“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.
“May it be to me as you have said.” Luke 1:38a
More often than not, we read through the exchange between Mary and Gabriel all in one sitting. The advantage of writing the WORD with us this month (you can download our Characters of Christmas bookmark here: https://bit.ly/3snHFR8) is that we can process the sequence of events a little more slowly … which may prompt a new appreciation for each of these familiar characters.
God’s message, delivered to Mary through Gabriel, came with a God-sized blessing: she was chosen to be the mother of God’s son. Gabriel called her “favored” and Elizabeth called her “blessed.”
But this big blessing also came with significant consequences:
no white wedding dress
fodder for the rumor mill
raised eyebrows and turned shoulders
possible death, according to Old Testament law
This first-century teenage girl raised none of these concerns. She assumed the posture of servant – which meant she acknowledged God as her Lord. Her response simultaneously humbles and inspires me. I hope it does you, too.
There is much we 21st -century women can learn from this first-century teenager. We invite you to read and write along with us in December, and come back to share your take-aways from Mary in the comments.
And if you haven’t yet seen it, we invite you to watch the video teaching on Mary from our five-week study on The Characters of Christmas:
December may be the very best month to give our Do It! List a try. Laura has distilled years of experience in caring for a home and family, to create a simple, single-page chore list that can help you manage your home so that you are free to show Christ’s love to family, friends, and neighbors during the holiday season (and beyond).
Visit our Download page today for your free copy of our monthly list. We offer a pre-filled version, with tasks that are applicable for most households, or a fully customizable blank version that you can personalize to fit your family’s unique situation.
We hope you also accept Laura’s challenge to bless your delivery drivers as they enter the busiest, most stressful time of the year. After watching to hear her idea, you can download your free porch sign here: https://bit.ly/3QGCYPm
As 2024 approaches, we are again making available our set of 12 Write the WORD bookmarks for the new year. If you’d like to receive twelve pre-printed, full color bookmarks for the coming year, please reach out to us via email to learn more about getting a set for yourself or a friend.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… Galatians 5:22-23a
Oh, the irony. We come to our last week of writing the Word—for two months we have worked our way through verses on the nine traits comprising the Fruit of the Spirit!—and we just happen to reach self-control on Thanksgiving weekend. Along with spurring on our lovelies to exhibit grateful spirits, many of us have just over-indulged in a weekend of spending and eating. How appropriate is today’s topic!
It’s Not Just About the Binging
When we hear the phrase self-control, most (if not all) of us may feel a twinge, pinch, prod, or kick of shame. But placing self-control in its proper context may bring some less shallow or fleshly thoughts and push us to deeper, more spiritual thinking on the topic.
A negative connotation may be our first response to self-control, but when we see it in the context of a fruit produced by the Spirit, it is a good and positive thing.
Whatever we can’t not do controls us. It owns us. In extreme cases that might be gambling, heroin, alcohol, or pornography. But the list might also include chocolate … shopping … chestnut praline lattes from the Starbucks drive-thru … Zumba class … or the 24-hour Christmas movie channel.
Even a good thing can become an obsession that controls us.
Our identity in Christ means we can live free—free from the compulsive urges to do what we really don’t want to do, and free to enjoy good things in moderation. Before Christ, we were slaves to sin (Romans 6:6), but “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1a). The presence of the Holy Spirit means we are free to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness for His glory!
Self-Control is Listed Last
As I study Scripture, I’ve learned to pay attention to the order when a list is given. If it’s a list of brothers, they may be in chronological order, oldest to youngest. If it’s a list of people, the most prominent or important may come first. There’s a reason for the order of things.
Looking at the nine traits, perhaps self-control comes last because it is the culmination of all the others. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can constrain our old self and give full reign to the Spirit living in us. With His Spirit leading out and our flesh being curbed, it is possible to:
Love unconditionally … even when we are not loved back or appreciated.
Find joy even in hard things.
Abide in His peace when our day-to-day existence feels like a war zone.
Choose patience over irritation and frustration.
Be intentionally kind when others are rude.
Release goodness even when circumstances are stressful and chaotic.
Walk in faithfulness, even when we see no change in our situation.
It Means We’ve Grown Up
As parents and grandparents, we may find ourselves telling a three-year-old when it’s time for bed, a nine-year-old to resist that third cookie because dinner will be served shortly, or a 15-year-old that it’s time to put down the phone and engage with the rest of the family. As I used to tell my now grown-children when they were young: Maturity means you can say no to yourself. (And I’m sure there were times I shared that wisdom, got them all in bed, then treated myself to two dips of Rocky Road!)
Spiritually speaking, we are mature in Christ when we can say no to ourselves and yes to the leading of the Spirit. Rather than seeing those things we are leaving behind as negatives or sacrifices, we begin to see them as things that hold us back from being all we can be and are meant to be in Christ.
When it comes to self-control, losing our way means we have forgotten who we are. Our identity is in Christ. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. We can choose to squelch our flesh—to “stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:2b).
To live self-controlled is to live in step with the Spirit. Paul says it this way:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
If you are walking (or dancing) with a partner and find yourself out of step, the best thing to do is stop, then begin again. It’s the Microsoft solution when our computer goes nuts: just reboot. The same works for our spiritual lives. If you are out of step, stop. Make time to abide in Him. Pray. Repent. Read the Word. Start again. Remember who you are. Get back in step.
It’s not just about remembering what not to do. It’s about remembering who you are.
The best way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas is to stay in the WORD! In honor of the birth of our Lord, our Write the WORD study will be focusing on five characters in the nativity during the month of December. In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces our new Characters of Christmas study, as we dig deeper into the stories of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, the Wise Men, and Jesus. We invite you to watch now:
As 2024 approaches, we are again making available our set of 12 Write the WORD bookmarks for the entire new year. If you’d like to receive twelve pre-printed, full color bookmarks for the coming year, please reach out to us via email to learn more about getting a set for yourself or a friend.
Who comes to mind when you think of a gentle person? Your grandma? Your third grade Sunday School teacher? Your local librarian?
Gentleness is not just a natural result of a phlegmatic personality or meek temperament. It is a Fruit of the Spirit … and if we are growing in Christ, this fruit will be evident.
Gentleness is often a choice — a deliberate act of restraint, a letting go of what we want to say or do and even what we have the right to say or do. The old adage “meekness, not weakness” certainly applies when choosing to walk out gentleness.
Several of this month’s Write the WORD verses (you can download the bookmark here) offer good thoughts to ponder on the topic of gentleness:
God’s gentleness brings us the great gift of salvation. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. Psalm 18:35
Humility and gentleness work together. By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! II Corinthians 10:1
We are told to pursue gentleness. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. I Timothy 6:11
The imminent return of Christ should prompt us to let gentleness lead out in our walk. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5
Several years ago, the small group I sat in on at the weekly Bible study I teach was discussing evangelism. One lady commented that we know we should share the gospel, but so often we don’t. It’s the best news ever, so why don’t we share it? Answers might be:
It’s awkward.
I don’t know what to say.
I don’t want to offend.
We often feel like we’re trying to sell someone something they don’t want … instead of realizing we’re telling them about a free gift everyone needs!
Instead of trying to conjure up the courage and figure out the words, maybe we can start by just be being NICE — kind and gentle in our words and actions. As God’s love begins to soften our words and prompt kind actions, Paul is right: it will be “evident to all.”
When our kindness is so extraordinary, when it contrasts so sharply with the attitudes of the world, those in our sphere of influence will notice. And we can pray that when they do, they will ask the powerful question: Why?
Why are you like you are?
Why are you gentle instead of harsh?
Why are you kind instead of mean?
Why are you patient instead of angry?
Let’s expect folks to ask. Let’s want them to ask. Let’s have a ready answer when they ask. Peter challenges us:
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… I Peter 3:15
It’s so much easier to walk on through an open door than to try to knock one down!
Are you prepared when they ask? Just remember: it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to be gentle when our flesh would be harsh, who helps us forgo retaliation when we are justifiably offended. And it is the same Holy Spirit who will put His words on our tongue when someone asks us to give the reason for the hope we have.
The holidays bring great opportunities to walk out gentleness. In the stress and chaos that so often can bring on impatience, even rudeness, our gentleness can shine brightly in a dark world. Let’s pray they ask why … and let’s ask God to give us the answer when they do.
If you’ve got the Holy Spirit, then you’ve got gentleness!
The third week of our Characters of Christmas study finds us focusing on the shepherds. How wonderful that God chose these men — ones that may have been considered rough and rude, and certainly among the “least of these” in the social order of the day — to receive a heavenly message of peace and joy that changed not only their lives, but all of creation for eternity. As we examine the shepherds’ response to the good news of Jesus, we pray that we are challenged to evaluate our own response to Him.
If you are studying along with us online, please read Luke 2:8-20 to help prepare for this week’s teaching lecture.
If you’ve missed teaching lectures for the previous weeks of our Characters of Christmas study, you can find all of the videos here. When you visit our YouTube channel, we invite you to become a subscriber. It costs nothing to sign up, and is a great way to show your support of Cross My Heart Ministry!
We wish you and your loved ones a blessed and happy Thanksgiving,as we celebrate all of God’s good gifts … and especially, His priceless gift of eternal salvation.
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shared a recipe for NEXT week: a delicious way to use up the leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
This “Turkey Pie” is a re-mix of a chicken recipe Laura’s family has been using for years. By substituting turkey for the chicken and adding canned vegetables, you have a meal that not only helps use up leftovers but is easy and quick enough for a weeknight (or the day after Thanksgiving, when you’re all “cooked out”). This recipe, when made with either turkey or chicken, is also fabulous as a make-and-take for a family with a new baby or one who has suffered loss. It may become your go-to “Ministry Meal.”
We invite you to watch as Laura demonstrates her easy Turkey Pie recipe, and to download your own printable copy of here: http://bit.ly/3BLiRaS
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? There is no cost to you and it requires only a Gmail account, but subscribing (and sharing!) our videos is a great way to show your support for Cross My Heart Ministry.
Paul used the Greek word pistis to describe the seventh trait of the fruit produced by the Spirit working through a believer. This Greek word is translated faithfulness in Galatians 5:
But the fruit of the Spirit is … faithfulness …
But it is also translated faith in many other New Testament passages:
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. James 2:18
Do faith and faithfulness have different connotations? Does faith suggest an internal belief, while faithfulness denotes an external behavior?
Dictionary.com defines faith: confidence or trust in a person or thing. For the Christian, of course, that person is Jesus Christ. Our belief in Him is the only way to receive God’s free gift of salvation. It cannot be earned, purchased, or inherited from our parents.
If we are filled with faith, would/should/are we prompted, then, to live faithfully? Paul wrote to the Romans about “…the obedience that comes from faith” in Romans 1:5.
Obedience without faith spirals quickly downward to legalism. It is not sustainable. But through faith in Christ, obedience is a joy – an easy burden, an offering to God, and a demonstration of our love for Him.
In the Old Testament, we often see the phrase “love and faithfulness” used to describe God. These two words capture His character in a sweet, reassuring way. Aren’t we grateful we never have to doubt His love? He is loving. He is faithful.
While we may think of faith and faithfulness as two different concepts, for the New Testament reader (or listener) of Greek, they were the same: faith would produce faithfulness.
Perhaps for the 21st-century believer, they should push us – in healthy ways – to embrace both. If I am filled with faith, if I have accepted the gift of salvation that comes by faith, then shouldn’t the faith on the inside work itself out to faithfulness on the outside?
How does being filled with faith prompt faithfulness in your life and mine? How can we show others our faith by our deeds?
For the second week of our five-week Christmas study, we focus on Joseph, the man chosen by God to be the earthly father of Jesus. (If you are studying along with us online, please read Matthew 1:18-25 as you prepare to hear this week’s teaching lecture.) We invite you to watch as Laura shares insights on Joseph, a crucial character in the Christmas story.
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This common, two-word phrase might be our response when offered a second helping at dinner, a cup of hot chocolate by the campfire, or a section of the Sunday paper by our spouse. It conveys an attitude of contentment or satisfaction – not needing or desiring anything.
“Good” was also what God proclaimed over His creation at the conclusion of each day. He even added the pronoun very on the last day:
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31
Good, of course, is the root of the word, goodness – the sixth trait listed in those describing the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.
When we consider goodness as a descriptor, it may bring to mind adjectives like virtuous or moral. Each of us can readily identify a person in our life who is virtuous or moral, but not a follower of Christ. The goodness Paul is describing can only be produced by the Spirit. This type of good is supernatural – well beyond the realm of human striving or doing. We may choose to do good things, but we can never achieve goodness apart from the Spirit of God working in and through us.
Dr. Spiros Zodhiates is on my long list of brothers and sisters I’m looking forward to meeting in heaven. Dr. Zodhiates was a Bible scholar and creator of the The Hebrew-Greek KeyWord Study Bible (always my go-to when I need to unpack a specific word in a verse). From Dr. Zodhiates we learn the Greek word translated goodness is agathosune. He says agathosune is “…character energized expressing itself in agathon, active good.”
Active good … an enlightening phrase.
Goodness is the result of active good.
Paul wrote to the believers at Thessalonica:
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness [agathosune] and your every deed prompted by faith. II Thessalonians 1:11
It is only by the power of God that our desires for goodness become reality. If we are allowing the Spirit of God to be released to work through us, goodness will be evident.
The goodness inspired by the Holy Spirit is not just a passive attitude, it’s an active behavior.
So let me ask you (and myself) again: Are you good?
This week marked the launch of our five-week Christmas study, Characters of Christmas! Each week of the study will be devoted to examining one person (or group) in the Christmas story.
If you are following along with us online, please read Luke 1:26-56 to help prepare for this week’s teaching lecture. We invite you to watch as Laura shares thoughts on Mary, the mother of Christ:
If you accept Laura’s challenge to bless your delivery drivers during the holiday season, you can download our free porch sign here: https://bit.ly/3QGCYPm
Visit our Downloads page for our Fruit of the Spirit, Part II bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. study pages, as well as other free resources to help you balance your heart for God with the demands of a busy life (and the approaching holiday season).
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura encourages us to pace ourselves to make Thanksgiving dinner happen! We invite you to listen to her tips for planning and executing the holiday meal, then plan your own menu with help from a free download of Macfarlan family favorite recipes!
Visit our YouTube channel to find links to download the freebies mentioned in the video!
Kindness falls right in the middle of the list of the nine traits of the Spirit. As I write out and read over verses that have the word kindness (or in some cases, lovingkindess), it seems there is almost always an action included. Kindness is more than something we feel; it’s something we do.
Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Do those words give you pause as they do me? Do you find them sobering? We often speak of sharing “random acts of kindness” as a way to make ourselves — as well as the recipient — feel good. A fine thing when we do it, but no consequences when we don’t.
This passage from Job forces us to consider that choosing not to release kindness is serious business.
Holy reverence for the almighty God should prompt followers of Christ to release kindness when it is within our ability to do so. To be kind is to just simply be nice. (And Christians sometimes are anything but nice.)
Where — and from whom — are we holding out? And why are we holding out?
Do we use our full plate of commitments and responsibilities as an excuse to shirk the opportunity to release kindness?
Do we deem the person before us as unworthy of our time or resources?
Do I dismiss the opportunity as “not my job?”
Are we just too selfish to be interrupted?
The sobering words of Job pierce my heart. They make me realize that I’m not simply protecting my schedule or resources; instead, I’m forsaking the fear of God.
What comes to mind when you read “fear of the Almighty?” Perhaps we tend to soften the “fear factor” where God is concerned. In our Western world, many modern-day believers are reluctant to portray God as fearsome. Maybe it’s much more comfortable to visualize Him as a doting grandfather. We sometimes want to see Him only as a God of love, and forget He is also a God of righteousness. He is to be feared: to be respected, revered, bowed to, and obeyed.
As I examine my own heart, I am challenged to ask: Do I take God seriously? Do I take my walk with Him seriously? Do I take His Word seriously? Does fear of God (and love of God) prompt me to release acts of kindness when it is within my ability to do so … or perhaps even outside my ability, but possible for God?
Job specifically mentions kindness to a friend. Releasing kindness to a friend should be an easy decision … pleasant assignment. Can we ask God to give us an opportunity to live this out?
Our choice to release kindness not only strengthens our bonds of friendship with the one we choose to bless, it also exhibits a holy fear of our great God. He is the One who, in providing our salvation, showed the greatest kindness of all.
Will you choose to ask God for a kindness assignment, then look for the open door of opportunity and walk on through?
These cool fall days may find you picking apples at a local orchard. We also hope it finds you reading, writing, and studying about fruit — the Fruit of the Spirit, that is!
There are NINE different traits that Galatians 5 identifies as Fruit of the Spirit. During October, we’ve written out verses about the first four: love, joy, peace, and patience. We will complete our study of the remaining five traits in November, and we invite you to join us! We hope you’ll enjoy our most recent teaching video, featuring Laura’s introduction of the upcoming month’s study:
Find this month’s Fruit of the Spirit, Part II bookmark and S.O.A.P. Bible study pages on our Downloads page.
Paul’s letter to the Colossians included reassurance that he was praying for them:
…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9
The ensuing verses (please read verses 10-12) give details of Paul’s specific prayers on behalf of the Colossian believers. His list is peppered with athletic terms:
Strength
Endurance
Qualify
These words spur thoughts of an Olympic hopeful—persevering, working hard, training, sacrificing—all for the goal of representing his or her country on that big day.
As followers of Christ, we also persevere, hone our strength, practice patience and endurance … but we are not simply hoping to qualify. Because of Jesus, we know we are already qualified. What a blessing!
Knowing our end, how does it change our journey? Does it make us lazy and complacent? Grateful and joyful?
Paul challenges us to live a life worthy of our qualification. We don’t work to please God to EARN our place in heaven; we do it in GRATITUDE for our qualification. It is our response to the inheritance we have in Him.
He has given us the power to endure. It comes from the Holy Spirit and cannot be manufactured by us. We are not “good-works machines,” cranking out works widgets to justify ourselves. We are children of God, adopted by Him and grafted into His family for eternity.
Our qualification/adoption means we can live loved—free from a duty to perform, and from striving to earn what Jesus gave freely. Our have-to transforms into a want-to and eventually a joyful, thankful delight-to, as God’s love becomes the motivation for what and how we live our lives.
We desire and delight to “please Him in every way.” For a woman of God, that is lived out by patiently and faithfully listening, loving, preparing, disciplining, and encouraging the precious ones God has placed in our sphere of influence.
Even when—especially when—they are not grateful.
Even when—especially when—we see no progress.
Even when—especially when—we get no performance review, raise or bonus rewarding our effort.
We patiently, faithfully serve today for a result we may not see tomorrow or next week. In fact, it may be 15, 20, or 30 years (or perhaps not even this side of heaven) when the fruit of our labor appears. We simply commit to doing our part, and trust God will do His.
As we live this life, remaining faithful to give and serve and stay the course He has laid out for us, the primary result is: God is glorified. Paul says we “please him in every way.” Does pleasing God make our daily to-do list? Does it ever occur to us—as we are working, studying, scrubbing, baking, caring, planning, listening, forgiving, releasing—that God sees, God knows, and God is pleased?
Not only does our faithfulness bring glory to God, it brings us transformation.
Just as a faithful athlete is rewarded with stronger muscles, faster speed, greater endurance, so the child of God grows and advances spiritually. As we yield to the moving and leading of His Spirit abiding in us, we find ourselves “bearing fruit in every good work” and “growing in knowledge of God” (verse 10). This growth, of course, comes from the Holy Spirit. We cannot produce it on our own. We cooperate with Him, surrender and yield to His leading, and the resulting blessings are evidence of a transformed life (verses 11-12):
Strengthened with all power
Great endurance
Patience
Joyful thanks
An athlete might consult the time clock to assess his progress. There is no stopwatch for our spiritual assessment, but we can ask ourselves:
How have I yielded my way to His way today?
Can I think of a specific situation where I said, “Yes, Sir!” to the Holy Spirit’s prompting?
Am I more naturally patient than when I began this journey?
Does joyful thanks to God abound in my home and in my heart?
The Holy Spirit will release the power God has already instilled in me, as I choose to cooperate with Him. My choice is to do it Laura’s hard-work way (often characterized by frustration and impatience) or His easy way, prompted and empowered by the Spirit and characterized by endurance and patience.
Patience, of course, is one of the nine traits of the Spirit’s work in us, the fruit growing from the moment of salvation as we are progressively sanctified. A pause in life’s journey reveals, amazingly, that I truly am more patient that when I launched this journey in Him. I’m not who I used to be. (And, praise God, I’m not yet who I’m gonna be!) Yielding to Him is bringing transformation … a realization that prompts joyful praise to the One who makes it all possible.
Patience is truly one of the nine indicators of a transformed life.
This week’s Bible study teaching lecture featured Angela Kincade, Ministry Assistant at Cross Church. We invite you to listen and prayerfully consider Angela’s challenge to “widen our hearts” (II Corinthians 6:11-13). And please don’t miss her powerful questions for self examination at the end of the video!
There’s just over a week remaining in our October study of the Fruit of the Spirit … but we will be continuing in November! Subscribe to our YouTube channel and the Cross My Heart Ministry email newsletter to be notified when we release our free bookmark and S.O.A.P. study pages for Write the WORD: Fruit of the Spirit, Part II.
