Fruit Of The Spirit- Joy

So far in this series, we've taken a closer look at some of the different kinds of Love mentioned or referenced within the Bible. From January to April we focused on Agape, Eros, Phileo and Storge. We now move on to the second thing mentioned in Galatians 5 which is Joy!

One commentary I was reading was saying that really, all the things listed after Love are just a further manifestation and by-product of it. Really, they all come under the banner of Love which is why it's "fruit" singular and not "fruits" plural. The "Fruit of the Spirit" is the same, singular work of God in every believer, manifesting itself in different ways.

To conclude May, we take a look at the fruit of Joy! How joyful it is to know the love of Christ and share that love with others! L x

When I Feel...I Let God Down

Two weeks ago we had a look at "When I Feel... Let Down By God." For our extra week in May, I thought it might be helpful to take a look at the reverse of that statement and go through the process of, "When I Feel...I Let God Down."

If you feel like you've disappointed God with your words or actions, please know you're not alone. It's inevitable that we'll all feel like we've failed our Saviour or not represented Him well at some point in our walk with Him. Thankfully, nothing takes Him by surprise and He knew what He was getting when He called us by name into His family. Our Saviour is gracious and patient.

I pray these verses and points for reflection can encourage us today to draw close to His Throne and grow spiritually through these circumstances. God bless you, love Lucy x

When I Feel...Let Down By God

Last month, I shared a poem called, "When I Feel....Let Down By Others" from my, "When I Feel..." series. This month, I thought I would tackle the difficult emotion, "When I Feel...Let Down By God."

This can be a challenging feeling to admit to or address. The comforting thing to consider is, nothing surprises God and He already knows if we're struggling in this way. He understands our struggles and is able to help us process these tricky thoughts and feelings.

If we feel let down by God today, I pray these verses can bring reassurance and guidance in our situation as we bring everything before His Throne of grace. May we choose, in this troubling time to not let these circumstances drive us away from the One who can help us but rather run into His arms of compassion.

Made For A Purpose

At the beginning of 2024, I was approached by a lovely man called Michael Andrews who is the Senior Music Minister of All Souls Church in central London. He wanted to speak to me in regards to the Prom Praise event he would be leading and conducting later that year in May.

I had worked with Michael on a couple of productions in the past and he heard me share one of my poems at a Christmas concert in 2023 so asked if he could commission me to write a poem for Prom Praise. I was over the moon to receive this request as each year, Prom Praise is performed at the prestigious and world-famous venue called the Royal Albert Hall so I instantly knew this was quite the honour!

That particular year would mark the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell’s Olympic gold medal win for the 400 meter sprint in Paris. Liddell, who was a Scottish athlete and steadfast Christian, made a huge impact on those around him and the story of his unwavering faith was brought to the silver screen in 1981 with the Oscar-winning film, “Chariots Of Fire.” Michael went on to explain to me that the theme for Prom Praise 2024 would be centred on Liddell’s admirable Christian morals and how he used his God-given gifts to honour his Saviour throughout his life.

I was given a brief outline of Michael’s vision for what he wanted the poem to capture and a time limit of a minute and a half to say it in. Talk about a challenge! I started off by praying to the Author of all things for inspiration, before going on to watch the film to get some ideas. I was soon blown away by the beautifully written script and felt that the dialogue was poetry in itself. The superb performance from Ian Charleson, who played Liddell in the film, was completely breathtaking and I could see why he won an award for his portrayal of this role.

Within a couple of hours of watching “Chariots Of Fire” I had written my poem, “Made For A Purpose” and thank the Lord, Michael loved it! My husband Jan and I had the privilege of watching Prom Praise, live from our box seats that evening in May and it will certainly be a night I remember for the rest of my life.

I hope and pray that these words can help Liddell’s inspiring outlook on life continue to live on and motivate each of us to use our unique gifts to bring pleasure to our awesome Saviour. Praises to the One who made each of us for a purpose!