Jesus was LED

This morning I was trying to start my day slowly.  The first Scripture passage I read was in conjunction to a devotional about our identity.  Matthew 4:1, "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil..."  Here's what I heard through the Holy Spirit about this small bit of Scripture:

• "led by the Spirit"  The same Holy Spirit that intercedes for me and guides me through each day was present that day for Jesus.  This gives me a connection with the Almighty that I didn't realize that I had.  We are connected with the same Spirit.  That has an amazing comfort and security to it. The Holy Spirit was guiding and prompting Jesus, the Son of God, that day as He can with me every day.  
• "being led"  With these words, you can infer that Jesus followed willingly.  He went into a place He knew would be challenging....the wilderness.  Doesn't sound very friendly or fun.  Certainly not supportive by any means.  But yet....He chose to go, knowing full well what was coming.  And yet he still went.  I don't know if I would have gone "willingly", knowing that I was going to meet the devil himself.  Who in their right mind would CHOOSE that....willingly?  Yet He did.  He would only have the Spirit to guide him and support him. Did he feel alone?  Scared?  I wonder what He prayed as heard the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  
• The passage goes on to say that "He was hungry".  He had fasted for forty days and forty nights.  I know that  being hungry is a hard place to be physically.  It's challenging to focus, much less focus on doing any kind of tasks.  And He must have been VERY hungry after not eating for forty days and nights.  His body must have felt weak and his mind probably was only on his growling stomach. 
• The passage also speaks to the purpose of being led:  "to be tempted".  He was going there for a TEST.  I wonder why the Holy Spirit was leading Him to a place of testing.  Did He need to grow in some way inside of Himself?  Did God the Father need to see Him to pass this test before He would go through all the other tests that he would have in his ministry.... with the Pharisees or the disciples and their issues?  Was it to build his confidence? Or was it a place of preparation?   I can't imagine that Jesus would need any confidence building as He was already the Son of God. But He might have needed some experience to prepare him for the spiritual battles that lie ahead of Him.

  This passage was rich with insights.  God allows tests in our lives.  We even may be led by the Holy Spirit, not to harm us but to grow us up in Christ, to prepare us for a place of greater ministry and impact on the lives of other people. He wants us to use the Word of God as the "Sword" to fight and win the battle, no matter what the physical, emotional or mental challenge, just as Jesus did in this situation.  He repeatedly said, "It is written...."  

At the end of the test, Scripture says, "So the devil left Jesus and the angels came and took care of Him."   They probably brought him everything that He needed:  food, water, rest and I can hear the Father saying to him, "Good job Son!  I'm proud of you!"

Patience and kindness

1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

JP always mentions the importance of "firsts" or what is mentioned first in Scripture should be given special attention because it is first.  So...the question is.....why is patience and kindness given first place in the definition of love?

Patience is defined as:  the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Kindness is defined as: the quality of being friendly, generous or considerate OR
as in the Urban Dictionary....the act of going out of your way to be nice to 
someone or show a person you care.

Upon further research, I found that when looking for patience in other Scripture passages, the concept of perseverance and endurance were close companions. One then can make the connection that patience, is not about just the "capacity to accept or tolerate delay" but about perseverance....the enduring....extending over (sometimes) a LONG period of time....even through undesirable or unpleasant circumstances.

So...why is patience and kindness required first for love? More importantly, what does this tell us about our loving God?

Patience and kindness, in all honestly, flies in the face of pride.  We want to be heard.  We want our own way, NOW.  We do not want to wait.    We do not understand why we have to wait and we do NOT see why waiting or being nice to someone will help at all.  Least of all, how it will help US!!  This is contradictory to the way all of us are wired organically.

 Love....putting patience and kindness first.... requires putting the other persons' needs and wants before our own. Persevering and enduring through time, even though we don't get what we want. This asks that we believe that loving....giving up controlling the circumstances....for the good of another, is what REAL love is about.  Actively giving up our pride and trusting that there is good where we are. Widening our view beyond ourselves to graciously include others and look at them first. 

Lastly, if this is what God has required of us when it comes to love, I know that means that's WHO He is and how He will love us...with patience and kindness.  Now that gives hope....God persevering and enduring my mess ups...not giving up on me....looking at my needs first and giving unending grace.  Now that's hope. 

Thank you LORD for being a GOD of love....having patience and kindness being number one!

Writing

Okay, so I haven't been at the computer to word process one word of my emotions in over three months.  There's so much of life that happens in a span of one day, much more in the large span of months, but where does one find the time for all that needs to be done.  How do you prioritize when EVERYTHING seems to be important?  Vital?  Needs to be done?  And as a single Mom too...
I guess I ask myself if I like to write because it's a way to get out my thoughts on "paper" or if God has really given me a gift to express my struggles/emotions/experiences for the benefit of others.

So...it was something my eldest daughter said to me just yesterday when she quoted a piece of Scripture that goes something like this...."Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding  In all of your ways acknowledge him and He will direct your paths".    Prayer would probably be in order about this topic, now wouldn't it?

Led by the Spirit

So....the question still remains....is everything important? or is nothing important?  If you believe that there is a God that is in charge of all of what we experience on a daily basis, even the numbers of hairs on your head, then EVERYTHING is important.  If you don't believe in that Higher Power, that is intimately involved in everyday details, no matter how small or big, then nothing is important.

Furthermore, if God allows or causes the events to happen according to his His plan and have been written in His Book of Life from before you were born, then you have to hold on to the belief that even the delays, frustrations, challenges, and yes, even the pain that you experience, is all part of the plan for you,  personally, to grow and be changed by His Hand, His Leading and His GRACE.  It's the leading of His Spirit.  We never really recognize it as it happens, but rather, in retrospect.  Then, if we take time to reflect and really LOOK,  it is evident that there was a "Hand" at play to guide, encourage, prompt and be involved in the small as well as the big events of our lives.

Now...there is a battle every day for the minds and hearts of those that want to BE led.  It's the battlefield of the mind.  That's where it rages.  It strikes in the mudane moments of the day, as well as the highly emotional ones, where, if led, can get someone totally off track.  It's those wonderful things we call emotions.  The Enemy has a hay day with those and any other thought that he can send into our mind that makes us doubt in the love and grace of God.

Prayer:  Lord, as I walk through the day, let me hold on tightly to YOUR words, YOUR grace and YOUR leading.  Help me recognize when thoughts are not my own and emotions are raging to get me off track.  Help Jesus to not let go of your hand and give up.  I need your strength, your wisdom and your hand in my life, in all the small moments as well the big ones.  Thank you for your faithful LOVE, even though my efforts towards you are so minimal.  I am amazed by your grace.  Amen.

Rain

The closer that we get to the holidays/Christmas the less it feels as though I can really enjoy the moments unless I am intentional about stopping to look, listen and feel as the moments continue to spill into my consciousness.  I guess it's all about choices.  Isn't it always?

In the same breath, I can also say that sometimes God "makes" the choices for you by allowing people or events happen in the course of the day to shock you or get your attention...to make you realize that although sometimes you DESPERATELY want to be in charge of your life and have some say in how it goes, you really don't.  The only choice you do have is what kind of attitude or perspective you hold on to during any given day.  Your emotions don't even get a vote.  They are just feelings.  YOU have them....no one else does.  And while others can try to understand and do their best to listen, no one really does.

unanswered questions

I know that we all deal with questions that roll around in our limited mental spaces that don't have any answers for and probably never will.  You know the ones that I mean...  But then there are the questions that are left unanswered while you are waiting for them to be answered.  It's always about your timing versus the timing of the Almighty.  He sees the whole tapestry and you only see just one or two of the threads, not even knowing if they are threads at all.  And you need to keep going through the day to day tasks, accepting that the answers will come or they won't come and you just don't know.  Sometimes you have to live with not knowing, and work on learning to be accepting and/or comfortable with not knowing.
In any case...it's still "not knowing".  It's still waiting.....still struggling and nothing that you say, don't say, feel, don't feel, do or don't do seems to change the "not knowing".  It can be a helpless state of being.

Prayer:  Lord, I'm in the "not knowing" season of my life.  Your Word says that You are "All Knowing", Almighty, Omnipresence.  Cause me to lean on YOUR Spirit, Your knowing and help me to be dependent on Your Bigness and be aware of my smallness.  Cuz this is just hard.  Help Lord.

Grateful

When God sends an unexpected gift, it's usually one of overwhelming proportion.  Today was one of those days.  Two boxes arrived that were overflowing with love, blessings and memories.  Some of which had stayed hidden in the deep recesses of my mind.  I am grateful God doesn't forget anything and some other sweet folks don't either.

So...I'm here to state I'm very grateful on many levels and in SO many ways for the tall, dark and handsome man that is an integral part of my heart and mind.  He has blessed me and continues to bless me beyond measure.  I am hoping to spend the rest of my life showing him, NOT just telling him how honored and blessed I am to be the lady in his life.

I am grateful for God teaching me and showing me in immeasurable ways what true Godly love is like and that He is so very patient with my learning, especially when I am VERY slow and stubborn.   Thank you God for your faithfulness, your mercy and your constant presence and love.

Thank you, my tall, dark and handsome for being patient with me and loving me every day in the beautiful way that you do.  I am blessed beyond what words can express.  You are my soulmate.