March 21st Daily Discussion

Tami-

I can identify with Paul's illustration, for I am a widow. My husband died in 2003 at the age of 51. From that time on I was free to do whatever I desired with my time and service. My thoughts no longer started with, "Will this please Steve, will he like the way this looks, taste or smell, will this bring him honor or dishonor, how can I serve him today?"

I have remained a widow on purpose. I am free to serve God 100% of the time. I have physical limitations, though within those limitations I can choose what to do with that time and energy. So how do I bear fruit in the freedom that Christ has given to me since being freed from the task master, (the law). My thought now is, "Will this please God?" It always was the same thought during Steve's life, but my first service to God then was to serve my husband He had given to me. Now it gives me more time to serve others as a sacrificial gift to God. I guess the fruit shows in how often I avoid being selfserving.

I like to use Gal 5:22-26 as a gauge for myself. When I walk in that way I don't have to count my fruit to see how I am bearing it. I will automatically bear fruit. When I love others sacrificially as a service to God, I bear fruit. What does that look like? If I'm being inconvenienced while waiting at a check out line, I can choose to smile and be pleasant to those around me rather than glaring at the clerk and the one she is carrying on a conversation with because they are catching up on each other's lives. When someone calls me in the middle of a feverishly busy day, I can choose to stop what I'm doing when they ask, "Do you have a minute?" and I know they are asking if I have an hour. I can then serve them by saying, "Sure, no problem, how can I help you." I can choose to believe that all those inconveniences are God's divine appointment for my life at that moment in time and bear the fruit of love, peace and joy for Him, while gaining the precious fruit of longsuffering, endurance, mercy and kindness for myself that I might be a better servant to Him somewhere down the road.

Good evening,
When I first received Jesus, a little over 16 years ago. in which My wife had just left and taken our three children just two days prior. She Filed for Divorce. My life was devastated. Think God for the seeds that had been sown by my sister and others. I turned to Christ as a child turns to their mother for comfort. And I never looked Back. I went to three churches most weeks and Three small groups each week. I Began Tithing and Really Reading the bible for the first time. I did not know how to pray at all until many months later. As I soon learned to put Jesus first and made him the most import person in my life, things started falling into place, and within one year after me, my wife received Jesus as Lord. As I have mentioned before, its now been 33 Years. Right now we are approaching a time when we have known our Lord Jesus as long as we didn’t know him during our marriage. He is Amazing. We praise his holy name.
Just a little note showing how God works. The Same day which was yesterday we went through our March 20 Daily Discussion, which we studied Romans 6:14- 23 , Later I was also clicked on one of my Home church’s I-Pod messages. It had been weeks since I had done this and not sure which one would help me the most right now, but chose one called Freedom in Jesus Part 2. I was so surprised. Our pastor was teaching on the same verses. Wow! This helped me to know how important this message was to me and why I spent so much time listening and studying them yesterday. I needed this and God new it. Ever since I Asked Jesus to be My Lord at the age of 40, He has continued to amaze me.
The Fruit of the Spirit as Gloria mentioned from Gal 5, has been growing in me now for 16 years, I believe it grows because I feed it. By Staying hooked up to the Vine I am receiving the nutrition that comes from it. Knowing where I was in regard to bearing Fruit for God before receiving Christ. And where I am now enables me to measure the growth of each fruit. Some has grown faster that others, but all have grown, in which I am eternally grateful. When I’m in the presence of the Lord I will receive what he has for me. If I turn and not pay attention to Him or his ways I will only receive what “ I “ get. Not experiencing what The Lord has for us. While living in this world and not being of it is only possible thru Jesus in Us. Balancing our life in the work place, and in my very large family, of which most are not going to church yet. I know they are seeing the fruit in us. Only by the Fruit of the Spirit of God in my Wife and myself are we able to do and go through the things that we have been going through, especially over the last 18 months. I was able to watch my wife grow from one small rose bud on a prickly rose bush, into a wonderful full blooming Rose Bush with multi colors, and not prickly any more. Jesus repaired our Marriage on a strong foundation. He is that foundation. The New Way of the Spirit is for us, growing and working in us, and we don’t want the old way, or any shape or form of it. Praise Be To God! and Good Night.