NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

February 12

Scripture focus: Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 MSG

“I appreciated today’s message. It made me feel better. I’m really trying this year to focus on me and feeling good.” I could have let this message ring delightfully in my ears and reply, “Thank you!” But I couldn’t leave it alone. So I sent back a response, asking the listener if I had missed the point, or was her objective in life “feeling good.”

Here is her reply. “Definitely, I want to feel good. I think that’s the mark of a Christian. The fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control – is what I want to display all the time.”

I’m really not trying to be a smarty pants here, but again, I had to reply. “Do you think it will always feel good to produce the fruit of the Spirit?”

“Yes! If it doesn’t, why else would we pursue it?” She answered.

“I’m just asking, because this week I had to use a lot of patience in order to extend someone love in my community. It did not make me feel good. What would have made me feel good was to hit someone on top of the head with a frying pan.” You can’t make stuff like this up. This is the truth; this is how I felt.

“Are you allowed to say stuff like this with your job title?” She asked.

“I don’t know. No one gave me an instruction manual when I started down this path. But it is how I honestly felt in the moment.”

“I think what you’re trying to tell me is that feeling good probably isn’t the goal I should have for 2010.”

“I’m just saying, if this works out for you, I want what you have.” I love how spiritual conversations are not limited to “right” and “wrong” answers – sometimes we just put it out there and ask God to have his way with us. May God have his way with us all today!

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