April 11
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Yesterday we looked at various things that would be considered evidence that we are not filled with the Spirit. If you are like me, there are things on that list that I still do from time to time. But I honestly can say that early in my Christian life they characterized me much more than they do today, praise God, and as the Lord shows me more of my sinful nature and motivations, I am able to confess them to Him, repent of them, and ask Him to purify all motives of the heart. When I look back on my younger days, I think I had a lot of ambition, selfish ambition, and I desired, even as a born again Christian, wealth and notoriety and success much as the world would define it. Praise God, however, a lot of that is gone. I still have ambition and goals and desires to change the world for the better, but I hold those with an open hand and only desire them if that is what the Lord wants to accomplish through me. There is a great peace about that mindset compared to the striving and laboring in my own strength for my own glory. Of course, I was barely aware that my motives were selfish, but I can see that in retrospect.
But what does it look like when we are filled with the Spirit? Well, I think for one thing we are at peace with others, and we have a sense of compassion and concern for others. There is no one with whom we dislike or are in conflict with. The Spirit would lead us to humble ourselves and do whatever we can to make things right with each person we are at odds with. So love, compassion, and peaceful relationships with others I think characterizes one who is filled with the Spirit. Another characteristic which we will speak more about tomorrow is joy. Does joy characterize you? Are you grateful and thankful?
Does God’s peace rule in your heart, or are you fretting or anxious about something? Are you upset or bothered about something? This is a huge one, and we shouldn’t gloss over it or think little of it. God’s peace is HUGE, and for many years I did not appreciate it or specifically seek it. Did you know that every single one of Paul’s letters opens in the salutation with a blessing of grace and peace for the Christians, and most of his letters close with the same blessing. This was important to Paul, yet I for many years missed the significance of these statements. God’s peace is important, even critical for many of us going through difficulties and trials. We need God’s peace to guard us, to quell the anxieties, to calm the emotions that often rule over us.
But we need to ask for God’s peace, regularly, and any time we sense the anxiety coming on. I have noticed that when I cry out for God’s peace in times of need, God’s peace comes to the rescue and floods my heart. It may be an hour or more later, but that same day I can always look back after requesting God’s peace, and the anxiety or other bad emotions stirring in my heart are gone, replaced by His peace. The only problem is that it usually for me doesn’t come instantly; there is a time delay between when I ask urgently for His peace and when it arrives, but it always does, and that emboldens me to ask more frequently for it and wait more patiently for it. He is faithful and will not leave us alone in our fears.
More tomorrow.