walking in the Spirit – A Place to Meet

Psalm 90:12—So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. ESV

I confess I am a hoarder. It’s not possessions I can’t part with; it’s time. I never seem to have enough… A stack of sanding discs with an electric sander in a box near the back door reminds me the deck must be prepped for staining. There are notes for writing projects scattered throughout my office to be sorted and filed. The town yard sale is on August 1, and I must purge the garage of all the items that are no longer useful.

It’s summer as well, and I have not yet kayaked on the lake. There are only a few months suitable for outdoor activities in the mountains such as hiking, biking, and swimming. Soon fires will be built in the stove, and I will walk on a treadmill as the streets become icy. Summer will have slipped away.

Life is short, our days are numbered rather than innumerable. Therefore, time is to be guarded. This was my thought process until the Holy Spirit said “NO!” I was out walking early one morning when He spoke. “Stop hoarding, freely give of your time!” were the words I distinctly heard.

While the sanding, staining, filing, and purging will eventually be crossed off my to-do list, and I will get to the lake with my kayak once or twice, will I complete the to-do list God specifically designed for me?

Ephesians 2:10—For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

When opportunities to do the good works that He has prepared arise, I am to stop whatever I am doing and complete them.

Be Generous with Time

The word from the Holy Spirit was to take time, to make time for fellowship, for helping people, and ministering to others with Biblical counsel, encouragement, and prayer. For years I have been quoting Proverbs 16:9— “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” However, my focus has been on planning my way without much attention paid to the opportunities God is giving for detours and U-turns according to His will.

The unplanned good works are like that of the Good Samaritan who paused on his way to Jericho to attend to the needs of a man injured by bandits. He stopped what he was doing to bandage wounds and find a place for the man to rest and recover. The Samaritan demonstrated compassion and mercy (Luke 10:25-37). Note that the Samaritan allowed the LORD to establish his steps.

In His Word

Although I often think of the generosity mentioned in Scripture as giving money, it is much broader. In the book of Acts, we learn that the apostle Paul worked with his hands to provide for his needs and those who ministered with him. He says, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).’” He worked hard so he could help the weak. Why? Because it is more blessed to give than to receive. I will be blessed if I give of my time.

In the book of Ephesians Paul advises Christians to walk wisely, making the best use of the time by understanding the will of the Lord (Eph. 5:15-17). According to David Guzik, author of Enduring Word an online Bible commentary, Paul is not instructing us to make the most of time but of the time. This time is a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem and is the same word used in Galatians 6:10 when Paul writes, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Walking It Out

To rightly number my days, I carefully consider all that comes my way determining if it is of God or simply a distraction that will prevent me from finishing projects God has laid on my heart. For my plans are not necessarily of my own making but scripturally directed. They focus on fruitfulness as I create Sunday School lessons, pen Bible studies, essays, social media mini-blogs, and blog posts that provide godly direction. And they focus on stewardship as I care for things God has entrusted to me, such as my home, the clothes my family wears, and material goods God provided.

However, the portions of my day blocked out to complete certain tasks and carefully guarded is a secular method recommended for completing goals. Afterall, no one accomplishes a great feat without discipline whether oversight of a ministry, writing a book, earning a college degree, excelling in a profession, or managing a household. Success requires planning with action steps to make our goals a reality.

But if I refuse to be interrupted, I may miss an opportunity to generously give and perhaps receive more time than I know what to do with. I think of Luke 6:38—”Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

While we don’t give of time, or anything else, to gain favor from God we will be blessed by our behavior. To rightly number our days, we walk in God’s ways. And that includes watching for opportunities to do good, even when there just doesn’t seem to be enough time.

Photo by TheDesignLady87-Pixabay

Last night, while I was making enchiladas, God tested me. I realized what was happening about halfway through the prep.

The test was to determine if I was learning how to deal with frustration. I am easily exacerbated under pressure and instead of calmly thinking through issues I often explode. Most recently I started to rant when a field on a form for emailing a manuscript to a publication was flagged and I couldn’t figure out what was required to get it to close. A zoom meeting was about to start, and I would be late.

Yet I remained calm the evening of the enchilada prep, although there were many frustrations. When the big bottle of chili powder was nowhere to be found in the cupboard, I did not panic. Able to think clearly, I remembered where a small bottle might be kept and averted a seasoning catastrophe. One correct response.

Reaching for the jar of cumin I knocked a bag of peppercorns over. I discovered the top had not been sealed when the tiny round balls hit the counter like a hail downpour, then bounced onto the floor. Frustration stirred, my mind began to search for the person who did not close the bag to point a finger of blame, and then I paused. I would clean up the peppercorns when I finished the recipe. Although hesitant, another correct score.

I grabbed the can opener and hooked it on the can of olives. As I turned the knob it snapped flying across the room. Stunned, it took a minute before I grabbed a bottle/can opener magnetically stuck on the side of the refrigerator. I worked my way around the top of the can with the pointed, knife end until there was an opening large enough for the olives to drop through.

But I had forgotten about a second can needing to be opened, the enchilada sauce. I walked across the street and asked my neighbor to open the can. The final “test” was in separating the tortillas, which were stuck together and difficult to pull apart without creating large holes.

It does no good to study God’s Word if we cannot put it into practice. And it is the ability to practice it that reveals whether it is simply knowledge in our head or it has been transferred to our heart.

In John chapter six, Jesus asks Philip where they might buy bread to feed a large crowd (6:5). Jesus already knew He would feed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish but he asked the question to test Philip (6:6). Had Philip learned that Jesus will provide?

Tony Evans states in his Bible Commentary, “When God tests us, he grants us opportunity to apply spiritual truth to the challenging circumstances we face.”¹

I think of my frustration, which results in bursts of anger. Trials are to be expected. Also expected is a godly response. There is really no excuse for bad behavior.

Galatians 5:16-17

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [ESV]

Prior to this section of Scripture, the apostle Paul describes works of the flesh. One is “fits of anger.” Self-control is one of the attributes we possess when walking in the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is a package. In my situation, without self-control, I immediately eliminate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and gentleness. Even faithfulness, for I show no faith in a sovereign God but am angry because what I have ordained and orchestrated has not come to pass.

Yet if I look at the fruit of the Spirit during the enchilada assembly, I can see that self-control was present. As a result, the other attributes were present. Although the process seemed quite a fiasco, I passed the test.

Let’s Talk

1-Consider the past few weeks. What type of testing have you undergone and what was your test score?

2-Think of a time when you have been missing an attribute of the fruit of the Spirit. How did a struggle with one impact the other attributes?

Reference:

1-The Tony Evans Bible Commentary published by Holman Bible Publishers in Nashville, Tennessee.

A Place to Meet

Tag: walking in the Spirit

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