June 14th, 2017 - Thoughts for your Week
Scripture: Psalm 1: 1-3
Blessed is the one who does
not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the
company of mockers, but whose delight is in the
law of the Lord, and who
meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted
by streams of water, which
yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither—whatever they do prospers.
Fruit of the Spirit
But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep
in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5: 22-25
In the same way that our
doctor will put us through tests to diagnose any potential problems, God has
given us a process of evaluating spiritual problems in our lives; the fruit of
the spirit. If we are truly
walking in step with God, our lives will be changing and our fruit will be
growing constantly. Take some time to answer these questions about the spiritual
health of your fruit…
- Love. This word for love doesn’t refer to warm feelings but to a deliberate attitude of good will and devotion to others. Love gives freely without looking at whether the other person deserves it, and it gives without expecting anything back. Question: Am I motivated to do for others as Christ has done for me, or am I giving in order to receive something in return?
- Joy. Unlike happiness, joy is gladness that is completely independent of the good or bad things that happen in the course of the day. In fact, joy denotes a supernatural gladness given by God’s Spirit that actually seems to show up best during hard times. This is a product of fixing your focus on God’s purposes for the events in your life rather than on the circumstances. Question: Am I experiencing a joy of life on a regular basis, or is my happiness dependent on things going smoothly in my day?
- Peace. It’s not the absence of turmoil, but the presence of tranquility even while in a place of chaos. It is a sense of wholeness and completeness that is content knowing that God controls the events of the day. Question: Do I find myself frazzled by the crashing waves of turmoil in my life, or am I experiencing “the peace that passes all comprehension” (Philippians 4:6-7)?
- Forbearance. Other words that describe this fruit are lenience, long-suffering, patience, perseverance, and steadfastness. It is the ability to endure ill treatment from life or at the hands of others without lashing out or paying back. Question: Am I easily set off when things go wrong or people irritate me, or am I able to keep a godly perspective in the face of life’s irritations?
- Kindness. When kindness is at work in a person’s life, he or she looks for ways to adapt to meet the needs of others. It is moral goodness that overflows. It’s also the absence of malice. Question: Is it my goal to serve others with kindness, or am I too focused on my own needs, desires, or problems to let the goodness of God overflow to others?
- Goodness. While kindness is the soft side of good, goodness reflects the character of God. Goodness in you desires to see goodness in others and is not beyond confronting or even rebuking (as Jesus did with the money changers in the temple) for that to happen. Question: Does my life reflect the holiness of God, and do I desire to see others experience God at a deep level in their own lives?
- Faithfulness. A faithful person is one with real integrity. He or she is someone others can look to as an example, and someone who is truly devoted to others and to Christ. Our natural self always wants to be in charge, but Spirit-controlled faithfulness is evident in the life of a person who seeks good for others and glory for God. Question: Are there areas of hypocrisy and indifference toward others in my life, or is my life characterized by faith in Christ and faithfulness to those around me?
- Gentleness. Meekness is not weakness. Gentleness is not without power, it just chooses to defer to others. It forgives others, corrects with kindness, and lives in tranquility. Question: Do I come across to others as brash and headstrong, or am I allowing the grace of God to flow through me to others?
- Self-control. Our fleshly desires, Scripture tells us, are continually at odds with God’s Spirit and always want to be in charge. Self-control is literally releasing our grip on the fleshly desires, choosing instead to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is power focused in the right place. Question: Are my fleshly desires controlling my life, or am I allowing the Spirit to direct me to the things that please God and serve others?
- Walk by the Spirit. While not a fruit of the Spirit, the final item on the checkup produces all nine qualities listed above. When we follow the Spirit’s lead instead of being led by our self-focused desires, He produces the fruit. But even when we don’t walk by the Spirit, He is the very one who convicts us that things are not in proper order in our lives. God promises that if we are willing to admit that we have been walking our own way and ask for His forgiveness and cleansing, He will empower us through His Spirit to live above ourselves and live the abundant life for which He has created us. Question: Am I actively depending on the Holy Spirit to guide me in God’s ways so I don’t get wrapped up in myself? If not, am I willing to confess to God that His ways are better than mine, and that I need the Spirit’s guidance to live above the fray.
(Taken from FamilyLife © 2008. All
rights reserved.)
“All of
this is as natural as the growth of fruit on a tree. You do not have to
orchestrate it on your own. It automatically begins the moment you become a
believer. How quickly it happens depends upon how completely you yield yourself
to the Holy Spirit’s activity.” – Henry
Blackaby
Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital
forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life. The life of the
individual believer, his personal salvation, and personal Christian graces have
their being, bloom, and fruitage in prayer. – E.M. Bounds
We walk by the Spirit when the desires of the Spirit are stronger than
the desires of the flesh. – John Piper
No one can get
Joy by merely asking for it. It is one of the ripest fruits of the Christian
life, and, like all fruits, must be grown.
- Henry Drummond
