FILL THE VOID

Galatians 5:22-23 (CEB) “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

KIND (def): Of a friendly, generous, or warm-hearted nature; showing sympathy or understanding; charitable; humane; considerate; forbearing; tolerant; generous; agreeable.

KINDNESS (def): the practice or quality of being kind; a kind, considerate, or helpful act

We are asked to exhibit kindness in our dealings with others … all others. You may think this is easy, but it is not. Our own sensibilities and assumed right to justice won’t allow it sometimes. Being kind to all people all the time can be excruciating, especially when all we want to do is ring some folk’s necks. It is an acquired trait to be kind. It comes from the Lord. Some people are said to be kind by nature, however, our true nature is one of selfishness and judgment. Unless we allow God to alter our perspective and influence our thoughts and corresponding words and actions, I am afraid having a spirit of kindness will elude us.

Do my words surprise you? Do you disagree with me? What is your thought process when you see certain ethnic groups or certain age groups wearing clothes you may not approve of; and then there are those folks with all the piercings or tattoos. I have a bad tendency to judge people by their appearance. God is still working in me. How about you? Are you truly kind to all those you encounter each day or just the agreeable, pleasant ones. Being kind to those who have been kind to you is nothing magical. Now being kind to those who are particularly unkind in return or even first, now THAT is showing true Godly kindness.

Knowing God and reading His word is supposed to change us from the inside out. Are we letting it do that or are we too busy? God must complete the work His has begun in you so that you may make a difference. Surrender to God’s Spirit and shine like the brightest star in this world void of real kindness.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

THE JOY GIVER

Galatians 5:22-23 (TNIV) “ … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

JOY (def): a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment; something causing such a feeling; a source of happiness; an outward show of pleasure or delight; rejoicing.

Feeling joyful is something that we can feel on a regular basis when we are at peace with our circumstances and when we have intimate knowledge of the joy giver. There is no joy in sorrow and there is no joy that is lasting without the joy giver being ever present. God Himself is the joy giver. Christ is the giver of joy. We can be happy any time, but a feeling of joy comes from a deep satisfaction and understanding that all shall be alright. That sense comes from the One who can make it alright.

God is ever presently in our lives if we know Him, truly KNOW Him. Even in the most difficult situations we can know a quiet joy that resides in our hearts and in our souls. It is deep and abiding. It calms all fear. There is nothing this world can dole out that cannot be defeated by the joy that God provides your heart.

It is our responsibility to let it in and do its’ work in our lives. We need to ask for it. It is a simple as asking “Lord, fill me with YOUR joy that I may know the fullness of Your blessing in my life.” Yup, it’s THAT simple.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

RANDOM RAMBLINGS 15

Doing what you know to be right can be very difficult at times.

Like putting a parent in an assisted living facility when you know they would much rather be at home around familiar surroundings. My Dad is in the beginning stages of dementia. He can be just fine in the morning but in the early afternoon will start to become confused and by the evening will not make any sense at all. It is hard to watch. I fought putting him in a home in my mind thinking that I HAD to at least TRY to take care of him at home. A dear friend of mine said I had no idea what I was in for. They had taken care of both their parents who had Alzheimer's and they assured me that it was a mind numbing undertaking.

So I signed him up for the memory unit at a place nearby. He will arrive there this coming Tuesday morning. They requested that I not come to visit for the first two weeks of his stay, saying that they have determined that this aids in their acclimating to the new surroundings. So be it.

I was initially not very happy about having to do this to him, but I gradually realized that I was not doing anything TO him, but rather doing what was best FOR him. 24/7 nurse and caregiver staff to keep watch over him is more than I could have ever provided. He needs that now. He may hate me for doing it, but in the end it is the best thing for him.

Doing what you know to be right can be very difficult at times.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!

FINDING PEACE

Galatians 5:22-23 (CEB) "... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

 

In this world filled chaos and violence we strive to find peace; to BE at peace.  The only true, lasting peace that can be found is the peace that is given by Almighty God. We look high and low and even try to manufacture our own peace, but it simply cannot be found. It doesn't exist. 

 

Along with peace comes rest. A calmness of spirit. It must be a conscience thing. It is not contrived. It is not imagined. It is real and is provided upon request by our Heavenly Father. His love for us is so deep and eternal that He willingly provides every NEED we have. Notice I said "need" and not "want". Do not confuse the two. Scripture is clear that God knows exactly what we are in need of and is ready, willing and able to provide each and every one of those things to sustain us. 

 

So this day ask God for His peace that passes all understanding. Before you know it your mind will clear and your heart and spirit will be at rest. Peace. Tranquility ... even in the midst of turmoil. Focus on Christ and not on that which is going on all around you and you will find peace.

 

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!

 

 

LET GOD CHANGE YOU

Galatians 5:22-23 (CEB) “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control.”

PATIENCE (def):  the capacity for calmly enduring pain, trying situations, etc; tolerance and even-tempered perseverance (steady persistence; determined).

There are many times in our lives that we lose our patience. It is a temporary thing and it may not last long. It might be brought on by an unusually high level of stress or tension. It might also be brought on my fatigue or illness. Let’s face it, there are times when we lose it and have regret over our words or actions later. It happens to us all.

God, in His infinite wisdom, listed for us the fruit that we can and should bear in our lives by seeking each day to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Those fruit, or character qualities, are listed in Galatians by the Apostle Paul in his letter to them. If we allow God to move in our lives and change us a little more each day from the inside out, being attentive to these attributes that He desires us to have, we will achieve wonderful results. I think we can all agree as believers that showing patience in any given situation brings about a much more desirable result. A lack of patience can potentially escalate into something ugly and highly regrettable. The sting of words or actions done in a single moment, whether spoken or written, can never to taken back and all the apologies in the world simply will not erase it.

Surrender your emotions to God and allow His perfect work to be done in your life starting this very minute. There may be days when you question the wisdom of it, but in the end, you will be just a little bit more like Christ and that is never a bad thing.

WALK WITH THE KING AND BE A BLESSING!!

CAREFUL CONSIDERATION

Proverbs 4:26 (TNIV) “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”

Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV) “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. “

Ever meet anyone who thought they knew everything … they would be called a “know-it-all”. They always think they know the right way to go, the right thing to do, the right thing to say … well, you get the picture. No one knows everything except God Himself. That may come as a shock to some, but no one this side of heaven knows everything. If what scientists say is true about the percentage of brain that we use (10%), then logistically, it would not be possible to know everything.

Scripture is careful to warn us regarding how we walk and where we walk. Solomon, who is the author of the Proverbs and the wisest man to ever live, gives us vital directives so that we can avoid the pitfalls that come with self-righteous thinking. We need to come to the place where we ask for help.

Through the years I have been made painfully aware time after time that I knew nothing of what I was doing or saying. I was NOT careful where my feet trod and I was NOT steadfast in all my ways. I DID go a way that seemed right to me and while it did not end in death, it didn’t end pretty and it caused me a lot of pain. I thought I knew, but I was wrong. It is when we give careful consideration to our life and our situation that we come to realize, if we are truly honest with ourselves, that we don’t have a clue.

God wants what is best for us always. While there are consequences for everything we say and do, He is there to pick us up and redirect us … 1000x if necessary. Yup, THAT’S how deep and abiding His love is for us.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!

PRAYER REQUEST

You have not seen entries every now and again due to an illness in my family. My elderly father (87) has been in the hospital and is now in acute rehab. I have the daunting task of deciding whether to send him on to an assisted living facility or bring him home. I must make that decision this week for he is being discharged this Friday. Please pray that the Lord gives me the wisdom required to make the correct decision that will best benefit my father. Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Rich Keller