Fall
2004
That
they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee,
that they also
may be one in us:
that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me.
—
John 17:21
The Best
Year of our Lives
It has
been over a year since our son Mark told us he didn’t love us – and began to
stay away and (worse) to keep his wife and his son away from us. Though this has
been very painful, it has been the best year of our lives because it has been a
great year of growth in our personal lives and in The Rec
Room.
“The joy
of the Lord is our strength!” Mmm – that sounds like
we must keep our joy – or we will become weak. So… how do we do
that?
“Rejoice
in the Lord, always” – oh! that is a command. Jesus never gives us a command
without giving us the ability to obey.
We’ve
learned the value of the “sacrifice of praise.” We often have praised God even
when we didn’t feel like it. Our friend Takele Sima said that he wouldn’t give
Satan the victory by complaining. Wow! Takele is going through serious trials –
in victory.
The other
morning Dave woke up in tears and quoted Job, “The Lord giveth and the Lord
taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Yes, Dave. Thank you for your
reminder.
We’re
learning more and more to thank God for the good things we have (like oxygen,
each other, salvation). Note the
best one of all cannot be taken from us. Oh, another reason to be thankful. So,
even in the midst of heartbreak, we can accept the joy that Jesus is willing to
give us – and the strength that it brings.
“Fear the
Lord, not people.” We are on a path
that is very unusual. Many people see us as being foolish. I have always been a
people pleaser. Now I’m learning that God is the only one that I have to please. If my
behavior seems foolish in the eyes of the world, or even fellow Christians, I’m
obligated to do my best to find God’s will – and then to do it.
He is our
all-in-all. Even though I’m blessed with a great marriage, I can’t count totally
on my husband. He can fail me. But Jesus can’t and won’t. Jesus is all I need. Of course He gives me so much
more. But, when I don’t get something I want, I can’t be like a naughty child. I
have to truly believe that God knows what’s best for His child. And He is enough
for me. I believe that this lesson is one we’ll all need to learn as things get
more and more difficult.
Victory is
living every day in the Lord; it’s not reaching some predetermined endpoint. As
much as I want (oh, it hurts so much)
my family to be fixed – my boys to be back in the Lord – the important thing is
that I walk in the Lord every day. It’s the opposite of “the end justifies the
means.” God is interested in me – not
in what I do, but in who I am – and my relationship with Him. That has grown by
leaps and bounds in this past year. I praise Him and thank Him for doing that –
even for the painful situation that He has used to work it out in me. With this comes the admonition to enjoy
the gifts of today, without concern for the gifts He has not (yet) given, or
concern for what will happen tomorrow.
There are
so many more spiritual lessons but I want to close with other things that God
has done for us in this past year: expanded ministry, beautified yard, new
friends. On and on… He is so good. Thank You, God!
What’s New
in The Rec
Room?
September
30 in
Topic:
“Evangelizing Muslims.”
October 8
in
(Mothers
also welcome.) Call for details.
Paraclete
Publishing –
Latest
project – Get
involved. Share an experience in your life when Satan seemed to have the
victory, but God had a plan. We want to hear from you. We want to help you to
bless others.
And watch
for Part 4 of
Come and See. It is expected to be
available in December or January.
Faithfulness
We thank
Patty for the articles she has contributed on the Fruit of the Spirit.
One more
is on the way: Self-control.
Then we
will publish a booklet containing all these articles. (More on that
later.)
Faithfulness,
isn’t that talking about God? It doesn’t seem like something we mere mortals can
attain… and it isn’t. Now we’re getting somewhere. In truth, since the fall,
none of these traits are natural to the human psyche. That’s exactly why they
are the fruit of the Spirit. Not our spirit, the Holy Spirit, working to renew
our hearts and minds.
When
we marry we promise to “forsake all others.” Marriage is a picture of our
relationship with God. He even calls the church the “Bride of Christ.” In our
society, obsessed with self-fulfillment, it is rare to find a couple whose
marriage has not been assaulted by sexual infidelity. Many of those who have
managed to avoid that trap have still been undermined by other temptations. The
wife who flirts with a neighbor because she feels her husband doesn’t appreciate
her. The man who watches television, reads, or works all the time, escaping from
a life that doesn’t live up to his expectations. How often marriages become dull
or painful because we are enticed by something that appears to be more
stimulating or invigorating. We are slaves to our expectations and vanities.
Faithfulness
is, in the final analysis, faith in God. As we trust God to direct our lives we
free ourselves from our bondage to “self.” We can dedicate ourselves to being
loyal and trustworthy in all our relationships because we know God is watching
our backs, protecting us from any attack and securing our successful future. We
no longer need to focus on taking care of “number one” because God has that
covered. Interestingly enough, the exercise of our faithfulness towards God is
the action that gives us the power to be faithful in our other relationships.
What can
we do to promote this powerful fruit of the Spirit? To be sure, it entails
fellowship with other believers, people who can encourage us in our faith. It
also includes communion with Him through prayer. As we petition God and receive
His bountiful provision we experience His faithfulness to us. Our faithfulness
is nurtured by our daily study of the Bible. From God’s mouth to our ears. In God’s Word we see His faithfulness
throughout the centuries. The light dawns and we are able to be faithful for one
more day.
– Patty Gordon
Call
Dave or Christine Beaucage at (714) 832-3327 for more
information.
E-mail:
RecRoom@juno.com
Web
site:
http://www.recroom.org
We’re
thankful for your prayers, participation, and support as we seek the
Lord
on
how He wants us to build up His people to become one…
… in
Him,