Devotional - July 27, 2022
Galatians 5: 22-23 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.
Exodus 34: 6-7 And he (LORD) passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.
1 Cor 13: 4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
If you take a minute and read the above Scriptures one after another, how does it make you feel? In all honesty, some may say, they make them feel uncomfortable while others derive great peace from reading them. Some think all that lovey dovey stuff points to a God who is being too lenient on sinners. Always wanting to give them a second chance rather than dealing with them according to their folly. Well, they say that up until they are the ones who mess up or find themselves struggling. Then, they too look to these verses for comfort. The goodness of God and the goodness that God instills bears forth goodness in others. I think we are trained somewhat to believe that evil is more powerful than good. We've all seen the cartoon depicting a person deep in thought with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Inevitably, the angel loses out and is swatted away in favor of the other side. Yet, for those who have done likewise, and are willing to admit it, it never bodes well in the long run. Ill gotten gain costs in the end. Even when the person gets away with their folly, they know they will forever be looking over their shoulder because of it. They made an enemy. But, goodness works in the direct opposite. I have heard the saying many times, and have used it a few times too, no good deed goes unpunished. It's the dirge sung by those well intentioned people who finally gave up on the world. But like evil, goodness is not forgotten either. It may not elicit a thank-you or note of appreciation, but it is noted and it does have an impact. Evil calls for evil in return, goodness for goodness. Some folks struggle with goodness due to the amount of evil they have received. Having the character depicted in the texts above, which I am calling goodness here, needs to be an intentional act, no strings attached. As we close on this study of the fruit of the Spirit, let's key in on a few aspects of what I think Paul is describing. One, he calls it fruit. In an agricultural society, when someone says fruit, others understand they are referring to a process. To bear fruit, it starts with a seed, planted in good ground, raised up to a mature plant, which produces flowers, which gives way to fruit, which is delicious and healthy to eat. And where does that first seed come from, the yield of fruit that came before it. The character God seeks to produce in us, comes from God's Spirit, God's essence. God's grace bestowed upon us. The trouble is, we look away from it and instead focus on the evil of the world or on images that are far from Godly. God does not withhold God's grace when we do so, but the effect of those actions can be devastating (Matthew 13: 1-7). We wonder when we look at others who may not have as much as we do, yet they are quite content, or perhaps happier than us. They live in the fullness of God's Spirit. Their focus is not on this world and they do not let the world affect their focus. They know better. Yet, how many Sundays have we gone to church all the while pining away about some evil or offense that befell us. Not allowing our eyes to look away from it and affixing ourselves on God instead (Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 4:8). As Christians, Christ tells us we will have problems in this life, even tragedy. We are not immune to the effects of the world, but neither is God (Ephesians 4: 30). Instead, we are called to be the change-agents (1 Tim 4:16). By the grace and power of God working through us, we turn the darkness to light (Matthew 5:14-16). Granted, we are not perfect. God continues to mold us and transform us, but that is why we are called to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25. Ephesians 2:2, Romans 8:5) day by day. By doing so, each day, God can move on our spirit and produce the fruit the world needs whether it knows it or not. Christians play a vital role in their communities (Matthew 5:13). I wish I could tell you there is a finish line for this process or a point where you arrive at your destination. But no, the journey with God in this life never ends. Life continues to change and challenge us. I like how Jacob responded to Pharaoh when asked about his life, he said, “the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers” (Genesis 47:9). What an image to use, a pilgrimage, to describe his life and the life of his ancestors. Looking at life as a pilgrimage can, to a certain extent, be liberating. Peter knew this, he had quite a pilgrimage with God. He referred to it as a journey (1 Peter 1: 18-21). I too would like things to be different. I don't want to deal with all the changes that occur, knowing there are more to come. But, let's not focus on that, instead let us remember Who is with us, every step of the way (Psalm 23, Mathew 28:20).
Pray with me... Gracious God, we confess we get fed up with it all. We get overwhelmed by the ways of the world and our own shortcomings. Help us to say, "lead on...." Helps us to let go and walk onward with You. We are thankful for all the ways You have blessed our life. Bless our loved ones, we pray, bless them in accordance with their needs and bless our church. We are thankful for it. It is in Jesus' name that we pray, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
