Laced With Grace

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Patience. It is an identifying fruit of the spirit yet one I struggle with. My patience was tested greatly a few weeks ago when I attend a Living Proof Live event with two girlfriends.

It began when the 3.5 hour trip to Jacksonville took 6.5 hours because of Orlando traffic. I was driving my husband’s car — which is a five speed and I am not used to driving a stick. Then there was trying to save 11 seats so the Women’s leadership team from my church could sit with us (and you are not allowed to save seats at LPL events).

After Friday night’s event we went to Applebee’s for dinner. Apparently no one told them Beth Moore was in town and to be expecting an onslaught of hungry women demanding food following 2.5 hours of intense teaching and worship.

Then there was the three hours of sleep with three women in a king size bed. This demanded good coffee the next morning. That is when we quickly discovered no one bothered to tell McDonalds either to prepare for hundreds of women wanting coffee before heading off to be spiritually fed the rest of the morning. As we waited 15 minutes in the drive thru for our order (which, by the way, we were the first car in line), we watched as car after car, church bus after church bus, woman after woman invaded McDonalds. Many of them were like us – tired, in a hurry to get a good seat, hungry and short of patience. Where was the Starbucks??

What a shining example we were! Here we had an opportunity to show just how much fruit of the spirit we had growing in our lives and instead most of us cut the vine and proceeded to act worldly. “What do you mean you ran out of coffee? Its only 6:30 in the morning!”

The world is watching us. Someone was bound to know we were all heading to a Christian event and yet some of us weren’t exactly acting very Christian. It doesn’t matter what trials were placed in our way that caused us to be impatient. God’s word doesn’t give exemptions for bad days. We are called to be God’s ambassadors and witnesses every day, all the time, in the good and the bad – with or without coffee!

Today, let us think about how our actions will make others think of Christ. How will we shine for Him today? We should use every opportunity God places in our path to bear witness of abundant fruit growing daily in our lives.

Lord, I am sorry for the times I have failed you as a witness to others. I know many times I mess up and bad days are no excuse. Thank you for your gentle corrections and help me to be a better example of your Love everyday. Amen.

Many times before I speak I will pray publicly even if there has already been a prayer. Not because I think my prayers are any better, but because it is very calming for me and gets my focus on tract. I get terribly nervous and that can result in many words spoken that should have never come out if I am not focused and calmed! One of the things the Lord prompts me to pray so often is that He will invade every cell in our body so that we (myself and those listening) will not leave the same after the event. I actually never thought of it as being a high scriptural thing I was praying, but more of just a plea and invitation for the Holy Spirit to take full reign of the moment and do His thing in us and through us!

Luke 1:35 “The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you….” When translated into the original Greek language the phrase “come upon you” means to arrive, invade, resting upon and operating in a person according to my commentary. This scripture is the conversation between Mary and the angel Gabriel. Gabriel is giving Mary, teenage Mary, betrothed Mary, the 411 of what is going to happen to her in the coming moments, days, weeks… We don’t know exactly the time she became pregnant with the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, but we do that Gabriel was kind enough to warn her of this invasion.

Mary of course being well aware of the language in which the Spirit spoke to her, knew immediately this was not just a drive through kind of “come upon you”. Mary even at her young age knew this was going to be a life altering blessing and adventure. We have proof of her excitement in verse 46-47 of the Magnificant. She would never be the same, but most importantly the world would never be the same from the moment the Spirit invaded her with the Savior of the world!

Isn’t that what you want? That is what I want each and every day. I know according to the scripture that I am in the palm of the Lord’s hands and no one or thing can snatch me from His grip. And as a matter of fact nothing I could ever do or have done could take me away from Him either. My relationship with the Lord is eternally secure!! Hallelujah. But I do have to pray and ask the One that is residing in my life to fill me up with His power to the fullest degree each and every day. He never leaves me, but because of my sin it diminishes my ability to be used by Him. I ask that He put me in over my head so that all dependence is on Him and Him alone! I know that Mary had not asked for this, but she got it and she got it! She was invaded and was in over her head.

Being out of control and not having things just the way you want them can be tough. In different areas of my life I am a control freak, but God is breaking me of that each and every day. I want the Holy Spirit to resting upon and operating in me. I want to walk so closely with Him there is no question people see Jesus in my life. I want to be invaded in such a way that I will never be the same. Don’t you? Line up with the favor – invite the invasion!

I was taking a walk last week.  It was one of those spring days you wish you could make last forever.  The sky was a brilliant blue.  The new leaves on the trees were that fresh green that only lasts for a few weeks.  The birds were singing their little hearts out.  Suddenly, a praise song I hadn’t heard in years popped into my head:

                       When I Look Into Your Holiness

“When I look into Your Holiness. When I gaze into Your loveliness.                            

When all things that surround become shadows in the light of You.

When I found the joy of reaching Your heart.  When my will becomes enthralled in Your love.

When all things that surround become shadows in the light of You.

I worship You.  I worship You.  The reason I live is to worship You.”

                                                               (words and music by Wayne & Cathy Perrin)

It was the phrase, “When all things that surround become shadows in the light of You.” that caught at my heart.  I thought of all the things surrounding my life, all the cares and worries both small and large.  There are health issues, aging parents, adult children facing major decisions in their lives, the sale of our home, and the things going on in the world that will in some way affect all of us.  So many things to take my focus off the One who is in control of every one of them.

There are other things that surround my life that can distract me.  Things that aren’t bad in and of themselves, but things that keep me from spending time with Him. 

I want it to be true in my life that when I look at who the Father is, all those things become mere shadows.  The light of His love, His power, His mercy, His grace, His wisdom, His glory, His holiness - casts a shadow on everything else.  A light that  shines so brightly everything else fades into the background. 

To be sure, the problems and cares of life are still there.   But my desire is to be so focused on Christ that they don’t have the power to hide Him from my view. 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?”        Psalm 27:1 (NAS)

“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ “  John 8:12 (NAS)