A Fruitful Win

“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;”  Ephesians 4:2

The last couple weeks, I’ve found myself asking God to help me with some particular things. This verse, and a few others have been rolling around in my head quite regularly. 

Our world is filled with hatred, anger, vengeance and just some of the ugliest, most awful parts of humanity. I’m sure it’s been there since the beginning of time. As early as Genesis, we can find people placing blame on others, trying to repay evil with evil, and becoming angered enough to snuff out another’s life needlessly. 

We don’t have to be taught to get angry, to spout off at the mouth or mistreat someone. It comes kind of naturally. This is why we so desperately need a Redeemer to forgive us, why we need God’s Spirit to combat evil and produce the proper fruit within us — and why we need a Savior to save us from ourselves.  

Without the Lord, we’re all naturally ugly. We want what our way, in our time, for our benefit. It’s quite sobering if we stop and think about it. 

So, I’ve been asking God to help me individually in these areas of lowliness, meekness, long suffering and forbearing. It’s a mouthful...and takes a change of heart and attitude. I know It will only come from a closeness with God, complete surrender, and me staying where I belong...hidden in God. 

It’s really easy to look at others and behold their weaknesses and flaws without considering our own. It’s really quite effortless to place expectations on others concerning how we want to be and should be treated, respected and considered. After all, we’re complete pros at the “me” concept.  

But, God challenges us to lift others up, not ourselves. He calls us to consider others better than ourselves, to love our neighbor as much as we do ourselves.  Yeah, God’s value scale often seems a little backwards to us, doesn’t it? It all works together though. 

Everyone wins when we do others first. Everyone wins when we extend grace and mercy to those who irritate or bring us hurt. Everyone wins when we shrink down and lift others up. 

I’m not talking about being a doormat, allowing ourselves to be abused, or consistently mistreated. We need to set boundaries and practice a healthy amount of self-care. 

Healthy Christians are constantly growing and bearing good fruit. 

Healthy things grow! They’re not unsusceptible to making mistakes, having a bad attitude or day, having to regroup, ask forgiveness, or cleaning the mud off their face on occasion. Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean we aren’t human with a sin nature. What it does mean is simply that we keep trying to emulate our Creator, to keep dying out daily to flesh and keep trying to remain in Him. That looks a little different for us all but with the same goal in sight. 

 I want to be a winner. I want you to be a winner too! WE CAN BE, TOGETHER!!!

I’m praying to have a more humble, peaceable spirit. I don’t want to be puffed up and feel entitled to more than I feel I receive. I want to be willing to allow you a mess-up or two...or ten. I want to extend grace and mercy, after all, I know how much I’m in need of the same. I don’t want to prick your heart or hurt your feelings purposefully because I know what it feels like too. I don’t want to hold your opinions, upbringing, type of personality or temperament against you because it doesn’t match mine.  There’s room for all of us ! We can agree to disagree yet still walk together toward Heaven. In this way, we can all be winners. 

When we win, our neighbor wins. We we and our neighbors win, we can win a world. When we win, our neighbor wins, and we win our world...we put in a win for our God. 

He made us in His image, we CAN be different from the world around us and stand out. We can be a light in the darkness. We can be kind in a world which is cruel and harsh. We can, we can, we can. 

So, if you see me out and about, I’m going to be trying to emulate my Father. I can’t promise you I’m going to get it right every time, but I’m striving to surrender my wants and desires to the Lord and allow Him to change me and yield much good fruit within me, for His glory. It will only be by the love of God flowing freely through me and His careful pruning. 

Our world could be so much better, don’t you agree? We need to be better for each other, for the lost, warped, evil world around us. And for God. 

Lord, let our fruit be sweet and enjoyable for all. There is enough bitterness in the world. Let us bring you joy and glory. 

Let’s make it a win, win, win. Dare to change the trend!