In our fast-paced lives, it is easy to overlook the profound significance and applications of honoring our parents. As we reflect on our recent experiences, particularly the precious moments spent with our parents after a long period of separation due to exams and work commitments, we are reminded of Jesus’ convicting wisdom in Matthew 15. Here, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for declaring their possessions as "Corban" or “dedicated to God's work” only to excuse them from their duty to support their parents. From the passage, it is clear what the Lord’s heart is in this matter: to honor your father and mother. This was established in Genesis and continues today, as Jesus is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

As we have been going through the Timothy sermon series, specifically 1 Timothy 5:8 stood out in this context: "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." While this verse primarily addresses financial provision, its essence extends far beyond mere material support. Recently, we have spent considerable time helping our parents during significant transitions, such as moving to new states and preparing for family reunions. These experiences, though exhausting, have been filled with a unique joy.

In a culture that often equates joy with immediate gratification, the joy found in honoring our parents and supporting our families stands as a testament to the enduring truth of Scripture. We do not look to our culture to uphold honor of parents in the same way that we do not look to our culture to distinguish right from wrong. While some things may come more easily to some than to others, the ease with which we are able to fulfill the Lord’s commands should not affect our willingness and resolve to obey. For example, when the commotion of life comes, it is usually easier to honor my (Stephen’s) father and mother than to obey other commands such as “meeting regularly together” (Hebrews 10:25) or to be devoted to the Word and prayer (Acts 2:42). I should do the former while not neglecting the latter (Matthew 23:23).

The command to honor our parents is not merely an outdated obligation, but it is a timeless directive grounded in God's unchanging character and wisdom. Whether we are or are not able to understand the reason for why certain commandments have been given by God, our challenge for ourselves and others is to trust His holy nature, His unfailing Word throughout all generations, and His promise of the sanctifying work that He has already begun in each of us. We thank God that our community at Living Legacy continues to strengthen us, encourage us, and challenge us in all these areas.

I was thinking about one of my new favorite songs we sing in church, "The Goodness of God", and thinking about a few of the many things I've gone through in my life; cancer, death of both parents and the death of my husband. In thinking about all of this, I realized that the "goodness of God" is not in the outcome of any particular life situation. The "goodness of God " is in the awareness of His presence in any life situation. It is His presence that gives hope, strength, courage and peace in whatever we face in our life.

I've been through a time of struggling lately. Sometimes it seems as though Satan is working overtime. It's easy (especially living alone) to become overwhelmed and discouraged with all the evil in the world and the trials of life and yet anytime I feel that way, after much time spent in prayer, God always brings me back to a place of peace.

We all experience storms and trials in our lives, but when we are aware of God's presence,  we can find refuge and peace in the "goodness of God" during those storms and trials. Trusting in God gives us a hope and security the world can never give. He is our only certainty in an uncertain and changing world.

Psalm 46: 1 NIV -  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 

Psalm 119: 114 NIV - You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

At our lowest: God is our hope.
At our darkest: God is our light.
At our weakest: God is our strength.
At our saddest: God is our comforter.

May God bless you all with His love, His peace and His goodness.

True confession: I am not a naturally joyful person; I’m just not wired that way in my flesh. I have a “muted” outlook or demeanor, sort of like cloud cover on an otherwise sunny day. Over the years, I’ve decided that my natural demeanor is linked to my strong aversion to experiencing the pain that comes with being disappointed. To avoid that, I live cautiously with diminished expectations, always expecting [and waiting] for the other shoe to drop. I also don’t think I’m alone; I think many Christ followers

struggle to live joyfully.

Nehemiah 8:10 states in part that we are not to “be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is [our] strength”. And Paul writes that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, . . .”. The Hebrew word for “joy” is “chedvah”, which means to rejoice or to make glad. The Greek work for “joy” is “chara” and comes from a verb meaning “to be full of cheer that is calmly happy or well off”, and which is most often

translated as joy. 

So, what is this kind of joy and how can I water the “joy fruit” on my “Spirit tree” so that I produce more of it?

First, while joy and happiness (as we interpret each in the English language) are not identical emotions and originate from different sources, I do believe that someone with a joyful spirit (in the spiritual sense) will emit a happy, peaceful vibe most of the time. In other words, spiritual joy is a state of being that sticks with the individual regardless of circumstances, whereas happiness, as an outgrowth of worldly circumstances, is temporary. I believe that a person who produces “joy fruit” lives this life with a heavenly perspective (i.e., we are just passing through) and has developed an immense capacity to trust the LORD – I mean in the sense of trusting that the LORD “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). It means being joyful in the LORD even “though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines . . .”

(Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Secondly, the key to producing more “joy fruit” (or any fruit of the Spirit) is to submit to the LORD and ask Him for help. We can’t grow any spiritual fruit on our own; it is a byproduct of the ongoing work of the Spirit in our lives. Jesus states in John 15 that “He [Christ] is the true vine, and [His] Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does

bear fruit, He prunes that it may bear more fruit . . . As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me”.

So . . . I don’t have joy in my flesh. But as I grow in spiritual maturity and embrace the mantra “let go and let God”, I am finding a few more pieces of “joy fruit” beginning to emerge from the branches. For this, I am grateful . . . and I’m joyful!

“The Lord saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil.” Genesis 6:5 (CEV)

Hello LLC and friends. As we begin to see spring arriving. You may be looking for an upbeat devotional. I don’t want to be a “Debbie Downer” and we will get to a more upbeat thought before we’re done. So, hang with me. But have you looked around lately at our world? I am amazed at how selfish, greedy, and sometimes downright evil, people are. Now I am not a Holy God, but that is what I see. Can you imagine what a perfect God sees in our world? How mean and ugly people are these days. But honestly, the Human condition has been around, well, since the fall. People have always been evil not just in actions but also in thoughts and plans.

Now here is the challenge. Genesis 6:8 tells us, “But the Lord was pleased with Noah.” (CEV) Was Noah a perfect man. No. Was he better than the rest. Actually No. But he was walking in a way trying to please God. Are we trying to please God? Granted, we will not accomplish perfect status either. Probably far from it. But are we attempting to be blameless? I hope so. I was driving this morning, in a van marked “School Students,” beside me was a guy with a fish on the back of his car. You know, identifying himself as a follower of Christ. And someone, fortunately not me, did something in front of him that he didn’t like, and he blew and gestured and all the rest. My, how we need to seek God’s help in being upright and blameless.

Now the upbeat part. Noah pleased God. For whatever reason, God chose Noah to carry on The Human Race. He gave him, and his family, grace and mercy. We should rejoice in God’s grace and mercy, too, and find opportunities to share that grace and mercy with a lost and evil world. So next time you get in your car, make sure there is no fish on the back and try to please God!

Recently I’ve noticed myself being more prone to complaining about others. I’ve been frustrated with people’s integrity, believer’s lack of fruit, family and friends' lives seeming to be falling apart and no sign that they would turn to Christ in their struggle.  

Phil 2:14   Do all things without grumbling or disputing

So there’s an immediate bit of instruction on how to moan - simply disobey Philippians 2:14. In truth we don’t really need any instructions on how to moan, moaning is a natural state for man. Some people moan a lot, and loudly, and some you never hear moaning, but there’s a moaning of the heart that’s just as harmful to that individual as the moaning everyone hears from others is harmful to them. 

But how is moaning about things troubling you harmful? Firstly because it causes us to disobey other Biblical instructions - 1st Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to rejoice always and then in verse 18 we’re told in everything give thanks. And actually, learning and practicing those two prescriptions takes us very far in learning how to not moan; if your standard disposition is to always be rejoicing, and if your life is lived rejoicing then your heart should be inclined to be thankful for everything.

It’s that “everything” that makes this difficult for us to not moan. Again, we’re told to Do all things without grumbling or disputing, but “everything”, “all things”? Not only is that hard for us to do, but we’re not even sure that’s a reasonable rule or guideline. Before we even fail at not moaning we kind of think we have a right to, that we deserve to moan about some things. Ok, I won’t moan about someone parking their car at church where I commonly park mine, I won’t even moan that someone is sitting in my seat during the worship service, but if I have to sit there with severe back pain, I get to moan about that don’t I? There are things we see as petty or insignificant and will agree we should learn to not moan about such things - but we hold in reserve certain things we count to be substantial and significant and so worthy of moaning about; if I lose the quarter I thought was in my pocket I don’t need to moan about it, if I lose my car keys and it’s time to go I get to moan about that a little, if I lose my job I fully deserve to moan about that.

That seems perfectly acceptable to us, we’re just regular folks, just like everybody else, how can we be expected not to moan if we receive a scary diagnosis or if our house burns down? How can God direct us to rejoice always and in everything give thanks? For me that answer is, because He’s the same God who promises us eternal peace and rest with Him in paradise, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. What God has done for us is far weightier, significant, consequential than anything this world, and ourselves, can do to us here and now. And we know that, we believe that, so why is it yet so hard for us not to moan?

2 Corinthians 4:6    For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels

God has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ - how is that not sufficient to keep us from moaning? because we have this treasure in earthen vessels. These ‘tragedies’ are not so tragic eternally as they feel tragic here and now, and the Holy Spirit is mightier than anything this world can assault us with - but we are weak, frail, and self-concerned . . . we are prepared to, often looking to moan.

Our passage in Philippians says Do all things without grumbling or disputing, and it goes on to explain so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. God is calling us to not be like the world, if we moan about the very same things our neighbors and coworkers and everyone moans about then we are not lights, or, our light is not shining. So what’s the answer to ‘how to moan’? Ignore the Bible, ignore the Holy Spirit, follow the ways of those rejecting Jesus, live like the world. We are earthen vessels, weak and frail - but we are vessels that God the Holy Spirit indwells, turn to Him, trust in Him, depend on Him.

There’s a very well known verse just in between rejoice always and in everything give thanks  we are vessels that God the Holy Spirit indwells, turn to Him, trust in Him, depend on Him . . . and pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks.