Peeled 6

Goodness

Welcome to our series "Peeled."

We are examining the Fruit of the Spirit and discovering characteristics of a life changed by Christ.

Here’s what we know about fruit, fruit is never grown overnight, it must be cultivated.

Picture your life like a piece of fruit. When you are peeled is the fruit sweet or sour?

We are peeling back the layers of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Many say “fruits,” however there are not 9 “fruits” of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit has 9 characteristics, 9 layers if you will.

One Fruit with 9 attributes.

These Fruit taken together make up the character of Christ.

Some people try to pick and choose their way through the Fruit of the Spirit. Many pray and ask God to “give” them the fruit of the Spirit. Gifts are given. Fruit is cultivated.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The Fruit of the Spirit is a description of the character qualities found in Christ.

So far we have examined Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, and Kindness.

This week let’s examine Goodness.

Goodness is perhaps one of the most significant words used to describe God’s character.

1. God is Good.

a.) Goodness is Who God is. God’s Character.

The Hebrew word for Goodness (Chesed) is often translated as mercy or lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is unfailing love.

Chesed means loyal love – it refers to God’s loyalty and faithfulness to His covenant.

1 Chronicles 16:34 NKJV Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 34:8 NIV Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

⁵ For the LORD is good. His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures all generations

Exodus 33:18-19 NKJV And he said, “Please show me Your glory.”

¹⁹ Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Exodus 34:5-7 NKJV Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷ keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

b.) Goodness is What God does. God’s attitude and practice.

Psalm 145:8-9 NKJV The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,

Slow to anger and great in mercy. ⁹ The Lord is good to all,

And His tender mercies are over all His works.

Psalm 119:68 NKJV You are good, and do good;

Teach me Your statutes.

James 1:17 NIV Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God wants us to know Him as the source of all good things, and when He says no, He wants us to trust Him, that He knows what is best. He wants us to learn to take no for an answer instead of taking matters into our own hands.

2. A False Understanding.

Many today have a false understanding of what is good.

Psalm 73 begins and ends with the word good.

Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, had a false understanding of what is good. He writes of his journey to understanding the goodness of God.

Asaph’s misunderstanding of the word good is the same misunderstanding of many people today.

Asaph is describing a season in which he was struggling mentally and spiritually.

His struggle was understanding the goodness of God. Particularly His goodness toward the people of Israel.

Psalm 73:1 NIV Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

To Asaph, this statement was a declaration that those who belong to the Lord would continually receive the Lord’s blessings.

And those who didn’t belong to the Lord would be the recipients of continued difficulties.

   

Psalm 73:2 NIV But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

Asaph admits to his readers that he strayed far off course. He was so far from the truth that he came close to destruction. In his words, “his feet had almost slipped” (verse 2).

He seems to be confessing that he considered giving up the faith and forsaking the way of righteousness, supposing that it was of no real benefit.

3. A Distorted Perspective.

Asaph had a distorted perspective.

His perspective caused him to envy those who were wicked.

He didn’t hate their sin, he envied their success.

A). Envy.

Psalm 73:3-5 NIV For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴ They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. ⁵ They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

As Asaph looked around, all he saw was wicked people with great wealth. He saw people who apparently lived without pain seeming to enjoy the high life, fat with material blessings, always having all they could ever want or need.

What is envy? – RESENTING God’s goodness in someone else and IGNORING God’s goodness to me.

Envy thrives on the idea that “God owes me.”

Envy causes us to look at what others have that we don’t. Then we become jealous of the people who have what we want – beauty, abilities, possessions, etc.

We begin to tell God, “It’s your fault!” “If you’d have taken care of me the way you have taken care of them, I would be much better off.”

Our problem is not really with people whose things we envy. Our problem is with God. Envy has convinced us that God actually owes us something, and our sickness causes us to hold a grudge against God.

Envy begins to grow in our heart when we become jealous because we didn’t get what we wanted but someone else did.

Envy begins to grow in our heart and feeds on our jealousy over others

The real problem with envy is that we are trying to find fulfillment in things that were never meant to bring fulfillment.

We’re jealous because others have things that we think could make us happier, or could make our life easier.

If left unchecked our desires can grow into serious sins.

The longer you cultivate feelings of jealousy, the harder it is to uproot them. The time and place to deal with jealousy and envy is when you notice yourself keeping score of what others have and you don’t.

Asaph was keeping score. And he thought he was losing out!

Psalm 73:3-5 NIV For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴ They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. ⁵ They are free from common human; they are not plagued by human ills.

B. Poor Me!

Not only did Asaph envy the wicked, but he was self-righteous and consumed with self-pity.

Psalm 73:12-13 NIV This is what the wicked are like — always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. ¹³ Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; and have washed my hands in innocence.

Asaph begins to feel that his righteous lifestyle was pointless.

This is where Asaph almost slips into sin! His sin was believing his sufferings were unfair punishments from God.

He is basically saying, “I’ve done everything I am supposed to do. I’ve done everything right, even enduring hardships – for nothing! I’ve done everything right and yet I am still suffering.

Psalm 73:14-15 NIV All day long I have been afflicted; and every morning brings new punishments. ¹⁵ If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.

Asaph’s suffering brought him to the brink of a deadly sin: accusing God of being unfaithful or unconcerned!

When calamity falls on us, when trials come our way or when we are grieving, we must guard our hearts from slipping into unbelief.

According to our human thinking, life should be like this:

If we give everything to God, we should have a clear path to glory, with no obstacles to slow us down or block our way. No trials, no suffering.

Yet the truth is… when you look at trials and suffering through human eyes, they never make sense.

4. Trust God is Good.

What are we to do when our dreams are crushed and die right in front of us? We are to trust God is good.

When it seems those who are evil and wicked have more success and prosperity that we do. Trust God is Good.

A. What changed Asaph’s perspective?

Psalm 73:16-17 NIV When I tried to understand all this,

it troubled me deeply ¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

As Asaph thought about the Lord and all His goodness, he began to realize, “I’m not the one who is slipping, they are!”

To guard our hearts from slipping into the sin of unbelief, we must get alone with God!

James 4:8-10 NIV Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Exodus 33:3 NIV Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

Hebrews 10:22-25 NIV let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

B). The strength of our life.

Psalm 73:23-28 NIV Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

As Asaph waited before the Lord, he began to see the whole picture.

Yes you may be suffering. Yes you're strength may be failing. Yes you are enduring a great battle with many afflictions.

But you’re not alone in your struggles. You have a loving Father in heaven that watches over you.

When Asaph realizes that God is his refuge, he is able to rest. He had almost slipped, but he’d held on.

2 Timothy 1:8-14 NIV So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

¹³ What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Closing:

Now Asaph understands the “goodness” of God in a different way. He has a new definition for “good.”

In verse 1, “good” really meant the absence of pain, difficulty, trouble, sorrow, poor health, or poverty.

In verse 28, “good” means something far better than physical prosperity:

²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Nearness to God is our highest good. 

When God brings suffering and adversity into our lives, our confidence in His goodness should not be undermined. Instead, we should be reassured of His goodness to us.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate the fruit of Goodness in our lives, we will begin to see others as God sees them.

We will live to let His love live through us.

We will serve others and seek to lead them to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

We will live with the purpose of being available to meet the needs of others.

How? Through fellowship, hospitality, benevolence, encouragement, and most of all love.

Have you been testifying of God’s strength in your life? Or have you decided the devil has more power than the Spirit of God who lives in you?

We must get our eyes off of people and focus of the Lord. He is our strength. He is goodness.

He has reasons for everything He allows in your life. He may not always tell you the reason, but He promises to be the strength of your heart through it all.

Psalm 135:3 NIV Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

You Are Good - Bethel

Peeled 5 - Kindness

Week 5 of our Series Peeled.
This week Pastor Jason Mayo shares on the Fruit of Kindness.

Intro

a.     We are examining the Fruit of the Spirit and discovering characteristics of a life changed by Christ.

b.     Here’s what we know about fruit, fruit is never grown overnight, it must be cultivated.

c.     Picture your life like a piece of fruit. When you are peeled is the fruit sweet or sour?

d.     We are peeling back the layers of the Fruit of the Spirit.

e.     Many say “fruits,” however there are not 9 “fruits” of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit has 9 characteristics, 9 layers if you will.

f.      These Fruit taken together make up the character of Christ.

g.     Some people try to pick and choose their way through the Fruit of the Spirit. Many pray and ask God to “give” them the fruit of the Spirit. Gifts are given. Fruit is cultivated.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

h.     The Fruit of the Spirit is a description of the character qualities found in Christ.

We tell our kids to be kind!

i.      Do they even know what that means?

j.      Do we show them or tell them what it means?

k.     Do we know how to explain it in a way that our kids understand and that we remember as adults to always live with kindness?

What is Kindness?

l.       A kind deed: favor; the quality or state of being kind.

m.    Doing things for others 1. Because it’s the right thing, 2. Without expecting anything in return.

n.     Greek: chrēstotēs – involves sincere and active consideration for others. It includes not wanting to hurt anyone or cause anyone pain.

o.     Of the 17 times the word is used in the new testament, eight times it describes the character of God, whose kindness leads us to repentance, who out of His incomparable riches and kindness gave us salvation in Christ. Ephesians 1:7

p.    In English the word kind comes from the root word “kin” which originally meant to treat others as though they were kin.

q.     I think that really puts into perspective Matthew 22:39 where Jesus says the 2^nd greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

r.      It also puts into perspective:

Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

God’s Kindness

s.     Throughout the Bible God is described as having kindness.

Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.

Romans 2:4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

t.      We see that God is full of Kindness and his kindness is obviously intended to encourage, uplift and save us.

u.     He also wants us to have the same kindness towards others.

Christian.

v.     The word Christian means to be Christ Like.

w.   If this is the case, we know that Jesus, who is the Christ, is also God, so we are to be like God as well.

x.     If this is true, we also need to not only have, but show the same Kindness that God has shown to us.

Titus 3:3-5 3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

y.    An unkind person is hostile and punitive or indifferent.

z.     They reduce life to a set of rules and if you keep the rules everything will be just fine but if you don't obey the rules I don't have to have mercy upon you.

aa.   Kindness does not reduce life to a set of rules.

bb.  Kindness shows compassion even to those who break the rules.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words!

cc.   When we say we are Christ like, we should also be doing our best to show His characteristics in our life.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

dd.  In Paul’s description of love, he gets 4 words into his description and tells us love is Kind.

ee.   In other words, love treats others as if they were kin.

ff.    When we love others, it should also be flooded with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

gg.   In every characteristic we should have from God, the Holy Spirit should always be cultivating the fruit of the spirit in our lives.

hh.  Each layer of the fruit of the spirit can be traced back to what I believe is one of the greatest character traits, His LOVE for us!

The Challenge.

ii.     When we claim to be and call ourselves Christians we cannot pick and choose which part of the fruit we want to have cultivated, we must allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate each part in our lives.

2 Timothy 2:24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

jj.     Sometimes, He is able to cultivate some parts easier than others because we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

kk.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate the Fruit of The Spirit in our lives, we begin to reflect Christ in more areas of our lives than we realize.

Philemon 1:7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

ll.     If we took out ‘your’ at the beginning of that scripture and put your name in, would the scripture remain true as we read it?

mm.                 As difficult as it is, we have to get to a point in our lives that each and every time we face anything, we must stop and think before we respond or react so that the Kindness the Holy Spirit is cultivating in our life is never dimmed or hidden and we always reflect the heart of God.

Proverbs 3:3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

2 Corinthians 6:6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.

 

Peeled 4 - Patience

Patience

We are examining the Fruit of the Spirit and discovering characteristics of a life changed by Christ.

Here’s what we know about fruit, fruit is never grown overnight, it must be cultivated.

Picture your life like a piece of fruit. When you are peeled is the fruit sweet or sour?

We are peeling back the layers of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Many say “fruits,” however there are not 9 “fruits” of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit has 9 characteristics, 9 layers if you will. One Fruit with 9 attributes.

These Fruit taken together make up the character of Christ.

Some people try to pick and choose their way through the Fruit of the Spirit. Many pray and ask God to “give” them the fruit of the Spirit. Gifts are given. Fruit is cultivated.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The Fruit of the Spirit is a description of the character qualities found in Christ.

So far we have examined Love, Joy and Peace.

This week let’s examine Patience.

1. Patience is the Character of God. 

What is patience?

·      More than something we need while driving!

·      More than the ability to tolerate frustrating people!

Think about this, when we belittle people, we are actually exposing our pride. We call others names because in our minds we are better than them, or more intelligent, or have more common sense.

But in reality Pride has caused us to consider ourselves better than someone else. So it’s not patience we need, it’s forgiveness for our Pride.

Webster’s: Patience is bearing pain or trials without complaint: showing self-control: calm: steadfast, persevering

Internet: Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

In the NT there are two words translated patience.

[Greek] Makrothumia (3115) mak-roth-oo-mee’-ah

longsuffering, patience

Longsuffering describes the character of God.

Exodus 34:5-6 NLT Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. ⁶ The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”

When we allow the Holy Spirit to produce patience (longsuffering) in our lives, we are developing the quality of self-restraint when we are provoked. The more we allow patience to be cultivated in our lives, the more we become like the character of God.

Romans 2:1-4 NLT You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. ² And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. ³ Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? ⁴ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

2 Peter 3:9 NLT The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Patience is who God is, it’s His character.

2. Patience cannot be developed without adversity.

[Greek] Hupomonē (5281) hoop-om-on-ay

endurance, constancy; - enduring, patience, patient, continuance

Vine’s – literally an abiding under – it is patience that grows only in trial.

James 1:2-5 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Perseverance is the Greek word Hupomonē, it’s the ability to abide under pressure.

As you study scripture’s about patience you begin to understand that patience is forbearance under suffering and endurance in the face of adversity.

Patience is the ability to keep on keeping on.

The ability to be consistent when times are good, when you are suffering, when you are being tested, when people are getting on your last nerve, no matter what outside circumstances you find yourself facing, you are constant. You are patient.

The Fruit of Patience is never grown overnight, it is cultivated.

Patience is often developed in our lives in the midst of difficulties.

Want to see if you are Patient? Notice how you respond in difficult times. Trials and tests help find a person. How you react under pressure is the real you.

As we go through trials and difficulties in life, we may not realize it but trusting in God during these times allows patience to be cultivated in our lives.

So many times we run when we face difficulties. Or we decide this church is not for us, or we become offended, bitter, jealous or even filled with hate.

What we fail to realize is that perhaps God allowed us to go through this difficulty to develop patience in our life. When we run away, or get upset, we miss a chance to build the character of God in our lives.

We grow in the tough times, not the easy times. If we run from the difficult times we will seriously hinder our growth.

The Fruit of Patience is never grown overnight, it is cultivated.

Patience is cultivated in our lives in the midst of difficulties.

3. The Reward of Patience.

The Chinese Bamboo Tree
In the Far East the Asian people plant a tree known as the Chinese Bamboo. During the first four years they water and fertilize the plant despite seeing little or no results. Then during the fifth year, they again water and fertilize the tree - and in five weeks' time the tree grows ninety feet! The obvious question to ask is: Did the Chinese bamboo tree grow ninety feet in five weeks, or did it grow ninety feet in five years? The answer is: It grew ninety feet in five years.

You see if at any time during those five years the people would have stopped watering and fertilizing the tree, it would have died. Many times our dreams and plans appear as if they are going nowhere, and we are tempted to give up and quit trying. But on the contrary, we must keep watering and fertilizing those dreams and plans God's placed inside us. Because we know that if we do not quit, if we show perseverance and endurance, we will also reap a harvest.

James 5:7-11 NIV Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Our motivation for patience is harvest time.

The Lord is coming to reap a harvest.

Romans 8:18-25 NLT Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Hebrews 10:36 NLT Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

James 1:12 NLT God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Revelation 2:7 NIV To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 NIV The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 2:17 NIV To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Revelation 2:26 NIV To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

Revelation 3:5 NIV The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Revelation 3:12 NIV The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.

Revelation 3:21 NIV To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 21:6-7 NIV He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

2 Peter 1:3-9 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

⁵ In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Illustration: Andrew Jackson

The story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then President of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?” “Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat—he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andrew Jackson would throw him and be the winner.”

Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed.’” We may face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Then, through the Holy Spirit’s power we can be the eventual victor over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s, so there is no excuse for us to stay “throwed”! 

adapted from Our Daily Bread

Galatians 6:9 NIV Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

James 5:7-11 MSG Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. ⁸ Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

⁹ Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.

¹⁰ Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. ¹¹ What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

The story of a Moth

There was once a young boy in the first grade that had to do an insect collection project. The young boy was very excited when he found his first moth, still in its cocoon. The young boy broke off the stick that the cocoon hung from, put it in a jar, and brought it to school. Day after day the little boy would stop to look at the cocoon time and time again throughout his day. But it was taking too many days, too much time for the moth to make its way out of the cocoon. The young boy had become so attached to this moth that it was very difficult for him to watch the moth struggle to make its way out of the cocoon.

Finally, the young boy could handle the pain no longer. So, one day at recess, while everyone else was out of the room, the young boy took some scissors and snipped a little bit of the cocoon to make it easier on the moth. Later that afternoon, the young boy became very excited because the moth had made quite a bit of progress getting out of the cocoon. Soon the moth would be free.

Again, the next day, while everyone was out at recess, the boy once more took a pair of scissors and snipped a piece of the cocoon off. After all, he was just trying to help the moth out. Not long after that, the moth was completely free of the cocoon. The boy waited in anticipation for the moth to begin to fly around the jar but the moth wasn’t flying. As the boy moved in for a closer look, he noticed that the moth looked funny. His wings were kind of wet, and he looked awkward. But the boy wasn’t too worried. He thought, “pretty soon that moth will get strong and begin to fly.” After all, his moth was the first one in the whole class to come out of its cocoon. The other kids didn’t know the secret this young boy did. If you snip the cocoon, your moth will be free sooner.

As the other kids opened their jars, their moths flew high into the sky with brightly colored, strong wings. But as the little boy opened his jar, his moth didn’t fly… it couldn’t. For you see, the struggle that the moth goes through to become free of the cocoon is the very thing that makes their wings strong enough for flight. And although it was very hard to watch this process, it was this struggle that made the moth strong.

Sometimes a loving heavenly Father looks down and says, “I see your pain and struggles.” And you say, “God why don’t you stop this? Get me out of this jar! It’s not fair!”

And sometimes it’s a loving heavenly Father who would give anything to snip the cocoon and get you out of the process. But you asked Him to make you like Jesus. To make you strong; to give you enough spiritual stamina to fly above stuff. And so, if He makes it easy for you every time, you will never learn that. Never.