Being a Martha instead of a Mary...

To My Beloved Daughters in Him:

Caught myself many times over the past 36 hours attempting to try to somehow control my feelings of anxiety and fear about the impending storm by getting all caught up with  the household chores before a tree falls on our house or the power goes out.  Really...as if it is going to matter....as if it is going to be important.

Remembering that I need to be more of a Mary instead of a Martha.  Doing right now, like Mary, the thing that is most needful...spending time with my Father in Heaven.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”


Going once again right now to His word...where my help and hope truly come.  Going to the One who is my shield and my exceedingly great reward...going to the One who is always with me and has promised never to leave me nor forsake me.  Praying that as each of us look to Him today to find rest that His comforts would truly delight our souls.  So thankful that it is God that perfects all that concerns us and that His grace is sufficient for our every need...

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.--Hebrews 4:12-16

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.--Psalm 19

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.--Psalm 119:105

Doing as Jesus Did...

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”--Isaiah 61:1-3

To My Beloved Daughters:

Jesus quoted this passage (ending in the middle of verse two...to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord) at the synagogue in Nazareth right after His time of temptation in the desert. After He finished reading He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down...all eyes were fixed on Him and He said to them, "Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  This was an unambiguous claim that He was the Messiah who fulfilled prophecy.  His hearers correctly understood His claim and His meaning and when they heard these things they rose up and thrust Him out of the city, leading Him to the brow of the Hill on which their city was built so that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Jesus passed through the midst of them and went His way.  Wow...

The Spirit of God dwells in us and is with us!  As believers, we have been sealed...we are always and forever His.  We have been justified by faith and are at peace with our God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!  Scripture tells us this in Romans 5:

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

I can walk in His strength, His grace and His power without fear because His perfect love casts out all fear.  I am not destined to wrath but to eternal life in Heaven with my God.  I have been saved by grace through faith to fulfill His will for me.  I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that I should walk in them.

Like Jesus, I am to set my face like flint and focus on the race that He has laid before me.  I am to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares me and run with endurance...looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of my faith who for the joy (us) that was set before Him endured the cross.  Beloved, this kind of love...God's love...has been shed abroad in our hearts.  Surrender to it and in His strength do as Jesus did:  

Preach good tidings to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives...open the door of the prison to those who are bound, and comfort all who mourn.  Bring the message of the gospel of peace to those around you and in so doing give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  God will work through you to  sow fields and plant vineyards...and yield a fruitful harvest.

May this, Father, be the desires of our hearts... 

Truth Has Fallen in the Streets...

The words below were penned by Isaiah more than 700 before the birth of Christ speaking to the tragic condition of the nation Israel, but could also be penned for our nation today.  God was aware of Israel's condition.  He looked for one person (16-21) to intercede for His people and found none.  So our gracious and loving God did the work Himself through the Suffering Servant (See Isaiah 53; 53:12)  

Read the whole passage.  God will not bless the nation whose people have turned away from righteousness and whose lives and hearts are filled with sin.  Sin has a life cycle of its own...it brings forth all kinds of trouble and its end is always death.  

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.--James 1:14

Here is Isaiah 59 in its entirety.  

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.

No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.

Their webs will not become garments,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And the act of violence is in their hands.
Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and destruction are in their paths.
The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

Therefore justice is far from us,
Nor does righteousness overtake us;
We look for light, but there is darkness!
For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
We grope for the wall like the blind,
And we grope as if we had no eyes;
We stumble at noonday as at twilight;
We are as dead men in desolate places.
We all growl like bears,
And moan sadly like doves;
We look for justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And as for our iniquities, we know them:
In transgressing and lying against the Lord,
And departing from our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands afar off;
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.
So truth fails,
And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him
That there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,
Fury to His adversaries,
Recompense to His enemies;
The coastlands He will fully repay.
So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.

“As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”--Isaiah 59

Imitators of God...

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.--Ephesians 5:1-2

To My Beloved Daughters in Him...

How simple this one is!  We have no greater purpose than to imitate our Lord.  We are to grow in the likeness of Him!  He is our Father and we are to resemble Him more and more!  Our lives...our walk and our talk should be modeled after our Jesus!  We are to be holy, just as He is holy.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.--Romans 8:29

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.--2nd Corinthians 3:18

Christ walked in love and exampled the height of self-sacrificing love by taking our sin upon Himself...giving up His very life so that we might be redeemed from the penalty and power of sin.  

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.--Romans 5:8-10

Christ offering of Himself on our behalf was a sweet smelling aroma to His Father in Heaven.  "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Christ demonstrated in the most perfect way possible God's divine love for us.  

This is the model that we are to follow.  This is the kind of love we are to walk in daily.  The kind of love that is not concerned with self.  Christ did not consider His equality with God something to be grasped...He did nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind esteemed others as better than Himself.  When we try to hold on to anything but our God and His will for us, we are seeking not His will but our own.  The result is sin.  We are to look to Him and only to Him for our strength and our direction because our goal is not the furtherance of what we want, but the furtherance of what our Father wants.  Christ laid all aside in fulfilling His Father's will and by doing that met each one of us at our point of need. (salvation)  Our goal then, like Christ, is to shine our lights here to glorify our God and thereby meet others at their point of need.  Our minds and hearts are bowed to Him in grateful submission and whatever He asks we gladly do. 

The Fast that I Choose...

Isaiah 58:6-14 (see below)

To My Lord and My God:

These words in Isaiah 58 (from the very mouth of the LORD) are so beautiful and speak to my heart in a way that fills it with the desire to be like Jesus to others.  This is what I want....this is the fast that I choose!  Oh, but Father, this way is impossible for me without You.   I fight a constant battle with my flesh...with what I want.  I struggle even though I know that the things that I desire lead nowhere good!  My desires are so shallow and empty compared with the abundant life that You show me when I walk in surrender to Your Spirit!   Help me to love You from the depths of my very being and let that love touch the lives of those that You have in my life.  Exchange the darkness that is in my heart with Your light!  I want to be like a well-watered garden or a spring that does not fail. Do this work in me!

You, Father, pulled me up out of the miry clay, set my feet upon a Rock and put a new song in my mouth...I implore You to do this work also in the lives of those that I love that don't know You...who refuse to see.   Oh that they would repent and believe.  That they would  put on your righteousness and live!  Open their eyes as only You can, Father.   Let the following words be written of them as well as for me:

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

Write also the following words from Isaiah 58 on my heart, Father.  Keep me far from ritual and hypocritical religion.  Draw me near to You.   I want to abide under the shadow of Your wing.  I want You to be the place where my trust is found.  I want you to be my refuge, my fortress, my shield and my exceedingly great reward! Let my delight be in YOU!

Isaiah 58:6-14

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD...

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.--Ephesians 3:14-19

To My Beloved Daughters....

"Filled with all the fullness of God."  THAT is what I want for me...THAT is what I want for you and for all those that my God has given me to love.  To be so strong spiritually as to be filled with His divine love.  Totally and utterly governed and ruled not by the things of the world but by the things of God.  Focused not on the earthly but on what is eternal in the heavens.  So totally dominated by Him that there is nothing left of SELF!  Filled with Christ...filled with the Spirit and filled with God!  I want to see Your greatness in my life and in the lives of those that I love, Father...Your majesty and glory...Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.--Ephesians 3:20-21 

THE HEIGHTS OF MESSIANIC PROPHECY...

Below are the four Servant Songs found in the Book of Isaiah written more than 700 years before the birth of Christ.   (Isa 42:1-9;  Isa 49:1-13;  Isa 50: 4-11;  Isa 52:13-53:12)

These sections of Scripture are so undeniably prophetic that if you know the NT at all your mouth just drops open.   Isaiah 42:1-9 speaks to the Messiah's gentle manner and worldwide mission.  Isaiah 49:1-13 speaks more to His mission and success.  Isaiah 50:4-11 is the Messiah's soliloquy about being perfected through obedience and sufferings. The last one (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) provides incontrovertible proof that God is the author of Scripture and Jesus the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy.  If you still do not have enough look at Psalm 22, Psalm 69, Psalm 35, Zechariah 11, Micah 5, Isaiah 7, Isaiah 61... 

Here are the four sections...

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”--Isaiah 42:1-9

“Listen, O coastlands, to Me,
And take heed, you peoples from afar!
The Lord has called Me from the womb;
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;
In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,
And made Me a polished shaft;
In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

“And He said to me,
‘You are My servant, O Israel,
In whom I will be glorified.’
Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;
Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord,
And my work with my God.’”

“And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Thus says the Lord,
The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,
To Him whom man despises,
To Him whom the nation abhors,
To the Servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise,
Princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord who is faithful,
The Holy One of Israel;
And He has chosen You.”

Thus says the Lord:

“In an acceptable time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;
I will preserve You and give You
As a covenant to the people,
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;
That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

“They shall feed along the roads,
And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.
They shall neither hunger nor thirst,
Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them will lead them,
Even by the springs of water He will guide them.
I will make each of My mountains a road,
And My highways shall be elevated.
Surely these shall come from afar;
Look! Those from the north and the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”

Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.--Isaiah 49:1-13

“The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

“For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let him come near Me.
Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
The moth will eat them up.

“Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.
Look, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down in torment.--Isaiah 50:4-11

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
So shall He sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.

Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.--Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

Descriptions of the Fruit of the Spirit...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.--Galatians 5:22-23

To My Beloved Daughters in Him

I so want this fruit in my own life and am always encouraged and exhorted in my walk when I read John MacArthur's descriptions of each one.  Just reading what it means biblically to love and be kind  is such an encouragement to me.  My whole body relaxes and says YES...that is how it should be...that is how Jesus was...that is how I want to be!  


The fruit of the Spirit are the godly attitudes that characterize the lives of only those who belong to God by faith in Christ and possess the Spirit of God. The Spirit produces fruit which consists of 9 characteristics or attitudes that are inextricably linked with each other and are commanded of believers throughout the New Testament. 

“Love.” One of several Greek words for love, agape, is the love of choice, referring not to an emotional affection, physical attraction, or a familial bond, but to respect, devotion, and affection that leads to willing, self-sacrificial service (John 15:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16, 17). 

“Joy.” A happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. It is the sense of well-being experienced by one who knows all is well between himself and the Lord (1 Pet. 1:8). Joy is not the result of favorable circumstances, and even occurs when those circumstances are the most painful and severe (John 16:20–22). Joy is a gift from God, and as such, believers are not to manufacture it but to delight in the blessing they already possess (Rom. 14:17; Phil. 4:4). 

“Peace.” The inner calm that results from confidence in one’s saving relationship with Christ. The verb form denotes binding together and is reflected in the expression “having it all together.” Like joy, peace is not related to one’s circumstances (John 14:27; Rom. 8:28; Phil. 4:6, 7, 9). 

“Longsuffering.” Patience which refers to the ability to endure injuries inflicted by others and the willingness to accept irritating or painful situations (Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 1:15, 16). 

“Kindness.” Tender concern for others, reflected in a desire to treat others gently, just as the Lord treats all believers (Matt. 11:28, 29; 19:13, 14; 2 Tim. 2:24). 

“Goodness.” Moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness (Rom. 5:7). Believers are commanded to exemplify goodness (6:10; 2 Thess. 1:11). 

“Faithfulness.” Loyalty and trustworthiness (Lam. 3:22; Phil. 2:7–9; 1 Thess. 5:24; Rev. 2:10). 

“Gentleness.” Better translated “meekness.” It is a humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense, while having no desire for revenge or retribution. In the New Testament, it is used to describe 3 attitudes: submission to the will of God (Col. 3:12), teachability (James 1:21), and consideration of others (Eph. 4:2). 

“Self-control.” This refers to restraining passions and appetites (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Pet. 1:5, 6). “No law.” When a Christian walks by the Spirit and manifests His fruit, he needs no external law to produce the attitudes and behavior that please God (Rom 8:4).

Nelson, Thomas (2003-10-31). The MacArthur Daily Bible: Read through the Bible in one year, with notes from John MacArthur (Kindle Location 87829). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

The Story Behind the Hymn: "It is Well with My Soul

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled,'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four 

daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. 

He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a 

plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, "You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio 

then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

It is well ... with my soul!

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

story from biblestudycharts.com

Fear Not, For I Am With You...

I am precious in the sight of the LORD, my God...I will look to Him and be radiant and my face unashamed.  

Help me, O Lord my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
That they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, Lord, have done it!
Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.

I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those who condemn him.--Psalm 109:26-31

There is my prayer Father...it is not pretty...my heart wants to be vindicated but nevertheless Your will not mine...Your way...Your glory...be magnified!

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;--Isaiah 43:1-3a

Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;--Isaiah 43:4a

Fear not, for I am with you;--Isaiah 43:5a

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.--Isaiah 43:18-21