Monday Praying the Word

Deacons and all who serve in the church

Please Pray

...the deacons and those who serve in the church, 

will assist in the ministry so that 

God would be glorified,

the gospel would be shared and shown,

and the people would be edified …

“Make me a servant, humble and meek.

Lord let me lift up those who are weak.

And my the prayer of my heart always be:

Makeme a servant today”

... for the deacons and all who serve be faithful

⁸Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money; ⁹holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. ¹⁰But let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.

 1 Timothy 3:8-10

¹⁸Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 

Hebrews 13:18

... for the families in our church

¹¹Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. ¹²Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 

1 Timothy 3:11-12

²⁸So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:28

 ...to see our ministry as a service to God

¹³For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 3:13

³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

⁷Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people

Ephesians 6:7

²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.

Colossians 3:23-24

¹¹If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:11

...the church will desire to read and uphold the Word of God

⁸This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8

...the church would be filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit

²Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve (Greek: diakonein, the root word for deacon) tables. ³Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. ⁴but we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. ⁵And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch, ⁶whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 

Acts 6:3-6

⁵⁵But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Acts 7: 55

…to assist in extending the Kingdom of God.

⁵Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. ¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. ³⁵Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. ⁴⁰But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

⁷On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven (deacons, see Acts 6:5), and stayed with him. 

Acts 8:5,35, 40; 21:7

...to have a servant spirit

²⁵But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. (diakonos) ²⁷And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (diakonesai), and to give His life a ransom for many."

Matthew 20:25-28

²⁰But you, beloved, building up yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²²And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ²³but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Jude 1:20-23

Sunday Praying the Word

Ministerial and Church Staff and Their Families

Please Pray

...that the ministerial staff would seek counsel

and follow the example in ministry

from the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ

“Brethren, we have met to worship and adore

the Lord our God; Will you pray with all your power,

while we try to preach the Word? All is vain unless the Spirit

of the Holy One comes down; Brethren pray

and holy manna will be showered all around.”

...for the leadership’s protection from Satan’s attacks;

³¹And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³²But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”                                 

Luke 22:31-32

...to them to be fruitful in labors and work.

⁹For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, to all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹²giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Colossians 1:9-12

...that Christ will live through them and their ministries;

²⁰I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

...for spiritual maturity and good reputation;

⁶Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

1 Timothy 3:6-7

⁹holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Titus 1:9

...for moral purity of the pastoral and entire church staff;

²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; ³not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; ⁴one who rules his own house well, having his children in subjection with all reverence.

1 Timothy 3:2-4

⁶If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. ⁷For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, ⁸but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled.

Titus 1:5-8

“²⁸Therefore, take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.” 

Acts 20:28

...to be servant-leaders, examples to the church;

¹The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. ²Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

1 Peter 5:1-4

⁷In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, ⁸sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Titus 2:7-8

...to receive God’s wisdom, not their own understanding

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. ⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1:5-8

...to be filled with the Holy Spirit

¹⁸And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.

                                                                                                                           Ephesians 5:18

³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

                                                                                                                                     Acts 4:31

Come out from among them and be separate...2 Cor. 6:16

    I had a “friend” come out of the closet yesterday. I say friend in quotes because somehow we are friends on Facebook (where he announced his coming out), although I didn’t remember friending him.

    I remember “coming out” of a different closet so many years ago. Like my Facebook friend, many people said they were so proud of me for my announcement. For me, however, I did not come out to embrace my lifestyle but to admit that it was something I struggled with and want to stop behaving in that way.

    As humans, we all have closets in which we no longer need to hide. Closets are for clothes and shoes and for me, it is for things I do in private, including prayer. I am not ashamed of getting dressed in my closet but I would be ashamed if I did so in public. Both in dressing and addressing God in prayer, my closet provides me a place to privately deal with things that I would not like to do in public.

    There is a second part of coming out that my friend unfortunately did not do. And to be honest, I still struggle with it too. It is repentance. Now my Facebook friend is only 18 and yet he has already given up the struggle and rather than fight against his natural desires, he decided what he was coming out of is not wrong nor sin. After years of struggle, I have realized we all will return to our closets of sin again and again, hiding or trying to hide from the public view.

     If I could tell my friend something I’ve learned, it would be this. Be neither embarrassed nor embracing of your closet of sin. If the Bible states that your desires are wrong, they are sin and you should repent of them. The Bible calls it flesh and we all have to deal with our fleshly or sinful nature. If you have flesh, its nature “lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal.5:17-21).

     We all sin by our very sin nature. But just because one sin or another seems “natural” to us, that does not mean it is okay. The Bible lists other things that will not inherit the kingdom of God. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor “the ‘soft’ men nor those men who have sex with those ‘soft’ men”, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11, NKJV, bold faced, my translation).

     The first sermon of Jesus was the same as that of his predecessor, John the Baptist, which was “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus would say to all of us sinners, “Go and sin no more” (John 5:14, John 8:11).

     Did you know that John 3:16 doesn’t just stop there at “everlasting life”? Jesus went on to say in verses 19 through 21, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

     That sounds a lot like coming out of our closets of sin, not to continue in them secretly, but to admit openly that we have done wrong things, we repent of them. We believe God will forgive us through Christ and like His death, burial and resurrection, we pledge ourselves by His strength to die to ourselves and live to walk in newness of life.

30. Why Humility?

     And thus, we come to the final chapter in the 30 week series of BELIEVE. Like many of the the elements included in BELIEVE and THE STORY, I have thought to myself, "I would not have included this story" or "I wonder why Randy Frazee and/or Zondervan did this."

     I wonder this morning "Why Humility?" "Hope" and "Humility" are two of the ten key virtues included in BELIEVE which are not found in the Galatians 5:22-23 listing of the fruit of the Spirit. Hope is a virtue similar to faith or belief and of course listed repeatedly in the New Testament, such as 1 Cor. 13, "faith, hope, love."

    But  again, I wonder why list humility compared to all of the other virtues of the Bible? Humility is listed as the polar opposite of "pride" found the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy and pride), contrasted within the seven heavenly virtues (purity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility).

     Humility in this day is a virtue sadly lacking in politics, in friendships, in families, marriages, and even in religion. The Greek word (tapeinophorsyne) is so hard to pronounce, it would probably cause you a great deal pride if you were to learn to say it! It literally means lowliness of mind, not in the sense of stupidity, but in one's estimation of one's own importance.

     Humility is not low self-esteem, but rather a way of lifting others up, edifying those around us. It is a prerequisite for God to come then and be the one of lifts us up, instead of us trying to lift ourselves up. Often pride comes at the expense of us pushing others down to raise our own importance.

     Jesus said that the virtue of humility actually allows God to come and lift us up (see Matt. 18:4, "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven," and Matt. 23:12, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.") 

    We may question why humility but Christ certainly does not question it as a virtue. He requires it of us.

 The following devotional comes from Zondervan.

KEY QUESTION: 

What does it mean to value others before myself?

Humility is a driving virtue in the Christian life and community. Choosing to esteem others above oneself encourages harmony and love. The opposite of humility is pride. Prideful people typically believe they are better than others. They strive to get their way at the expense of others or boast as a way of boosting low self-esteem. When a person possesses Biblical humility they draw from internal “God-esteem.” They have received God’s unconditional love and embraced their inherent worth as God’s child. From this belief they are capable of lifting others up.

Jesus is our supreme example of humility. The God of the universe could have ridden into our world on a white horse with a serious entourage and fanfare. Instead he came to us as a baby born in a stable to poor parents.

As Jesus was coming to the end of his time on earth, he wanted to impress upon his disciples the importance of humility. He does so in an unforgettable way. (See John 13:1-17.)

What does God require from us? Micah, a prophet to Israel and Judah in the eighth century BC, answered this question with convicting succinctness. What God required then, he still requires of us today.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Read more in Micah 6:6–8.)

KEY VERSE: 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3–4)

KEY IDEA: 

I choose to esteem others above myself.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

The ultimate humility is found when we place our heart in the constant position of putting God’s glory first and seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness. The more we immerse ourselves into the ministry of Christ to others, the more we experience the abundant life he offers. Seeing him change lives through our obedience is humility at its finest hour.

For growing Christians, a strong sense of self-esteem flows from “God-esteem” on the inside, which frees us to focus on “others-esteem.” When they enter any conversation with a neighbor, the prayer is, Dear God, help me place this person above myself and draw them to you. As the world becomes increasingly self-absorbed, humility will not only be one of the most attractive and refreshing fruit of God’s Spirit to a searching and hurting world, but also a great blessing to our own lives in offering our hearts daily to the Lord, as we exalt him and him alone.

29. A Kinder, Gentler Nature

     As many of you may notice, we are getting our parking lot repaved. I was at first surprised and even incredulous that they painted stripes in a very obviously wrong and mistaken way, only to later find out that they did so based on the wrong and mistaken blueprints that I (yes me) had given them. 

    When I learned that the error was mine (mostly mine I might add) I was thankful that I was gentle rather than harsh when I told them of "their" error. It reminded me of the phrase I used a couple of weeks ago, "Lord, let me give the gentleness today that I will need to receive tomorrow." I was also reminded that anytime you point one finger at someone else's wrong, three are pointing back at you. 

    Do you believe that gentleness is a virtue that you really want to possess? Then why are we so quick to not practice it? The King James word for this is "meekness" which rhymes with "weakness" and we Americans, Christian or not, often do not truly value being gentle as a virtue. 

    Consider road rage. Is it really worth it to get so upset because some driver ahead of you is going to make you five seconds later? Or maybe not even that, as you pull up beside them at the light. 

    When George H.W. Bush coined the phrase, "a kinder, gentler nation," in his presidential acceptance speech, he probably did not realize how that phrase would be such a defining moment nearly 30 years ago. While ridiculed as idealistic, are there not many who wish our presidency, let alone our nation, were a little kinder, a little gentler? A nation becomes gentler when we collectively in our nature become gentler. 

     While there are a lot of things we may not be able to do, is it not true that all of us can be gentle? Gentleness may come more naturally to some than to others (and that is certainly true by the company we keep! Some people are harder to be gentle with than others). But all of us, especially those of us with the Holy Spirit's fruit living within us, ALL OF US can be gentler and kinder to one another. 

The following devotional comes from Zondervan. 

KEY QUESTION: 

How do I demonstrate thoughtfulness and consideration toward others?

Nothing kills a family, a friendship, a neighborhood or even a church like pride, arrogance, anger, closed ears and raised voices. Since God is all about community, he calls his followers to be gentle. Of course, he teaches us by modeling this virtue right in our midst. Jesus offered up powerful insights and encouragement in the Sermon on the Mount.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1–5)

KEY VERSE: 

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:5)

KEY IDEA: 

I am thoughtful, considerate and calm in my dealings with others.

KEY APPLICATION:

 What difference does this make in the way I live?

Think about this self-evaluation question regarding the virtue of gentleness: If you had plans with someone for Sunday evening, would they be dreading the time with you or excited about the visit? Would they be expecting you to be calm or abrasive? Would they anticipate you to be thoughtful and attentive or self-focused and distracted? Would they leave the time with you feeling encouraged or discouraged? Worn-out or refreshed?

The problem with this scenario, though, is that self-evaluation is deceptive. We cannot fully see and understand our lack of gentleness. If we want to know the true measure of our gentleness, we have to ask others.

Jesus extends the invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). I want to be able to say this to the people God has placed in my life. How about you? With Christ in us, we can be gentle!

28. Faithfulness is God's Gold Standard

     Faith seems to be what God values the most in His people. The "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11 lists all who exemplified faith. We are people of faith, but are we faithful? In other words, are we people who can be trusted ourselves?

     It would seem obvious, right? People of faith being faithful. We who trust God, is it right for us to be anything less than trustworthy? We believe in Jesus, but do people believe in us to be genuine?

     There is a legacy of faithfulness found in Genesis. Not perfection, although Joseph is said to be someone in the Bible who did not demonstrate an identifiable sin. And consider his legacy of faith.

• Abraham the testimony of Faithfulness, showing obedience in leaving, offering, and trusting. His testimony demonstrates that faith in God should not be based on sight, but on what and Who is unseen. First he left all in Haran and Mesopotamia for a country he could not see. Then he believed God would grant him a child in his and Sarah's old age. Abraham promised that he and the lad Isaac would return, even though he had already purposed in his heart that Isaac would be sacrificed. God rewarded Abraham with Laughter.

• Isaac was the type of Faithfulness, demonstrating resurrection from the  sentence of death. Surely he could have overpowered aged Abraham from being on the altar. Yet, he was a type like Christ, willingly laying down his life in faith. It was through Isaac that the Seed of the Woman would come to crush the serpent's head and though he favored Esau, Isaac blessed Jacob though trembling. We see twice the God of Abraham, but the Terror of Isaac (Gen. 31:42, and again in verse 53), the fear of the Lord. Isaac's faith was not in the absence of fear but in the very presence of fear and trembling, he showed the genuineness of His faith. Through his lineage would come the Christ. God rewarded Isaac with a Legacy.

• Jacob/Israel was the testing of Faithfulness through his struggles with Esau, with Laban, even with the angel of the Lord. A deceiver from the beginning, Jacob would go through the trials and testing of faithfulness. Stealing Esau's birthright, then his blessings, Jacob never had the approval from his father that his brother had. His guile was repaid when Laban tricked the trickster and deceived the deceiver. His testing of love for Rachel was vindicated not only in his labor but in his fruitfulness. When he returned to face his family, he found himself face to face with God Himself, wrestling with the Angel of the Lord. Those who face the testing of faith are used mightily but often walk afterwards with a limp, a painful reward and reminder of the test...and how they prevailed. His new name would be a lasting reminder to his 12 sons and their tribes which followed that Israel, "God prevails."

• Joseph was a triumph of Faithfulness, overcoming hardships without waivering. His faith was founded by his father's love, and that enduring faithfulness elevated him from the persecution of his brothers, the pit of their jealousy, from the prison of false accusation, and from the peril of being forgotten by the cupbearer. His triumphant faithfulness was evidenced not in vindictiveness, but in his vindication; his steadfast conviction was that God was faithful. While man intended evil, God intended good, so much so that he used evil for God's ultimate good. Joseph's reward for His faith was his Love for God and Love by God. For we know that all things works together for good for those who love God and are called to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The following devotional comes from Zondervan.

 

KEY QUESTION: 

Why is it important to be loyal and committed to others?

Faithfulness benefits the people in our lives. When we are faithful to them, they are blessed. And, over time, our faithfulness to others also has a reciprocal benefit. First, we win favor. As needs emerge in our life, people will be inclined to help us. Second, we establish a name. When our name is brought up, even when we are not present, it is spoken with high regard. A good name established through a life of faithfulness is a boundless gift to pass on to our children.

Throughout the Bible, God called believers to be faithful to his assignment for them, no matter how difficult. In fact, it was often amid the difficult seasons that they most discovered the trustworthiness of God. When they aligned their lives to God’s story, he was with them and accomplished great things through them. All believers have the opportunity to open their lives to God’s will and demonstrate their faithfulness. The results of such faithfulness can be both great and beautiful as God works through those who believe.

KEY VERSE

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3–4)

 

KEY IDEA

I have established a good name with God and others based on my loyalty to those relationships.

 

KEY APPLICATION: 

What difference does this make in the way I live?

Christians are not called to be successful as the world defines success. We are called to be faithful to God in what he calls us to do. We faithfully act in faith toward God and leave the results to him. If I die with five billion dollars in the bank but do not know and have not been faithful to God, then I have failed. If I end up broke but know God and have been faithful to his call on my life in the strength his Spirit provides, I have been truly successful.

YOUR TURN

Based on what Proverbs 3:1-6 says about faithfulness, who are some of the most faithful people you know? How have they found honor and a good name in your sight? In the sight of others?

God's gots more kindness than we gots and He is willing to share

    When I was a kid, my mother was a widow, raising three kids and many

times without a job. When my grandmother, also a widow, sold the family farm, she would often take all five of us out to dinner. I remember one time my mother and grandmother were “arguing” over who would pay the $10 bill for all five of us at Bill’s Restaurant at Parker Plaza in Weatherford (remember the days when five people could eat for $10 at a restaurant?).

    I don’t remember how old I was but my grammar wasn’t the greatest and I piped up and said, “Mama, let Nonna pay, she’s gots more money than we gots!”

      The word we are studying this week, kindness, reminded me of that story so let’s look at the word, but not in English but in the New Testament Greek.

      The word kindness in the Greek is crestotes and is sometimes translated as kindness or goodness and has the root of someone who loans someone else money or lets someone borrow something.

Kindness began with God.

      Eph. 2:7 tells us that one of these days, God is going to show us just how much he has to share with us in his free gift of his fabulous wealth and just how good and kind he has been to us in Jesus Christ.  That verse leads into how we are saved based on how good God is and not how good we are (quite frankly because we are not that good).

      Paul does the same thing when he was writing his young pastor protégé, Titus. God’s kindness and love combined with His mercy, Paul wrote in Titus 3:4-6, and again there is an abundance flowing from God.

      In Romans 2:4, again Paul uses the word crestotes twice in one verse, explaining that it is the riches of God’s goodness and kindness that leads us to change our ways. It is like we live next door to a guy who has all of the tools in the world and rather than us trying to go out and buy all those same tools ourselves, the neighbor comes over and gives us the keys to His tool shed and says, “Don’t go out and buy all these things yourself. Just use mine.”

      God doesn’t want us to use our own kindness because He knows on our own, we don’t have that much. Romans 3:12 says that “there are none who do goodness and kindness; no, not one.” He also says in that same verse that everyone has become unprofitable, worthless, useless.

      Our neighbor, God, has the tools including His kindness and goodness, that if we were to try to get the same amount of “tools” we would go broke, become unprofitable, and once we got home, they would appear worthless compared with what God has to share with us.

      But there is another variation of the word crestotes that is used in the New Testament that is surprising in how it is translated; no, it’s not rendered “good” or “kind” but it is translated “easy”.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest in your souls. For My yoke is easy (crestos) and my burden light.”

      Jesus used the word again in Luke 6:35, “Lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind (crestos) to the unthankful and evil.”

      When we study the word kindness, and see how it comes from borrowing from someone else, it’s not that we are being a moocher from God and taking advantage of His offer to use His tools of kindness and goodness.

      It’s that “He’s gots” more kindness than we do and He is giving us His keys to use the wealth of His toolshed of kindness anytime we need His storehouse of tools.

Sometimes (not often) I get discouraged in writing

   Every once in a while, I wonder "Why do I write?" No one is reading and my books will never get published.

   Then someone will encourage me ... like Anne Cina who drew these cartoons that make me smile. She was inspired to do so by my column (click here). And lo and behold she even alliterated it (now why didn't I think about the three C's!).
 
   Now I really enjoy writing. I went to a C.S. Lewis Conference years ago and introduced myself as a "failed writer," to which someone said, "The only way you can be a failed writer is if you fail to write."

(I guess that is why she was a successful writer. Smart as a whip lady...and no sarcasm there, it really made an impact on me.)

   In fact, that was when I started this blog. And sure enough, just as Anne gets therapy out of drawing, I get true pleasure out of writing my blog and sharing my insights. Perhaps some day when I am dead and gone, these writings will still be on the web and someone will get encouragement from them.

   And even if not, when those like (backspace backspace backspace because if I start naming names, I will leave someone out who always uplifts me when they comment on when I have put musings into character form) Melissa and so many others encourage me, I press on. I am at a conference today and again I am inspired to continue to write and right at the right time, someone writes me (right?) like Anne and inspires me to keep on keeping on and voila! I write something.

   Most of all, the Lord prompts me to write. So like Ezekiel, it is like fire in my bones and I try to keep silent and nope, I'm writing and cannot stop.

   So thank you, small fan club. I am not like my best friend from high school Marc Otte ... er ... Cameron who writes prolifically, professionally and pretty darn well entertainingly. I am not going to be on the New York Times best seller list ... ever (The Power of Positive Thinking was never on my reading list).

     But I know one thing: I am on the Holy Spirit's Inspirational List because He surely inspires me, and I certainly hope that I am on the Lord's "Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant" List.