Count Your Blessings

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

It was a difficult morning.  I woke up late and rushed to the office only to learn my first appointment decided to cancel.  Good news is that it gave me time to write reports.  Bad news is that’s when we discovered we are out of office supplies.

Later we had a physician come in who felt I needed to hear every gory OB-GYN story he knew.  He said think about what you see in ears and multiply that by a hundred and that’s what I see every day.  I guess he wasn’t having a very good day either. 

When our lunch break finally arrived I bought a glass of lemonade and sat with the sun on my face.  I spent a few minutes with the Lord to quiet my mind and my soul.  Yes, it had been a difficult morning, but I decided that wasn’t reason enough to be frustrated.  I decided to count my blessings instead:

1. I love my family and they love me.

2. I have amazing friends who are never more than a phone call away.

3. I have a comfortable home with a yard to enjoy.

4. I have a car that gets me where I need to go (even if the AC is out right now!)

5. I have a business that I own that provides for my needs.

6. I have a church that I cherish.

7. I get to do ministry with some amazing women.

8. I have a God that knows my name.

I came back to the office after thanking God for my day.  I was feeling better about life.  Time with the Lord always does that for me.  Then my first afternoon patient came in for help.  We did the test and as we were ending she said “Thank you for being my doctor.”  She then reached across the table grabbed both my hands and began to pray for me!  She thanked the Lord that I was here to help her and for His Spirit that shown through me.  She asked Him to sustain me.

 I smiled because He just did.

Do we live under the law?

I'm reading a book called 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law by Thomas Schreiner.  The purpose is to learn how Old Testament law affects New Testament Christians.  It began as you would expect with definitions and descriptions.  Then something caught my attention.  The author said, "It's hard to conceive of Paul saying that the law in conjunction with the Spirit frees people from sin (Romans 8:2), since elsewhere Paul emphasizes that those that are 'under law' are under sin."  This specifically addressed the issue that led to reading the book so I thought I should read the Scripture.  This is what it says,

             " Therefore, there is now no condemnation  for those who are in Christ
              Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives
              life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was 
              powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending
              his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.  And so he
             condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the
             law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but            
             according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4

Let me paraphrase the last line.  We do not live by the things our flesh wants us to do, but instead according to the things the Holy Spirit leads us to do!  Now, go back one more line.  The law is powerless to help us do that ... did you get that? Powerless because of our weak flesh!  We would never be able to keep the law and God knew it so He sent Jesus and then the Holy Spirit. 

I am involved in a Bible study that is looking at the role the Holy Spirit plays in our relationship with God.  Here are some of the questions we will discuss this week:

     1. In what ways do we hold each other in bondage to our own convictions?

     2. How has God used multiple means to confirm what He was saying to you?

     3. What did Paul mean when he advised us to be careful how we enjoy liberty in Chirst?
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                       (Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer)

If we are no longer under the law, and it is sin to do so, does that change the way you would answer these questions? 

Did You Miss Me?

I didn’t make it to church this morning.  Once I decided to not go I could have just rolled over in bed and gone back to sleep, but I didn’t.   I immediately sent three text messages.  Why?  I knew I would be missed.

When you think about the people in your small group or Sunday School class would they contact you if they knew they were going to be absent?  Would they know they would be missed? 

Here are some suggestions on how you can build groups that care for each other:

Talk to Others: Everyone has a need to be noticed. 

Smile: A smile can turn around a bad day for someone else.

Use Names: It shows you cared enough to remember.

Care About Others: Empathy means involvement!

Priase Others: Reinforce good behaviors.

Encourage Others: Use your words to build up others.

Respect Others:  Try to see situations from the other person’s perspective.

Touch Someone: You may be the only physical human contact some people get each week.

Servant Leadership: What counts most is who we are in Christ and what we do for others!

What other things would you suggest?