins and yours.

Obey the instructions He gave His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Make it your motto and duty to always BE PREPARED in mind and body to know the right thing to do, to be willing to act on it, and to be physically fit to carry out the action when necessary.

Jesus shared the secret to success – stay alert, keep watching, keep praying.

Love,
Mama

Truth That Can Change

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1 Cor 6_11There are certain things that are always true. No matter how you look at them or try to explain them away, these facts will always be the same. But what if I told you that certain things that are true CAN be changed?

Many of us do not like to look truth in the face. Deep inside we believe that by ignoring certain pieces of information we can make them go away or lessen the effect on our life. For example, when dealing with disease it is tempting to ignore telltale signs so we don’t have to accept a scary diagnosis. We trick our brains into believing everything is okay when in reality each day could be moving us towards disaster.

Yet if we were to consider the facts carefully and act on them, we could change the truth of the situation. Immediately acknowledging our health symptoms, visiting a doctor, and receiving treatment could heal us from a disease that might otherwise cripple or claim our life. Accepting the facts as they stand and dealing with them can change the truth of disease to a new truth of healing.

And there are some who would never ignore symptoms of disease, but who do ignore other truths.

The Spirit of God convicts of sin. We are all born in a sinful state, but when we receive Christ as Savior He begins to transform us into His image. The Holy Spirit gently points out areas in our life that are not pleasing to God and gives us the power to change. It is not pleasant to be confronted with our own weaknesses, so it is tempting to make excuses. Yet hiding from the truth will not be helpful. It is only as we bravely face God’s prodding that our lives can change. The truth of our sin can be replaced by the truth of forgiveness and growth.

The Apostle Paul confronted the Corinthian church with the principle that there was no share in the Kingdom of God for those who made sin their consistent lifestyle. He cautioned these men and women not to fool themselves into thinking that they could live immoral lives and still be right with God.

Yet Paul followed up with an encouraging reminder. Though the ultimate consequence of sin is always separation from God, this reality had changed for some of them. Those individuals who put their faith in Jesus Christ were cleansed from their sin and now accepted by God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 “There was a time when some of you were just like that but now your sins are washed away, and you are set apart for God and He has accepted you because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.”

The truth of exclusion from God’s Kingdom because of sin remains unchanged today for those who ignore God’s salvation message. But for those who face the reality of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ, God’s wrath is satisfied and they can receive life instead of death.

There are certain things that will never change. But consider each situation carefully and don’t bury your head in the sand. Look courageously into the face of the facts and act on them – because sometimes you CAN change the truth!

Love,

Mama

The Best Part of You is Who Lives Inside!

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2 Corinthians 4:7 “But this precious treasure – this light and power that now shine within us – is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.” (NLT)

 “The best part of you is who you are inside!”

2013-06-19_15-25-25_833This was the saying on my childhood bedroom wall poster featuring a hen talking to a hatching chick. The words were a comforting reminder to a gangly teenager suffering the physical effects of changing from a child into an adult – my inner beauty was most important.

The poster was talking about the essence of who a person is – his or her personality, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. These are the qualities that define a person’s life, not the outward flaws that many teenagers experience. But for a Christian there is an even greater meaning to these words.

Contained within our physical frame is a great treasure worth more than all the riches the world has to offer. For those who know Jesus Christ as their Savior, the light and power of His presence shine within us. God’s very own Spirit reflects the glory of God in and through us. He works in us, making us more and more like Him. As we grow spiritually we reflect His presence more every day.

Not only do we have God’s power available to free us from our sinful lifestyles, but we also have His power to convince others that the message of God’s salvation is available for them, too. God takes our imperfect efforts to reach others and powerfully uses them to make a difference to those around us. We do not rely on our own abilities. We are not the Creator of the light, but only carriers of it.

God put these precious treasures inside our weak bodies so that everyone can see that what we possess is not from us but from God. When we persevere through troubles and our human frailties are put to the test, we can still be victorious because of God’s strength within us. His power to prevail is like a bright light shining from the inside of a fragile jar. The jar isn’t what is important; the important part is what it contains. Those around us will wonder how we can survive the trials of life and we can give God the glory for our success.

Even in the face of death we will still win. Our momentary trials will only last for a short time, but our eternal destiny in heaven with Christ is secure because of His life that lives within us.

The teenage years fly by and the raging hormones that wreak havoc on the physical body settle down. But as time passes, age causes other ailments that affect the human shell we all live in. It could be discouraging but doesn’t need to be. God’s truth can fill us with hope and comfort as we are reminded that the trials will soon pass, but the joy they produce will last forever.

I think if I were to hang that poster on my wall today, I would want it to say,

“The best part of you is Who lives inside!”

Love,

Mama

 

 

Volleyball – It’s Harder Than You Think!

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1 Timothy 4:7b-8 “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

There is not a whole lot in this life that can be accomplished without discipline. It takes discipline to get up in the morning on time for school or work. It takes discipline to eat healthy meals. It takes discipline to train for a sports team. It even takes discipline to schedule regular rest into a life full of activity and responsibility. Why, then, when we will make the effort to train ourselves for all sorts of daily chores and activities, do we often neglect the most important training of all?

The other day I had a brilliant idea. After having spent much of the fall season watching Abigail and her friends play volleyball, I thought it would be fun to learn how to bump, set, and maybe even serve. I never played this game in high school, but, hey, how hard could it be? “Come on, Abby, show me how to do this,” I said.

We both ran outside into the cool autumn air where she showed me the correct position for my hands and then passed me the ball. My first try ricocheted off my left wrist and nearly broke the kitchen window. Nevertheless, we tried again. And then again. And then again. Soon I decided that maybe I would do better at serving, but that didn’t go much better. My visions of quick success started to look bleak as I tried to follow Abigail’s detailed instructions, but completely missed the ball. After we both dissolved into a pool of laughter, I finally admitted that maybe this “simple” game wasn’t as easy as it looked. It would take a lot of discipline and practice to perfect the skills needed to play – time that I did not have. 

While each of us spend hours upon hours training ourselves for activities that will only provide a short-lived profit, how often do we practice the discipline needed for spiritual growth and godliness? We often treat this important part of our life like I treated the game of volleyball. We think that showing up for church once in a while or saying a quick prayer before a meal is all that is needed to be the best we can be. Yet godliness is profitable for all areas of life – here on earth as well as in the life to come.

There are a number of spiritual disciplines that God can use in a believer’s life to bring about growth. Though these practices are not difficult, they require consistency and a willingness to submit to God’s work in our life.  Richard J. Foster, in his book, The Celebration of Discipline, states, “God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving His grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us.”


Reading God’s word studiously, praying diligently, and fasting or giving up something to focus more on God are only a few practices that will put a person in a position where God can do His transforming work. None of these can be accomplished without personal discipline, but those who make these things a priority will begin to be trained in godliness.

If you think that you can attain God’s best for you by showing up to church once in a while, then you have been mislead. Just as the game of volleyball takes training and practice, so a growing Christian requires discipline for godliness – and the result of this eternal goal will be blessing in this life and the life to come.

Love,
Mama