Retaliate...

Webster says it is to return like for like.

We all know the golden rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. (Mt. 7:12)

Often, we choose to understand it as ‘Whatever others do to me, that’s what I can do to them’.

We want to justify our own desire to retaliate.

Life gets difficult. Relationships get complicated. People are people…with sin natures. We live in a fallen world, with fallen people. Some of them redeemed, some not. People don’t always do the right thing.

I don’t always do the right thing.

But I am not given freedom to retaliate. If we were, where would it end?

It can end with me. Right here. Right now.

I continue to seek, to listen and to hear, then follow the Holy Spirit that is within. I am assured that He is there…“God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Heb. 13:5, Joshua 1:5)



“ Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”(Rom.8:5)


I resolutely and repeatedly set my mind on Jesus, moment by moment choosing to believe His way and choosing to obey.

Constantly, I am on the battlefield of flesh vs. spirit.

Fruit...

In the course of our discussion Sunday morning, a question was raised about trees and fruit. We were reading the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 6, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.” (vs. 43,44)

The whole idea of fruit inspecting bothers me. I don’t relish the idea of anyone inspecting my fruit. Yet I am to bear fruit.

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…..This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”(”(John 15:2,8)

Each tree is recognized by the fruit it bears.

A peach tree will always have peaches on it, if there is any fruit.
Never apples. Never blueberries. Never acorns or pine cones.

But the peaches may or may not be great quality or quantity. There must be a lot of work and attention given to a peach tree in order to pick good peaches off of it.

Pruning, water, fertilizer, correct sun…
Frost can destroy the chance of fruit.
Bugs can ruin any fruit that grows.
Birds and worms can beat you to the taste test.


“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”(John 15:4,5)

Immediately after Jesus talked about the fruit bearing tree, He said this about the heart..
“ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (vs.45)

I am reminded not to trust my own heart. “ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”(Jeremiah 17:9)

Only God can change a human heart.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”(Ps. 51:10)

Only God can enable me to bear good fruit.
“…Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.”(Luke 15:4)

Albert Barnes had this to say, “The Saviour gives the proper test of their character. People do not judge of a tree by its leaves, or bark, or flowers, but by the fruit which it bears. The flowers may be beautiful and fragrant, the foliage thick and green; but these are merely ornamental. It is the “fruit” that is of chief service to man; and he forms his opinion of the nature and value of the tree by that fruit. So of pretensions to religion. The profession may be fair; but the “conduct” - the fruit - is to determine the nature of the principles.

Lord, help me to bear good fruit. Prune even though it may be painful, protect from what might destroy or disable fruit bearing, and keep me ever attached to Your lifegiving Vine.

Poor...

In preparing for Sunday morning Bible class, I read again what is often referred to as The Beatitudes. These verses of scripture record teachings of Jesus that seemed to be such a list of contradictions.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”(Matt. 5:3)

How can you be blessed by being in an obvious negative situation?
How can you be happy by being spiritually poor? And what does it look like to be poor in spirit?

It is a common thing to find the Christian way of life in complete contradiction to that of the natural world. Spiritual and natural rarely, if ever, follow the same course.

Eternal kingdom values and temporary worldly values are so very different.

The kingdom of God is nothing like any kingdom of this earthly realm. Wealth and power are important in our world. But what we consider wealth and power are only deceptions. ANY amount of prosperity here fails to measure up to the hope and joy found in utter dependence on God, rather than any outward circumstance.

The way of the world says ‘feel good about who you are, be confident, be assertive…even aggressive”.

Jesus’ way is to embrace the truth about who I am, a spiritual beggar incapable of fixing what is wrong deep within my spirit.

In accepting that truth about myself, I find myself blessed beyond measure, called a daughter of The Most High God, a citizen of His kingdom, and standing as an heiress of the eternal kingdom of heaven.

The more I know the character and love of Jesus, the more I realize the absolute poverty of my own spirit. How merciful He is to extend such grace to this spiritual beggar.

Hallelujah....

The word hallelujah is a command to praise the Lord. The word is derived from the Hebrew words hālal and Yah .

Yah is a pronoun for God, a shortened form of Yahweh, which is often translated "LORD."

hālal is a verb that means to praise, to commend, to boast, to shine. The word most often means praise and is associated with the ministry of the Levites who “…were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening.”(1Ch. 23:30)

The Levitical priests were God praising, worship leaders.

You and I are not Levites, but we too are …. “ are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

We should be God praising, Jesus loving, worship leaders.

And, Jesus Himself said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. “(Mark 16:15) The Message reads: “Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.”


Hallelujah. Let’s praise God. And let’s speak His praises to any and every single person whom will listen.

Alētheuō....

.....It's a Greek word.


Paul uses the word in his letter to the Ephesians in talking about the nature of the Christian church and again in his letter to the Galatians, challenging and correcting them in some of their conduct.

In both cases it is translated into our English word ‘truth’.

Eph 4:15 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”

Gal 4:16 “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?”


It is hard to speak the truth in love. It is easier to speak it in anger. I’ve done both so I speak from experience.

Speaking truth in anger has no care for the damage it may do.

Speaking truth in love is concerned about the healing it might bring.



I have friends who will speak the truth in love to me. Sometimes, it’s not easy to hear it.

I have friends who hold back from speaking the truth to me. Sometimes, it’s not easy to speak it.

I am thankful for those friends who don’t want to hurt me with the kind of truth that is not fun to hear.

But I am doubly thankful for those few who will speak the truth to me in love, and challenge me to change a wrong attitude or action.

And when they do, I want to respond in the same way. In love.

Intend...

Webster says “To mean; to design; to purpose, that is, to stretch or set forward in mind.”

As I have my quiet time this morning, I have come across the same theme, the same message.

Nobody intends to screw up their life.

Nobody means to have their once wonderful, romantic marriage turn sour.
Nobody means to become financially destroyed.
Nobody means to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

The list could go on and on and on. Nobody means to be a sinner.

I don’t mean to be one, but try as I may, I am one.

Thank you again Lord, for your forgiveness, for your outstretched Hand, Your Spirit within me that enables me to learn from those things and move forward. Thank You for Your amazing ability to bless me even out of my own poor decisions and wrong attitudes….when I truly repent and turn AWAY from them, and TO You. Thank You for the amazing way you have used those things to grow my faith in You. How I love You for that.



The book of Joshua gives an example of provisions and protection that God put in place for people who had ‘didn’t intend to’ things in their life.



"A person shall escape for refuge to one of these cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate, and lay out his case before the city's leaders. The leaders must then take him into the city among them and give him a place to live with them.
"If the avenger of blood chases after him, they must not give him up--he didn't intend to kill the person; there was no history of ill-feeling.
He may stay in that city until he has stood trial before the congregation and until the death of the current high priest. Then he may go back to his own home in his hometown from which he fled." (Joshua 20:4-6)



God’s Heart has never changed. No matter what wrong thing has happened to us, no matter what poor decisions we have made, no matter how devastating the consequences of those choices, His Heart’s desire is to restore us, heal us, and use even the wrong thing.

He is God. And He can do it. WANTS to do it…

But we have to make the move. We have to turn and go to Him. He is our city of refuge.
He is our Healer.

Truth...

"....the truth will set you free."

The words of Jesus, recorded in John 8:32.



There are many ways to be enslaved.

There is only one way to be truly free.

There are often very difficult choices to make, often many hard things to admit and deal with. The enemy is always on the scene to accuse and shame.

Satan offers many counterfeit choices. He is the father of lies. He encourages us to live in his lies...he shames us, encourages us to hide the ugly truth. As if that changes it somehow....



Jesus never shames. His Hand is always extended. His desire is that we live in truth. In freedom.

But He will not accept anything but absolute truth from us. He forces us to be truthful with Him....and with ourselves.

" So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)

What lie do you hide? What shame do you live with?

Will you be free today?