Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 75

31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 24

Can I be honest?  I don’t like to be good.  The fruit of goodness requires me to extend myself to others — and sometimes I find that uncomfortable.   I know that the Bible says I am supposed to meet the needs of the poor and hurting and the downtrodden, but some times I don’t want to.  I’d rather sit on my couch and watch HGTV.  I’d rather go to Starbucks with my friends.  Id’ rather take a nap.

Cultivating this fruit will require sacrifice.  I am going to have to say no to myself — to my selfishness, to my pride, to my prejudice, to my needs.  Goodness puts others first, regardless of whether they are “nice” or “pretty” or “deserving.”  Jesus didn’t come to meet the needs of people who had no needs.  He came to save the lost and heal the brokenhearted.  This is messy business.

Today, I read Emily’s story.  She let a homeless woman take a nap in her car.  I found myself wondering if I would have looked the other way.

Lord, help me see people the way that You do.  Cultivate goodness in my selfish heart.

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“Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone.

If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody.

Don’t insist on getting even;

that’s not for you to do.

‘I’ll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I’ll take care of it.’

Our Scriptures tell us

that if you see your enemy hungry,

go buy that person lunch,

or if he’s thirsty,

get him a drink.

Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.

Don’t let evil get the best of you;

get the best of evil by doing good.

Romans 12:17-21, MSG

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Q4U:  Is this an area you struggle in?  How do you intentionally cultivate the fruit of goodness?

Come back tomorrow for Day 25 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about sowing faithfulness. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 23

Sow goodness.  This fruit is benevolent love in action.  A good person is zealous for truth and is energized by serving.   Goodness is enthusiastically useful and extends grace to others.

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“I myself am convinced,

my brothers and sisters,

that you yourselves are full of goodness,

filled with knowledge

and competent to instruct one another.”

Romans 15:14, NLT

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Q4U:  What are some ways that we can be intentional about “loving in action”?

Come back tomorrow for Day 24 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about cultivating goodness. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 22

A juicy piece of watermelon on a hot, blistering day is perfectly refreshing.  If you read up online on the benefits of this fruit as I did, you will discover that some consider watermelon to be a “miracle recovery fruit” after a workout.

Kindness is also a “miracle recovery fruit”  — When life gets “hot,” a serving of kindness will refresh your neighbor’s spirit.  For those who are spiritually dehydrated, this fruit will help quench the thirst.

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“Your love

has given me much joy

and comfort, my brother,

for your kindness

has often refreshed the hearts

of God’s people.”

Philemon 1:7, NLT

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Q4U:  How has the kindness of another refreshed your soul when you were spiritually dehydrated?

Come back tomorrow for Day 23 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about sowing goodness.  I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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Filed under: Fruitilicious Tagged: 31 days, Christianity, Devotional, fruitful living, fruitilicious, kindness

31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 21

Sow kindness.  A kind person promotes good and exudes grace and gentleness.   The kind will meet needs out of a genuine desire to serve and be useful to others.  As a result, meekness blooms in the heart when this fruit is cultivated.

On Saturday, I had lunch with an old friend.  I ordered a water, and the waiter brought out a tall class filled with ice and garnished with a lime.  I squeezed the juice of that green fruit into my drink, and I must admit that I really enjoyed it.  There was a fresh flavor — a brightness that refreshed me and caused me to thirst for more.

I think that’s what the fruit of kindness does.  As we extend ourselves to others, they should enjoy being around us — we are called to refresh the spirits of those we rub shoulders with.  Hopefully, we whet their appetites for more of what the Spirit inside us has to offer.

You see, one who is kind is often described as “mellow,” never harsh nor demanding.  This fruit results in excellence, strength of character, and integrity.   Basically, kind people are good people who selflessly minister to their neighbor.

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“As God’s partners,we beg you

not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness

and then ignore it.

For God says,

‘At just the right time, I heard you.

 On the day of salvation, I helped you.’

Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now.

Today is the day of salvation.

 We live in such a way

that no one will stumble because of us,

and no one will find fault with our ministry.

In everything we do,

we show that we are true ministers of God.

We patiently endure troubles

and hardships and calamities of every kind.”

II Corinthians 6:1-4, NLT

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Q4U:  How would you define kindness?  How do you cultivate this fruit in your life?

Come back tomorrow for Day 22 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about how to cultivate kindness. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 20

Have you ever tried to eat a coconut?  It’s not for the fainthearted.  It requires a strenuous effort.  You have to drill a hole into the hard exterior, and then you need to grab a hammer or machete in order to smash the thing open.   A lazy person will not eat fresh coconut.

Patience is not passive.  This fruit requires intentional exertion of the will.

Patience is characterized by

grit — mental toughness and courage
moxie — determination, nerve, strong will and character
diligence — persistent attention and care

A sluggish person will never be called patient.

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 “We do not want you to become lazy,

but to imitate those

who through faith and patience

inherit what has been promised.”

Hebrews 6:12, NIV

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Q4U:  How do you cultivate patience in your life?  Again, I could use some tips on this one….  Do share in the comments below and help a sister out! 

Come back tomorrow for Day 21 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about sowing kindness. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 19

Sow patience.  This fruit gives one courage to endure long and not give up.  Patience strengthens your ability to act with self-restraint, rather than impulsiveness.  A strong dose of its nectar helps one to step back, extend mercy, and accept that “vengeance belongs to the Lord.”

Patience waits calmly and understands that God, the Master Gardener, is totally in control.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.

Consider the farmers

who patiently wait for the rains

in the fall and in the spring.

They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

You, too, must be patient.

Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

James 5:7-8, NLT

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Q4U:  How do you sow patience?  Any tips?  I could use some advice…

Come back tomorrow for Day 20 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about the characteristics of patience (Please note that I am highly unqualified to write yet another post on this subject, so your prayers are appreciated!). I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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Filed under: Fruitilicious Tagged: 31 days, Christianity, Devotional, fruitful living, fruitilicious, patience

31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 18

One thing about fruit — sometimes you have to work to find it.  Take the pomegranate for instance — its exterior surface is hard and inedible.  You have to crack the hard shell and go searching for the juicy, yummy stuff.

This world is a hard place to live sometimes.  You have to work to find peace — it will require constant effort on your part.  But, the fruit of peace is well worth the battle.

Today, I experienced the strangest moment.  I feel that God wants me to share it — He must want someone to read this.  That’s the only reason I can imagine for what happened.

You see, in order to prepare these posts, I begin by going to Bible Gateway.  I perform a key word search and read up on all the Scriptures on my topic until the bloggy inspiration comes.  Except this morning, when I did the key word search for “peace,” the web site kept telling that there were “no results.”  Friends, I tell you, I tried to search several times in different translations, and I even switched browsers on my computer.

This world was telling me that there was no peace, but I knew better.  So, I dug deep and tried to remember a verse that would work for my post, and I searched for it using a key phrase in Google.    Sure enough, I found my verse.

Is this world trying to tell you that there is no peace?  Keep searching, my friends.  You may need to crack through the hard exterior shell and go digging, but the yummy, juicy fruit of peace is there for you.

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“Whoever wants to embrace life

and see the day fill up with good,

Here’s what you do:

Say nothing evil or hurtful;

Snub evil and cultivate good;

run after peace for all you’re worth.”

I Peter 3:10-11, MSG

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Q4U:  Has this world ever tried to tell you that there is no peace?  How do you “run after” peace in your daily life?

Come back tomorrow for Day 19 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about sowing patience (Please note that I am highly unqualified to write a post on patience, so your prayers are appreciated!).  I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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I am joining like minded sisters at Faith-Filled Friday. I am joining The Nester and like-minded sisters for this crazy challenge:

Filed under: Fruitilicious Tagged: 31 days, Christianity, Devotional, fruitful living, fruitilicious, peace

31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 17

Sow peace.  This fruit is characterized by an inner harmony that promotes accord and tranquility.  Peace planted in the soul and cultivated by the Holy Spirit will prosper even if faced with the rages and havoc of war.   This blessed fruit produces contentment with one’s earthly lot.  God, the Master Gardener, rewards those who plant peace and strew its seed.

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“And those who are peacemakers

will plant seeds of peace

and reap a harvest of righteousness.”

James 3:18, NLT

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Q4U;  What can you do today to plant seeds of peace in your family?  in your workplace?  in your church?  in your community?  in your soul?

Come back tomorrow for Day 18 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about the characteristics of the fruit of peace. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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I am joining The Nester and like-minded sisters for this crazy challenge:

Photo Credit:  Michaela Kobyakov

Filed under: Fruitilicious Tagged: 31 days, Christianity, Devotional, fruitful living, fruitilicious, peace

31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 16

Joy thrives in the most unlikely places.  I learned this first hand last year.  You see, for 2012 my adopted theme was “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Steal My Joy.”  Looking back now, I realize how ironic that decision was because it was the hardest year of my life.    Yet,  in the midst of it all, I discovered that joy refused to die — it bloomed in the moments where friends prayed over me, where my husband hugged me and told me he loved me, and in the Scriptures God gave me to fertilize my spirit.

Joy will bloom in the soil of your heart even if the winter is harsh and sunlight seems elusive.  Just keep watering.

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 ”Dear brothers and sisters,

when troubles come your way,

consider it an opportunity for great joy.

For you know that when your faith is tested,

your endurance has a chance to grow.

So let it grow,

for when your endurance is fully developed,

you will be perfect and complete,

needing nothing.”

James 1:2-4, NLT

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Q4U:  Has joy ever welled up in you during a difficult season?  Please share your story with us in the comment section below.

For further reading on this topic, check out “Cartwheels of Joy.”  

Come back tomorrow for Day 17 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about sowing peace. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














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I am joining The Nester and like-minded sisters for this crazy challenge:

Photo Credit:  Alaa Hamed

Filed under: Fruitilicious, Joy Tagged: 31 days, Christianity, count it all joy, Devotional, fruitful living, fruitilicious, Joy, trials

31 Days to Fruitful Living — Day 15

Sow joy.  This gladness of heart springs up from faith.   A joyful person holds an exuberant outlook on life so that inner peace is not disturbed by outward turmoil.  The joyful choose to rejoice and keep moving forward with “holy optimism.”

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“Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people,

Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.

So, God’s people, shout praise to God,

Give thanks to our Holy God!”

Psalms 97:11-12, MSG

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Q4U:  How has God planted joy in your heart?  How do you cultivate this spiritual fruit?  I would love to hear your story.

Come back tomorrow for Day 16 of “31 Days to Fruitful Living.” We will chat about how joy is a tasty fruit. I may have a black thumb, but I am determined to learn how to cultivate my spiritual life.














Thanks for stopping by! I would love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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I am joining The Nester and like-minded sisters for this crazy challenge:

Photo Credit:  Vjeran Lisjak

Filed under: Fruitilicious, Joy Tagged: 31 days, Christianity, Devotional, fruitful living, fruitilicious, Joy