Fruit of the Spirit/Love

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

     Love encompasses all of the other fruit. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit within us, will continue to teach us how to love. Each one of us is made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) Jesus sees through to each heart. Let’s follow the story of Joyful Jenny and Crabby Cathy this week and use them as one illustration for growing in the fruit of the Spirit.

     Joyful Jenny and her young family recently moved into a new home. JJ had given her heart to Jesus a few years earlier and was in the midst of a Bible study on the fruit of the Spirit. It turns out she would be put to the test on growing in the Spirit with her next-door neighbor, Crabby Cathy.  JJ had recently read this Scripture:

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” Luke 6:32

     JJ had made a conscious decision to love the difficult people placed in her life. She began to pray for Cathy and for her words to be spoken in love. She took a deep breath as she walked outside one summer morning, seeing CC out in the backyard.

     “You really need to get to work on these weeds back here. They are starting to move into my yard and I have more than enough to do, thank you,” were the first words out of CC’s mouth.

     “Good morning. You are so right. But isn’t it a beautiful morning? It’s a morning to play don’t you think? But I will get on those weeds soon. Your yard looks beautiful by the way. I might need help on deciding which one of these are weeds. Aren’t some of them pretty?”

     With a “hmmph,” CC walked away. Jen sighed, recognizing how difficult it was to love some people. “How do you do it, Lord>” she whispered before heading to the swing set with her kids.

     Think about those difficult people in your life. Maybe the Holy Spirit can give you some help in loving them, as impossible as that sounds. It is easier to love the people that are like us, that love us back, that understand us. The Holy Spirit will allow us to see a little deeper into the hurt, the defensive walls, the grief and hopelessness. Is He asking you to love?

     First of all, make sure you fill up with the love of Christ, until it overflows. His love is unconditional, filled with mercy and new beginnings. His love changes us first. Only then can He work within us and through us to share it with the CC’s in our lives.

Dear Lord,

Fill us to the brim until it overflows with Your love. Teach us to love the difficult people in our lives and the people who need it the most. Take away our doubt and fear as we move out into the world today.

In Jesus we pray,

Amen

Fruit of the Spirit

     Jesus calls Himself, “the vine,” and He calls us, “the branches.” Apart from Him we can do nothing. The Father is our gardener and, as any good gardener would, He cuts off unhealthy branches and prunes others in order to produce more healthy fruit. What is the fruit of the Spirit?  The Bible is clear on just exactly what the fruit is: How is it growing in you?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

     Did you notice these verses begin with the fruit of the Spirit, not fruits? The seeds of this fruit are planted in us. As we continue to grow in the things of the Spirit, this heavenly gardener of ours pulls out some of the seed-eating weeds as we grow in this precious Spiritual fruit.

    The fruit is grown within us to be shared. Tomorrow we will begin with love. That is where everything begins with Jesus. In the meantime, don’t be afraid of the pruning shears or even the ax. Trim some temptation here, a bit of bitterness there, and chop off that huge cheating limb. It’s all for our own good, even when it hurts. Jesus produces only the best fruit.

Dear Jesus,

Teach us more about Your fruit in the days ahead. Help us to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. Most of all, help us to trust You to know what is best as we continue to walk in step with the Spirit. 

Amen

The Spirit and The Savior

     We are sealed forever with the Spirit when we first believe and the adventure begins. As we relax into our faith with trust, the Spirit takes us to places and situations beyond our imaginations. As Scripture reminds us, the Spirit is like the wind.

     He may speak with a gentle whisper or with a powerful gust. We are prompted, pushed through our fear, knocked off of our feel, forcing us to be still and know God. We are turned in a new direction or we are asked to stay put for a time with patient endurance, as the Spiritual winds die down.  We are His; wherever the wind may blow.

     The Spirit teaches and guides us to understand the Scriptures, opening our eyes and our hearts to hear the truth in new ways. The Spirit, always, always points to the Savior. The Holy Spirit continually brings us into the presence of Christ.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?

Psalm 139:7

     As our lives become melded with His, and molded by Him, the image of Christ grows from within. This process is due to no work of our own. We are helpless without the Spirit’s guidance. Falling in love with Jesus is a work of God. Let the wind take you on a ride today, soaring higher and higher into Christ’s presence.

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy; to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen

Jude 1:24-25

The Spirit and The Church

     We are in this together. It’s not about ritual or religion or tradition or denomination. Jesus doesn’t look at our divisions and our man-made rules. The law was covered by grace when Jesus suffered on the cross as a free gift for us.

     We are the body of believers throughout the world, connected by the one and only Spirit of Christ. This Spirit blasts through evil, overpowers darkness with light and the name of Jesus Christ when spoken through a Spirit-filled believer, can move mountains.

     Believe it, Live it. Shine it. We are the church, each one of us, in our families, our neighborhoods, our places of work, in the grocery store, in traffic. The Spirit clothes us with goodness, mercy and love. We are the church. Not the sit-in-church on Sundays and live the way we want Monday through Saturday. We are the Spirit-filled believers of Jesus Christ. You have the power of the resurrected Lord!

 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and In Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen

The Spirit and The Seal

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13

     The gospel has to be heard.  Our eyes and ears are opened to the truth and we believe! Jesus is ours, now and forever. The promised Savior of the world has saved you and me for all eternity. Nothing can separate us, ever. We are signed, sealed and delivered, heaven-bound.

     At the very moment we accept and believe in Jesus as our Lord, the very Spirit of God, the promised Holy Spirit seals us. Seals were an important part of ancient days. Each prominent person had his own seal and any document would not be accepted as authentic without it.

     Picture yourself with the seal of Christ, permanently stamped in heavenly writing, “WE ARE HIS!”  These words, written by Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will remind you of all that we are in Christ.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

     Such powerful words to consider; His chosen ones, His special possession. And as His holy people we are called to declare His praises, reminding ourselves that we are now children of the light.

Dear Jesus,

We are sealed with the promise of heaven, Your special possessions, now and forever. We will thank and praise You for that until we see You face to face.

Amen

The Spirit and The Sword

     God’s Word penetrates and convicts. His Word heals and comforts. The weapons of our warfare listed in Ephesians 6 are all defensive, all but one. Read these verses with me:

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17

For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

     The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Feeling powerless? Read Scripture aloud. It is alive and true and it can break down strongholds in your life. It will bring your devastated heart comfort and give you strength for another day. It cleanses, creates and clarifies life. Invest in it as you would in silver and gold. It is more precious than both.

The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. Psalm 119:72

Lord,

We thank You for the treasures discovered in the Word of God. Change our lives to be in line with it. It cuts to our hearts and renews our souls. Give us understanding and wisdom to walk in Your ways.

Amen

The Spirit and The Wind

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.  John 3:8

     Following the Spirit’s lead can be exhilarating, puzzling, surprising, perplexing and even frightening. Keeping in step with the Spirit of God will bring challenges, and even fear of the unknown when we need to take a leap of faith. Think about the wind. John’s Gospel compares our lives as born again Spirit-filled believers to the wind.

     How does the wind affect us? The answers can be as varied as a life lived in the presence of God. The wind can direct us, change us, move us and touch us. The wind can knock us from our feet, force us to turn around, refresh us, invigorate us, whisper with softness, or shout with its strength. A strong gust out of nowhere can surprise us and a gentle breeze can soothe us.

     The wind can steer us off of a prepared course as we face the unknown. Are you ready to allow the Spirit of God to move you in unexpected ways? Even when we aren’t listening or following, God will get us back on track with His glorious Holy Spirit.

The wind blows to the south and turns to the north, round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Ecclesiastes 1:6

     Wherever the Spirit leads, it always returns to its course, our loving Father.

Dear Father in heaven,

Make us aware of Your Holy Spirit today, whether in the softness of a whisper or the shout of a gust of sheer power. Keep us from fear when You ask us to change direction. Bring us back to our feet if we have been knocked down and keep us steady when the wind is rising before us. Keep us on Your course wherever and however the wind blows in the Spirit.

In Jesus name,

Amen