The Fruit of The Spirit - Get Ready To Grow!

Read: Galatians 5:22-23

If you follow God and take Him at His Word, You will see that He always provides a better way. 

He always has something better in store. This doesn’t mean it’s always going to be easy but it does mean it will be better for you. 

In the case of the Fruit of the Spirit these are examples of the good fruits He wants us to bear and He equips us to bear in place of the bad fruit He speaks about Galatians. 

Let me ask you, have you smelled bad fruit? It’s not a pleasant smell is it? Well, much like bearing bad fruit I want you to remember the stench of the bad or rotten fruit you’ve smelled before? 

Depending on type of fruit, it may smell sickly sweet when it starts to go bad but if you ate it…it wouldn’t be pleasant. Or, worse yet, have you taken a bite of an apple or other fruit that looks good but when you take that bite…you find it’s not so good? 

Again, not so pleasant. 

Conversely, think of your favorite type of fruit (like a peach or maybe a mango, etc.,) for a moment that you enjoy and you take a bite and it tastes amazing! 

Now consider the contrast between the good and bad fruit we bear.  One is pleasing to God and can be pleasing to others and ourselves because we’re operating God’s way while the other isn't pleasant to anyone as we're not operating God's way. 

Please Join Me In Praying for The USA!

Love and God changing the dark hearts of mankind is the key. I saw this image today and with all that the US is facing, I wanted to share it and ask you to join me in praying!

So many deaths. :-( My heart is aching for the USA and specifically those directly impacted by the lives taken and those injured.

It saddens me that racism still exists and specifically it seems several deaths are the result of this. It also saddens me that several police officers have died this week...all the deaths for nothing. Enough already! 

I can't help but think that death for death doesn't make anything better in these cases an the problem in our country goes far deeper than the news outlets, politicians and others spin. 

God please move on the hearts of the people in our nation. Bring us wisdom, reconciliation, justice and somehow - peace. Help us to love others as You first loved us. Help us to be a part of the solution and not part of the problem! 

To my friends and family, no matter the craziness that is taking place in our country...please know that without a doubt, I care about you and you're loved by me. Life is too short and you and I may never have the opportunity to tell one another how much we care...so...this is my notice to you! My heart aches with you! Please join me in prayer and working to be a part of the solution not the problem. 

Love in Christ Always,

rlk

#praywithoutceasing #prayer #knowyourworth #hope #ashepherdsheart

What Does Society Really Want When They Cry Out For Tolerance?

There used to be a time when tolerance essentially meant that we'd all appreciate each others differences and treat one another with respect despite our differences. It seems that those days are long gone. 

Some might argue that this isn't the case or that this is a simplified definitions but you can look no further than social media, TV to see that there isn't much in the way of appreciation rather, you see the opposite of it. 

So, what does society really want when they cry out for tolerance? 

We Call It Good Friday...Because it was for Our Good!

Read: Matthew 26:36-28:15, Mark 14:32-16:14, Luke 22:39-24:53, and John 18-21:14.

It was the darkest day of all time. The day Jesus Christ the Savior was crucified. Humanly speaking, there was nothing good about that day. Everything went south in a hurry! The Gospels recount for us the physical and verbal abuse that was inflicted on Jesus and that He bore on our behalf. The shouts of, “crucify Him, crucify Him,” The blows to His body by the whips and rods, The suffering of carrying the cross on the road to Golgotha. The nails driven into his wrists and feet, the anguish as He hung on the cross with a sign above Him mockingly stating who He was, yet with no crime committed, He was crucified.

The vinegar given to Him to drink instead of water when He was thirsty, Then His last words and last breathe- it was finished. Simply unfathomable what He endured! Yet, because of the Father's divine plan of redemption, Jesus, long before He would come to earth in the humble form of man, God chose to send Him as the payment for our sins and the way of salvation. The scriptures also state in the prophetic books of the Old Testament that the Father was pleased to crush Him. This was because He loves us so much He wanted to do everything possible for us to see the folly of our ways and that Jesus is, and came as - the Savior. Jesus is the only plan of Salvation for us from the heart of God. There is no other way we can earn or work our way to heaven. Because of sin we aren’t worthy of God’s forgiveness. Through Jesus Christ we are worthy- only because of His death on the cross.

A Prayer for When We Battle Anxiety - Monday, March 14, 2016

Read: Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6

Heavenly Father, I pray for those who are battling or suffering from anxiety...or may in the future.

When we face these times, please help us to...

 ...abide in Your Word so we know and are growing in Your truth. 

...insert Your truth where any anxious thought comes to mind. 

...not worry about the basic provision, food, clothing, shelter, etc as You have all these things covered. 

...remember that You even provide for the birds so again, You will provide for us.

...remember that You even clothe flowers in the field....You will provide all the more for us because You love us!

...remember that we can't add even a day to our lives...only You can!

...not worry about anything and instead put our hope, trust, confidence and faith you.

...not worry about anything but instead, pray.

...remember our battle is also often a spiritual one.

…remember that our battle is not ours alone because you battle with us and go before us!

...armor up...pray on Your full armor to fight the spiritual battle. 

...be grateful for what we have so we don't feed ungratefulness for what we don't which in turn can cause anxiety. 

...be thankful in all things. 

...to have joy even amidst sadness.

...seek You immediately when people hurt us and cause us to become anxious. 

...not dwell on things that we know will cause us to withdraw, become anxious, sad, lonely or experience further pain. 

...be thankful for Your grace and love.

...be there for others who are having anxiety issues....helping encourage them and also point them to You!

In the midst of fear, please give us Your peace. 

When we feel alone, please surround us with your presence helping us to remember we're never alone because You're with us always. 

Please give us an extra portion of Your strength during these times.

Please help us make it through each day with Your Holy Spirit's help. 

Thank You for the gift of prayer. 

In Jesus name I praise you and thank you, Amen! 

-rlk

P.S. Share this with someone today:

"Being anxious doesn't do anything for you but having faith in God, abiding in His Word and constant prayer does!" 

A Prayer For When We Feel Or Are Hated by Others - Monday, February 29, 2016

Heavenly Father,
When the world hates us for Your name sake, help us to not grow weary as You experienced all this and much worse than this and more.

Help us to to seek to be peacemakers and trust in You as much as possible in such times as... 

When lies and accusations fly... 
When people in and out of the body of Christ misjudge or make false assumptions of us... When people block us on social media etc with no explanation... 
When people ignore us...
When people mistreat us... 
When people reject us... 
When people don't love us... 
When people don't recognize our abilities, skills and talents...
When people are harsh with us... 
When people propagate false information or reports about us... 
When people don't seek first understand us... 

Help us to remember that You've experienced much worse and You are righteous, loving, kind and just.

Help us guard our hearts and minds.

Help us to understand that You know our hearts and minds and You know the truth about each situation and circumstance.

You will set the record and path straight in Your time as You are a righteous King.

Help us to to proclaim Your good news no matter what we face.

Help us to be ready to give the reason for our faith and joy in Christ at all times.

Help us cling to and trust in You always.

Help us to help others do the same.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.


rlk


#Prayer #nohate #love #justice #ashepherdsheart #hate
#bible #righteous #heart #mind #soul #strength #earth #peace #love #joy #patience #kindess #goodness #selfcontrol #righteousness #purpose #peacemaker #prayerwarrior

Gender Equality and Fifty Shades of...Oh My!

Gender equality, a topic and cause that is widely thought about, discussed and debated.

There is a big push for this and in an age where gender equality is fought for in the USA for many various reason and hoped end results as well as globally there seems to be conflicting thoughts and actions on this.

Equality should be fought for and especially in countries where women and children are treated like they are property... which is disgusting that anyone is treated like this!

Through what I share here, I’m not not jumping on any band wagon, rather, I've been processing thoughts about this for a while and I’m attempting to articulate them here...

"Love Wins" Whose love wins?

"Love wins" is an interesting thought. Whose love wins? Mankind or God's Love? Which matters most? 

I'm reminder that we are to love one another because in the church we don't do a great job doing that and it's more PC to love those outside of the church as it would seem.

I've tried to stay out of the ugliness that has been brought to the surface regarding the recent decision on marriage in the US. I am breaking my silence in order to share this brief article that speaks to the church very directly and in a balanced way: "5 Things Jesus Would Say to the Gay Community" http://www.faithit.com/5-things-jesus-would-say-to-the-gay-community/ 

Please read & pray over what is shared. 

We're called to love our neighbors as ourselves. This doesn't mean we have to agree with everything / everyone as some would espouse including this specific decision. It does mean that we aren't to hate but again are to love our neighbors. That's part of the love, the Love of God that "Wins" as He is the author of love so we ought to seek His Word & Counsel on all these things instead of being PC because we don't want to speak the truth in Love!?

The article is worth a quick read no matter what "side" of the issue you land on. 

Also, Read John 3:16 & Romans 6:23.

Let's all pray for the true love, the love of The Lord to wins...nothing more or less as again, He is the Author of true love & He laid His life down so that we might believe in faith, repent & receive His salvation! Romans 10:9-10. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen!

Happy 20th Anniversary My Love!

I've heard it said that "Love does not consist of merely gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."

20 years ago today my love and I began a journey of looking forward together in the same direction.

So far, we've seen many good times and times of trials and it's amazing to look back and see all that we've been through & that God has brought us through!

All of these things have made us stronger and we've been blessed many times over together as well as through the 5 children God has blessed us with!

It goes without saying that I married UP! :-)

I married a strong, independent, intelligent lady who is beautiful inside and out. She has a great sense of humor (for those have taken time to get to know her know this) is very feisty in her own way and she’s continued to blossom even more in the 22 years I've been blessed to know her!

In 20 years of marriage she has helped me be a better man, husband, dad and friend and I look forward to continuing to look forward together in the adventure and journey that still lies ahead.

Happy Anniversary Angela my love!

Some thoughts on the passing of Fred Phelps...

When you hear the name, Fred Phelps, I'm sure you and I may cringe - we cringe because it brings to mind the hate he and his cult followers spewed toward pretty much anyone and everyone under the sun as part of the "Westboro Baptist Church".  

Now, as the news of his passing spreads - some may be rejoicing or in turn be spreading hateful or mocking words? Or some may simply not care as he's not an athlete or celebrity or someone you know? Honestly, I have mixed feelings about his passing. Why? Because as much as I couldn't stomach his vehement hate and false gospel and message, it saddens me that he was obviously such a mixed up tormented and lost soul who was not only misguiding himself and living in opposition to Jesus' teachings, Fred was also leading multiple people astray along with him...even little children. This is sad! It grieves me a lot to think of this.

The life he "lived" was very sad if you think about it. How could someone choose to live this way?...and how could someone choose to take the truth of God's Word and twist it so badly and do so much to completely smear the name of Jesus Christ...the one Fred Phelps says he followed... To say the least, his life and the legacy he lived and left behind is one I believe of dishonor. In addition...you and I know that most likely one of his family will follow in his twisted footsteps and continue the hate train all over the place including the web. I pray that somehow this stops!

Personally I think his death shouldn't be a time of rejoicing rather, it should be sobering to all of us in that someone could have the capacity to go so far down the road of hate and die that way...let's not not fall into this same trap. Also, we have to realized that it's OK if we disagree on things as long as we communicate and behave in love instead of hate and cause further strife for everyone around us.  Speak the truth in love. This world is a dark enough place by itself sometimes and we don't need to add to it with hate and false teaching and a lack of of love! Honestly I pity what he was and what lies ahead for him in the next life.

Let us be people of honor and integrity! Let's seek to be honorable in everything you do. Let's not return evil for evil. Let's not be remotely like the Westboro people. Let's live and leave a legacy that we, our family, our friends can be proud of and honors them! Most of all lets live and leave a legacy that points to God and may we ultimately please Him regarding how we live - may be seek to please and honor Him above anything and anyone else. Even if you read this and have don't have and trust in God, from my heart to yours may you #1 seek to understand Who He is and the free gift He as for you and #2 may you also seek to live a honorable life in everything you do!

God is a loving and righteous God and may we all understand that we're all accountable for the life we live...and I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be Fred Phelps as he stands before God to account for what He did do and didn't do and how lived his life...and how he led people astray...very sobering indeed.

Speaking of accountability, we're also accountable day to day for our behavior, at work, at home and everywhere we are...let's do the right things and live honorably no matter where we are!

Instead of "hating them back"...which would be ridiculous...let's instead pray for those misguided Phelps followers that they'd see the truth and that they'd repent of the error or their ways. Let's somehow reach out to them to show them true love instead of hate. May they truly be set free from the bondage they've chosen to be under after following Fred Phelps for many years! May they find true freedom as these chains are broken by a God who truly loves them completely and wants them to experience His love and forgiveness.  

Let's not forget to pray for each other daily that we'd be living rightly and doing the right things at the right time and for the right reasons. Let's pray that we won't be making life miserable for others by our actions either.

There's more I could share as I process this and many other things of late but hopefully we all have something more to chew on in our thoughts and in evaluation of how we're presently living to consider going forward. Hopefully something I've shared from my heart here provides some take-a-ways for all of us. :-)

All the best,

rlk

P.S. Here's an article that I thought shared some good thoughts on his passing as well:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/fred-phelps-preached-hate-but-his-death-is-no-reason-to-celebrate/2014/03/20/0fd06408-b050-11e3-95e8-39bef8e9a48b_story.html

Ten Ways To Love!

Let me ask you, do you ever struggle with loving others around you? 

Well, if you're like me, there are some days where it's really a struggle! 

God's Word is filled with wisdom for you and I to learn and where we can grow by putting it into practice! 

So, here are ten ways from The Word that will help you and I love better! No matter what, let's seek to love!

Blessings,

rlk

Walking In Love

Hello,

Wanted to share my recent message on Walking in Love from 1 John 4:7-12 and 1 John 5:1-5 that I had the privilege of giving at the Forest Grove Campus of Sonrise Church.

I'm sharing this with the prayer that if you have the chance to listen sometime that it ministers to you in some way because you are Loved by the Father and you are called to also in turn walk obediently in love!

You can go to this link and it should be as of today, the first message you'll see as part of the 1 John series. www.isonrise.com/forestgrove.

Or you can listen to it via the embedded player below in the post or scroll down to the right of this blog and you'll see the sermon player there.

 


Blessings, rlk

God Loves You!

Happy Valentine's Day!

May you never forget how much He loves you!

Besides 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4:7-21 has a lot to say about God's Love for you and how you and I should love one another.

Read the below scripture and may you have a blessed Valentine's taking time to lift up prayers of Love and Thanksgiving to the ONE who loved you first and gave the ultimate gift for you as well as those here on earth who love you!

In Christ,

rlk

1 John 4:7-21

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

⁸The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

⁹By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

¹²No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

¹³By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

¹⁴We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

¹⁶We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

¹⁷By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

¹⁹We love, because He first loved us.

²⁰If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

²¹And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

A Football Game Gives Hope - Faith in Action

Here’s a story that I learned about recently regarding an act of amazing sportsmanship:

In order to properly hear the audio you'll want to scroll down on the left side of this blog to the area that says Tunes and click pause. You'll then be able to come back to this post and click play to enjoy the audio/video.





I share this because it has an obvious tie-in to faith and how we should love those God has placed around us, even those who may seem “unlovable” to others. Faith in Action!

Peace in Him,

rlk

Happy Valentine's Day!

“For God so loved the world that He gave is One and Only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not parish but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16

Hello,

Happy Valentine’s Day!

On this day dedicated to love, I wanted to pause for a moment to remember why we love in the first place.

We love because God first loved us and laid down his life for us!

On this theme, I’m sharing a passage from 1 John 4:7 – 1 John 5:5 regarding love (the other “Love” passage besides Corinthians) as well as some history and a narrative of “St. Valentine”. There are varying stories or opinions on who Valentine was but I thought that none-the-less I’d post a somewhat historical synopsis as well as a narrative as if Valentine was sharing his story himself. I say “somewhat historical” because I don’t really know if everything is factual or not however, it’s still good to have some understanding of where the “holiday” started.

I hope you have a great weekend and that you send a “Love Note” to God – a prayer of thanksgiving and devotion for His great love for you.

I also hope you’re surrounded by those who you love you!

Please see the below.

In His Strong Love,
rlk

1 John 4:7 – 1 John 5:5

1JN 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1JN 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1JN 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1JN 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Valentine's Day History

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800's and now the date is very commercialised. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

Celestin Musekura's Story

The below brief video tells the story of Dr. Celestin Musekura , and his ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation in Africa as he endured much loss as part of the Rwandan Genocide.

I've had the privilege of hearing Dr. Musekura speak at my home church and have been blessed, encouraged and challenged by what he shared.

We have much to learn from his journey and his love and forgiveness and we should seek to do the same day-to-day.

Although it's brief, (and a promo for a seminary) I believe it still gives us a lot to think about.

I'd like to encourage and challenge you to do a study on forgiveness in the scriptures and then work hard, with the Holy Spirit's help to learn how to forgive others.

If your reading this and you're not a Christian I'm sure you realize that love and forgiveness is a powerful and needful thing! I hope that you also glean from this message and if you don't know the Lord that you seek His ultimate love and forgiveness as well - today!

In order to hear this message clearly, you'll want to scroll down on the right side of this blog to where it says Tunes and press pause on the music that plays on this site.



Questions to Consider:
Ask yourself....
-Who do I need to forgive today?
-How can I practice love and forgiveness right now and day-to-day?
-What do I need to forgive myself for?

Blessings in Christ,

rlk