My third and final introduction to a new series for 2024 is my first, "Fruit Of The Spirit" poem! There are nine fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-25 and so I'll be taking a look at "Love" first and some of the different forms it comes in.
To start us off, I thought a focus on "Agape Love" would be a great way to begin the year and introduce us to this series! I pray we can draw closer to the Lord as we go through this list over the year and find amazing ways to cultivate and share these beautiful fruits within our own lives!
Seeing as there are five Mondays in January, I decided to add an extra meditation within my, "When I Feel..." series and I'll do this throughout the year with five-week months.
Last week, we started the series with, "When I Feel...Overwhelmed." This week, we continue on with, "When I Feel...At Odds With God's Word." I pray these words can be helpful, edifying and point us to the wonderful, unchanging truth of Jesus.
My series called, “When I Feel…” is not written with the intention of pandering to every fragile whim or fickle emotion. Rather, my prayer for these verses and meditations is that they can help us keep a check on the condition of our heart when experiencing real and sometimes raw emotions. I hope they can inspire us to view everything through the lens of Scripture as we navigate the different challenges and seasons of life.
There are many difficult and varied situations to face over the years and quite often, our circumstances can lead us down a path of feeling certain emotions.
What’s imperative to remember however, is our feelings are not constant and they’re not reliable, only God is. Feelings don’t define the truth, God’s Word defines the truth. Our emotions are merely a response to what our mind perceives and it’s important that we keep a check on how we are processing and handling these emotions.
Our feelings can have a great deal of influence over how we choose to speak and behave within our daily lives. They can lead to habits and lifestyle choices so if we’re not keeping our heart in check and in line with God’s heart then we can find ourselves getting out of step with His Word.
Of course, it can be really challenging to choose to take every thought captive and bring each emotion under the authority of Jesus Christ. Spending time reading God’s Word will help us filter our feelings however, as everything is sieved through the unchanging truth of Scripture. Time spent with our Saviour and spent meditating on His Word will highlight any lies we may have fallen afoul to and keep us rooted in the truth.
As Christians, we needn’t be tossed to and fro by the turbulent seas of our emotions. We stand on the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ who is always attentive to our prayers and able to guide us with Divine wisdom and understanding.
Of course, there are some wonderful, peaceful and happy times in life which I’ve also included in this series. It’s important we invite God into each season of life and remember to include Him in the good times as well as the bad.
Ultimately, I pray this series helps us address and process different emotions in a biblical way while shining the light of God’s Word on each scenario. May these verses help to purify our perceptions and sync our heart with the heart of Jesus.
Happy New Year and welcome, 2024! The first series I'm going to share throughout this year is my series on The Ten Commandments. I pray these poetry verses and prayers can help us not only familiarise ourselves with a very important section of Scripture but also give us insights into how these commandments apply to us today.
The Ten Commandments could be described as a "God-based moral code" which God spoke to the Israelites first as they assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai. They were addressed to the ordinary Israelite and were spoken in simple, easily understandable terms as they sought to deal with the temptations of the average person.
The Ten Commandments were never given with the idea that a person can earn heaven by obeying them but rather, the Law, given by God directly and then through Moses, would highlight to humanity their need for a Saviour. We know that Jesus Himself was the only one to ever keep the Law perfectly and while some of the Law of Moses is specific to Israel, the Ten Commandments are universal.
Jesus spoke of these commandments during His ministry and highlighted the fact that while mankind would go on to have a new covenant with God through Him, The Ten Commandments would remain a wonderful gaurdrail for keeping humanity on a good moral path. Often organised into two groups, the first four focus on our conduct towards God while the next six address our conduct towards one another. They continue to impart wisdom and show us God's heart and desire for His people.
I pray this series can be helpful and edifying as we take a look at these key verses in Exodus 20. May we grow ever closer to our wonderful Saviour who has freed us from the Law's condemnation yet inspires us to live holy lives that glorify Him!
