Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
August 28, 2024
Eph. 4:32

The Greek word for Kindness means; To have a gracious demeanor. I think to be gracious, I would need to remember that it is the grace of the Lord that makes it even possible for me to be truly gracious and kind. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is God’s response to Paul’s complaint of a persistent malady; “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness”. It’s this amazing grace of God that is sufficient to meet every need, to guide us in the power of the Holy Spirit and for our study today; to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit that is Kindness.

The Apostle Paul understood how difficult this could be. It is not a typical characteristic in a world that, in Paul’s day and in our own, can be very selfish and harsh, caring little for the needs of others and more about personal wants and desires. He writes in Ephesians 4:32; “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. My husband and I were discussing the topic for today’s midweek meditation and I asked; “What do we say every Sunday that is reflective of this idea of how we should forgive one another”? He responded; “In the Lord’s prayer, where we say; ‘and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us’”. Praying this prayer is a constant conviction that we should forgive each other because God forgave us and even sent his Son to provide forgiveness of sins, and it took the Cross to do it.

I will close with a poem quoted by Henry Burton and repeated in the little study guide: Nine Fruits of the Spirit by Robert Strand; “Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; ‘Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on; Let it travel down the years, Let is wipe another’s tears, ‘Till in Heaven the deed appears…Pass it on”

Amen

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
August 22, 2024
Colossians 1:9-14

Of all the fruit of the Spirit that the Apostle Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23, there are two that are particularly difficult for me; Patience and Self-Control. Come to think of it, without patience I can’t have self-control, because to be disciplined in monitoring my thoughts and behavior takes a great deal of patience. What do you think?

When we read the New Testament, we are reading words, that for the most part, are translated from the original Greek and our word for today comes from the Greek word; Makrothumia which means to have forbearance, fortitude and long-suffering. When do you suppose your patience is challenged the most? Is it at work, in your family, your friendships, your church? If you said “yes” to any or all of these, then you see where I am going with this. Patience is often most challenged within the context of our relationships. Isn’t is awesome that God’s greatest desire is that we be in a close relationship with Him first and then with others! That’s the key to loving God and loving others as Jesus explained when He was asked what was the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).

In our Scripture text for today, Paul is explaining how he prays for the people to have “great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light…” (Col 1:11b-12).

I found a great quote from Philips Brooks in the little devotional; Nine Fruits of the Spirit by Robert Strand; “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God” (pg.14). I will close with another encouraging word from the Apostle Paul throughout all of his letters to the churches; “Grace and Peace to you from God our father, and the Lord Jesus Christ”!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
August 12, 2024
John 14:23-27

I have experienced some of my most peaceful moments when I have held sleeping babies, or when I sat listening to a gentle rain on a metal roof. Still, I had to let go of my plans, thoughts and worries while experiencing these events and just tell myself; “stay peacefully in this moment”. In fact, I am trying to do that right now as I have a peaceful moment to write this knowing a busy week awaits. Hence a midweek posting at the beginning of the week.

Our text for today comes during a teaching and counseling time Jesus was having with his disciples. They did not like hearing that Jesus would be leaving them, and Jesus sometimes confused them by reminding them to obey his teachings. After all, many of the followers had left everything to follow and learn from Jesus. It’s easy to see from this side of the resurrection that Jesus was preparing them to change the world, and that would take loving obedience to the teachings of Christ in loving God and loving others. It would take a daily discipline to leave self out of the picture and choose to follow Jesus.

As we continue this journey in The Fruit of the Spirit, today we will look at the amazing peace that is available if we will choose to be still and live in the moment with the Holy Spirit.

The Greek word we translate as peace, means “a quiet rest, to be set at one with yourself again”. Robert Strand reflects on it this way;” The peace that Christ gives is not only in good circumstances of life, but it is a deep, abiding, inner tranquility in all kinds of life circumstances”. Strand tells the story of a friend who visited an elderly person who was terribly crippled with arthritis. When He asked the elderly person; “Do you suffer much? She responded, ‘Yes, but there is no nail here,’ and she pointed to her hand. ‘He had the nails, I have the peace’, She pointed to her head, ‘There are no thorns here. He had the thorns, I have the peace’. Then she touched her side and said; ‘There is no spear here. He had the spear, I have the peace” (Ralph Turnbull – quoted by Strand in Nine Fruits of the Spirit 1999 edition, New Leaf Press, Green Forest AR, pg.13).

In John 14:25-27 Jesus tells them that his heavenly Father would send a counselor, none other than the Holy Spirit, to teach and remind them of all that Christ himself tried to teach them while with them on earth. He encourages them that this would bring peace; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid” (vs. 27). May you find comfort in God’s Word today, and may you experience peace right where you are. Take a breath and stay in the moment with the Holy Spirit.

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
August 6, 2024
Nehemiah 8-10, 1 Peter 1:8-9

The second fruit of the Spirit is JOY!

In this second installment of our meditations on the fruit of the Spirit, we are looking at Christian Joy. Is Christian Joy different than anyone else’s expression of joy? Well, according to what I read about the fruit of the Spirit and joy in particular, I see a constant that doesn’t exist with any other expression of joy. I’m not saying that all Christians have a full grasp of this fruit of joy, but at least we can address the challenge to be living expressions of the Joy of The Lord.

In the book of the prophet Nehemiah, we see that it is during a time of great sorrow, doubt and mourning that he tells the people to rejoice. Many of the exiles from Babylon had returned to Jerusalem only to find it in shambles, particularly the wall and the temple. These structures were significant to the people’s faith and confidence in God, so to have them practically destroyed only brought them great grief and doubt that these would be restored and worship resumed. In our text from Nehemiah we read; “They read from the book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving meaning so that the people could understand what was being read”. Let me pause here to remind you that they were upset at the reading of God’s Law because they had been away from it so long during their exile. Back then, it was not customary for conquered people to have access to their religious readings, hence, they forgot what God had given them in his Law (given through Moses on the mountain). They must have felt hopeless to ever be truly God’s people again, but wait, help was on the way; “Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”

1 Peter 1:1-9 tells us that we can have faith and joy in Christ even though we may not see him now in the flesh, even though there is great suffering and even great persecution. True faith in The Lord rests in an unchanging trust which in turn gives us joy; “Though you have not seen him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”. Robert Strand writes; “Christ was not only the man of sorrows, He was the epitome of joy in living! He is the ultimate example of joy in living and dying!” (Nine Fruits of the Spirit – Joy, pg.28). We can imagine Jesus smiling as the children were brought to him, laughing at wedding celebrations, embracing and crying tears of joy when his friend Lazarus returns to life. He cared for the widows, the sick, the women, the children and any who found themselves on the fringes of society. I want that kind of joy, because that is not a fleeting happy thing, that is eternal difference making. Do you have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in your heart, down in your heart to stay? You can, just ask Jesus into your heart and listen for his Holy Spirit to guide you into this joy.

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
July 31, 2024
Galatians 5:22-25, 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

I’ve been feeling a bit unsettled with the world. I try to avoid watching or listening to the news, but I know that I need to be informed so that I can engage in conversations as well as how I can pray more specifically. I understand that God already knows everything, but I believe there is something calming about speaking with God about my concerns – I think He just wants me to make time for Him.

With all the turmoil in the world, in our communities and sometimes in our churches and homes, I find that I am less and less peaceful, so I asked the Lord to help me find a focus for our midweek meditations to help anyone who might be feeling what I am feeling. I landed on a favorite devotion series entitled The Fruit of the Spirit by Robert Strand. Gleaning from Galatians 5:22-25, I hope these next five meditations will help calm your soul as it calms mine.

The first fruit in Paul’s list for the Galatians is Love. This is Agape love, the all-. encompassing presence of God in our lives. It never changes and it never fails. When we come to faith in God, inviting His Son, Jesus Christ into our lives, we then are invited to reflect and represent Him in the world. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we read from the Apostle Paul how this love demonstrates itself: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”. Robert Strand suggests that these are characteristics of Christ and as followers, we too can demonstrate these traits. One way to check how we are doing with this is to put our name where the word Love appears in the passage above. Go ahead, try it, even speaking these verses with your name in place of Love and feel what that speaks to you, what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. For me, it makes me realize how much I need the Holy Spirit to help me grow in character and Christian witness.

One last thought from Robert Strand; “Not a whole lot is going to happen for the good in this world until we can team up with God and other people to make life what it ought to be, church what it ought to be, society what it should be and homes what they should be. Together in partnership with God, we can reach out and touch all who might be hurting or incomplete” (The Fruit of the Spirit pg. 19).

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
July 24, 2024
John 1:1-5

Twas a foggy morning as I arose to pray and sit with my husband. As we chatted and read our devotional I felt unsettled, unsure about what my next move should be when I feel as if I have many tasks at hand. But what is most important at this particular moment? I guess you could say I have gotten out of my “groove”.

I decided I should sit quietly, eyes closed and simply ask the Lord to speak and the Holy Spirit to help me to listen and discern. Then it came to me; reread your devotional from earlier this week, focus on the word “messy”.

I found myself reciting one of my favorite memory verses from John 1:1-5 and landed on the introduction of Matthew Kelly’s book, Life is Messy; “Life is messy. This is the human dilemma. You’re not doing it wrong. Life isn’t a color-within-the lines exercise. It’s a wild and outrageous invitation full of uncertain outcomes. Sometime it is beautifully rational, at other times it lacks all logic…It’s what we do with the mess that determines everything. You can ignore it, avoid it, deny it, blame others, shame yourself, and exhaust yourself pretending your life isn’t messy…Or you can realize that the mess serves a powerful purpose”.

Our scripture for meditation today tells us that the Word [revealed in Jesus Christ] is always present, from the beginning and forever. He brings life which is the light for everyone and guides us through the darkness of the mess in which we find ourselves. So, do you sometimes find yourself in an emotional fog with little assurance of what direction you should take? I think it is a safe bet that everyone has such moments or even extended periods of time when life just feels messy and it’s overwhelming to try to figure out how to clean it up. Listen to this piece of advice from Matthew Kelly again; “[A] radical acceptance of self, others, and life may be the beginning of wisdom. I’m not sure we can every truly appreciate anyone or anything until we have made peace with the mess.”

My prayer for you as I prepare to post this is for you to find your peace with God, as moment by moment you turn your mess over to the Master and watch the message that produces.

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
July 17, 2024
Romans 12:1-2, John 7:38

For many years now, I have tried to incorporate bible verse memorization in my daily routine. I also decided to find a passage of scripture that can serve as my “go to” whenever I come into a difficult time or difficult decision. History tells me, I should have done this before becoming an adult, I think this practice might have saved me many heartaches.

When I recite Romans 12:1-2 from memory, I often see where I miss the mark when it comes to being a living sacrifice. In point of fact, it took someone like Oswald Chambers to help me understand what being a sacrifice really means; “Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person—His purpose is to make a person exactly like himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us—and we cannot measure that at all” (My Utmost For His Highest, Barbour and co.pg.181).

John 7:38 also holds a difficult concept, but one that equally important to understand; “Jesus said, “‘Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” Jacob Glassner, from his article on these scriptures in a 2014 edition of the Southeast Outlook newspaper explains this well; “This living water is the Holy Spirit, and it is to flow from us, not be stored in a reservoir (pg. 16, Devotion article).

I leave you now with a spontaneous poem upon which I invite you to ponder;
“The Holy Spirit, you must come to know so that out of you will overflow streams to comfort and to show God’s good, perfect and pleasing plan.”

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
July 10, 2024
Isaiah 40:1-2, 30-31

Good morning! From where I sit at my home, I am enjoying the windows open and gentle breezes that bring such a welcome break from the extreme heat and humidity. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to wait for better days.

I was uplifted this morning with a song that a wonderful Pastor friend of mine shared in his meditation this morning. I remembered it from my youth group days, which seems so long ago now, and actually sang along this morning. Pastor Tony recommended a review of the text that inspires the song; “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength”, so I read out loud, to myself and my cat, these wonderful words; “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint” and the song adds; “Teach me Lord, Teach me Lord to wait”.

This week I will be celebrating with many friends and neighbors from Lanesville, the life, death and resurrection of a sweet friend who has been waiting for quite a while to go home to heaven. She was such an inspiration to me of her attitude of gratitude even in the nursing home where she has been living for quite some time. The first two verses of our text today remind me to be a voice of comfort in just such a time as this;

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

I pray you will be comforted and inspired this morning to wait upon the Lord for His next assignment for you, even has you run and walk on your journey in His kingdom work here today.

Amen!