Category: Spiritual Maturity

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Transformed and Refined

God’s Refining Fire

In early February, before COVID-19 became the hot topic, our southern pastor started a sermon series on James titled “Keeping It Real”. I wrote down a quote that he used as we studied the first few verses of James 1. Pastor Matt said, “Don’t let the trial define you; let it refine you.”

The World on High Alert

Little did he know at the time that, collectively, the world would soon be facing a trial too big to wrap our minds around. I can’t think of anyone who is immune from this trial. There are the grieving loved ones of the victims, those still fighting, those trying to stop the spread of the virus, and those putting their lives at risk to care for the previous two groups of people. You may even find yourself in more than one of those groups. Then there’s the economic impact of shutting down schools and businesses and staying home to flatten the curve. Again, is there anyone who has been spared this trial? Certainly, the impact of this global pandemic is felt at varying degrees, but it is felt by all in one way, shape or form.

Transformed

I have told more than one person in my circle of influence that I believe we will come out on the other side of this transformed. That is my prayer anyhow! Did you know that God is in the transformation business?

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

That’s transformation at its best! It’s an instantaneous change that results from a decision to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives.

Our Purpose in a Nutshell

It took me far too long to figure out my purpose in life. I believe I told you somewhere along the way that I am a slow learner. I’m here to bring God glory. Guess what? That’s why you’re here too! I can just hear Pastor Dave saying, “It’s simple, but it ain’t easy!” How I carry that out varies on a daily basis, but I can tell you that it involves obedience. My level of success in glorifying God also varies on a daily basis. Sometimes I flat out crash and burn. Did I mention it involves obedience??

The Refining Process

We’re all a work in progress. My goal is to look more like Jesus today than I did yesterday. But, I certainly can’t do that on my own! If, and when, we accept Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s like having a personal guidance counselor living inside us 24/7.

“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Ephesians 4:23-24 NLT

I liken this to being refined. Transformation is more of a sudden, dramatic change. To refine is to improve something by making small changes. Guess what? God is in the refining business too!

The Israelites can vouch for that. They were God’s chosen people, yet they repeatedly turned against God. They would cry out to Him; God would deliver them; the Israelites would praise Him; and then eventually they would turn their backs on Him. Rinse. Repeat. Through it all, though, God said there still remained a righteous remnant that held firm in their trust and continued to follow Him. He would not turn His back on them. This is the group that is referred to in the following passage:

“I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Zechariah 13:9 NLT

Trouble Comes With Purpose

God often uses our difficult circumstances to refine us and make us look more like Jesus. No circumstance is wasted.

“My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. And you must allow this strength to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.”

James 1:2-4 NIRV

I don’t know about you, but I don’t find myself jumping for joy when trouble finds me. James isn’t suggesting that we do. What should warm our hearts, though, is knowing that He will use it for good. God looks at our difficulties as an opportunity to mold and shape us into His image. May we all come out on the other side of our trials looking more like Jesus!

“Don’t let the trial define you; let it refine you.”

-Pastor Matt Hill, Bell Shoals Baptist Church-Apollo Beach Campus

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Made for Community

One definition of community is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. Did you know you were made for community? God never intended for us to go it alone. Otherwise, I suppose He could have stopped with Adam.

Pros and Cons

I am an introvert, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need people. I just need them in smaller quantities and fewer doses! I cherish my alone time. And I cherish my family and friends too. That has only been reinforced over the course of the last 6 weeks or so here in Florida. It’s been the best of times and the worst of times…all at once! We have connected with very few people here, and because we haven’t had any company yet, it has been lonely at times in 2020. I miss my people! But on a brighter note, this quiet time has afforded me a chance to do some things that I struggle to find time to do at home. If your inbox has had a steadier stream of email from The Ultimate Gift lately, it’s because writing has been one of those things!

The Family Expands

If, and when, we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, God adopts us into His family. We are His children. And that makes us part of a community of believers, aka the body of Christ. Your family just got WAY bigger!

“so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”

Romans 12:5 NLT

A Branch of the Family

On a smaller scale, we can have greater access to the community of believers through a local church. Living a Christian life is anything but easy. It’s important for each of us to have support and encouragement along the way on our faith journey. Connecting to a local church can be an invaluable resource as we seek to become more like Jesus. Paul had this to say in his letter to the Romans:

“When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

Romans 1:12 NLT

Loosely Connected

Larger churches generally have more programs to offer, but it is also easier to slip through the cracks in such a church. The church we’ve been attending here in FL reminds us quite a bit of our home church. We are well connected at home, but not so much here. And it’s our own fault! We walk in at the beginning of the Sunday morning service and head straight for the door at the end. In our second winter here, we still haven’t met the pastor! Yet, we love attending this church. We smile and say hello to many, but that’s about the extent of our relational involvement.

Downsizing

The following is an unpaid advertisement for small group ministry! So as not to have anyone in the family slip through the cracks, many churches offer an opportunity to connect to other believers on a deeper level through small groups. These groups are generally made up of 8-12 people. We study, we fellowship, we eat, we do life together…on a regular basis!

I was invited to join a small group at my home church shortly after we became members. (Membership is not a prerequisite) Being the introvert that I am, I didn’t say a word during our study time for the first 18 months. When I finally took that step of faith, God used it in a mighty way. I ended up co-leading the group a few short months later and my spiritual growth took off. I have continued to lead various small groups intermittently ever since and feel certain that I get more from those in my small group than they get from me.

The Bottom Line

The point of this post is that God created us for community with Him and with fellow believers. If you are trying to go it alone, I can’t stress enough how important it is to find a church home. Once you take that step, then you may have to take another by joining a small group. That will lead to an even deeper sense of community.

 “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

I will close with a math lesson to summarize the preceding verse:

2 > 1 and 3 > 2

We are GREATER together than we can ever be alone!

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Positive or Negative?

When I teach my students about signed numbers, we generally have a discussion about real-life situations in which we would encounter a positive or negative number. Because my students are not as familiar with negative numbers, I place the emphasis on those. When we brainstorm this topic, my students almost always come up with temperature and bank accounts as examples of where we may encounter negative numbers in real life.

Is a Negative Always Bad?

If the temperature dips below zero, we represent it with a negative number. Since I’m not fond of being cold, it also indicates that it is time for me to go to Florida!! Another negative scenario would be having an overdrawn bank account. That too, would be represented with a negative number. It would also prompt notification from the bank in the form of an overdraft charge. Generally speaking, situations where we use negative numbers have a negative connotation. But there are exceptions. Usually, I have to give a hint before anyone comes up with one though. When I give “sports” as a clue, eventually someone in the class comes up with golf. I can’t imagine there are many golfers who would be disappointed with a negative score!

Backwards Thinking

This anomaly is not limited to math. God is delighted by some words that typically have a negative connotation. The converse is also true—God is grieved by some words that we view in a positive light. The Holy Spirit brought two such words to my attention recently, one of each type. The words—independent and surrender.

Is a Positive Always Good?

When you think of the word independent, don’t you think of it as a good thing? As a parent, my goal was to raise my kids to be able to stand on their own two feet. In other words, I wanted them to grow up and become independent adults. I believe most parents would consider that to be a good goal. And it is! BUT, an exception should be included in the parenting handbook. We were never intended to live independently from God. Jesus longs for us to acknowledge our deep need for Him.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NLT

We are totally dependent on Him. But it sure is hard to admit that!

Could Giving Up Be a Good Thing?

Independence has a positive connotation from a worldview, but not with God. The opposite is true of the second word, surrender. What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear that word? When someone surrenders, I think they quit, or gave up. It seems to be one for the loss column, right? Who wants to be known as a loser or quitter? Not me! Yet, surrendering to God and acknowledging His sovereignty would be the wisest of choices. Surrender is generally looked at negatively in our world, but, for our own benefit, that is exactly what God calls us to do.

“Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you.”

Job 22:21 NLT

Though the word isn’t identical, submit is a synonym for surrender. Just ponder the benefits for doing so from the preceding verse.

As you can see, dependence and surrender are closely related and something God desires for us when it comes to our relationship with Him. The desires of our flesh resist though, don’t they? I know I have a bit of “control freak” in me and I have no desire to depend on or surrender to someone else. But God is not just anybody else. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God of the universe. There is no other, none like Him. He is the name above all names.

Maybe it’s time to wave the white flag and allow Him to run the show!

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All About the Word

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Earlier this semester I was teaching my students how to solve and graph the solution of compound inequalities and found myself repeatedly saying, “It’s all about the word.” I’ll spare you the math lesson and just tell you that a compound inequality is two simple inequalities joined by the word and or the word or. That word happens to have a huge impact on the solution set.

As I was teaching this lesson and heard myself repeating that same sentence over and over, I heard His still small voice whisper, “That’s right, Polly, it IS all about the word—MY word.” Just as AND or OR has a dramatic effect on the solution set of a compound inequality, God’s word has that same potential in our lives.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”                                                                                                        

Hebrews 4:12 NLT

When we get into God’s word, His word gets into us. It is potent enough to stir our souls and bring about change in our lives. Through His word, we can learn who we are as well as who and what we are not as it cuts to the very core of our being. As His word works in us, we’ll be faced with decisions:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”  

James 1:22-25 NIV

Have you noticed that doing the right thing is often also the hard thing? We can simply listen to God’s word or we can act on what we hear and apply it to our lives. The latter requires far greater effort, but the payout is worth it. The result of applying His word to our lives—we look more like Jesus! Isn’t that the goal?

I’m suddenly reminded of something else I’ve been known to say to my students regarding their effort—you get out of it what you put into it. Ugh…looks like I’d better take my own advice!