Spirit-led Relationship 12-27-10

“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Gal. 5:16-18

What is it about a Spirit-led person that stirs something inside another causing this other to desire what they have?
What is it about the faith of a Spirit-led Believer that beckons us into the arms of the God they serve?

Let’s explore some characteristics of a person who lives life led by the Spirit.
A Spirit-led person:

• is Not overwhelmed (level headed), yet can exhibit emotion with self control (like King David ~2Sam. 6:14-21; 1Chr. 28:19-20; Ps. 31:13-14)
• is light-handed and patient with life and circumstance (versus “controlling” in a negative sense) ~Ps. 138:8; Rom. 15:13
• knows their limits and understands their unique “call” (at peace with who they are purposed to be) ~Eph. 2:10; 2Cor. 10:13
• exhibits a humble and discerning spirit as well as the fruits of the Spirit ~Phil. 1:10; Gal. 5:22-23; Col. 3:12
• is thankful for personal correction (Seek accountability because of a personal desire to mature in Christ.)  ~Prv. 15:32; Jms. 1:4
• has a joyful heart amidst “realist understanding” of life’s challenges (don’t live in a fantasy bubble) ~Prv. 12:20; 1Ths. 1:6
• exhibits wholehearted devotion to God and a vibrant relationship with God ~2Cor. 6:4-10
• has a vibrant prayer life (Understands prayer opens the way for God to work.) ~Acts 2:42; Matt. 6:6; Phil. 4:6-7
• Love oozes from their being  ~1Jn. 4:7-8

There are a TON more verses and many more characteristics describing a Spirit-led person, but this is a start. ~If you are willing, please join us in this short prayer:

“Lord, give me Your eyes and Your understanding into the circumstances and relationships in my life today.
Give me Your LOVE, Lord. Help me to truly LOVE You and then, please pour out Your LOVE through my life today.
Help me to lean not to my own understanding of things and people, but to fully trust You Jesus.  Amen.”

We love YOU!
Shaun and Betsy   

We Cleary’s want to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

We Cleary’s want to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Jesus is the glorious reason for this amazing season.
May you sense His presence today, as we celebrate His birth!

Love, kisses and BIG hugs to you.
Shaun, Betsy, Kels, Conner, and Shannon

"I LOVE YOU!" 12-20-10

“’My son’, the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.’” Lk. 15:31

Jesus, in Luke 15, tells three different stories of “lost things”: a sheep, a coin, and a son. When we hear this text, our minds generally focus on the “sin” aspect of the stories, specifically, the “naughtiness” of each. But what Jesus seems to be illustrating in these stories, is not so much the “naughtiness” aspect of sin, but the “separateness” aspect of sin. ~The sheep, the coin and the son were all “away” (or “separate”) from those who cherished them most.  The sheep were separated from the shepherd, the coin was separated from its owner, and the son was separated from his home and father.

In each of these stories, something very valuable was lost, a grand search took place, and great rejoicing took place when ‘the lost’ was found.

As with our Lord, each one of us is immeasurably precious to Heavenly Daddy....and when we stray from Him, He calls out a divine search party to bring us home to Himself. ~~And when we do come home, He and His angels totally rock-out in celestial celebration!

Are you feeling alone? Perhaps could it be that you have been “going it alone”, living life to the best of your own ability? Or perhaps you are doing very well personally, but someone you love is ‘major league struggling’ right now? ~~Jesus is beckoning each one of us to Himself. 
Remember the saying, we may be the only Bible some people will ever read. Folks will know the kind of Father we have when they see the love His kids live; the love of our Lord God in action.

So what do you say, for those of us who are currently living a life of joy and delight in Jesus, let’s “put on some divine skin” and touch someone else who’s hurting. We Cleary’s have had the best time this past week helping out the ‘hurting’ of our town by helping to provide for some basic needs both at our home and at local establishments in out community. Things like packaging hundreds of frozen chickens and stocking shelves, delivering items, wrapping gifts, loving on and praying with local families and individuals at our local Unity Shoppe and church.

~ And maybe, just maybe, through all of our ‘love in action’ (yours and ours), Jesus will be revealed in a way that causes another soul to come home! And for those ‘hurting’ who know Him personally, our love in action just may lift their spirit, give them hope, and meet a very real need. (After all isn’t this what we all desire?!)

We pray you have a treasured Christmas!                                                       
Much love,
Shaun and Betsy

Wired with Desire 12-13-10

“All my longings lie open before You, O Lord, my sighing is not hidden from you.” Ps. 39:9

God hard wired each of us with desires. Some of our desires are realized in this lifetime, but most are not.  And it is at this time of year especially, many of us find ourselves struggling with unfulfilled longings. 

• The loss of a job leaving minimal income for the bare necessities, much less Christmas gifts
• Loneliness and feelings of worthlessness (the “everyone has someone to love them but me” sentiment)
• Estranged relationships
• Physical and emotional suffering

What do we do with the unrealized desires within us? Here are a few suggestions: 

• realize that we are not alone...the whole of creation has been groaning since Genesis 3.  (Now, that’s A LOT of frustration and unfulfilled longing!)
• cling to the hope of Christ’s promises to us and His imminent return for us. (Rom. 8:18-32)
• discipline our minds to “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ” and put on our “spiritual armor” (2 Cor.10:5; Eph.6:13-18)
• take our thoughts off ourselves, get out and start serving others (Mk. 12:31; 1Pet. 4:10)
• talk with a friend
• PRAY

God promises us that His eyes are on the righteous, His ears are attentive to their cry (as soon as He hears, He answers) and His angel encamps around those who fear Him to deliver them! (Ps. 34:7,15; Is. 30:19)

~We will always have unfulfilled yearning this side of eternal paradise. Think about it, if all of our deepest desires were attainable here and now, “this” would be heaven, ~~~and wouldn’t that be depressing!

We love you. Jesus IS the reason for this season!                                     
Shaun and Betsy  

Cultivating Love 12-6-10

“Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” Eph. 5:2

Christmas time...what a wonderful, blessed, cherished time of year...that is if we slow down enough to realize what this season is truly all about.

It’s a fact, “EVERYBODY WANTS TO LOVE...EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE LOVED”, and it’s also a fact that loving the way Jesus calls us to love is only possible by loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Mk. 12:30-31 (When we do this, He empowers us to love others and His love flows through us to others...otherwise, we are merely loving by our limited human strength and understanding.)
When we feel loved by another, it’s because that someone is generally giving us:

• their time and attention
• their appreciation and listening ear
• their honor and trust
• They show us that they value us and are thankful for us.
• They genuinely care about the things that concern us.
• They discern our “love language” (physical touch, words of praise and affirmation, acts of service, gifts, etc.), and trying to love us according to it (as opposed to loving us according to their own “love language”).

2 Cor. 13:5 tells us to examine and test ourselves. So, with this partial list, let’s examine and test ourselves in the area of loving others.

Picture someone in your mind right now. ~Got that person envisioned?

Question: Is my life right now characterized by love for him/her (following Christ’s sacrificial example) OR is my life right now characterized by my scurrying around trying to make things “perfect” by Christmas, and in the process, neglecting those I love most?

Check out this short song by Ingrid Michaelson: “Everybody”... It’ll make make you smile!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Zb4_Xc9io&feature=email

Let’s simplify our lives a bit and re-discover the true meaning of love this season, then ask ourselves, “Where can I ‘step up the love’ a bit?”

God bless you!
Shaun and Betsy