Devotionals for the Heart: Blessed

Blessed
A devotional by Victoria Bylin

“Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.” –Psalm 84:4-7 (NIV)

Have you ever been in a spiritual valley—that place where God seems far away and the mountaintop experience is almost forgotten? I’m pretty sure the answer is “Yes!” In fact, I should probably ask how many valleys you’ve traveled through in your Christian walk, rather than “if.” Valleys are part of our journey as Christ-followers. 

My husband and I have been through more than a few valleys in our lifetime. They usually involved finances, careers, and big moves, but we’ve also grieved loved ones and wept for lost dreams.

More than any other verses in the Bible, the beauty of Psalm 84 brings me comfort. I can still hear the pastor at one of our first churches bellowing from the pulpit, “Blessed men go through the valley.” The key word there is through. A valley comes to an end, and that’s encouraging. But the other key word is blessed.

What does that word really mean? As Christians, we use that word al lot, usually in the context of something good, or an experience—the birth of a child, healing from an illness, even a bargain on a car or new pair of shoes. Those are nice things to have for sure, but the word “blessed” encompasses much more.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the Greek word makarios. The word “makarios” means to be happy or blissful, but it implies much more than an emotion or a reaction. Blessed is a state of being that’s complete unto itself. It’s not dependent on circumstances, good health, possessions, or anything. It’s a deep contentment that stays with us regardless of our circumstances.

Cancer is a valley. But blessed men and women go through it. We don’t stop being blessed when life gets hard, or even when we lose it and cry and grieve.

Regardless of what is happening externally, we can be at peace internally. Is that easy? No! I’m quite sure many a blessed man and woman has cried their eyes in a hospital room, over a job loss, or at a funeral. I know I have. But as a blessed people, we also have the deepest kind of peace—the knowledge that the Lord is with us in the valley.

This wonderful Psalm talks about making the valley “a place of springs.” Springs refresh us. They provide living water. It’s God’s presence in our lives that enables us to get through tough times. In no way is blessedness dependent on us! It’s a gift from God, and for that I am grateful—both for the valleys and the springs.

~*~
Author Bio:

Victoria Bylin is the author of 18 traditionally published romances. Known for tackling difficult subjects with great compassion, she delights in stories that shine the spotlight of God’s love on ordinary men and women facing realistic challenges.

Writing has always been a part of Victoria’s life. As a child, she wrote hundreds of letters and scribbled in journals. As an adult, she worked as a freelance journalist and editor before taking on the challenge of fiction.

She had one goal when she started her first novel: to finish a book-length manuscript, good or bad. That first effort will never see the light of day, but it led to a second manuscript and a sale to Harlequin Historical. Since then, she has written westerns and contemporary romances for both mainstream and Christian publishers, with Together With You winning the 2016 Inspirational Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary.

Writing is a joy and a challenge for Victoria, but faith, friends and family matter to her far more. She’s a wife, mom, proud grandmother, and a dog-mom to a wacky Jack Russell Terrier. Originally from California, she and her husband currently make their home in Lexington, Kentucky. When she’s not writing, Victoria enjoys long walks, travel, and dark chocolate.

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Connect with Victoria:
Website: https://www.victoriabylin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Bylin.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaBylin
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/victoria-bylin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/568102.Victoria_Bylin

Devotionals for the Heart: Fruit

The Fruit of the Spirit
A devotional by Susan Lindstrom

I’ve been working on a series of books for children about that amazing gift from the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit. The main character is a spunky little girl named Emmie Jane. She’s learning about living life with a loving Jesus through real-life situations. Her Sunday school class is studying the Fruit of the Spirit and each week they practice applying it to real life. Which she finds out, is not as easy as she thought it should be.

When she asks her daddy if he and mommy need help too, he tells her, “It doesn’t matter how old you are. It’s not always easy to act how God wants, but the Holy Spirit helps us, and that’s the best thing. We don’t have to do it on our own!”

Paul teaches us in the book of Galatians about the freedom we have with Christ and to embrace that freedom by living in the Spirit. He explains in Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT), “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

I found out the Greek word used here for is karpós. It’s in the singular so loosely translated, the single fruit of the Spirit is one unit, they all go together because that’s who the Holy Spirit is.

I can’t remember the last time I heard this from the pulpit! I’d love to hear it often and be encouraged to live out my life this way. So, I thought I would share a kid-friendly understanding of what I’ve learned while studying for this series.

The Fruit of the Spirit is a free gift with nine attributes we as Christians should strive to, with the Holy Spirit, work into our personalities. 

Here's a breakdown of this amazing fruit:

Joy

Knowing that true happiness comes from knowing and following Christ, not material things

Love
Unselfish devotion to God and others

Peace

That is inner peace, free from worrying about anything. Jesus gives us a peace that surpasses our understanding.

Patience

Treating others with thoughtfulness and tolerance.

Kindness

The golden rule! Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Self-control

We know we can overcome the temptations of this world because God is always with us.

Gentleness

Acting calmly and avoiding actions that lead others to anger or resentment

Faithfulness

Living out our commitment to the teachings of Jesus and the scriptures.

Goodness

Trying to honor God by avoiding sin and always trying to do what is right.

Wow, can we ever get this right in a lifetime? 

Ms. Jubilee, Emmie Jane’s Sunday school teacher, tells the class that God gives us free will and how the Holy Spirit helps us, but we can also choose how we act. We can choose to love others, regardless of how they treat us.

In fact, Jesus tells us in John 13:34-35 (NLT), “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 

Such an important and powerful message from our Savior. Whether it’s in our own homes or out in the world, what a way to witness His love to everyone on this earth. A six-year-old girl named Nikki spoke words about love that touched my heart. She said, “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.”

I know I’m going to be more conscious about using the Spiritual Fruit that lives inside me.

I hope you’ll join me.

~*~
Author Bio:

Susan Lindstrom is NOT an award-winning writer yet unless you count that ‘best story’ award in third grade but stay tuned to see what God has planned!

Writing has always been a passion but raising a family, running her sewing and design business, involvement in Women’s Ministry and teaching Sunday School kept her plenty busy.

Now a retired empty-nester, she trusts in God’s amazing timing and has jumped in to embrace this new adventure of writing.

Her first book, Emmie Jane and the Yellow Fuzz, is for children and is now available for purchase on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. It's the first in a series of real-life adventures focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit.

Susan grew up on both the East and West coasts and now calls the beautiful state of Wisconsin home. She is a wife, mom, and grandma to 10 children.

She enjoys a wide variety of music, loves live performance and believes that laughter is the best medicine.

When she is not indoors writing, reading or pretending to clean the house, she’s outdoors enjoying the beauty of God’s Creation.

Susan is a proud member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

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Connect with Susan:
Website - www.susanlindstrombooks.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/susanlindstrombooks/

Devotionals for the Heart: On Anger and Righteousness

Is Your Anger Useful?
A devotional by Ginger Solomon

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." 

~James 1:19-20 (ESV) 

I’m a verse-mapper. I love words and finding out their original meanings. When I did these verses, I found some things that I want to share with you. I know these are familiar verses. If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you’ve probably heard them. Bear with me for a moment.

Quick - in the Greek language, it means to do something without a time lapse.
Hear - listen; to pay attention to what is being said.

When my children were little, I used to tell them that obedience meant they needed to do what I said right away. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Here, we see that God is instructing us to be “quick to hear.” But what does that mean?

I think it means we must put away our thoughts, our responses, our phones, and LISTEN to what the person is saying, not only with their words but their tone and body language.

Imagine for a moment…

A little girl says, “I don’t want to go.”

It’s a simple statement. It could be taken many different ways. Without context, it is impossible to know WHY the child doesn’t want to go.

If then she stomps her foot and crosses her arms, then we know she’s angry.

If her lip trembles and tears appear, she could be sad.

If she withdraws within herself and barely whispers the words, she might be scared.

Without paying attention, without LISTENING, the hearer would miss important clues. Sometimes it matters why she doesn’t want to go. A LOT.

Let’s move on… I think I’ve made my point.

Slow - deliberate, unhurried — moving forward after considering the facts
Anger - comes from a position of being steadfastly opposed to someone; not a sudden outburst.

“Slow to speak” is self-explanatory. We need to consider what has been said, what has happened BEFORE we open our mouths to spout our opinions. We have to engage our brains in the process.

“Slow to anger” — this one caught me a little off guard. I’ve always considered anger to be something that spouts forth quickly like a geyser. But this word doesn’t mean that. It’s like the trickle of water that wears away the rocks and dirt to become a raging river. It grows over time. Not in hours or days, but in weeks, months, or years.

Produce - work, accomplish a trade/job; acquire by trade
Righteousness - justice; approved of God; what is deemed right by the Lord

“The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (vs. 20, ESV) Ouch!

God doesn’t need our anger, righteous or otherwise.

This anger is the same word as above. It’s not explosive. It’s built up. Even justified.

I’ve been there. I’ve been angry enough to know that if the person on the other end of my wrath had been in the room, or even within driving distance, I might have taken matters into my own hands. I would have done harm to the person. And yet, Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (ESV)

God doesn’t want or need our anger. It doesn’t produce the results He’s aiming for. Not in us, and not in the other person’s life. As hard as it is, God wants us to forgive and let Him deal with it. In one day. Before the sun goes down. But maybe you’re like me and it requires doing it over and over again, day after day, until one day it happens. I’ve forgiven the person, and the anger is gone.

Until we let God take care of it, nothing positive will happen, not underneath the surface, anyway. Not in the heart. And God is ALWAYS more concerned with a person’s heart than He is with their outward actions.

I pray your heart and actions align with the will of God today and every day. May you see everyone through His eyes of love.

Blessings,

Ginger

~*~

Author bio: 

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). 

She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre, and if she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, books are on her mind. 

She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.