Now for our third “G”…
Third “G”:

• Groan
  • In prayer…
    • Psalm 5:1-2 (ESV) Give ear to my words, O Lord;
          consider my groaning.
      2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
          my King and my God,
          for to you do I pray.
    • Romans 8:26 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
    • Psalm 38:7-10 (NIV)

7 My back is filled with searing pain;
    there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
    I groan in anguish of heart.
9 All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
    even the light has gone from my eyes.

• As a horse submitting its will and trusting its handler…choose to trust and surrender to Him each day.

Bible Event that sums up Giving, Gentler, and Personality:

• Gentler...consider Christ's conversation with Peter in John chapter 21. Step one, Peter do you love me? Step two, a little closer into Peter's personal space...do you love me? Step three, almost right in Peter's face...do you love me? Almost as if Christ was holding a note behind his back, ready to present it to Peter upon the 3rd and final response...a note which reads, "then feed my sheep." That proves mutual and unconditional love, trust, and respect. Such moving and drawing in close proves Christ's practice of being a Gentler trainer. How do you think Peter treated others after experiencing such actions from the Lord? 
  • John 21:15-19 (NIV) 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 
  • God took a scoop from the denier bucket/personality...Giver and Gentler...gently gave forgiveness and a second chance...that's who He is and what He does. The result: Trust...the prize and privilege, feed my sheep.

In Closing…

• Remember…The Lord gave to all (John 3:16), and He was always gentle with all the different personalities that surrounded Him. It’s your reasonable service to be a living sacrifice and follow His examples…
• Prayer…
  • Lord, how would you have me give? How would You have me be gentle with certain personalities. I come to you sighing/groaning…thank you for interpreting and answering in Your perfect way and time.
    Amen 

Song: The Way by Jeremy Camp
​

Before we touch on our third and final "G," I'd like to insert a section that points out our responses to different personalities...

• This past Spring Break my family and I spent some time at the Gulf Shores. One night we went out for some ice cream. This one place we went to had several different flavors of ice cream in rows of buckets...similar to that of Baskin Robins’ 31 Flavors. My wife pointed out that they had a glazed donut that they would stuff ice cream into. There were a couple different flavors that caught my eye and so I asked how many scoops I could have in my donut. When I found out that it was two...I was set because I couldn’t decide between the two, so I got both. None of the others interested me at all.
• Within our sphere of influence we encounter multiple types of personalities. Maybe there are some in the list below that you regularly encounter (this is not an exhaustive list by any means…be thinking of the opposite of each as well as you read through them)… 
  • Loveable; Optimistic; Humble; Pleasant; Encouraging; Courageous; Honest; Respectful; Truthful; Hard Working; Selfless; Thoughtful; Funny; Outgoing; Easy-going; Forgivable. Denominational buckets…Only Baptists, Methodist, Presbyterian, Non-denominational, etc.  
    • Be thinking...Which personalities am I drawn to most? Are there some that I’m avoiding that I shouldn’t be? Should I try to make more attempts to love the unlovable?  
    • What scoop of ice cream / personality have you never entertained allowing into your donut?  
    • Which other denominations have you marked and avoided? Why? If you're firm in your faith, then what do you have to worry about? Can't you still choose to love them as God does? What’s wrong with taking a scoop of them every now and then?  
    • What about the harsh employer? It's easy to love those who are gente towards us, but 1 Peter 2:18 encourages us to submit to the harsh and gentle buckets as a testimony to each personality. Will you choose to submit to harsh personalities? Will you choose a scoop of the harsh even when your flesh might not want to?  
• Remember…God never shows favortism. He loves all, gives to all, is gentle do all, and died for all.  
• So how can I be a giver and a gentler, especially towards those I've kept my donut at a distance from?  How can I get to the point of requesting a scoop from buckets my pallet would typically avoid? This leads us into our third and final “G," which we'll get to next time!

Last week we touched on the importance of being a giving people and God as The Perfect Example of being a Giver. This week we'll consider the Second “G”:  
Gently  
GEN'TLY, adv. Softly; meekly; mildly; with tenderness...Without violence, roughness or asperity (harsh tone or manner). From the KJV Dictionary.

• The Bibe has much to say about treating others gently… 
  • God as our example:  
    • Psalm 18:35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. 
    • 2 Samuel 22:36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. 
    • His gentle approach with others makes them great.
  • Jesus’ claim:  
    • Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
  • Created in His image…Displayed by His followers/disciples:  
    • Fruit of the Spirit… 
      • Galatians 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 
    • Displayed lovingly to who?  
      • Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 
      • 2 Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 
      • Titus 3:2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 
      • 1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 
      • 1 Peter 3:4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 
      • 2 Samuel 18:5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom. 
      • Job 15:11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with you? 
      • Proverbs 25:15 By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks a bone. 
      • Hosea 11:4 I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them. 
      • 1 Corinthians 4:21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? 
      • 2 Corinthians 10:1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 
      • Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 
      • Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 
      • 1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 
      • 1 Timothy 3:3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 
      • 1 Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 
      • James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 
      • Let’s face it, we were made by God (created in His image) to be GENTLEmen! 
• Submitting my will to the Lord’s is difficult to do in certain circumstances, which made me think of this illustration of breaking / training / gentling a horse.  
  • There are two ways to train a horse for riding: the hard or the gentle way.  
    • Hard Way… 
      • Methods of the hard way:  
        • By way of Force…
          • Force to obey and do your will.  
          • Force the horse into submission against its will.  
        • Song...I can’t make you love me if you don’t.  
      • Results of the hard way:  
        • Causes more problems than it’s worth.  
        • Defiance in the one you're training. 
        • A rebellious attitude may surface when someone is being forced to do something they’re not quite comfortable with yet.  
        • Resentment towards the handler may begin to set in.   
        • The learner may resort to acting up more often…winding up on the hard path more often than the easy one in life.   
    • Gentle Way… 
      • Methods of the gentle way:  
        • Demonstrating on an already broke-in / trained horse. Introduce them…let them interact. Observation…let the learner see how the other horse is being treated…cause them to think, "should I fear the trainer or follow-suit." 
        • “Gentling” “Gentle Breaking”…takes investing time. Day-in and day-out.   
        • Spend Quality and Quantity of Time with them. Brush and Pet them…getting in close.  
        • Make every effort to gain and keep their trust.  
        • Display patience with them. 
        • Lead them.  
        • Offer rewards / words of encouragement when something is done correctly.  
      • Results of the gentle way: 
        • Gentle training a horse can give you a lifelong companion. 
        • It also builds trust with its handler/leader/trainer.
        • Spiritually for us…
          • It builds trust with its discipler.  
          • Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 
            • Do you trust the Lord to lead you along the gentle path? 
          • Christ's example. 
            • Luke 22:42 (NLT) “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 
              • Follow His lead when it comes to submitting your will...make it about Him and His message, not my agenda. 
          • Our Commitment and Submission. 
            • Proverbs 16:3 (AB) Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]. 
            • Proverbs 37:5 (AB) Commit your way to the LORD; Trust in Him also and He will do it. 
            • James 4:7-10 (AB) 7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]. 
      • Sighing.
        • Imagine if you will with me a trainer in the pen with a wild horse. At first the wild horse is scared and wants out...trying to get as far away from having to be submissive as possible. The goal for the trainer is to eventually gain enough trust through Gentling that the horse will turn his kicking and screaming into a sigh. On horsehints.org, sighing is "drawing in a deep breath, then letting it out slowly and audibly through the mouth or nostrils...A sigh can mean relief from something that is bothering the horse."
        • Have you ever been thinking deeply on something that's been bothering you and someone close to you asks you if everything is ok? You may have sighed audibly and didn't even realize it. That's us with the Lord...He draws us into Himself...we sigh as we surrender our will to His…as much as it bothers us to not follow through with our own fleshly will…a deep sigh can be relieving and revealing.
    • Who can I be gentler and loving towards? Who have I not been gentle with that I need to make it right with them? How can I be gentler towards others in the days ahead? What does it really look like for me to sigh?
    • Sighing really leads us into our 3rd "G," but...before we hit on the third “G” I’d like to introduce you to my section on 31 personalities.  

This past weekend my message was on 3g Service and 31 Personalities. Here’s the link to the VIDEO if you were unable to join us in person. Below is the outline I used, and as you’ll be able to tell, I went back and added more meat to the bones of it to further drive each point home for you. The video itself is only 26 minutes if you’d just rather watch that.

I began our time together by reading Romans 12:1, which says…

• (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy [(set apart], acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

When we think of cell phone reception. We think of 5g, 4g, 3g, 2g, 1g…So, for the allotted time that we have together I figured a 3g message would be reasonable for today. Thus, I’ll be discussing three words that God laid on my heart…each beginning with the letter “G.”
 
The first “G”:

• Giving
  • For those who are the Givers.
    • I want to begin by stating that tithing is a great topic. Tithing has its purpose…it keeps the Church doors open, it pays the bills and salaries, it proves to God that we are thankful for what He’s blessed us with by giving a portion back to Him.
      • If not careful, then tithing can be something done out of duty or routine (not much thought put into it), or for the reasons of tax write offs or to bring attention to oneself.
    • But I’m not here to speak on tithing. I’m here to discuss going above and beyond in our giving. Giving because you want to and don’t feel obligated to.
    • When it comes to giving I want you to take three things into consideration…
    • Consider the ability to give as a gift from God…
      • Romans 12:3-8 (NIV) Humble Service in the Body of Christ
        • 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
    • Consider the example of the early Church.
      • Acts 2:42-47 (NLT)  42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
      • Peter says in Acts 3:6 a,b…I don’t have silver or gold, but such as I have give I thee…
        • Peter recognized that he didn’t possess some things that others did, BUT he did recognize that he had at least something to give.
        • What is your “such as I have”? And are you giving it or hoarding it for yourself?
          • I’m not attempting to guilt trip anyone into giving, but I do share this passage below so you’ll understand how serious He takes it...
            • Matthew  25:24-30 (NIV) 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
        • What is it that the Lord has blessed you with? Do you recognize the brand of giving He’s gifted you with? Maybe it’s service (a servant’s heart), finances, time, a listening ear, a hug, baking something for someone, taking someone a meal, hospitality, giving someone a gift card, giving someone free lessons because you know they can’t afford them, taking someone clothes or furniture, taking them a craft that you specifically made for them…and the list could go on and on.  
        • Are you using your gifts and talents as living sacrifice opportunities for Lord? Are you doing it out of your reasonable service to Him and for His glory? Giving for God to receive all the glory is what ought to set each of us apart from how the world gives…it’s all about motive and intent. Why are you giving? For attention…to be seen by others? For His glory? Remember, God knows the heart intent of all men (1 Kings 8:39; Psalm 139:1-6, 22-24; Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 8:27).
    • Consider the example of Jesus. The Perfect Example of being a Giver:
      • His entire earthly ministry involved giving…
        • Matthew 11:5 (NLT) the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
        • John 5:1-9b (NIV) I have no one able to help me in the pool. Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
        • John 15:13 (NLT) There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
        • Philippians 2:8 (NIV) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
          • That was His humble and reasonable service…a living sacrifice…furthering the Good News.
    • Giving will become a go-to for you the more you practice it.
      • It’ll become muscle memory.
      • Have the mindset of no strings attached…expecting nothing in return.
      • A genuine giver will have absolutely no reservations giving to others…
        • “I’ll give her my kidney”…
          • When my wife shared with me my Aunt’s posting about her need of a kidney…I didn’t hesitate to offer mine. Being a historical giver led me to having no reservations in donating a body part to my Aunt. What’s exciting is that as my daughters get their drivers licenses…they too put down that they’d like to be an organ donor.
          • Results of donating my kidney to my Aunt:
            • I’m healthy and my Aunt healthy. She gets to avoid dialysis for who knows how long.
            • Update from my Aunt in Hawaii, as of 4-10-22… “Happy 4-month anniversary (yesterday)! I'm doing well. Just did some stand up paddle boarding for the first time on some flat ocean water. About 3-4 weeks ago I had a bit of a scare with low white blood cell count, it was from too high a dose of immunosuppressants, but it's back under control now. Down to 17 pills a day & 8 different vitamins/minerals.”
        • “I’ll give my crowns back to the Lord.” Even in the presence of God one day we’ll notice no reservations in giving back to Him.
          • Article from gotquestions.org...What is the verse about casting our crowns before the feet of Jesus?
        • Giving produces genuine joy…
          • 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
          • Acts 20:35 (NLT) And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

• For those who are the Recipients.
  • Consider the Good Samaritan and the Jew (Luke 10:33-35). Here’s the link to the full Parable of the Good Samaritan.
    • The Jew was beaten, robbed, left to die on the side of the road. A Priest, Levite, and Samaritan approach the scene at different times. What’s the response of each? Keep in mind…all are seeing the exact same thing. Both the Priest and Levite…men involved with the things Lord keep walking by, maybe said something cliché like, “We’ll be praying for you.” Maybe the Jew prayed, “Lord, just send me someone who can help me.” And then a Samaritan approaches him. “Really, Lord. The one I have animosity towards…that’s who you send my way?” Just like the many who saw my Aunt’s Facebook posting…it only took one person to step up and help my Aunt out with a kidney (we’ve never had animosity towards each other by the way), it just took one for God to send this Jews way. God provided the Samaritan with resources…the exact resources needed to help get this Jew back on his feet. Do you think that Jew will ever forget what the good Samaritan did for him…how God provided in his time of need?
    • Humbly allow givers to give.
      • It had to have been a humbling experience for this Jew to receive above and beyond help from this Samaritan.
      • As I pointed out earlier, giving produces joy in the heart of the giver. As a parent, remember when your young child made you something that looked questionable to eat or drink, but he or she put all his/her heart and time into it. Did you at least happily receive it or tell him/her no thank you? Don’t crush their spirit of giving. They’re doing what they feel the Lord, or their heart is asking them to do. They may be wanting to follow your example of being a Giver and this is how they chose to put it into practice…will you humbly allow them the opportunity to do so? Don’t always feel like you must be the giver…express joy as the receiver too.   
• How should I give? Who should I give to? When should I give? We’ll hit on this in our third “G”, but for next time we’ll consider the second “G.” 

If anything, I highly recommend checking out the song In Jesus Name below. It’s one of my favorites on the radio right now and very applicable to today’s challenge.
Have you ever spent time praying for a friend or for anyone else before? Have you struggled with knowing what to say, how to pray, how to make a request to the Lord? If so, then I trust that the prayers mentioned in today’s challenge will be of great assistance to you.
The apostle John’s prayer for his friend Gaius in 3 John 1:2 (HCSB) is as follows, “Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually.”
Was the apostle John endorsing the prosperity gospel, or just naturally praying that his friend would succeed in life and be in good health? Here’s a LINK from gotquestions.org that will aid in our understanding of the apostle John’s prayer.
We tend to live in a very competitive and self-absorbed world…praying such prayers for others is what ought to set us apart from the world. In your time of prayer today let me encourage you to take the focus off yourself and pray for someone else as the apostle John did for Gaius. Ask the Lord to lay someone on your heart and then send them a message…letting them know you’re praying for them, cheering them on. Trust me, we all need a prayer cheerleader in our lives.

Songs:

• In Jesus Name (God of Possible) by Katy Nichole
• Blessings by Laura Story (with Lyrics)
• My Prayer for You by Alisa Turner

Prayers:

• Philippians 1:9-11 (HCSB) And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
• Romans 10:1 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
• Romans 1:9 (NKJV) For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
• Ephesians 1:16 (NKJV) do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
• 2 Timothy 1:3 (NKJV) I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
• John 17:20-26 (NIV) Jesus Prays for All Believers
  • 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”