Galatians 5

I've been taking part in Kristin Schmucker's 31 days of scripture challenge. From the moment I committed to this, God has reminded me to stick to it! I committed to setting my alarm for 6:45am every morning so that I can hopefully spend 30 minutes in solitaire before my little man wakes up. Let me tell you… on the days I didn't set my alarm, I was wide awake at 6:50am. No matter what. God definitely wanted me to dig in and use that time alone in the morning to do it. I chose to read Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. One chapter a day, digging into the words of truth.

Galatians chapter 5 was one that I could not stop writing in my prayer journal about. There was so much truth a goodness that Paul was speaking to these people and those same truths still hold true in our spiritual lives today. I think I copied half the verses down. Here's some that stood out to me:

"Stand fim, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
This was my reminder that it was always God's intention for us to be free in Christ. That's why he sent his only Son to die a horrific death on the cross for the people he loved. He wanted us to be free. Don't let sin make you a slave. Sin can become chains that imprison you and hold you back from freedom. Break every chain and stand firm so that you are not burdened by sin. Verse 13 also talked about how we are called to be free. And in the notes there it says, "True Christian liberty is not license to sin but freedom to serve God and one another in love."

"In Christ, neither circumcision or uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6
Back in this day, many people believed that following the law was above all else. But the problem was that many people who followed the law were not right with God in their heart. They thought if they followed the rules then they were fine. Not so… it's a matter of the heart and how we love one another. The notes in my Bible say "Faith is a living trust in God's grace that expresses itself in acts of love." 

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" Galatians 5:7
I could probably write a whole post on this. It's so good. Paul says, "You guys… you were doing great in your spiritual life with Christ. You were believing, trusting, hoping, and loving Him. You were running a good race. What happened? Who jumped in front of you and made you stray? Who has caused you to disobey?" I pictured myself running a race, knowing why I was running and who I was running for. Then someone cuts right in front of me and starts telling me all the reasons I shouldn't be running, making me questions why I'm running, making me doubt the truths I have known. My friends… has something or someone cut in front of your spiritual run with Christ? What has caused you to disobey or question the God you're running for?

"Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you'll be destroyed by each other." Galatians 5:14-15
Whoo… there's a warning. The command says to love your neighbor as yourself. That means selfless, servant, love. If we continue to tear each other down, be disrespectful to one another, and compete against one another… they we will be destroyed by one another.

"Live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desire what is contrary to the spirit and the spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature." Galatians 5:16
When we choose to live our lives according to the Spirit of Christ and His commands then we are not satisfying our sinful nature, or Satan's desire for us. Our sinful nature is completely on opposite spectrums than the Spirit. When you choose to sin, you choose to disobey God. When you choose to obey God, you defy the Devil. Living by the promptings and power of the Spirit is the key to conquering sinful desires.

And finally… the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23

Fruits of the Spirit {Series} Gentleness

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Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

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

Welcome to week 6 of the Fruits of the Spirit series. In case you missed the last few weeks you can go back and get caught up.

 

Faithfulness

Kindness

Goodness

Self Control

Peace

 

Gentleness in the spirit of Christ does not mean being meek and timid. (although KJV specifically states Meekness) Being Gentle in the spirit means to humble ourselves. To be humble enough to place ourselves in specific types of situations so we can behave as Christ would want us to. A Pastor from Singapore visited my church a few months back and he talked about placing ourselves in the Market Place (to you and I that is anywhere and everywhere that needs Jesus). I believe that is what having a gentle spirit includes. Being humble enough to be out of our comfort zone. Humble to offer correction out of LOVE and not condemnation. Humble to FORGIVE. Humble to take in that

sinner...

 

A Gentle Spirit is NOT: bitter, unstable, troubled, obnoxious, quick to get angry, careless, impatient, doubtful, foolish, irritable, proud, insensitive, self-absorbed, self-seeking, over confident.

 

It all ultimately falls into winning people to Christ.

 

Can we win people to Christ with the above qualities?

 

1 Cor 4:21 NIV

21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

 

Just as a child stands to be corrected. What are your chances of them learning their lesson if we come at them angry vs...out of love? Just as any sinner to be won to Christ...condemnation and harsh judgment will not win any souls. I want to be a soul winner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Fruits of the Spirit {Series} Peace

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Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

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

 

Loves! We are almost done with the Fruits of the Spirit series. We only have a few more traits to cover. I shared with you Self-Control, Faithfulness, Goodness, and Kindness. Today we will cover PEACE.

When I think of Peace...Can hear the Gaithers singing Peace like the River. "I got peace like a river, Flowin' deep in my life, I got peace like a river And you know it feels so right". When I think of Peace...I think of the Prince of Peace. Which is what we call our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When I think of Peace...I think of my soul and heart at rest.

Learning to practice the Fruit of Peace...I feel is, having peace with yourself, your brother and sisters and peace with God.

Peace within one self: Brother or Sister, you have taken the step to accept Christ as your Savior. All you have done. and will do..is forgiven. Be at peace with yourself. YOUR GOD IS GREATER THEN ANY SIN YOU HAVE COMMITTED.
John 14:27 (NIV) ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Peace with our fellow Brothers and Sisters: Living life not holding a grudge. Walking in harmony with those we encounter. This is a biggie. I struggle with this myself. A crazy driver cuts me off on the road...immediately I am not a very nice person. A definite struggle with a peaceful attitude.
James 3:18 (NIV)¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Peace within God: TRUST HIM!
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Living without peace will only lead us to down fall. Why would we do that when we know all that God has promised us. I do not want the Lord to be disappointed in me when he returns. What say you? Can we STRIVE to live in Peace?
I leave you with this scripture.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 New International Version (NIV)

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fruits of the Spirit {Series} Self-Control

 Whelp, we are at that mid week mark. At this point this week has either been really great...or we are counting down the days until the weekend is here. In my past I could not wait to hit the Wednesday mark in my week. That meant...Friday night was only two days away. I could go out and get lost in the high of loud music, empty bottles and behave in a way I would be embarrassed if my Daddy saw. I would lose all self-control and act a fool.

We have been talking about The Fruits of the Spirit over the last few weeks. We have touched on Goodness, Faithfulness, Kindness and today I want to talk about self control.

 

Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

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

Self-Control: is the ability to control one's emotions, behavior, and desires in order to obtain some reward, or avoid some punishment.

Self-Control in the biblical sense would be to completely surrender to God. Before, when we are in the world, we may behave in was such as lying, cheating, adultery, jealousy, envious, drunkenness, judgemental...all of these are signs of being out of control. In some way or form just one of these characteristics could throw us in a downward spiral. Then that one day on Calvary, Christ was there to shed his blood with the cruxifiction. His selfless act...for our selfish flesh.

I believe we have all struggled with some sort of self control. As I shared going out would be a part in my life where I lost control. Perhaps you have no self-control when it comes to your finances? Or eating out of anger or depression? Gossip and judging other...at this point this has become a way of life. How is our lack of control servicing others? Is God able to use me if I can not even control my own behavior or desire?
 

Ephesians 5:21 New International Version (NIV)

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We are instructed to live in self-control. If the parents are out of control...the likeliness of the children behaving are slim to none. We are to lead a life that is productive and influential to others around us.

 

James 3:9-12 New International Version (NIV)

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
 

In James he tells us that the same mouth we praise God should not be for shaming and cursing our fellow brothers and sisters. This branch bears no fruit...lack of self-control over your tongue is no service to God.

Romans 8:9 New International Version (NIV)

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

The Spirit of Christ works in our hearts helping us lead a controlled life as well as enables the fruit of self-control to grow to glorify God.

God wants to reward his faithful servants. I challenge you to make a list of areas in your life where you lack self control. Pray and ask God to help you in theses areas. You are not alone, I have my list too.

Fruits of the Spirit {Series} Faithfulness

 

Welcome back friends to week three of the Fruits of the Spirit series.

If you want, you can go back and read about Kindness and Goodness.

This week I want to touch on Faithfulness.

Galatians 5:22-23

New International Version (NIV)

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

 

faithful·ness n.

Synonyms: faithful, loyal, true, constant, fast¹, steadfast, staunch¹
These adjectives mean adhering firmly and devotedly to someone or something that elicits or demands one's fidelity. Faithful and loyal both suggest undeviating attachment, though loyal applies more often to political allegiance

Being Faithful is an action. It means that we stand up for what we believe. Being faithful is making the decision to follow God and not the world. If we can be faithful to a specific television series and never miss an episode, why can't we be faithful to the Lord? What about being faithful to friends and family or a specific sports team? Doesn't God deserve all of us and not just what we want to allow?

 

Having Faith can move mountains, but exercising the fruit of faithfulness is part of our daily character. Having faith and portraying faithfulness is a sign of obedience to our Lord. Showing signs of obedience we will be rewarded.

 

For example. The story of Noah. We all know the story of Noah's Ark right? {Genesis 6}God told Noah to build an Ark, collect two of each species and bring his family on board. Because God found Noah's heart pure and obedient he and his family would be spared from Gods wrath on the corrupt world. Every time you see a rainbow, remember that God is faithful.

 

Another example of Faithfulness. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (cool names!) You can read more details about their story in Daniel 3:8-28. But they were 3 slaves/prisoners to King Nebuchadnezzar. The King wanted everyone to worship him. These 3 men wouldn't bow. So the King ordered them into a fire to burn. The men prayed to the One and ONLY God, they were faithful. God delivered them from their transgressor. God rewards faithful obedience!

 

 

 

 

Fruits of the Spirit {Series} Goodness

Welcome backs friends. Last week I started the Fruits of the Spirit series with you.

 

Galatians 5:22-23

New International Version (NIV)

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

We talked about Kindness already. Today I want to talk about Goodness.

 

Definition of Goodness:

1. the state or quality of being good.

2. moral excellence; virtue.

3. kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.

4. excellence of quality: goodness of workmanship. 

5. the best part of anything; essence; strength.

 

Kindness, Love and Goodness go hand in hand with each other. Loving is being kind. Being kind is being good. Allowing Goodness to live through you is a powerful fruit to bear. Living a good life can bring people in your life to God. He is the Vine, we are the branches. Our lives bear much fruit. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 NIV

 

How many people do you think are watching us as Christians? If I stop and think about it...what I say and post on social media can lead to or push someone away from Christ. Just by my own personal actions. If I am not operating off Goodness, how good is my fruit? Pretty bitter.

The world tells us it is okay to do something if it feels good. Hey it must be good right, it feels good, nobody is getting hurt. For example...Pre-marital sex, partying, drinking, gossip and many other worldly activities that is sociably OK. Goodness comes from a place in our hearts. It comes from a focus on God and not a focus on what the world tells us is good. Goodness is a fruit of the spirit, because it takes effort to cultivate.
 

Well why would we want to be good? Because God is good to us!

Psalms 145:9-13

⁹ The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.¹⁰ All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.¹¹ They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
¹² so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.^[b]

 

If we serve a Good God, we ought to be Good disciples. Be the branches he intends us to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fruits of the Spirit Series: Kindness

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For the past few weeks in my children's Sunday School class,

they have been learning about the Fruits of the Spirit.

Each week they learn about a specific fruit.

They are given flashcards with a definition of each fruit and

examples of how they can portray those qualities.

They have even learned a catchy song.

 I am loving the fact that my 5 and 6 year old KNOW the fruits of the spirit!

 

I am human and make mistakes. Sometimes I am not that kind. I am not patient. I lack in the self control quality. Gentleness...ya right, I am like a bull in a china shop in most situations. Love, let's be honest...it is hard to love those who get under your skin. Faithfulness...I am learning. Peace...not the groovy far out kind right?

 

The Fruits of the Spirit are all qualities that we are asked to strive for. Why? So we can live a better life...a life that God has designed for us.

Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

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

If we were even half of the 9 fruits...can you imagine what kind of world we would be living in? What if we strive to be all 9?!? I would like to start a series with you if you don't mind. Maybe we can learn something together. Today I want to start off with "Kindness".

Kindness: Kindness is the act or the state of being kind, being marked by good and charitable behavior, pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue. Research has shown that acts of kindness does not only benefit receivers of the kind act, but also the giver, as a result of the release of neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of contentment and relaxation when such acts are committed.

Kindness to me means...to LOVE. Christ designed us to love one another as he loves US.
In 1 Cor 13, the whole chapter talks about love...
³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

A thought that stands out to me about Kindness. If we don't fully receive Gods kindness, how can we be kind to others? We have to first build our relationship with Christ in order to learn to be kind to others. He will guide and instruct us on EVERY fruit of the spirit.

An example of kindness is King David. After the death of Saul and his sons, David asked an interesting question.

2 Samuel 9:1-13 New International Version (NIV)

9 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

 

David wanted to show kindness to Jonathan's son. Jonathan was the son of King Saul, who tormented David for years. Why on earth would David want to show kindness to someone who had any ties to the one person who made is life a nightmare? Can you relate? Because that is what God designed us to do. Bear his fruits...his kindness.

 

David is a splendid example of showing Gods kindness. I want to be like King David...seeking people out in a crowd to show them Gods kindness. Through me...his kindness and mercy with show. My tree will bear much fruit...Christs spirit already lives within us. It is up to us to search deep down in the darkest parts of our heart and shine light on those fruit seeds.