DO YOU WANT MORE FULFILLMENT AS A CHRISTIAN?
BIBLE PASSAGE:
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. Let us not become
conceited, provoking and envying each other.
(Galatians 5:22-26)
MEDITATION:
The scriptures clearly tell us there are certain qualities that should
be evident in the lives of believers. These qualities are referred to
as the “fruit of the Spirit” and include the following:
Love
(affection; goodwill; charity; devotion to spouse;
self-denying; self-sacrificing).
Joy
(gladness; rejoicing (in the Lord); delight; exhilaration).
Peace
(calm; not quarrelsome; tranquility; restful; depending on the Lord).
Forbearance
(patiently enduring; tolerating; not having thoughts of retaliation).
Kindness
(gentleness; mildness; moderate; worthy of love and affection).
Goodness
(commendable; honest; proper; affectionate; love in action).
Faithfulness
(loyalty; trust and dependence on the Lord; committed to serve).
Gentleness
(meekness; not weak, but a controlled strength; concern for others).
Self-control
(restraint of impulses, emotions or desires; composure; disciplined).
These traits describe someone who:
…is caring and has sincere concerns for others.
…is strong and committed to what they believe in.
…is at peace with themselves and with their relationship with the Lord.
…knows how to appreciate and enjoy the important things in life.
…is kind, compassionate and can lift the spirits of others through encouragement.
…is confident that the Lord will provide for their needs.
Doesn’t that sound like the kind of person we would like to have as
a friend? Wouldn’t you like to be that kind of friend to others (if you
aren’t already)?
Paul tells us that these qualities are natural byproducts of those who
are members of the “family of God”. These are not qualities that are
developed from obeying some man-made laws, but they are the type
of characteristics which are evident in someone who has made a
conscious decision to die to self and live in obedience to God’s laws.
A person with these characteristics has surrendered to God’s will
for their life. It is an outward expression of an inward experience
the person had when he or she chose to surrender their life to the Lord.
This describes a person who didn’t accept the gift of a new life he or she
received from God, and then tried to gain control of the life themselves.
Instead, they welcomed the Holy Spirit into their lives and have willingly
surrendered to His control.
Paul also tells us that our new life should be reflected in our relationships
with others. As followers of Jesus, we no longer strive to glorify ourselves,
nor do we do things that would irritate and/or discourage others. Our lives
have been changed in such a way that we can enjoy the success of others,
rather than being consumed with envy and jealousy. Whenever we see an
outpouring of God’s blessings on others, it should cause us to be excited
for them. Why? Because we can witness the Lord working in their lives.
When we consider the ‘fruits of the Spirit’, we know that many of them
are unnatural. We might be born with some of them, but for us to have
the others, it will require divine intervention. The good news is, when
we know the missing ‘spirit qualities’ are being added to our lives, then
we can be assured that the Lord is transforming us.
Conversely, if the characteristics of Jesus are not being added to our lives,
then we should evaluate our relationship with the Lord and our spiritual
maturity. Why? Because from the moment that we received salvation from
God, He began His process of sanctifying us (which includes replacing our
unrighteousness with His righteousness).
If God is changing us, then we should expect significant (and maybe unusual)
characteristics to start becoming a part of who we are. Overall, we can expect
to become less inwardly focused (selfish) and become more outwardly focused
(selfless).
The more selfless we become, the more concern we will have for others and
the more we will look for opportunities to encourage and pray for them.
That’s what Jesus did when He walked the earth in human form, isn’t it?
The scriptures give us examples where He would ‘reach out’ to individuals
while continuing to minister and teach the masses.
Jesus had a heart for the hurting, diseased, handicapped, discouraged and
outcast people. He mimicked His (and our) Father in not showing favoritism.
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it
is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from
every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right.
(Acts 10:34-35)
We should ask ourselves:
– How often do I make a special effort to help or encourage someone?
– Can I easily recall the last time I helped or encouraged someone?
– Do I help or encourage someone so I will feel good about myself?
Who am I trying to please? Who did Jesus seek to please?
– Do I only help or encourage close friends or do I include other
people I know, or even strangers? What restrictions did Jesus have?
– How often do I tell others I am praying for them (and then pray for them)?
When people are sick or hurting in some way, we can lift their spirits
by merely letting them know they are not alone in their suffering.
We need to remember that when we are trying to mimic the One we
are following, we will discover opportunities to be unselfish. We don’t
have to do something enormous or dramatic; it could be something as
simple as a word of encouragement, an offer to help, or letting someone
know we are praying for them.
Anytime we try to become a little more like Jesus, we need to be aware
that our adversary, Satan, will try to discourage us. One of his tactics
is to plant selfish thoughts in our minds like,
“Nobody encourages or is concerned about me”
“They won’t appreciate it if I help or encourage them”
“They may need help or encouragement, but they don’t deserve it”
“How does helping and encouraging others benefit me?”
“Others know I’m praying for them, so I don’t need to tell them”
If those thoughts come into our minds, we should ask ourselves,
“How often did others encourage Jesus?”
“Did Jesus assume others knew He cared about them,
or did He verbalize His concerns”
“Did Jesus only minister to those who would
appreciate it and those who deserved it?”
No, Jesus did it for you and me while we were undeserving people who
were ‘going our own way’ as unappreciative sinners. Jesus was obedient
to God’s plans for His life, so He didn’t have any specific qualifications
or expectations of those He encouraged and helped. He even died for
many who would reject Him, and the sacrifice He made for them.
When we freely and sincerely reach out to those who are diseased, hurting,
handicapped, outcast and discouraged, God will create in us a desire to do
it more often. That’s an indication that He is transforming us from being
selfishly focused on ourselves and our satisfaction, to becoming more selfless
with a greater compassion and concern for others and their needs. Reaching
out to others is an example of a Godly characteristic that Jesus taught us by
the way He lived His life on earth.
ACTION;
Questions to consider:
– Are the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ qualities evident in my life?
If they are evident in me, do I know about and have I
experienced the joy of trusting the Lord and serving Him.
– Are any of these qualities missing from my life?
If they are missing, what is preventing them from being included
in my life? What changes am I making (or do I plan to make)
so that I will welcome and embellish these missing qualities?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for outlining the characteristics
that define people who believe in You, Jesus and the Holy Spirit;
those who also have a desire to serve You. Forgive me if I have
fallen short of any of these qualities in my own life. Show me
where I need to make changes in my life and teach me how to
make those changes. My desire is to please You and to be led
by Your will over my own will. I trust You implicitly because
I believe in You and the guidelines You have established for
us in Your Word – the Bible.”
BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com
Discussion
No comments yet.