Listen When He Speaks 2018 Themes
November: Gratitude
…While gratitude, like the Fruits of the Spirit, grows in us as we abide in Christ, it also requires choice, will, and effort to live out. Like praise, gratitude demands expression even when we don’t feel it. When we choose to thank and worship God even when it hurts, our pain is transformed. It may still hurt, but we open our hearts to the balm of a deeper relationship with God. We grow. We heal. When we seek and embrace grace despite the package it comes wrapped in, we can be filled and blessed to have it spill out of us into others’ lives… READ MORE
October: Self-Control
Christian behavior. It’s a matter of the heart, right? It’s being transformed from the inside out. But is that all it is?
…On one side are the rule-makers, the ones who believe our behavior earns God’s favor…
On the other, those for whom grace is license… READ MORE
September: Gentleness
When I think of gentleness, I think of a mother with her infant or injured child. I think of the breathless stillness when a butterfly alights on you. A lover holding their beloved when they’re in pain. A calm response in the face of anger…
It’s a mistake to think gentleness is weak… READ MORE
August: Faithfulness
It seems all of God’s most faithful in the Bible had moments they slipped from obedience and following God’s commands. It can be comforting, right? I mean, if they messed up, there’s hope for us.
It’s okay to remember that our sin, even after accepting God’s lordship, can be forgiven, and that we can be restored to useful service. But we can’t use others’ missteps to rationalize our sin… READ MORE
July: Goodness
…Although the exact word for [various Fruits of the Spirit] may not appear many times in Scripture, we see plenty of examples of people living them… or living the opposite of them and experiencing the consequences.
One is the character in a story Jesus told to illustrate how we are to love others, the second-most important commandment in Scripture. Jesus didn’t call him the Good Samaritan, but we do… READ MORE
June 2018: Kindness
Kindness… another Fruit of the Spirit that’s difficult to define, and that the world could use more of. We recognize it when we see it. And appreciate when we receive it… unless we’re hobbled by pride…
Some people are more naturally attuned to the needs of others. They see others more clearly and notice when they could use a smile, encouraging word, or help with a task – all those little things that can make a big difference… READ MORE
May: Patience
When I was younger, quite a bit younger, I recognized how the microwave was continuing to change the way my generation approached waiting. Our grandparents experienced the first fast food. Our parents saw the birth of TV dinners. One day I visited a friend and saw a hot dog stuck in an electrical box and cooked in a minute. I was impressed. May parents thought it was ridiculous. I mean, how long does it take to cook a hot dog without a microwave, any way, right?!? READ MORE
April: Peace
Yup, like love and joy, peace is another Fruit of the Spirit that is in short supply. Global. Societal. Relational. Personal. Can we truly have peace in the midst of all the outer turmoil?
Peace begins with understanding and trusting God’s character. The more we understand and accept reality and the order of the universe as God created it, the deeper our peace can grow. It becomes unshakable. I’m not there yet. In fact, I have quite a way to go. How about you? READ MORE
March: Joy
If you Google the definition of joy, you get “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.“ Okay, so that’s a dictionary definition of joy, but wouldn’t it be cool if Googling joy actually brought a feeling like that?
…There’s nothing wrong with feeling “great pleasure and happiness,” but the Biblical Fruit-of-the-Spirit joy is more than that… READ MORE
January: New Beginnings
I’m grateful I haven’t yet run out of mine in this life, and that the best is yet to come. All the tarnish of my new beginnings grown old will be wiped away as time gives way to eternity….