Lord Teach Me

[Evie1980]

This Week’s Series – Noble Character
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]Today’s Word[/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]Character is what separates one person from the next. As a teacher of young students, I can tell you the characters of each of my students. Some are similar yet some are very different. There are the defiant ones, the sweet ones, the selfish ones, the funny ones, the attentive ones, the loving ones, the annoying ones and the smart ones to name just a few. Their characters can create a calm learning environment or a crazy learning environment. Yet the most important character in the class is my own. I am the ring-master so to say. The set the mood, tone and/or attitude of each lesson. How my character plays out creates conflict or harmony within a lesson.[/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]God’s character also has far a far reaching effect on our lives. We are either living in harmony with it or in conflict with it. We are striving to be like Him or be nothing like Him. His character is about all that is good and noble which we either embrace or try to avoid. There is no fence sitting. We are either delighting the Lord with our reflection of Him or angering Him with our reflection of this world.[/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]But what is the noble character that we are striving to achieve? What is it in our character that is supposed to set us apart from others and allow God to delight in us? There are many women in the Bible that show forth the character traits that we are supposed to shine through today. Jesus also explains how we are to live our lives daily as well as other people throughout the Bible. We need to examine all of this to allow us to truly develop a character that reflects the character of God in all that we do. [/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]After all, a noble person is a delight unto God as they are holy whereas those who are not noble chase after other gods (Psalm 16 v3-4).[/FONT]

[FONT=georgia, palatino]Book of Ruth[/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]Ruth has a book about her life. We catch up to her in a very uncomfortable situation – she is living with her mother-in-law and her husband is dead. Not the most ideal of situations and, as women, there are no support services to provide for them. There are no men to help work so they have no choice but to find an alternate life for them. This new life involves moving back to Israel and the inheritance her mother has under the covenant her God.[/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino]Like all women’s stories, Ruth has a moment where her character will be decided. It is a choice that needs to be made and this choice will create for her a journey that will change her life (literally). We don’t know why she ended up choosing the God of her mother-in-law over her own family. She may have heard of Him and wanted to see for herself what this God had to offer. Maybe she didn’t like her own family and preferred her in-laws. Maybe she was brought up to be of noble character by her parents. Maybe she wanted a break from reality. We don’t know but she chose to go over staying in the easy life she had had. She gave it all up and became a woman known by her husband and many others as a woman of noble character.[/FONT]
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Songs:

• Suitcases[FONT=georgia, palatino] by Dara Maclean[/FONT]
• Lay It Down[FONT=georgia, palatino] by Jaci Velasquez[/FONT]

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[FONT=georgia, palatino]Prayer:[/FONT]
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[FONT=georgia, palatino][/FONT][FONT=georgia, palatino]Dear Heavenly Father,[/FONT]

[FONT=georgia, palatino]We want to be women of noble character. We want to be able to leave everything behind us and go searching for you. We know that you will find us in the midst of our pain and guide us out of it if we are willing to follow wise counsel and do your will. [/FONT]
[FONT=georgia, palatino]Father, be with us throughout this journey. Wherever it will take us, we know that we are with you and safe. We have faith that on the other side of this, you are waiting for us with bigger plans than we could ever imagine. [/FONT]
[FONT=georgia, palatino]In Jesus name – Amen!![/FONT]​

 

[Evie1980]

Where do we start developing a noble character? Ruth started her journey by letting go of the past. She knew that there the only hope she had was to leave what was behind her and move on. This included leaving her family and the land of her heritage for a new family and a new home. She didn’t blame anyone or have a bad attitude. She just allowed her life to change in ways that were not expected. She may not have not always been happy with it; however, she let the past be her past and not her present or future.

Jesus was a man with the character of God. He knew how to address every situation with nobility including the ones he was tested in. John 8:1 -10 shines a light on Jesus’s noble character. A woman was brought before him who had lived in sin and was about to pay with her life for her sins. Jesus uttered the often quoted words “let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone…” (v7) but there is more to this passage than just forgiveness, seeking vengeance and the recognising that no one has the right to judge another person’s situation. In his final words to the woman he says “Then neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin.” Ruth did what Jesus said to do – she left her sinful life and her past so she could have a new future whilst her mother in law, Naomi, carried the past with her.

Naomi lived in a past defined by the “good old days”. She wanted what life used to be. Sometime the past is not always a bad thing but it can still be a trap. We sometimes forget that everything is counted as sin when it separates us from the love and grace of God. In Naomi’s case it was her past happiness that filled her with hatred towards her own life thus separating her from her own God and the God of her people. She returned to her homeland with a bitterness that she could not let go of.

We may have been forgiven and we may have the ability to recognise the need to forgive others but we still may not be able to move on. We live each day by carrying the past. We carry from one place to the next like Naomi did rather than walk in the freedom that Ruth did when she left it all behind. We need “to go and sin no more” even if we are not in a new place or situation. We need to be spiritually free and mentally able to walk on in the hope, love and grace found only in a relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Songs:

Morning Has Broken by Third Day

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Every day before I leave my house I pack my bag with all that I think I need yet sometimes some of it is useless and not needed. I know that when I leave the house there are many things I take with me that are not in my bag. Help me to let go of the resentment, the hurt, the joy, the good days and the bad days so I am able to take only what is needed from my past to help me today.
In Jesus name,

 

[trentlogain2]

thanks for posting these. i needed it.

 

[Maka]

Thank you for making this thread it's beautiful ^^ God bless you

 

[Evie1980]

thanks for posting these. i needed it.

Thank you for making this thread it's beautiful ^^ God bless you

Thanks, I will try to keep it up dated.

Blessings

 

[Evie1980]

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15

David’s cry in Psalm 6:3 “My soul is in anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” is often on my heart. I long for a life better lived. I must admit I am quick to grow faint.

Ruth, however, persevered through the tough times. Not only did she persevere, she thrived due to the Word that her mother-in-law was imparting on her. She was living by the laws of the Word of God in the land of His chosen people. When they first got to their new home they had nothing but she worked hard in accordance to the law to provide for both herself and her mother-in-law. Ruth had the fertile soil within her heart that Jesus talked about in Luke 8:15 that “the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

Ruth produced a crop of abundance due to the fact that she willingly replaced her past with the law of God and through perseverance she was able to be more than she ever thought she could be. Not only did her life move, but her heart moved with her allowing a crop righteousness and blessing to grow in her life.

Next time I grow faint and weary from the lack of crop in my life and I hear my voice cry “How long, Lord, how long?” I will remind myself that through faithful perseverance in the Word I, like Ruth, will produce fruit in His season. As it is written “I am still confident in this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14


Songs:

Me Without You by Toby Mac

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you bring us to places we never thought possible. We thank you that you lead us on a journey through life. However, sometimes it is hard to be in the places we find ourselves in. We find it difficult to stay and have faith that things will get better. Help us to hold on to you in those times. Help us to stay firm in our foundation of you. We know that this will be all used for our good as long as we stay with you. We know and trust in your love Lord and that you will produce a crop in our life as long as we hold onto you.

In Jesus name

 

[Evie1980]

Luke 12:22-34

Investing into the lives of others doesn’t come with a low risk option. Ruth had a choice – invest in the life of her mother-in-law or walk away. The risks were high. She didn’t have the answers to their problems. She didn’t know where the journey would take them or what would happen when they got there. She didn’t have any assets or anything to give her mother-in-law other than herself. So she gave up her life and invested it in the life of her mother-in-law.

Investments like that aren’t easy decisions to make. We want the sure bet. We want dividends, a surplus and profit margins. To give up everything in the knowledge that it could mean that you may end up with having less than nothing sounds crazy. This world wants to invest in people who have a “name for themselves”. We are now our own brands that others can invest in. We give out of our excess only to improve our personal image. Charity is a means of networking and not an investment into the lives of others. To give it all away is the hardest decision we can make yet Ruth does it.

Jesus calls us to live a life like Ruth. He calls us to not worry about the future or what it may bring but to live each moment and day in the faith and knowledge that God will provide. Jesus bids us “Do not be afraid, little flock for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted; where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:32-34

Songs:
Beautiful Stranger by Rebecca St James
Love Them Like Jesus by Casting Crowns

Prayer:

Dear Lord God,

We invest in people every day. From kids to adults, family members to friends and strangers, we make investments through our words, actions and appearance. It is not always easy to invest in others especially when we don’t feel we have enough for ourselves. When pressure comes, give us the strength to invest in those around us. If our investments are big or small, help us to do them with your love and grace. Enable us to constantly love others through our investments every day.

In Jesus name,

 

[jess9450]

this is fantastic! thank you for sharing this

 

[Evie1980]

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

Bitterness is a destination of the mind. It is easy to get to but hard to leave. When we choose not to resolve the issues and problems we are faced with, our thoughts become bitter. We focus on a lack of justice and kindness in others. We seek ways to validate our own feelings and resentment. We curse our lives and those who have made it not pleasurable to live whilst forming a garden of hostility with roots leading to our hearts, branches reaching our hands and flowers growing from our mouths.

We can’t rejoice in this life is we are filled with bitterness and resentment. Naomi’s name meant pleasant but in the book of Ruth she changed it to Mara which means bitter. Many of us start out in a new situation with “Naomi” (pleasant) thoughts which quickly turn to “Mara” thoughts when we start to struggle and find difficulty with those around us. Our thoughts move from what we know about and have learnt about the grace, mercy and love shared with us through the blood of Christ. We focus on our worldly life and desires causing our lives to be trapped in a cycle of anger, unforgiveness and hatred. We become lukewarm in our lives, relationships and passions.

We need to escape the harsh life brought about by bitterness of thoughts. There is a saying that goes “watch your thoughts, for they become words; watch your words, for they become actions; watch your actions, for they become habits; watch your habits, for they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” Paul tells us what our thoughts should be in Philippians 4:8 if we want our character to reflect that of Christ and opening the door to peace found only in God into our lives.

Songs:
Stain Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Our thoughts need to reflect your Son Jesus because he is the character we want to be. Allow your Spirit to come into our lives today and filter out all the thoughts that are not what we should be thinking about and that will lead us into a place of bitterness and resentment. Help us not to worry or stress or dream about others things but help us to control them and discipline them.
In Jesus name,