Genesis 25:29-34
Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

This passage of scripture is pretty well known to most Christians. Most Christians that I have spoken to concerning this have had the same kind of thinking. I will admit I have felt the same way. That Esau was basically an idiot to have given up so much for so little. Why on earth would he give up his birthright for a single meal! We see the things written in scripture and think that we would have acted in a much better fashion! Even if we know how it feels to be exhausted and starving we would never have given up so much!

I heard a snippet (about 2 sentences) on the radio today (sorry I cannot remember the program). It really made me think. The Lord slapped me between the eyes once again! I am more like Esau than I would ever like to admit!

Esau gave up the blessing of the Lord for instant gratification! He wanted something and he wanted it then and there. He did not want to wait. Ever felt like that? Never, right? Have you ever gone out and used a credit card to purchase something you wanted because you didn’t really have the money? Have you ever justified turning a want into a need? Have you ever failed to trust in the providence of God for your needs or the blessings of God for your wants and tried to provide for them any way you could? Credit cards make it an easy thing to indulge in instant gratification. What happens next though?

Proverbs 22:11
The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

My hubby and I have facilitated several Financial Peace University classes in the past. Lately, we have fallen off of the financially disciplined wagon.  In fact, not only have we fallen off, we didn’t even get up and chase after that wagon right away, we stayed and played in the dirt for a while!  Playing in the dirt can be fun but cleaning up the mess rarely is!

Well, I think the Lord has given us the kick in the pants we needed!  No one wants to be told that they are acting like Esau when he sold his birthright!  Time to remember to be content with what we have, time to remember that fruit of self-control, time to stop indulging in instant gratification, and time to get back on that wagon of financial discipline!  It is time to get rid of the instant gratification attitude that we like Esau have displayed!

Homeschooling brings many ups and downs.  There are the days that are full of joy because your children seem to really grasp the concepts you are teaching and then there are days when you wonder where the children have placed their brains!  The concepts that seemed so easily grasped the day before have overnight turned into what seems to be a foreign language.  There are days when the children seem to have forgotten things that we have been working on for years!  It is easy to get discouraged, frustrated, and angry.  I have found myself in this situation more times than I would like to admit.

I have often been told that I am a patient person.  I beg to differ with those who say that.  In fact, I think it is one of my weakest areas!  I may indeed be more patient than some but it does not necessarily make me a patient person.  It is something that is a constant battle for me.  I want things done the instant I think of them and I want them done correctly.  I want my children to understand and remember everything the first time I teach it.  I do not want them to not understand.  I do not want to struggle to get the point in a manner they understand, I simply want them to understand.

This sounds a bit unrealistic doesn’t it.  This sadly enough is something I struggle with daily.  Today has been no different.  I have a very grumpy little one who just is being difficult.  I have a kindergartner who just cannot seem to remember that the number ten is written with a one and a zero.  I have an older child who is questioning everything I say.  I want to scream at the top of my lungs, “Don’t question–just do!”,  “Quit grumping!”, and “One and zero, One and zero, how many times do we have to go over this!”.

I had a moment in the midst of this today where I paused, took a deep breath, and heard the Lord whisper, “Self-Control.”

I did not yell at my children.  I dealt with them calmly and kindly.  I once again nicely said, “Remember one and zero side by side make 10.”, “Please don’t argue, I really just need you to help me out with this.”, “Come here, I think you need a hug and a cuddle.”.  Chaos was once again averted!  Peace dwells in the house.

If you had seen this scene you might say I was a patient person.  I was indeed exercising patience however it was more than that.  Remember what I said the Lord taught me today?  Patience does not happen alone.  Self-control plays a bit part.  I had to conscienceless make the decision to be patient.  I had to control my urge to be impatient and too loose my temper.  Thankfully, today, I exercised self-control.  That unfortunately is not always the case.  Exercise is not always easy, it is hard work.  It can be tiring!  However, the more we exercise the easier things become.  The more I choose to exercise self-control in  this area of patience the easier it is to do it again.

Then it occurred to me.   How many times does God exercise self-control and patience toward me?  How many times has the Lord had to say to me, “Remember………”, “Please don’t argue I need you to obey.”,”Come unto me.”?  More times than again I would like to admit!  I am so thankful that I did not receive the angry, “Don’t argue, quit grumping, how  many times do I have to go over this!!” from my Lord.

God truly is a loving Father who shows us how to deal with our own children.  He teaches me to love, to be kind, to be patient, and to exercise self-control.  I need only to be obedient and turn to him when I am weak!

Thank you Lord for using the struggles of my day to grow me more into your likeness.  Help me each day to exercise self-control to be patient.

There are days when I just feel “off my game.”  Nothing seems to go as I planned.  There are days when I feel like a total failure and wonder if my family might be better off with someone who was better at (insert anything here) than I am.  Then I remind myself, “I am not perfect and I never will be, at least not before the Lord comes!”  This road of sanctification can seem so very long at times.  I want to be there already, who after all doesn’t want to do everything right all the time!  Oh wait, that sounds a bit like impatience, discontentment, and self-reliance!  Shoot, I failed again!

It isn’t that I do not have constant reminders of the things I do right.  I do.  I often have people who tell me.  I have a husband who tells me.  I even have children who tell me.  I see the fruit of my labor in my children.  Yet, I also have constant reminders of my failings.  I have those who seek to tear me down to make themselves feel better about their own shortcomings.  I have the occasions when my children remind me they too are fallen sinners (by attitudes and actions) yet saved by grace the same as I am.  I have the Holy Spirit indwelling me as an ever constant reminder of how and how far I fall short.

The thing is…… who do I listen to?  What do I do with what I hear?

Failings sometimes seem to make us loose our focus.  Do you ever forget that it is the Lord who works and begin to think it is all about you?  Well, I will be honest here.  Sometimes I do.  I begin to think, if I just try harder I will do it right today!  A friend recently said when speaking of being a perfect parent, “When my children are asleep in their beds and I remember how I failed, I plan to be the perfect parent tomorrow, then we wake up.”

If I am focused on the Lord.  I will hear and take heart His correction.  I may even grieve that I have failed so greatly. BUT, I will remember that it is He who works all things together.  The work that the Lord does through me is still HIS work.  I will be ever mindful of His love, grace, mercy, and power to overcome.

If I allow  my focus to be moved away from Him, Satan begins to take advantage of the situation.  He tells me that it is all up to me.  That I am indeed the total failure I think myself to be.  He reminds me of how I was not compassionate, how I lost my temper, and every other thing I seemed to mess up.  Only unlike the Holy Spirit there is no offer of grace, no reminder that I am not alone, and no power to overcome!

God will let us know that we have failed.  We all fall short.  Yet he reminds us and comforts us that we are not on our own.  He is working.  He is sanctifying.  He will overcome.  In Christ we are more than conquerors.  It is the process of sanctification and we need repent, submit, seek his guidance, and move forward.

Satan, however, will turn us to focus on ourselves and try to keep us there wallowing for as long as possible.  We will conclude that we are indeed the total failures we were afraid we really were!

Failing and being a total failure are not the same.  Where is your focus when you fail?  It makes all the difference in the world.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

As I sat cuddling my 2 month old this morning I was again reminded of the great love that the Lord has for each of his children.  Something I have done with each of my children is to sit and sing to them.  I will sing to them and put their name into what ever I am singing.  I have made up many tunes with the names of my children as the lyrics.  I was singing to my sweet new one this morning.  Her belly was full, her diaper was dry, and she was snuggled into my arms.  There is nothing better in my opinion.  I sang to her placing not only her name into the song but her nickname and the words I love you.  I stopped singing for a moment and looked in her eyes and said, “Mommy loves you.”  The biggest grin you could image spread across her face. I waited until the smile was gone and only a look of contentment remained and repeated those words which brought joy to her.  The smile returned.  I did this several times.  It brings so much joy to my heart to know that the knowledge of the love I have for her brought joy to her little being as well.  She is only two months old but she understands that she is greatly loved and it fills her with joy.

What a great lesson God taught me this morning through one so little.  She made me contemplate the love that my Heavenly Father has for me.  Just as I sang to my daughter her name I must remember that the Lord knows me AND knows me by name!  Does that bring me the kind of pure joy that I noticed in my daughter’s eyes?  It should!  Do I realize the magnitude of the joy it brings my Heavenly Father when I am absorbed with joy at the knowledge of his love?  Do you know this great and almost inexplicable love and joy? Do you ever meditate upon it? What is your response to this amazing gift?

When driving through Canada and Alaska we began to notice a change in the evergreen trees. The harsher winters are evidenced in the trees. They are thinner.

The Lord has been dealing with me a lot lately concerning my dependence upon Him. This dependence must be in every area of my life.

When I started blogging a year ago I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I have been hurt, discouraged and forced to look more deeply at who I am. Though most painful, this has stretched me and caused me to grow. But I have also made many friends along the way. They have encouraged me, spurred me on and challenged me which has also caused me to grow.

The Lord is actively at work in my life and I have a peace that passes all understanding. I have been allowed to be a blessing to others and the Lord continues to open new doors of ministry for me in the blogging world. This adds a great responsibility I did not anticipate and is one I constantly feel ill-equipped to fulfill. I am humbled each time I am praised because I know that it is only by the power of the Spirit that anyone is touched.

Humility is what we are called to and we are told in scripture that when we are weak we are strong. When we are weak is when we know that the strength of the Lord is at work. Often times when I feel the most inadequate and unqualified is when people see the Lord at work. This is as it should be. Then I am unable to boast but must give credit where credit is due, to the Lord.

This humbling is needed in any relationship. It matters not if I am dealing with my husband, my children, those I meet day in and day out in real life, or those I seek to minister to here in blogland. I know that by my nature, I am not kind, compassionate, or loving. This is a weakness. But through my weakness can flow the kindness, compassion, and love of Christ, not because of me or anything I can do but because of who God is!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I shall strive to have a weakened kindness, a weakened compassion, a weakened love. A kindness, compassion, and love that is not given just out of ourselves and our own might but is given out of a dependence on the Lord Jesus which flows through me. Then my weak efforts at kindness, compassion, and love will be made strong.

It will matter not if I am dealing with my husband, my children, those I meet day in and day out in real life, or those I seek to minister to here in blogland. They will all be blessed by my obedient submission to rely upon the Lord.

I have been honored to be selected to display the Fruit of the Spirit graphic on my blog and I will strive to continue to live up to what it represents.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote about the fruit of the Spirit ~ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The Fruit of the Spirit graphic was developed in an effort to recognize bloggers whose writings and postings in the blogosphere give us a glimpse of this fruit in their lives.

There are many blogger and non-bloggers alike who have agreed to partner together in recognizing and honoring those whose writings, postings and lives exemplify how God works in and through His people. When we recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit resides within us. It is the Holy Spirit who produces fruit in our lives ~ but He has also given us the honor and the duty of recognizing the fruit in other believers.

I welcome your help in spreading this “blessing” thoughout the blogosphere. If there’s a particular blog you believe reflects the fruit of the Spirit, please email Trish containing a link to that blog. Also, please include a sentence or two regarding your thoughts as to why/how that particular blog reflects the fruit of the Spirit.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

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

When people discover how many children I have there are numerous responses. Some are good and some are not so good. Often times the responses leave an opening for me to share about what the Lord is accomplishing in my life. One response I often receive is this; “You must have a lot of patience to have that many children!” I have noticed by the responses of many, that people tend to think of me as a patient person. I am more patient than some I suppose but I definitely do not consider myself patient.

Patience is something that grows. It does not grow or develop alone either. God uses many circumstances to grow patience in us. There is a saying that you should never pray for patience because the Lord will place you in a situation where you will develop it. When I hear the statement which I quoted above I reply something like the following. “God did not bless me with these children because I am a patient person. One of the reasons He blessed me with them is precisely because I am not patient enough.” God teaches me more about patience with each new life. I have also noticed that unless patience is practiced, it is something I tend to forget. There are times when I realize that I was more patient with an older child when they learned a particular task than I am with the younger child. I have forgotten my patience and need to relearn and apply it.

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

This verse has been on my mind lately. It takes a lot of strength to apply the lessons of patience in our lives. Let’s face it, we are not patient by nature and it really is not all that fun. We live in a world where we want everything yesterday. But the Lord says to wait upon Him. To wait!! If I desire to be patient I will need strength. This strength comes from waiting upon the Lord. That is patience, too. It brings me back to the Lord. If I can learn to wait upon the Lord and trust in Him and His sovereignty and timing in life, then it gives me the strength to be patient because I can rest in Him concerning all things. That rest brings peace(another Fruit of the Spirit) and that peace flowing through us causes patience to flourish.

More Fruit of the Spirit Friday.

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

Our society today is one of indulgence and freedom of expression even to the extreme of bringing detriment to others. Society tells us it is all about us; live life however you want, be happy, do what feels good. Even in the circumstances that one is told to do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, people rarely even glance to see if they are indeed hurting anyone else. After all, we are to live life to the fullest, live in excess! But God calls us to a life of self-control or temperance.

TEM’PERANCE, n. [L. temperantia, from tempero.]

1. Moderation; particularly, habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; as temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth. Temperance in eating and drinking is opposed to gluttony and drunkenness, and in other indulgences, to excess.

2. Patience; calmness; sedateness; moderation of passion.

He calm’d his wrath with goodly temperance. [Unusual.]

So how are we to live with self-control or temperance especially in a culture which promotes the opposite view?

First, we must pay attention to the obvious. Temperance is a Fruit of the Spirit. We must be walking in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Galatians 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Secondly, we must continually exercise our minds and hearts to dwell on the things of the Lord. If we are consumed with the things of the Lord then we will be less likely to carry out the actions of the flesh.

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
GALATIANS 5:22-23

FROM THE FATHER’S HEART
My child, do not be discouraged when you feel barren. Each of the seeds I have planted within you I prune, feed, and tenderly nurture to its full potential. Soon you will yield the beautiful fruit of love, joy, and peace – all the qualities of My nature that I have given you. The more you abide in Me, the more fruit you will bear. My Spirit is the One working through you. You can never bear fruit alone. Rest in Me today.

A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
Where else could I find a tree with perfect fruit? You, Lord, are the fruit of the spirit. You are the picture of perfection, and every good fruit we need is found in You. Thank You for planting seeds within my heart that I, too, might bear luscious fruit for You.

SIMPLE TRUTH
Fine tuning often requires severe pruning.

Short Devotion from: Daily in Your Presence by Rebecca Barlow Jordan