Stand Out!

Be You!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13, NIV 2011 Edition)

I think the "in-crowd" is over rated.

When I think about what those two words mean, it makes me wonder why it would even matter to try so hard to be accepted for something you aren't. It doesn't make sense to me to want to be "crowded in" a group of people all looking for approval of others by conforming to ever-changing standards. What does make sense to me is surrounding yourself around people who appreciate you for consistently being you.

In fact, the Bible teaches us not to be conformed to the ways of the world. We as Christians have been released from the slavery of worldly possessions and desires and called to love others humbly. What does that mean? It means Jesus doesn't need you to change your body, your personality, or whether or not you're a fan of this or that sports team, He just wants your heart. I see the "in-crowd" as this packed box that people try so hard to get selected for but outside is this beautiful scenery and weather. Inside the box it's dark and crowded. Why spend time and agony trying to conform to restriction when God has called you to freedom?

Step outside the box, embrace the "you" that God made, and surround yourself with others who appreciate you being consistently you. The only transformation or conformation that needs to happen is through love.

(Bonus Coverage - Hello Fear by Kirk Franklin)


Hello Fear
Before you sit down there's something I need to explain
Since you're here
I think I should tell you since we last talked things have changed
See I'm tired of being broken-hearted
So I made a list and you're on it
All my hopes and my dreams You took from me
I want those back before you leave

Hello Fear
I knew I would see you, You have a hard time letting go
See these tears,Take a good look cuz, soon they wont fall anymore
God's healing my hurful places
That seat that was yours now is taken
I'm no longer afraid,See I'm better this way
And one more thing before you leave

[Chorus]
Never again will I love you
My heart it refuses to be your home
No longer your prisoner
Today I remember
Apart from you is where I belong

And never again will I trust you
I'm tired of fighting it's been way too long
No longer your prisoner
Today I remember
Who I was and now it's gone
They're gone
Hello Fear
Da da da da da, da da da da da

Farewell Goodbye So long [3X]

Hello Grace
It feels like forever, I thought my chance with you was gone
See your face, it reminds me of mercy
And please let me say I was wrong
Never knew your touch was endless
How you never run dry of forgiveness
Didn't know how bad it was, was afraid just because
Sorry fear, grace took your place

[Chorus]

Farewell Goodbye So long [8X]

Hello Fear
Before you sit down there's something I need to explain 

Reaping God's Harvest vs. Our Own

God's Abundant Harvest Never Runs Out Or Goes Bad

^"19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.   This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

 ^22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (Galatians 5:19-23, The Message)

The topic I want to discuss today is discerning between the fruit of the flesh vs. God's Harvest. The text here speaks for itself but I want to highlight a few key points that were revealed to me while meditating over this scripture.

Reaping what we sow. No matter how you live life, you are constantly sowing seeds into your life that will one day flourish into visible, inescapable fruit. Without God, we can still do a very good job of sowing seeds but they are seeds of the destructive type and the fruit is just as bitter. Notice in the passage that fruit of the flesh include things like loveless sex [premarital for sure but even in marriages], emotional baggage, a constant rush from one thing to another looking for our next high or shot of happiness, consumption of everything but satisfaction in nothing, and an impotence - or inability - to love or be loved. These fruits do not add to our lives and in fact they weigh us down tremendously.  When we take life on our own shoulders, we find that we get weighed down mightily by not only the sheer burden but the hollow temptations of it all.

The scriptures emphatically tell us that this is not the life that God has willed for His believers. If anything in your life is producing this kind of effect, either the thing itself is bad or our attitude towards it should be renewed with a Christ-like mindset.

God's Harvest. When we live a life for God, we find that it's not so much about the fruit we sow but the fruit God gives as a gift. Notice the difference between the fruit of the flesh where all we pour into it is all we get. God's harvest goes beyond what we pour into it and is more reward than anything. What kind of fruit does God give us for obedient living? Affection for others, being excited about life(!!), peace, faith, loyalty, and the ability to see the good and the God in all others. There really isn't a way to get these things through the fruit of the flesh and pursuing fleshly fruit will leave you empty and depleted. God's harvest is plentiful and unending. The more we follow Him, the more we find that He gives us fruit in ABUNDANCE!

Take some time to develop a mental checklist. If you find that different areas in your life are void of God's fruit then it's a clear sign that He's not being allowed to sow in that area. There is not one circumstance in life where God wants you to reap flesh fruit. Even in our lowest moments, we should be seeking Him so that our obedience is met with His harvest of peace. In times when we would get angry, we should be seeking Him for His abundant compassion and ability to forgive.

Allow Him into even those areas where we revert to our fleshly desires and tendencies, serve Him as He requires, and be ready to reap the abundance!