To help with the Mourning Be-attitude

Brooklyn Museum - God the Father with Four Angels and the Dove of the Holy Spirit - Giovanni Francesco da Rimini (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To help us with Mourning Be-attitude

By your power of these Be-attitudes, heavenly Father open the eyes of your people everywhere that they may recognize Your need for us to mourn that which does not improve our love relationship with you, in spite of the terrors they confront in their weaknesses. Give them hope despite failure and comfort in Your forgiveness. Lead us all deeper into Your message of Love and Comfort that we may learn Your will and rejoice in your shared love. By Your Holy Spirit add power to the witness of your lovers. We know that for this shared-love’s sake our prayer for Your gracious reign, with any mourning and comfort , will be in our hearts. Amen.

Prayer to deal with Mourning

Stained glass window of the sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the former Mosque (Cathedral) of Cordoba, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prayer to deal with Mourning-1

Dear Lord, we need to deal with the Be-attitude you have called “Mourning.” We have not always loved You with all our heart, nor served You with our time and efforts. We confess that we have not always acknowledged that you provide us with everything we use or possessed in the days when You have blessed us. Forgive us, O Lord all our sins, our neglect, our indifference, our coldness. In your mercy, O Lord, turn your face toward us. Help us, we pray, and give us today what we need to support ourselves and our dependents. Fill also our souls with peace and joy. To You belong s the glory both now and forever: through Jesus Christ , our LORD. Amen.

Mourning Q&A

The Holy Spirit depicted as a dove, surrounded by angels, by Giaquinto, 1750s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mourning Q&A

How should I go about developing this be-attitude: mourning:

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night.

_ Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.

For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

Purify me from my sins,^£ and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

_ Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice.

_ Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.

_ Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

_ Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

_ Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

_ Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you.

_ Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

Unseal my lips, O Lord, that I may praise you.

_ You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them.

If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it.

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.

_ Look with favor on Zion and help her;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

_ Then you will be pleased with worthy sacrifices

and with our whole burnt offerings;

and bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

No sin is too great to be forgiven! Do you feel that you could never come close to God because you have done something terrible? God can and will forgive you of any sin. While God forgives us, however, he does not always erase the natural consequences of our sin.

All sin hurts us and others, but ultimately it offends God because sin in any form is rebellion against God’s way of living. When you are tempted to do wrong, remember that you will be sinning against God. That may help you stay on the right track.

We must ask God to cleanse us from within (51:7), filling our hearts and spirits with new thoughts and desires. Right conduct can come only from a clean heart and spirit. Ask God to create a pure heart and spirit in you.

Mourning

Cover of God of All Comfort (Pure Gold Classics)

Mourning

The dictionary defines mourning as: the actions or feelings of one who mourns: to feel or express sorrow; grieve for something or someone. The Bible put it this way in Isaiah ^1:1-2: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favors, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” He meant this Be-attitude to contrast the worldly value of Happiness at any cost. He instead wanted us to concentrate on our relationship with Him. He put that part in 2 Corinthians 1:2-4: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Many think that when God comforts us our troubles should go away. But if that were always so, people would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him. We must understand that being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles. The more we suffer, the more comfort God gives us. If you are feeling overwhelmed, allow God to comfort you. Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles. The Bible also offers some help to deal with it in: Psalm 51: “ God wants a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. You can never please God by outward actions – no matter how good – if your inward heart attitude is not right. Are you sorry for your sin? Do you genuinely intend to stop? God is pleased by this humility. When God forgives our sin and restores us to a relationship with Him, we want to reach out to others who need this forgiveness and reconciliation. The more you have felt God’s forgiveness, the more you will desire to tell others about it. Do you ever feel stagnant in your faith, as though you are just going through the motions? Has sin ever driven a wedge between you and God, making Him seem distant? God wants us to be close to him and to experience his full and complete life. But sin that remains un-confessed makes such intimacy impossible. Confess your sin to God. You may still have to face some earthly consequences, but God will give back the joy of your relationship with Him. Humbling ourselves means recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. To be humble involves working with his power according to his guidance, not with our own independent effort. Although we do not deserve God’s favor, he reaches out to us in love and gives us worthy and dignity, despite our human shortcomings.

Prayer to be Poor in Spirit

The altar of the Church of All Nations (Jerusalem) on Mount of Olives, in front of which there is the bedrock where Jesus has prayed before the night of his arrest. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prayer to be Poor in Spirit

On, the cross, O Jesus, you prayed, asking why your heavenly father had forsaken you. You knew that he had not, but in your human nature you felt desolation. You became a man in all things but sin – and so you knew what it was to be forsaken. You prayed: “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.”

Not understanding perfectly, not knowing the reason for many things, I come before you, almighty God, to be strengthened, to accept your will as part of being Poor in Spirit. I am sll yours, almighty God, and all that I have and am is yours. Your kingdom come, your will be done. Amen.

Prayer to be Poor in Spirit

Something the Lord Made (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prayer to be Poor in Spirit

Almighty and external God, ruler of the universe, ever present around, beneath, above and within us, behold I come to be Poor in Spirit, O God. We know not what to do. Our mind is darkened. Our will is weak. We are weary and lonely and We ask again, “Lord, what will you have us to do about being Poor in Spirit?”

We find the circumstances of our life hard, at times, O God, We do not understand why things happen the way they do. Please, We beg you for the opportunity to serve you in some area of life that will assist in our support and that of others.

We do not ask for work that flatters our pride, We willing to do your will in humble ways, if only you will hear us. O Lord, We promise to work conscientiously and share your love with others, if only, dear Lord, you would answer us. We place our trust in you, dear Lord. Amen.

Poor in Spirit

St Michael and the Devil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Poor in Spirit

The Poor in Spirit Be-Attitude is God’s expectation of His Children to have an attitude to counter Pride and personal independence. This attitude was called for in Isaiah 57:15:

The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.

We acquire it through what James 4:7-10 calls for:

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. ⁹Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ _ When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.

How can you draw near to God? James gives five ways: (1) Humble yourselves before God (4:7). Yield to his authority and will, commit your life to him and his control, and be willing to follow him. (2) Resist the Devil (4:7). Don’t allow Satan to entice and tempt you. (3) Wash your hands … and purify your hearts (that is, lead a pure life) (4:8). Be cleansed from sin, replacing your desire to sin with your desire to experience God’s purity. (4) Let there be sorrow and deep grief for your sins (4:9). Don’t be afraid to express deep heartfelt sorrow for what you have done. (5) Bow down before the Lord, and he will lift you up (4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

Although God and the Devil are at war, we don’t have to wait until the end to see who will win. God has already defeated Satan (Revelation 12:10-12), and when Christ returns, the Devil and all he stands for will be eliminated forever (Revelation 20:10-15). Satan is here now, however, and he is trying to win us over to his evil cause. With the Holy Spirit’s power, we can resist the Devil, and he will flee from us.

Bowing before the Lord means recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. To be humble involves leaning on his power and his guidance, and not going our own independent way. Although we do not deserve God’s favor, he wants to lift us up and give us worth and dignity, despite our human shortcomings.

If we do this, we will acquire the kingdom of heaven.

Poor in Spirit-Q&A

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Poor in Spirit-Q&A

1. Measure yourself on this mental attitude-1 being LOW and 4 being HIGH. I have come to the place where I can really feel accepted by God when I feel most unacceptable to myself. I recognize my need for God and know that I do not have to earn His love with wealth, status, or spiritual sophistication.

2. Also measure whether you have the ability to accept yourself and your imperfections and to enable others to be more accepting.

3. How does the promised blessing of entering the kingdom of God would compare with most people in the world prize? Would kingdom people admired in your society? Why or why not?

Inspiration

“Sacred delight is good news coming through the back door of your heart. It’s what you’d always dreamed but never expected. It’s the too-good-to-be-true coming true. It’s having God as your pinch-hitter, your lawer, your dad, your biggest fan, and your best friend. God on your side, in your heart, but in front, and protecting your back. It is hope where you least expected it. A flower in life’s sidewalk.”

“It is this sacred because only God can grant it. It is a delight because it thrills. Since it is sacred, it can’t be stolen. And since it is delightful, it can’t be predicted.

It was this gladness that danced through the Red Sea. It was this joy that blew the trumpet at Jericho. It was this secret that made Mary sing. It was this surprise that put the springtime into Easter morning.

It is this sacred delight that Jesus promises in the Sermon on the Mount.

Nine times he promises to in . And he promises it to an unlikely crowd:

‘The poor in spirit…. Those who mourn…. The meek…. Those who hunger and thirst…. The merciful…. The pure in hour…. The peacemakers…. The persecuted….

It is to this band of pilgrims that God promises a special blessing. A heavenly joy. A sacred delight.”

(From The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado)

How are you fulfilling Jesus’ command to be perfect before God? Do you fall short by lying, lusting, cheating, coveting, or gossiping? When you battle one of these temptations, instead of giving in, pray, sing a worship song, or think of a memorized verse. Praise God instead of giving in.

Introduction to Be-attitudes

Attitudes (Lorie album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Introduction to Be-Attitudes

God knew that He had created humans to make a choice between loving themselves (their way, possessions, control, etc.) or God and His way, control, blessings/grace, benefits. He gave those who chose His love and way, many benefits otherwise known as the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.). But he also knew that choosing His love and benefits, would not be easy, so He required that those who wanted to choose His love and way would require a change in attitude toward life and the way to live it. His Son Jesus called this change in attitude: Be(lessed)-attitude.

This change in attitude was necessary because the world they lived in would strongly tempt them not to live God’s way, but to live to their benefit, earth’s way. They would be tempted to live for fame and fortune. God’s way would bring the benefits of the fruit of the Spirit, but it would also bring mourning, hunger, and persecution. Why these difficulties? Well if they did not exist, we would be tempted to seek God’s way for their own popularity, and to promote our personal interests. And this is directly opposed to God’s way and control.

God’s way of living contradicts the world’s way. If you want to live for God you must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. You must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse. By giving up your own rights in order to love and obey God and to serve and love others, If you are willing to do this you will be invited to join God in a everlasting love-fest.

Therefore God provided these be-attitudes. To further understand what they are you must understand that the be-attitudes are:

1. A standard of conduct for all those who choose to love Him and to choose heaven ove3r earth.

2. They clarify His values (what bring s eternal shared love) with worldly values (here on earth only).

3. They contrast the belief in self with the belief and trust in God.

4. They are what the requirements to live in heaven with shared love for eternity.

Because of these factors, the be-attitudes are not optional or multiple choice – pick what you like and leave the rest. They must be taken as a whole. They describe how we should live if we want to share love with God for eternity.

Each attitude tells us how to be blessed. “Blessed,” means that you have chosen to love God rather than the world and yourself. The be-attitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity. To God “blessed” means the experience of the fruit of the spirit, independent of earthly/personal circumstances. To find the love and the other fruit of the spirit, like joy and peace, the deepest form of happiness, we need to commit to love God with our WHOLE heart, mind, spirit, and strength, no matter the earthly cost.

Jesus, our guide and model, said that God’s requirements to enter His world (shared-love) does not include our wealth, power, and authority. God’s lovers need to have different blessings (Be-attitudes), and benefits (fruit of the Spirit). Is your attitude a carbon copy of the world’s self-centerness, pride, and lust for control of your life and others, or do you live your life with humility and is your life under control by God.

Personal Story-2

Logo of the Christian Brothers, adopted in January 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Being raised by a religious mother, meant that I was sent to Catholic school.  I was encouraged to be involved in everything religious (e.g. Communion,Confirmation, altar boy, etc.).  Also being the eldest boy, I was encouraged to become a priest or religious.  I went to a Christian Brothers training school while in high school.  While their I was sexually molested.  So I left their and went to a public school.  During that phase, I missed being involved with religion.  So I became active in my local church.  So much so that I was about to become a deacon.  But my local pastor got into seual trouble and my mother got into other non-religious trouble.  So being a Catholic did not seem to be an answer for me.  I then went into my study phase.

Prayer for Self-Control-2

Self Control (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Self-Control-Control of oneself, or of one’s own emotions, desires, actions, etc.

Prayer for Self-Control

Lord, it is so easy to blend in and to be like everyone else. I know I am to be under self-control, but to do that, I must first be under your control. Lord, help me to realize that You have not given me a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. Help me to turn over control of my life to you. Help me to be watchful, to stand firm in keeping that control in your hands, and to do all that I do in love, as you give me to do.

I will try to do your will. I find the circumstances of my life-hard, at times, O God, I do not understand why things happen the way they do. But then, I remember your divine Son prayed- “Not my will, but yours be done.”

My Lord God, I have no idea what to do next. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end, Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to love you and please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I will never do anything aparty from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road though Imay know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lostand in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face life without your guidance. Amen.

A Prayer for Self-Control

Sorrow (The McCoys song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Prayer for Self-Control

O God, from whom there is an endless supply of love and guidance, be in control of my life as I encounter opportunities and challenges. When we rely too much on what we know, deepen our understanding of Your will. When we are too quick to give our opinion, help us to hold our tongue. When by our presence we seek to control others, soften our approach and give us the confidence to trust others.

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another.

I have a mission. I may never know it in this life but I shall be told it in the next.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him. In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.

He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirit sink, hide my future from me – still He knows and love’s me. Amen.

A Punishing God

English: Old punishment: walking around in a wooden barrel Nederlands: Straf in oude tijden: de schandton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Punishing God

Genesis 4:13

Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment^£ is too great for me to bear! ¹⁴ _ You have banished me from my land and from your presence; you have made me a wandering fugitive. All who see me will try to kill me!”

¹⁵ _ The Lord replied, “They will not kill you, for I will give seven times your punishment to anyone who does.”

Leviticus 22:9

Warn all the priests to follow these instructions carefully; otherwise they will be subject to punishment and die for violating them. I am the Lord who makes them holy.

Leviticus 26:43

And the land will enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will receive the due punishment for their sins, for they rejected my regulations and despised my laws.

1 Samuel 25:39

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord, who has paid back Nabal and kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David wasted no time in sending messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.

Job 8:4

Your children obviously sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved.

Job 9:34

The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.

Job 19:29

I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude. Then you will know that there is judgment.”

Job 37:13

He causes things to happen on earth, either as a punishment or as a sign of his unfailing love.

Psalm 10:3

Yet they succeed in everything they do.

They do not see your punishment awaiting them.

They pour scorn on all their enemies.

Matthew 25:46

And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Mark 12:38

But they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property, and then, to cover up the kind of people they really are, they make long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater.”

Luke 17:2

It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck than to face the punishment in store for harming one of these little ones.

Luke 20:47

But they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property, and then, to cover up the kind of people they really are, they make long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater.”

Acts 13:11

And now the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be stricken awhile with blindness.”

Romans 2:5

But no, you won’t listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin.

Romans 13:2

So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.

1 Corinthians 4:21

Which do you choose? Should I come with punishment and scolding, or should I come with quiet love and gentleness?

2 Corinthians 11:15

So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

Hebrews 10:29

Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to his people.

Punishment

Why are the punishments in the Old Testament so severe?

Genesis 3:14-15; Genesis 4:9-16; Leviticus 20:1-27

The serpent was punished forever for tempting Eve into sin; Cain’s punishment was living with the guilt of murdering his brother. The severity of these punishments was designed to impress upon God’s people the seriousness of sin.

Does God discipline us today? How?

Hebrews 12:7-11

God disciplines us as a loving Father, by both consequences and rebuke. His desire is always to bring us back to him, not to humiliate or hurt us.

Romans 1:18-32

God gives sinners over to the consequences of their own behavior, especially when their sin is intentional and deliberate.

Will we be punished for our sins?

Isaiah 26:21

Judgment and punishment are promised for all sin.

Isaiah 53:8; Revelation 6:10; 1 Peter 4:4-5

Judgment will surely come upon all who reject Christ.

Punishment

The New Testament lays down the general principles of good government, but contains no code of laws for the punishment of offenders. Punishment proceeds on the principle that there is an eternal distinction between right and wrong, and that this distinction must be maintained for its own sake. It is not primarily intended for the reformation of criminals, nor for the purpose of deterring others from sin. These results may be gained, but crime in itself demands punishment. (See MURDER; THEFT.) Endless, of the impenitent and unbelieving. The rejection of this doctrine “cuts the ground from under the gospel... blots out the attribute of retributive justice; transmutes sin into misfortune instead of guilt; turns all suffering into chastisement; converts the piacular work of Christ into moral influence... The attempt to retain the evangelical theology in connection with it is futile” (Shedd).

Personal-story-2

Image of the Dutch Reformation iconoclasm (Beeldenstorm) Image from: De eerste jaren der Nederlandsche Revolutie (1555-1568), Elsevier, Rotterdam 1882 Reproduction in: Het beleg van Haarlem; Haarlem's heldenstrijd in beeld en woord 1572-1572, F. De Witt Huberts, Oceanus, 1944 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Being in a family that was dysfunctual, led me to look outside the home and family for purpose and explanations.  Having a base of religion, brought me to that area for answers.  But after a careful and lengthy search of the Catholic faith, I did not find the answers. I then looked into the Protestant faith, which provided some of the answers.  I then searched the “Relationship with God,” approach to religion.  This gave me all the answers I sought.  In future postings I will go into depth on what I found.

Prayer for Gentleness

Gentleness (1861), by Jean Marcellin (1821-1884). West façade of the Cour Carrée in the Louvre palace, Paris. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prayer for Gentleness

Spirit of God. In the lives of your lovers You provide the fruits of love, peace, patience, faithfulness and gentleness. Come with Your power to those whose life demands a special measure of these qualities. Keep love alive when fear and hate would overwhelm them. Work for peace amid the forces of evil. Instill patience in the hearts of those who suffer. Keep our men and women faithful when their tasks seem futile. As tensions multiply, help them to exercise gentleness, that with dignity and kindness they may serve you and their fellow brothers and sisters in their varied responsibilities. Help them to look forward to the day they will return home to you to join in the everlasting love-fest. Amen.

Prayer to be Gentle

Gentle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prayer to be Gentle

Loving God, continue to call me to gentleness. Teach me to be a minister of Your love no matter where my lifelong journey may lead me.

Dear Father, Help me to see you in all I do in my life;

Clear and direct my mind as I start each day,
Help me to know where you lead me each day,
Help me to follow each step of the way.

If a friend has a need or a burden to bear,
Help me to be there to show gentle care.

I pray not for riches which tend to rust;
I just ask for strength, to give you my trust.

Hel me to be all you want me to be;
Let others see God’s plan living in me.

Then when the day’s challenges have ended;
my will and knee’s have been bended.

Gentleness

Tolerance and accommodation can prevent disputes; gentleness and great love can transform disasters into blessings. (Photo credit: symphony of love)

Gentleness

In the last posting on Kindness, it was noted that Gentleness was similar in importance to Kindness.  Let’s look at what the dictionary has to say about Gentleness: Gentleness is the Quality of being gentle (having qualities considered appropriate: refined, polite, generous, kind, kindly, serene, patient, mild, moderate, not violent or harsh or rough).  Another powerful quality. 

Gentleness is often overlooked as a personal trait in our society.  Power and assertiveness gain more respect , even though no one likes to be bullied.  Gentleness is love in action – being considerate, meeting the needs of others, allowing time for the other people to talk, and being willing to learn.  It is an essential trait for men and women.  All lovers of God need to maintain a gentle attitude in your relationship with God.

Being gentle also means getting rid of desires that will not please our lover – God such as ones that are evil, destructive, easy to ignite, difficult to stifle, being self-centered, oppressive and possessive, decadent and deadly.  They are all desires that would not please our lover – God because they do not reflect that He is control of our lives.  If He is in control of our lives, we should be seeing these desires under control or we need to go back to God and take a new look at whether We have truly submitted control over to him.

Over our years as we grew to be an adult, we no doubt saw gentleness in effect in our life cycle.  We probably saw and appreciated when people dealt wit us gently (e.g. teachers, baby-sitters, etc.).  And we may have saw appreciation coming from others when we were acting gently.  And I can guarantee that we ran into the reverse side of it (covered above).  And I am sure that we and others were not impressed with these actions.  And I know God was not impressed.

So I am sure that we all want to be on the right side of gentleness, so we can bring honor and glory to our lover – God.  If we do master these qualities, we will definitely improve our Quality of Life.  The qualities that we have covered all fall under a quality that is called “Goodness” that we shall cover in our next posting.  Check it out when it’s posted.

Related articles

· Kindness (qualityoflifeministries.info)

· The Gift of Fruit and The Grace of Giving in December 2013 (wysjoyfulcompany.wordpress.com)

· Gentle&Quiet (ofsomevalue.wordpress.com)

· Fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness (3gigglygirlsathome.wordpress.com)

My Personal Story

Marriage à-la-mode : The Marriage Contract (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am a child of God who was born into a home that was an arranged marriage which was love free.  We were a traveling family, from job to job.  All my mother had to keep her sane was the Catholic faith.  We were schooled by “Nuns.”  And as the eldest of 4 children, + ever-changing foster kids; I was expected to be the example and leader.  This made me the leader I became.  More in future postings.

Torah inside of the former Glockengasse Synagogue in Cologne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Faithfulness

The first Christians worshiped God and lived as a holy community, conforming their character to the demands of Christ rather than Caesar.  They didn’t purpose to turn the first century world upside down.  They did so because of who they were.

This character-oriented perspective is totally foreign to our achievement oriented society, however, where we look at what people do rather than who they are….  Rarely do we hear believers say, “I decided to join this church because of its character as a holy community.”  Nor do most choose a church on the basis of its capacity to disciple and equip them for ministry.

Yet that should be our very first consideration.  If the church is the Body, the holly presence of Christ in the world, its most fundamental task is to build communities of holy character.  And the first priority of those communities is to disciple men and women to maturity in Christ and then equip them to live their faith in every aspect of life and in every part of the world.

(From The Body by Charles Colson)

 

Numbers 12:7

But that is not how I communicate with my servant Moses. He is entrusted with my entire house.

 

Numbers 14:24

But my servant Caleb is different from the others. He has remained loyal to me, and I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will receive their full share of that land.

The fulfillment of this verse is recorded in Joshua 14:6-15 when Caleb received his inheritance in the Promised Land. Caleb followed God with all his heart and was rewarded for his obedience. Are you wholehearted in your commitment to obey God?

1 Kings 19:18

Yet I will preserve seven thousand others in Israel who have never bowed to Baal or kissed him!”

Nehemiah 7:2

I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.

Faithfulness and fear of God were the key character traits that qualified these men to govern Jerusalem. Faithful people can be trusted to carry out their work; God-fearing people can be expected to do so in line with God’s priorities. These men had both qualities. If you are in a position of selecting leaders, look for faithfulness and reverence as two of the most important qualifications. Although other qualities may seem more impressive, faithfulness and reverence pass the test of time.

1 Corinthians 4:17

That is the very reason I am sending Timothy—to help you do this. For he is my beloved and trustworthy child in the Lord. He will remind you of what I teach about Christ Jesus in all the churches wherever I go.
Timothy had traveled with Paul on Paul’s second missionary journey (see Acts 16:1-3) and was a key person in the growth of the early church. Timothy probably did not deliver this letter to Corinth but more likely arrived there shortly after the letter came (see 16:10). Timothy’s role was to see that Paul’s advice was read and implemented. Then he was to return to Paul and report on the church’s progress.

 

Colossians 1:7

Epaphras, our much loved co-worker, was the one who brought you the Good News. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us in your place.

 

HOW DO I CULTIVATE FAITHFULNESS?
2 KINGS 12:15

No accounting was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and faithful workers.

What a contrast between the workmen, who needed no accounting of their use of the money, and the priests, who couldn’t be trusted to handle their funds well enough to set some aside for the Temple (12:8). As trained men of God, the Levites should have been responsible and concerned. After all, the Temple was their life’s work. Though the priests were not dishonest, they did not have the commitment or energy needed to finish the work. Sometimes God’s work is better accomplished by devoted laypeople. Don’t let your lack of training or position stop you from contributing to God’s Kingdom. Everyone’s energy is needed to carry out God’s work.

DANIEL 6:4
Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible.

The jealous administrators and princes couldn’t find anything about Daniel’s life to criticize, so they attacked his religion. If you face jealous critics because of your faith, be glad they’re criticizing that part of your life—perhaps they had to focus on your religion as a last resort! Respond by continuing to believe and live as you should. Then remember that God is in control, fighting this battle for you.

Cultivate faithfulness by being honest and trustworthy.

DEUTERONOMY 28:9
“If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he solemnly promised to do.

Cultivate faithfulness by obeying God’s Word.

1 TIMOTHY 3:12
A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well.

Cultivate faithfulness by keeping your promises and commitments.

WHY SHOULD I BE FAITHFUL? SOCIETY TELLS ME I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I WANT.
PROVERBS 3:3-4

Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. 4  Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation.

Loyalty and kindness are important character qualities. Both involve actions as well as attitudes. A loyal person acts responsibly. A kind person works for justice for others. Thoughts and words are not enough—our life reveals whether we are truly loyal and kind. Do your actions measure up to your attitudes?

Faithfulness brings a good reputation and trust from others.

RUTH 4:11
Then the leaders and all the people standing there replied, “We are witnesses! May the LORD make the woman who is now coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you be great in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

God chooses to accomplish great deeds through faithful people.

 

HEBREWS 3:14
For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Faithfulness brings eternal rewards.

IS GOD FAITHFUL?
PSALM 89:5;

All heaven will praise your miracles, LORD;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.

DEUTERONOMY 7:9;

Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love him and obey his commands.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:3
3But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.

God is completely faithful. His faithfulness is so great it makes the angels sing!

2 TIMOTHY 2:13

If we are unfaithful,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Jesus is faithful. He will stay by our side even when we have endured so much that we seem to have no faith left. We may be faithless at times, but Jesus is faithful to his promise to be with us “to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Refusing Christ’s help will break our communication with God, but he will never turn his back on us even though we may turn our back on him.

When others are unfaithful to us, we remain faithful. Otherwise, we become as faithless as they are.

Promise from God:

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

The God who began a good work within us continues it throughout our lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face to face. God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work within us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. Paul is describing the process of Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus and continues until Christ returns.

Do you sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project, he completes it! As with the Philippians, God will help you grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work he has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him.

 

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