Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Holy Spirit in You Is Already Patient

            I just stood there, in the middle of the classroom I worked in last summer, wanting to pull my hair out.

All I could do was bite my lip in frustration. The rain had kept us inside all week and the volume of the students had exceeded my ears’ limitations. That morning had begun a day of never-ending complaints that I couldn’t handle anymore, and the patience I had just taught my four-year-olds about seemed like a foreign concept that I couldn’t grasp in that moment—so, I prayed.

            --And prayed some more.

            I begged God for the one fruit so many people tell me not to pray for or “I’ll regret it”—patience. As I stood before “my” children, I remembered who they were: young, innocent, and loving. In no way were they trying to frustrate me, and they definitely didn’t deserve any agitation aimed at them, but, as I said, my patience was waning; I was desperate for God to intervene.

            Then, the Holy Spirit spoke to my soul and reminded me or rather made me aware of a truth I believe so many of us Christians have overlooked. Acts 1 talks about the Holy Spirit coming upon us, that we will be baptized in the Holy Spirit when we become followers of Christ (NIV, Acts 1:5). When we receive Christ’s salvation, the Holy Spirit immediately indwells within us. Meaning, (get this) we have the power of GOD living within us, and if we let Him take over, we will be living by His power, not our own.

            If we have all of the Holy Spirit, then all of the fruit of the Spirit are within us as well. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (ESV, Gal. 5:22-23). If the Spirit is inside us, we have the capability to be patient because He is patient in us.

            So, yeah, you and I on our own may not be able to be or display patience, but the glorious truth is that we are not alone. We are baptized in the Holy Spirit who is entirely patient.

            Rely on Him and His patience to get you through. His power is in you if you have received His gift of salvation.

Living Life Together,


Rebecca Thomas

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Loving Others as Ourselves

         “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”(Mark 12:29-31, NIV).

            For the past few years, I’ve recited these verses, and the more I repeat these commandments, the more insight the Spirit seems to give me. I understand that we are to love God and love others. From reading the two greatest commandments, I’m sure everyone gets that fact, but many times, I think we overlook the two words “as yourself.”

            God hasn’t just called us to love our neighbors any such way. He has commanded us to love them as we love ourselves, but what if you love yourself incorrectly? Can you truly love your neighbor well?

            I mean, if I don’t believe that I am “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) how can I love others as fearfully and wonderfully made. If I criticize my body when I look in the mirror, how much easier is it going to be to criticize the girl I meet on the street? If I don’t see myself as a valuable human being who is loved by God completely, how will I ever see others that way? If I constantly put on “Rebecca glasses” to view myself and define myself, can I biblically love someone?

            So many times, I think we fail at loving others because we haven’t accepted the love we’ve been offered. We feel unworthy, so we don’t know how to love like God loves. As my pastor often says, “If we want to love others as ourselves, we need to first love ourselves correctly.”

            God tells me that I am beloved, set apart, a child of God, a coheir with Christ, beautiful, known, forgiven, and valuable. Dig into the Word of God and find out what He says about you and how deeply He loves you.

His love will change you, and it will change how you love people.

Living Life Together,


Rebecca Thomas