Helper

Our Daily Bread
How many times have you seen someone who could use your help?  How many times have you felt like God was leading you to help them?  How many times did you listen to God and at least try to help?  I have been thinking about that a lot since I read the devotional this morning.

"Helping" doesn't have to be a big deal.  Sometimes a kind word or deed can be a big help (rather than some big gesture of money or other things).  God asks us to use the talents and gifts he gave us to serve and help others.  What an honor!

Lord, help us help others!

Teaching Tuesday
The second to last Disciple 1 lesson was a great one!  It focused on spiritual gifts or gifts of the Spirit.  The coolest part for me is how it clarified the difference between talents, spiritual gifts and the fruits of the Spirit.  Sometimes this Bible study stuff just swirls around in my pretty little head!  ;-p  Here is what I got from the lesson these three things:

talents: these are the things that you can do based on your genes and predisposition, such as sports, singing, art, etc.

spiritual gifts:  these are the roles that the Holy Spirit will use us in based on our willingness to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, such as being an apostle (preacher or pastor), administrator, healer, helper, miracle worker, prophet, and some others.  The book did a great job of spelling out what each of these spiritual gifts means in today's world.  Very cool!

Fruits of the Spirit:  the fruits of the Spirit are the qualities a person demonstrates when they are leading a Spirit-filled life.  They are from Galatians 5:22-23:  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

What are your talents?  What are your spiritual gifts?  Are you demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit?

I came up with a "the Bible says" and "the world says" chart for the fruits of the Spirit:

What the Spirit says: What the world says:
love Love is just a four-letter word
joy Happiness is more important than joy.
peace Peace is only achieved through nuclear deterrents
forbearance (patience) You are codependent.  You let people walk all over you.
kindness You will never get ahead in business or life being kind.
goodness Good girls go to heaven.  Bad girls go everywhere.
faithfulness If it feels good, do it, regardless of your commitments to others.
gentleness This signifies weakness.  You have to be rough and tough.
self-control You are a prude or stick in the mud or out of touch.