Category: Different Scriptures

Posted in Different Learning, Different Scriptures

soft-headed.

Posted on by Wick

“Do not conform any longer to the patterns of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2a

While reading Dr.Leman’s recent book, I was struck again by the research that says “who a child is, is fairly done developing by the time they’re 6 years old.”  He mentions it in his book, as an encouragement to parents to make sacrifices as necessary to be home with your children until they’re at least 6.  To give them a foundation of relationship and security found in time with mommy and/or daddy.

But what about parents of 7 year olds?  Or parents of teenagers?  Or parents themselves who would like to change their natural inclinations?

Often I’ll be reading a parenting book of some sort, and think to myself “Man, I’m glad I’m reading this now.  I can’t imagine not discovering this until my kids were 12+.”

Not that I’m advocating waiting.  But I would like to remind us of a hope found all throughout scripture.

The hope of neurological plasticity. 🙂

Simply put, neurologists agree that our brains and how they are wired can be changed, no matter what age we are.  (see “The Shallows” for more on this topic.)  No matter how long we’ve developed habits/patterns of behavior.  No matter how synapses are currently firing.  It may not be a “switch” we can flip easily, but we can still slowly rebuild and retrain our minds toward a completely new way of being/thinking.

Paul writes the same thing to the church in Rome in the verse above.  This isn’t a “mind made new” that we experience at the Resurrection someday.  This is a “made newing” that happens here and now, as God literally desires and is involved in transforming who we are.

So as we train our children, and smile because we’re so glad they’re getting a great start….may we not think the door to having a mind made new is only open to them.  Maybe you deal with anxiety, depression, lust, anger, jealousy, etc…whatever.  God is about transforming us by the “made newing” of our minds.  Scientists agree that our brains can be rewired, and rebuilt in new directions of synapse activity.  And that’s without allowing for the power of the Holy Spirit!!

Bring your brain before God in prayer today, that He might renew/transform how you think.  It may take time and practice, but we have a hope in Christ that we’re doing more than forming a “habit of holiness”.  Who we are is literally being transformed. 🙂

 

 

Posted in Different Scriptures

fruit.

Posted on by Wick

In Galatians chapter 5, we read a well-known passage. It’s been memorized. It’s been turned into more than one song for kids to remember it easily. It’s a list many of us run through mentally to keep ourselves in check…

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”

Often we are tempted casually to treat these things the same way we would the “gifts” of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-13. That we may have especially gifted in one or two of these areas, and the others are meant to carry the load where we are weak. I’m great at love and joy, so let someone else cover me in the area of generosity or gentleness. That’s the balance of my fruit basket.

Until we look at the language used by Paul, and understand where he was coming from. Paul says “the fruit of the Spirit is…”. He does not say “the fruits of the Spirit are…”. As in the Greek concept of the cardinal virtues that Paul was very familiar with, to have one – the others must be present. Paul is saying here that a community that experiences the presence of the Spirit in their lives will have the complete “fruit” as listed. I suppose that’s also worth noting, that Paul is speaking to a community. This fruit of the Spirit is the gift of God’s grace, but also cultivated by an entire community, not an isolated individual.

It is also important to note the presence of “self-control” at the end. Often we can be lured into the false assumption that if I pray “Jesus come into my heart”, and His Spirit is presently working in our lives, this is the fruit that will naturally begin to be harvested. If it was something that would come naturally, without effort on our part…then why add “self-control” to it all?

The truth is, much like tending an orchard, the fruit does begin to show up..often in supernatural ways. Giving our lives to God, after all, is an infinitely compelling life change. But it takes effort on our part as well. Pruning away branches, cultivating the soil, keeping away birds and squirrels, etc. Otherwise this would simply be another list talking about the “gifts” of the Spirit.

May we each seek to cultivate the Spirits’ “love-joy-peace-patience-kindness-generosity-faithfulness-gentleness-self-control” in our lives, our home, and see it growing in our children this week….

Posted in Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts

keep your tongue.

Posted on by Wick

It was late high school, and I was helping lead the children’s choir of the local Nazarene Church.  We were on stage, and altogether calling on the congregation to stand and sing a song with us, “Keep your tongue from evil, keep your tongue.”  The fun part of the song is that you’re supposed to sing it while holding your tongue, which makes all sorts of fun noises possible with a large group. 🙂

In my fierce days as a teenage “Jesus Freak”, the phrase simply meant things like “don’t cuss”, or “don’t say God in inappropriate ways”.  Since then, I’ve learned the power of words go far beyond that, both in giving life, and bringing death.

“but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” James 3:8-10

In the beginning, God spoke.  From those words, all of creation came into being.  We’ve been created in the image of that God.  Sure, we can’t materialize entire universes from the voids of chaos – but we can sure do great, and horrible things with words.  As parents, we are reminded of this daily.

It doesn’t take much.  A brief moment of necessary correction, even spoken with a soft loving voice.  Such a moment sends our 2 year old cowering in shame and (sometimes feigned) grief.  She does not want to disappoint mommy and daddy.  On the other hand, one simple smile combined with a word or two of genuine pride or encouragement, and our little girls are beaming brighter than a sunrise in a house of mirrors.

Words are powerful.  James recognized this, and urged any who would listen.  We can join with our creator in speaking words than bring light from darkness, life where there was none, and beauty/purpose where there was chaos.  If we do, it impacts our entire being.  But on the same token, we must be of one tongue.  Just as a salt spring cannot produce fresh water (v.12), a tongue that brings cursing cannot also be praising God.

Sometimes the last place we put this into practice, is in the home.  We’re careful with our words in public.  At work.  Among friends.  Even among extended family.  But often, home is where we grow comfortable enough to say just about anything.  When in reality, home is the very first place we need to be keeping our tongue trained on righteousness.  Speaking words of Love.  Words that bring and encourage life and light.  Grace, and forgiveness.  Beauty, and creativity.

May God be with us this week, as we focus on having one tongue – beginning in the home.  After all, many of us are literally teaching the next generation how to speak…