365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge

I got a follow-up sermon letter in my inbox yesterday. Hmmm… that’s something new. Pastor John Goodale had preached on Sunday regarding love within the church family. He specifically wanted to follow up on the things he challenged us to do and told us of a visitor at the church on Sunday who emailed him telling him that when he got out of service and was waiting for his wife he had three people come up and engage him in conversation. In looking over the action items that the pastor challenged us to do, I could see the main component to doing these is time. Our lives are busy and we want to use our time as wisely as possible but we have to remember that the people and relationships in our lives need some of that time. Most days I find myself at my desk at lunchtime reading a book but yesterday I was engaged in a conversation with a co-worker in the breakroom as my lunch was heating up and instead of leaving when it was done to go back to my desk, I sat down and continued talking with her. Taking those few extra minutes with her, I found out she is worried greatly about her financial situation after having her surgery on her wrist. With a $5000 deductible to pay and out of work with no pay for 3 weeks, the worry of how to cope with this put tears in her eyes and choked her up. While I certainly don’t have extra money floating around and have my own surgery and days off without pay coming up here next week, I can take the time to pray for her and request my church family to pray for her as well. So part knowing you are filled with love by the Holy Spirit, is being able to slow down, become aware of the people around you and take the time to just see how they are doing.

Try these action items:

          1. Learn 5 new names—and use them.
          2. Ask how others in your church family are doing—and listen to their response.
          3. Pray for church family needs we become aware of.
          4. Combat the toll our busyness takes on church family life by building more time into our  Sunday routine for conversations or to help someone along our path.

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.