Lois's Writing

      ~~Keys To Spiritual Maturity ~~

Spiritual growth is not a sprint but a lifelong journey.  By examining the condition of your soul, you can accurately determine where you are on the path and make changes to enchance your development.  There are two key areas in which you can measure your progress.

FIRST, evaluate your time spent in Bible study.  Growing believers have a true desire to study the Scriptures.  Christians committed to developing a stronger walk place a high priority on digging into God's Word.  Turn off the TV, and tune in to how you can apply the Bible's wonderful truths.

SECONDLY, how sensitive are you to your own sinfulness?  In the past, you may have been unwilling to forgive or slow to deal with anger.  The mature believer is quick to respond to the Holy Spirit's prompting about confronting sin.

For true and significant growth to occur, you must be honest about the area that need improvement.  In this way, you'll become more Christlike in character and develop into the person God created you to be.

L.J.

1 PETER 5:1-7

To humble ourselves, we must first be willing to detect pride in our hearts.  But recognizing it isn't the same as geting rid of it.  Here are several common ares of pride and solutions for dealing with them.

POSSESSIONS--Start giving things away.  We can begin by honoring God with our tithe.  He promises that our nine-tenth will go farther then ten-tenth.  The next step is to give to someone in need who can give nothing in return.  But don't parade your generosity around; keep it as secret as you can. (Matthew 6:1-4)

POSITION--Acknowlede that whatever you have accomplished, God has done it for you ( Isaiah 26:12). Then ask Him to show you an area of service that has no rank or credit.  Knowing that the Lord values every kind of service we shouldn't hesitate to request a pace that is lower than were accustomed to.  Our position in this world matters only to the extent that we use it to glorify God.  (James 1:9-11).

PRIVILEGE--Realize that many things you may take pride in come through privilege.  None of us is truly "self-made"; no matter how hard you've worked, others have made sacrifices to allow you the opportunities and freedoms you enjoy.  Remember, it is actually God's grace that has blessed you with whatever knowledge you may credit yourself for having.

No matter what kind of pride we deal with, we must take the focus off ourselves, turning it first to God and then to others.  When we are  willing to confront our pride actively, God will replace it with a spirit of humility that fits who we are in Christ.

L.J.

LUKE 6:27-28

As stories make their way out of the persecuted church, we hear about Christians who respond to jail time, beatings, and harassment with unimaginable grace and dignity.  These saints have learned to apply Christ's "love your enemies" command, even in the harshest of circumstance.

We many never face a beating for our faith, but we will run across people who hate and mistreat us. The easy and natural response is to dislike them in return, but harboring ill will choke our witness with biterness.  Instead, Jesus instructs us to love our adversary and to treat him well.  The Greek work is agape--unconditional love--which is not soft feeling based on the attractive nature or apperance of the other person.  Agape forms through an act of our will.  When we choose to love, our emotions  follow the decision of our mind.

A right response to an enemy will prove beneficial to him.  God has redemptive plan in mind for his life, and we have an opportunity to help show him the way to the Lord.  A bitter or angry response will serve only to feed our advedrsary's desire to cause harm.

The natural urge to return one wrong for another can be subdued only thrugh prayer, the most powerful weapon in our arsenal.  Instead of begging the Father to defeat our enemy, we can ask Him for the opportunity to express genuine Christlike love in the face of opposition  That's the kind of prayer God is delightened to answer.  And when we are privileged to meet the need of one who despises us, we might just see an amazing chanage in his/her life.

L.J.

COLOSSIANS 4:5-6

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time...v6 -- Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

V5. Means, walk in wisdom or live wisely, in their relations toward them that are without, that is, unbelievers.  Redeeming the time is to make the most of every opportunity.  They are to seize each opportunity to display wise behavior toward the unsaved and to use it as a chance for witnessing.

V6. Means, Wise conduct is daily speech that is gracious (with grace) in nature.  Such speech is to be seasoned with salt, that is, characterized by the wisdom of verse 5. Gracious, wise conversation will enable the Colossians to know how to answer every man when speaking to him about the gospel.

L.J.

ROMANS 8:26-30

At salvation, the Holy Spirit gives us new life and sets us apart as children of the heavenly Father.  While we are from then on God's family members, who bear His name, our character still reflects old habits, thought patterns, and priorities.  We are infants who need instruction and guidance in order to become spiritually mature.

Our sanctification, which is the process of becoming like God's Son, is another aspect of the Holy Spirit's mission.  He has been entrusted with the responsibility of teaching us the truths of Scripture as well as the ways we can apply biblical principles to our lives.  He seeks to weed out ungodliness, to prune us for greater fruitfulness, and to encourage wise decision making.  Through His efforts and our cooperation, we will please our Father and bear an ever-increasing resemblace to our Lord Jesus Christ.  And not only are we called to exemplify Christlike character; we are also summoned to a life of active service in accordance with God's plan for our life.

It is for this purpose that we were made new creations in Christ. (Ephesians 2:10) The Spirit's mission, in fact has another component: to reveal the work the Father has planned for us and to provide what we need in order to accomplish it.

How can you know that God's Spirit is working in your life?  Look for evidences of spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), deeper understanding of Sriptue, and effective service for the Kingdom.  Salvation, sanctification, and service are all under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

MATTHEW 15:21-28

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me O Lord, thou son of David:  my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.  But he answered her not a work.  And his disciple came and besought him, saying, Send her away: for she crieth after us.  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me.  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the childrens's bread, and to cast it to the dogs.  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the masters' table.  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.  kjv

(By children the Lord means Jews, and by dogs, Gentiles.  His attitude was intented to test the womans's faith, which was rewarded by a miraculus healing.)

GALATIANS 5:13-16

A person does not consider the pros and cons of walking through the wide gate and taking the  path that leads to destruction.  Instead, he or she drifts onto that path without thinking of the consequences.  The narrow gate is different--we must deliberately choose to pass through it and take the sparsely populated way to heaven.

Walking on the narrow road requires faith, discipline, and determination.  we must be reading the Bible daily and maintianing an active prayer connection to God.  By surrendering our lives to Christ, we keep our hearts on the narrow road.

Truthfully, we all have desires--our fleshly appetites--over on the easier pathway.  We are each tempted to sin.  As we choose to give in to temptation, our feet may remain on the narrow road, but our hearts return to the broad way.  The more we choose to participate in sinful actions and attitudes, the deeper our heart is embedded in the worldly way.

We tell ourselves that we are achieving freedom and that it is our right to do what we want.  However, the truth is, we are grasping at false contentment while the "genuine article" awaits us if we just return to obeying God.  And we are not the only ones injured by our rebellion.  Fellow travelers on the broad way are watching us.  When we act just like them, they make a judgment: "Hypocrite!" In that way, we lose our testimony.

The narrow way may be hard to follow, but God promises constant aid and great reward--salvation and joy now: heaven later. 

L. J.

Isaiah 55:1-12 --- The creator of the universe, who knitted us together in our mothers' wombs and who ensures we live every single day He has planned, wants to talk with us. Every day, He desires to teach us truths about life, about ourselves, and about Him. He bids us to come.

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.          (Isaiah 55:1 niv). In today's culture, most  of us would throw away such an invitation.  We would be certain there was some gimmick.  Yet this is God's invitation to the world--to come to Him and receive salvation.  The Lord invites the unbelieving to draw near and discover the truth that Jesus is the Bread of Life and Living Water, available to them at no cost.

God also extends an invitation to believers--to explore our relationship with Christ under the Holy Spirit's guidance.  When are we invited to come?  He wants us...to come to Him as our day gets started and listen to His words of Love...to draw near as the morning progresses and talk about His plans....to seek His guidance as the afternoon passes by...and to hear whispered words of conviction and encouragement as evening draws to a close.

"Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord,  'though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow...'''(Isaiah 1:18.  This is God's invitation to you.

L. J.

How can we praise God in everything, including the hardtimes?  The key is God's sovereignty.  We must remember that God is in control.  Even when it seems as if the world is in total chaos, we can trust that God is still Lord of everything.

So, when we think about giving God thanks for all things, the key is to be able to see him actively working in all things.  I you can't see Him in everything, you can't thank Him for everything.

If God is at work in everything--in both the good and the bad times--and if He causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him, then we can be assured that our hardships can and will produce good fruit in our lives.  Knowing that our troubles are part of God's larger plan for us, we can be grateful and thank Him for leading us down the bumpy roads.

Does this make the sting of hardship any less painful?  Sadly, it does not alleviate pain all the time.  However, because God is at work, we can nonetheless rejoice that He is using the hard times to bring us to spiritual maturity.

As we learn in the Bible, our trials result in endurance. (James 1:2-3) The next verse goes on to say, " And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  This means that the difficulties and haradships we encounter are important.  They are often the very tools God uses to bring us into a closer, more intimate relationship with Christ.  And that, my friend, is worth the price.

L. J.

EPHESIANS 3:14-21

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he wold grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth  knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power tht worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen     kjv

LUKE 10:20

REJOICE, BECAUSE YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN 

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice.  Let your moderation be know unto all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God.  and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:4-7

Exhort one another daily, while it is called TODAY:  But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine and my Soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

Jesus is the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The joy of the Lord is my strength.

O Give thanks unto the Lord:  Call upon His name:  know his deeds among the people, Sing unto Him: talk of his wondrous works.  Glory ye in His Holy Name:  let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my Soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath clothed me with the garment of Salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh herself with her jewels.

Come and see the work of God:  he is awesome in his doing toward the children of men.  He turned the sea into dry land:  they went through the flood on foot:  There did we rejoice in Him.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with Praise:  be thankful unto him, and bless His name:  For the Lord is good:  His mercy is evelasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.

God bless, rejoice, rejoice forever more…

Copyright  ©2007 ~ Lois Jernigan

Deuteronomy 7:7-9  --- Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter -- Such are the seasons of the year.  Life also has its seasons.  Some are filled with joy, while others are characterized by difficulty.  Take comfort because there is a principle from the Bible that can encourage and sustain you through every season:  the faithfulness of God.

We learn about God's faithfulness from passages like 1Corinthians 1:9 where Paul says, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  To say that God is faithful means He always does exactly what He says He will do.  God will keep His promises to you and will be with you in all seasons. (Hebrews 13:5).  

No matter how deep, how dark, how depressing, how hopesless, or how good things may seem, the heavenly Father is with you through every single circumstance.  So embrace these three truths in every season:

1.  God will be faithful to you because it is His very nature. (Psalm 36:5).                         

2. God knows all about your situation; you are never alone in any season of life.(Psalm 139:1)

3. God is almighty, so He has the power to meet every single need, and He knows how to move you through the seasons of your life. (Romans 8:28)

Hold onto this fact:  you will change and seasons will change, but God is always the same.  He won't fail you, He won't waver on you, and He won't vary.  Neither will He forget you today-- He is with you always. 

GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS!!!!!!

L. J.