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Worthy Of The Calling

1/30/2019

Nothing challenges my living worthy of my calling more than motherhood, with wife being a close second. I have a wide age range of children from 2 to 18, and each stage comes with its own challenges, but those teenagers can really test a mother’s character! Why do the people who we love the most sometimes bring out the worst in us?

Ephesians 4:1-3 The Voice (VOICE)
4 As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you: Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you. 2 Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. 3 Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together.

The answer is in the question. We love them the most. We care about their opinions, their choices, and their overall well-being. We are comfortable with them and they see all of our vulnerability. They see our flaws. This gives them ammunition when there is disagreement.

I love the Voice translation of Ephesians 4. It says tolerate one another with an atmosphere thick with love. God knew that people would get on our nerves. He knew that the enemy would use people and their attitudes/circumstances to test our own character. He knew that sometimes we wouldn’t want to be around them, but we have to choose love.

I have fallen short so many times. My oldest daughter is much like me when I was her age (scary). I would love for her to learn from my mistakes, but I can’t make her understand what I’ve learned. Some things can only be learned through hands on experience.

Sometimes I lose my temper with my son during homework time because he turns 10 minutes of homework into 3 hours of torture (why is he punishing me). He can easily do the work; he just doesn’t want to. I must choose love by being patient as I seek God for creative help.

When my toddler throws a tantrum, I must be gentle. When I think that I am right in dealing with my husband, I must choose to love with humility. I could go on, but I think my point is made.

My greatest desire in life is to please God and fulfill my calling. I can only do this by living out His Word. I’m not perfect, but praise God that I’m not condemned either.

Romans 8:1-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
Free from Indwelling Sin
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The key is realizing our flaws and surrendering them to Jesus. Our freedom from guilt was paid for by the blood of Jesus, but it is our jobs to be purposeful in trying to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. When we realize that we are off (the Holy Spirit always lets us know), then repent and do better.
Choosing love in all things…… This should be easy, I’d like to say it’s always my first response, but unfortunately I must choose. Love is a fruit of the spirit that was given to us as a gift. God cannot make us use it, but we will be known by how we use it.

This is why it is important to be slow to speak. We have to listen, without making our anger become sin. We have to choose our words wisely so that we may respond in love.

James 1:19-20 New King James Version (NKJV)
Qualities Needed in Trials
19 [a]So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

God is love. Love is our greatest commandment. Love is what will draw others to Christ. Love is what heals. Love is what saved us. Tolerate each other in love. Be purposeful in choosing words of love. Use patience, humility, and gentleness. This is what walking in the worthiness of your calling looks like. Love………

Father, thank You for graciously extending us a calling in You. We know that love is at the center of it all. Forgive us for not always choosing love in a way that glorifies You. Make us aware when we fall short so that we can repent and get it right. Help us tolerate each other in love even when we don’t feel like it. Let us keep peace and act in humility, gentleness, and patience. We want to choose love and walk in it in everything that we do. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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Minimalism For My Soul

1/28/2019

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Just like most of the Mammas that I know, I’m in in a purging season in my home. The Mommy group that I am in (MOPS), had a minimalist come in as a guest speaker to encourage us to declutter our homes and gain organization to our hectic lifestyles.

I love to purge because it makes me feel good to have everything in its spot, but the process is grueling. Before you can get rid of things, you have to dig it all out, evaluate it, decide if you need it, and either organize it, toss it, or give it away. It always looks terrible before it gets better. You end up with a big giant pile of stuff and it can sometimes be overwhelming. Most expert minimalists will tell you to do one drawer or room at a time.

As I go through my stuff, I can’t help evaluate what the condition of my spiritual house looks like. How cluttered is my soul at this point in my life? So as I purge, I also pray.

God wants our souls to be that of a minimalist. He wants our minds decluttered and our hearts purged from hurt. He wants us cleansed of toxic emotions and for us to freely give away the testimonies of what He has done. He wants us to throw away the lies from the enemy and only keep the truth of His Word. He wants us to organize it and keep order so that our minds can be focused and set on Him.
This can be even more overwhelming than dealing with our natural clutter. If we try to take on all the hurt and baggage at once, we could get stuck. Just as with our natural clutter, we should also tackle our spiritual clutter one thing at a time. As we dig out the stuff that we don’t need, it can get very ugly. But as we let God tell us what to do with it, we will begin to feel the weights lifted and our souls refreshed.

Matthew 11:29-30 (NKJV)
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

God wants us to give Him our burdens. We weren’t meant to carry all of the problems of this world. As we give our burdens to Him our souls can rest and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Matthew 23:25-26 (KJV)
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

We can only cover up our mess for so long before it starts showing on the outside. Jesus told the Pharisees that if they cleanse the inside, then the outside will be made clean as well. They were holding onto excess clutter. They were holding on to things that Jesus came to free them from. Their insides were toxic, but they put on the mask of self-righteous goodness.

The good news is that we don’t have to keep pretending. All we have to do is bring our concerns to Jesus. Every hurt and trauma can be purged one compartment at a time. Every mistake is forgiven through Him and every wrong is made right by Him. He is all sufficient and carries the answer for all things. Let the Father declutter your soul. Become a minimalist where it matters the most.

Father, we thank You that You Take our burdens and cleanse our souls. Forgive us for pretending to be okay and collecting clutter in our souls. Show us how to cleanse our insides one compartment at a time. We give you our hurt and trauma. We break the yoke of bondage that has held us captive and take on your yoke that is easy and your burden that is light. Thank you for being all sufficient. Purge us from the inside out. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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Almost Ripe

1/23/2019

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My children come home from school hungry, like they haven’t eaten all day. They have multiple snacks to choose from, but love when I have fresh fruit available. I bought some pears upon requests, but they weren’t quite ripe yet. They had been sitting on the counter for a couple of days and the children became impatient. I didn’t think they were ready, but I gave in to the pouty faces and sad eyes and let them have what they were begging for. My son ate his quickly without complaint, it was gone before I even saw him bite it. One of my daughters ate hers struggling to bite into it because her front teeth are wiggly and about to come out. She didn’t say a word because she knew that I warned her that I didn’t think they were ready and didn’t want to waste food. My other daughter took a bite and left it. She is strong willed. Although she was the one who persisted the most, she abandoned the fruit quickly once it didn’t taste like she knew it should.

God began to speak to me. He told me not to try to eat the fruit of my promise before it’s ready. Although I see it and know it’s for me, if I go before it’s time, I will be disappointed.

Some of us eat whatever is placed before us because we are so hungry and don’t care if it is fully mature.

Some of us realize that we have responded too quickly, but don’t say anything because we are prideful, don’t want to disappoint or waste what we have started.
Some of us will know immediately that we have made a mistake and abandon the entire promise.

Patience is a fruit of the spirit that we have to choose to use. Waiting on God’s timing can be gut wrenching, but allows Him to mature the promise into a tree of life that will bear fruit in every season.

Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV)
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

When we trust God’s process, He will fulfill His promise and it will always taste good! He promises that our trust will never end in lack.

Psalm 34:8 (NKJV)
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

I encourage you, as you begin to see the fruit of your labor begin to produce, wait patiently on the Lord. Pray for His timing and maturity to be revealed that you may know when your harvest is ripe and ready. God is the one who gives increase and we want Him to multiply our fruit to the largest capacity. Don’t settle for what seems good on the outside, but is still hard and bitter on the inside. Don’t abort the promise because you couldn’t wait any longer. Don’t take in an immature crop because you want to please man.

Continue doing the good that He has set before you and your harvest will be ready soon! Your promise is almost ripe!

Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Father, we thank You that you are Lord of the harvest. Thank You for every promise that is a tree of life producing fruit that will remain. Forgive us for being impatient and going ahead of Your time. We want to taste Your goodness. Show us how to wait and continue to push forward without giving up. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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God Is Not Coming For A Divorced Bride!

1/14/2019

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I heard the Lord say, “I hate divorce.” As it is written, I know this verse all too well. Divorce causes violence to our souls.

Malachi 2:16 (MSG)
16 “I hate divorce,” says the God of Israel. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage.” So watch yourselves. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t cheat.

When we marry, we become one flesh. Not joined with a perforation, but melted together without seam. Divorce causes a tear that must be violently ripped to be separated. There is not a clean cut, but a jagged edge that can only be truly healed by Jesus.

As I thought about my own divorce and the damaged it caused to myself and my children, it made me think about how I hate divorce too. But, this was not what God wanted me to think about. I have been healed and delivered from my past and there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus!

As my spirit began to stir, I started seeking God for what He was truly trying to tell me. I started to think about the body of Christ and the Kingdom of God. In a natural marriage, divorce usually takes place after sin has been committed, or simply because there is lack of the fruit of the spirit, which is the character of Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We are the bride of Christ. God is not coming for a divorced bride! Unfortunately, we separate ourselves from Christ in our sin. He is coming for a bride without spot or wrinkle.

The bride has suffered violence by separation. The body of Christ is dismembered. We have sinned in our anger and have not treated one another in love.
I began to think about the violence that the bride is suffering. The pain, the deception, the lack of Christ’s character. As I prayed, I heard this scripture.

Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

This has often been a warfare scripture for me. It would make me feel radical and cause a righteous indignation to rise up in me as I pray. This time it was different. The Lord gave me fresh revelation.

The kingdom is inside of us (Luke 17:20-21). The enemy of our souls is after the kingdom. This is why it is so important to walk out our salvation and guard our deliverance. If the devil can bother us enough to act outside of Christ’s character (fruit of the spirit) and sin in our anger, then he can do violence to the kingdom which is on the inside of us.

God has given us His weapon of choice.

LOVE!

Matthew 5:43-44 (NKJV)
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 [a]But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

I realize that none of us are perfect, but we need to be quick to repent and intentional about the way we treat others. The bride is separated. We are dismembered and competing against one another. We gossip and backbite. We act puffed up and think more highly of ourselves than we should. We should be building each other up, encouraging one another on our individual journeys and helping each other in ways that we can. How can we go out into a lost world to be salt and light when we can’t even treat our own body with love?
Forgive us Lord!!!!!

Love conquers all. The kingdom and the bride can only flourish and advance if we choose to use love. Love will heal the separation. Love will fill every void. Love will bring the body back together. Love will violently take back the kingdom!!!!!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [b]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Lord forgive us for acting like a divorced bride. Forgive us for not using the fruit of the spirit that You have given us. Help us guard our deliverance and the kingdom inside of us from the violence of sin. We take the kingdom by force with Your love. Show us how to walk in Your love in everything that we do. Make us a spotless bride. Help us be salt and light and draw the multitudes to You by Your loving-kindness. We are one flesh, we in You and You in us. We receive You as our Bridegroom and glorify You as our King. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!

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HEAVEN'S GARDEN

Worthy Of The Calling

Minimalism For My Soul

Almost Ripe

God Is Not Coming For A Divorced Bride!

Bonnie Kay Rimpson

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