The Fruit of the Spirit revised May 16, 2014

The Fruit of the Spirit revised May 16, 2014

 I am not a minister and I’ve never been to seminary, but I’ve been very curious about the fruit of the Spirit, and decided to share what I’ve learned from the Bible about exactly what the phrase, “the fruit of the Spirit,” means.

 For the longest time I thought the “fruit” were rewards. For example, Jesus stated at the end of the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13:23: “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Did that mean some received one hundred blessings, thirty thousand dollars? A better house? Better health? A longer life? Better relationships?

 “Later, I thought that I was “bearing fruit” when friends accepted my invitation to come to church. I was really excited and happy about that, actually thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I’m bearing fruit!” When those people came a couple of times and didn’t come back, I was deflated and realized that couldn’t mean what the “fruit of the Spirit was all about.

I had read Galatians 5:22-23 many times but I never realized that the “fruit” were actually described in detail:

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, Against such there is no law. The original King James Version says, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness, temperance.’ Having the attributes of the Spirit spelled out in this way, I see that both of my interpretations: one of rewards, the other of trying to bring people into the church was both self-centered. Amazingly, however, and this is due to the goodness and generosity of God, the real fruit of the Spirit can actually lead to actual life rewards and really influence  people to come into the fellowship of faith. After all, Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

One of the definitions of fruit is “anything produced or accruing; product, result, or effect; return or profit”

“The Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, the Spirit of God, and the presence of God in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit, then, is the presence of God in our lives that produces certain characteristics or attributes. The Spirit of God is the promise given by Jesus before He went to the cross. The Spirit gives power and reveals truth. He is the Helper and the Comforter and He helps us to “remember” what Jesus taught while on earth.

 Jesus said, in John 14:16-17, “I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – 17. the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.”

In John 15:26, Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes, who I will send to you from the Father, He will testify of Me.”  He continued in John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak and tell.”

The very phrase in Galatians 5:22 that begins, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” seems to be grammatically incorrect. It seems that it should say, “the fruits (being plural), however, the very first “fruit” is “love.” All the other attributes stem from and are contained in the word “love.” Therefore the sentence could stop with “the fruit of the Spirit is love.”

I now think that the fruit of the Spirit are actually attributes of God Himself that He deposits into us. After all, He created us in His own image and likeness according to Genesis 1:26-27. The very breath we breathe came from Him. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” The circumstances in our lives sometimes cause us to forget that we were created in His image and likeness and that we have His sacred breath in our lives. But God, knowing that we would need a reminder, in fact a guarantee, sent us His Son.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 When we accept God’s great gift of salvation, we are immediately filled with the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is restored in us, the way God first intended. However, just as we don’t feel that we’ve been converted overnight when we receive Christ, (when in fact we are converted,) we don’t always immediately feel or appear as though we’ve received the attributes of the Spirit until we’ve been on our journey for a while. Usually, we look back and think, “Wow I remember when I used to get angry so easily and now I don’t. I’ve really changed.” In spite of being able to look back over our lives and see our progress, sometimes we’re still shocked when we find out that we’re still holding on to some of our old ways of being easily offended, quick to lash out in anger, quick to find fault, and quick to blame other people for our problems. At those times, we think, "Uh oh, I haven't really changed at all." This is a mistake. What we ought to think is, "I haven't fully changed yet." In Philippians 1:6, God promised to continue the good work He started in us. Of course, when we “catch” ourselves thinking that ungenerous thought, we’re now equipped to see that it’s wrong and to at least make the effort to refrain from such thinking.

Having the results of the Spirit in our lives means that we have these inner-qualities:  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance and also that we act with these qualities as we relate to each other.  The results then, aren’t just attributes, but they are also actions. The results of the Spirit effect how we feel about each other, how we talk to each other, how we show respect for each other, and how we believe in the goodness of each other. These results not only improve how we see each other and treat each other but also how we see God and how we see ourselves. Do we see God as good? Do we see Him as gentle? Do we see ourselves as peaceful?

God is the originator of the qualities described in the fruit of the Spirit:

Love:  Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Joy:  Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God in you midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Peace:  1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints”

Longsuffering:  Exodus 34:6 “…The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth”

Gentleness:  Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Goodness:  Psalm 145:9 “The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

Faith:  Hebrews 12:2: Faith “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher (perfecter) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Meekness:  Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

Temperance:  Exodus 32:14 “So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.”

The fruit of the Spirit are the qualities of God. As we cultivate God's presence in our lives, we actually take on His qualities. People begin to notice our peaceful natures and our inclinations to see things from the other's point of view. People notice that we're not complaining all the time and looking at people's faults. Some people say we're pleasant company. Of course, people who love to engage in vicious gossip and character assassination will find us to be quite boring.

The fruit of the Spirit are also inter-relational. Where there is love, joy, and peace, there is longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and temperance. Note the above scriptures and the ones below that show this inter-relation.

            Colossians 3: 12-15: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13. bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do 14. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

 

The fruit of the Spirit is different from the gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. These gifts are not given to all believers, they are specific gifts to individuals. However the fruit of the Spirit is given to all of us.  In 1 Corinthians 13:8 Paul wrote that the gifts will pass away, but love remains. Note that both faith and love are included in both the fruit and the gifts. The fruit of the Spirit is given to us by the presence of God Himself. These gifts fine-tune us, taking us out of our selfish ways and helping us to truly love God, ourselves, and others.

 

The Fruit: Next is Joy

Joy

 

Definition of Joy:

1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.

 

Joy is the second fruit named in the fruit of the Spirit. Remember the fruit of the Spirit is the result of having God’s Spirit inside. All of the fruit of the Spirit were first created by God and are qualities of God. The fruit of the Spirit are also all inter-related. Love will give you joy, joy will give you peace, it takes faith to live in kindness, self-control leads to gentleness. Joy, the second fruit, can only exist because of love, the first fruit.

 

Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

 

God has joy over us, He delights in doing good for us. I love the fact that He rejoices over us with singing. This is a far cry from the angry God we were taught about in the past. Our God loves us and He wants us to have joy in Him. This doesn’t mean that all of our days will be one big party, but it does mean that although we have to go through issues and losses, the joy of the LORD is still our strength. (Neh.8:10). I have been challenged in the area of trying to maintain God’s joy in my life. I guess the only way to  honestly have joy is to trust that there will be a good outcome in all circumstances. I talked to someone recently about having hope. This person felt that hope was an empty concept and that only hard work would improve a person’s life. I really didn’t know how to convey to him that we had to have hope, life has too many variables to depend on your own hard work alone. Hope is just having a positive expectation of good things happening in your life. What I didn’t realize at that time was that hope actually came from God.

 

Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

 

God wants us to have joy in Him at all times and He actually provides the way to have this joy by giving us hope. God is to be our source of joy continually.

 

Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

I want to have the sustained and unconditional joy expressed by the prophet Habakkuk. He expresses that even though his livelihood is diminished and he’s even threatened with the possibility of starvation, he would still rejoice in the LORD.

 

Habakkuk 3:17-18 ”Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls-18. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

 

We can’t have joy or even hope unless we are willing to trust God, that He has His best in mind for us. It takes patience to get to where He wants us to be. Sometimes when I am going through trials, I actually think to myself, “Where is the joy?” According to Scripture joy always seems to be on the other side of something: the other side of pain, the other side of weeping, the other side of waiting. Note the following:

 

Psalm 30:5 “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

 

John 16:20-21 “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

 

Even our Lord Jesus had to suffer before coming into the joy of being back in the presence of the Father:

 

Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

Not only are we expected to maintain joy during trials, looking forward to the other side of the pain, we are also to rejoice: the action of joy. Most of this rejoicing is to be in active praise to God:

 

Psalm 98: 4-6 “ Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Bring forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to the LORD with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm, 6. With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD , the King.”

 

Psalm 100:1-2 “Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands! 2. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.”

 

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, rejoice!

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always”

 

There was a time in my life when I had no respect for “church people.” I would see them pouring into churches on Sunday mornings, dressed in their fancy clothes, carrying their Bibles and their tambourines, and I would think to myself, “it’s just another kind of “partying.”  Back then that was a negative thought for me, but now it’s a positive thought: “It is another kind of “partying.” It’s rejoicing in praise to a perfect Father in heaven, who loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for my sins and He protects me and provides for me every single day!” Am I perfect? No. Does He love me? Yes. The real “action” of joy for the believer is to join in with other believers in rejoicing and praising God. We are social beings, God made us this way. “Having a good time” for the believer is in rejoicing with others within a group.

The people in the Old Testament had a lot of rules and a lot of days that they had to set aside for worship, but these weren’t to be days of somberness, they were to be days of celebration:

Zechariah 8:19  “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’”

 

 There was a time when David was unable to go to the temple because he was hiding in the desert from his enemies. Just by remembering the times he attended worship sustained him in his time of loneliness.

Psalm 42:4 “When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.”

Sometimes, in the privacy of our own home, feelings of loneliness and feeling overwhelmed by our problems causes us to “forget our joy.” I find that listening to music will lift my mood. The songwriters and musicians have been blessed with the gift of providing a vehicle for restoring joy. Singing, dancing, and clapping my hands even when I’m alone, causes me to remember the presence of God and the joy He has given me. We can enjoy God’s presence while quietly doing a crossword puzzle, taking a walk or working on a craft project. He said He’d never leave us or forsake us. We can have the joy of His presence at any time.

 Day by Day Joy

Not only are we to actively praise God with singing and music, we’re to rejoice in our everyday living, ever thankful for a chance to make a living and having food to eat. King Solomon examined every part of life, and after coming to the conclusion that it was all “vanity,” summed it up in the following verses:

 

Ecclesiastes 3:22 “So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”

 

Ecclesiastes 5: 18-19 “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19. As for every man God has given riches and wealth and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.

 

Ecclesiastes 8:15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.”

 

In the book of Isaiah, even though it was prophesized that Jerusalem would be sacked and the Israelites would be taken into captivity, they were promised that their ordeal would end and that they would be restored:

 

Isaiah 61: 1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tiding to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound. 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3. To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteous, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:7 “Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.”

 

Isaiah 65:22 “They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands “

 

So, we’ve seen that God wants us to praise Him with joy, He wants us to enjoy the work of our labor, and He’s promised that even after a terrible ordeal we might have to go through, “everlasting joy shall be ours.” In spite of all this, the most important reason to have joy as expressed by Jesus in the New Testament, is that “our names are written in heaven.” In Luke 10, Jesus had sent out seventy ambassadors two by two into the towns he would be visiting. When the seventy workers returned from their assignment, they were all excited about what they were able to accomplish, even demonic spirits were defeated before them. Jesus responded that their joy was misplaced:

 

Luke 10:20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Verse 21 goes on to say, “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit…”

 

There is a time to mourn

 

It’s impossible to talk about joy without considering that in life there is a time to mourn. Solomon wrote in the books of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs that appropriate time is to be given to respectfully mourn the loss of life. Note how the Israelites wept for Moses:

 

Deuteronomy 34:8 “And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

 

In Ecclesiastes 3:1 King Solomon wrote, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven. Verse 4 says, “A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance.”

Proverbs 25:20 “Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, And like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.”

 

Even Jesus wept (John 11:35) along with the people when he saw the grieving over the death of Lazarus, even though He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead.

 

Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

 

Jesus wept along with the people who wept for Lazarus. We grieve when we lose our love ones and we express our sympathy when we hear of the loss of life of others. The Bible tells us that yes, we suffer grief, we share sympathy and we mourn the loss of life, we are not to become overwhelmed with sorrow as though we have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

So joy, the second fruit named in the fruit of the Spirit is a quality of God, it was given to us by God, He wants us to praise Him joyfully with music and singing, He wants us to rejoice in the benefits we derive from working, He wants us to rejoice because on the other side of any trial, there is joy, and most of all, He wants us to rejoice because our names are written in heaven. He instructs us to mourn at appropriate times but our underlying state should be a state of joy in Him.

 

 

 

Love Began With God

Love Began With God

We can’t talk about love for each other until we establish that love began with God. It was He who first loved us, giving us the spirit of love. Remember one of the definitions of love describe a oneness or a kinship. God is our Father. He loves us. He loved us from the beginning and He has our best in mind. His plans for us are better than any plans we can think of for ourselves. Sometimes we feel like things just aren’t going our way and we’re saying, “God, where are you?” He is right with us, working all things together for our good. Because He can see the end from the beginning, and we can only see right now, it appears that we’re abandoned. But we are not abandoned. He said He will never leave us nor forsake us. It’s completely possible that we have to learn to trust Him and we’ll never learn to trust Him until it appears that we’re losing the battle. That’s when He will show Himself strong on our behalf. Because He can see the end of the matter, He’ll work it out so that even though it seems hard right now, He’s actually lining up the circumstances so that we’ll have an even greater victory in the end.

 One of my cousins told me that God allows us to go through trouble so that we will become closer to Him. I’m not sure that I agree with that, but I have found that because I need Him so much more now after suffering some financial setbacks, I do find myself talking to Him so much more and for depending on Him to make a way for me. So maybe my cousin has a point.

 Love is the first fruit named in the fruit of the Spirit. Again, because love is the attribute that all the other fruit stem from. We can’t have joy unless we have love. We can’t have peace unless we have love. We certainly can’t have faith unless we have love. This is why the fact that God loves us has to be firmly established in our hearts. I can say, “oh yeah, I know that God loves me” a thousand times a day in my head, but until it’s established on the inside of me, it’s really just saying words. Until I get to the belief deep inside me that God loves me and He is for me, I can’t even begin to have faith. Sure, I know the verse from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life.” This verse is the proof of God’s love for humanity. I think that yes, if I believe that God sent His Son to die for me and that believing this I can get into heaven, but what about here and now? I need the assurance that God loves me. He cares whether I get a better job. He will provide the money to pay my bills. He will protect me and my family from harm. He will give me the right words to say in a given situation. He will hear my prayers and heal the sick relative or friend I have prayed for. I need to know and really hold on to the belief that God loves me. He will by His power provide for me, keep me well, keep me on the right path in life, and more importantly of all, He has really forgiven my sins and wiped the slate clean on my behalf. Really? All those self-centered ways, all those mean thoughts I’ve had about others? All the conniving underhanded things I’ve done? How I have (and have done lately) told other people’s business? And here’s the worst: I have watched the news or heard bad reports and ingested the negativity and the fear going around in the world. In spite of all this and in spite of what I’ve done and am sometimes still doing, God loves me and He is for me.

The writers of the Old Testament referred to God’s love for us as “His merciful kindness” (Psalm 117:2). Mercy is described as compassionate forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power. It can also be described as forgiveness, benevolence, kindness, clemency, and pardon. 

 Psalm 103:8-10 says, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our sins.”

 Joel 2:13 says, “…Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”

At the end of Jonah Chapter 3 (verse 10) God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them (the people of Nineveh) and He did not do it. Chapter 4 begins with Jonah getting angry and explaining just why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh as he was instructed.

 Jonah 4:2: “So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah LORD, was this not what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.”

We, in the present, also receive God’s mercy daily and if that weren’t enough, we also receive God’s grace: the free and unearned favor of God that He gave us when He sent His son to die on the cross to atone for our sins and the provision of His daily blessings. Whereas the Old Testament writers only could describe God’s love by His mercy, we can describe it by His mercy and His grace.

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

One definition of love describes it as a deep, tender feeling of affection and care and concern for the well-being of another, such as that arising from kinship or a sense of oneness. Just by reading this definition alone, it’s obvious that most of us have the first part right: the tender feeling of affection, but it’s the second part: the concern for the well-being of another, that we fall short. In fact, this could be one of the reasons why we can’t fathom God’s love for us: we haven’t allowed ourselves to feel that concern for the well-being of others, so it feels like a foreign concept. Conceding that yes, perhaps we care for our children or our parents or our siblings this way, but do we care for everyone? And here’s an important question: Do we even love the people in our own church? Jesus said in John 13:35 that this is how the world would know that we were his disciples: by our great love for one another.

 

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul expressed some of the qualities of love. He went as far as to list all kinds of spiritual gifts and natural talents, and willingness to sacrifice; stressing that none of it was valid if he lacked love. The King James Version uses the word “charity” for “love.”  It is curious that the translators of the New King Version decided to replace the word “charity,” which implies action: generous activities or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless, also a benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor.

“Charity” is actually a stronger word. It’s not just a way of feeling; it’s a way of showing.

1 John 3:17-18 says “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

 

 

1 Corinthians 13 “The Love Chapter”

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love (charity), I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love (charity), I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned (so I may boast), but have not love (charity), it profits me nothing.
4. Love (charity) suffers long and is kind; love (charity) does not envy; love (charity) does not parade itself, is not puffed up (arrogant).
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth;
7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love (charity) never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. …

13. And now abide faith, hope, love (charity), these three; but the greatest of these is love (charity).

The qualities of love, as characterized in 1 Corinthians 13 are also reiterated throughout the rest of scripture.

Verse 4 of 1 Corinthians 13 says, “Love (charity) suffers long and is kind; love (charity) does not envy; love (charity) does not parade itself, is not puffed up (arrogant).”

 

Galatians 5:26 says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. “

 

Romans 12:9-10 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

 

I Corinthians 13:7 says love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

 

Galatians 6:2 says “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

 

1 Corinthians 13:5 says love “does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”

 

1 Corinthians 10:24 says, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.”

 

Jesus Himself was the ultimate example of showing love, when He willingly laid down His life so that we, by believing in Him, will be free from the penalty of sin and be reconciled to God. Ephesians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God…” Romans 5:10 says, “…we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son...”

Before Jesus went to the cross, He taught us how to love, amazingly He stressed that we weren’t to only love those who loved us but to love everyone.  He taught in Luke 6:32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “ He continued in verse 35, “But love your enemies and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return…” Some people just seem unlovable. They don’t show any kindness to anyone and they discourage others from showing kindness to them, Yet, God commands all throughout the Old and New Testaments that we are to love!

Leviticus 19:18 “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

Matthew 22:39 “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

Mark 12:31 “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

Romans 13: 9-10 “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not bear false witness,” You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14 “For the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

James 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.”

The power to love has to come from God Himself. There is no way we could accomplish this on our own!

Speak Life by Vanessa Wynder Quainoo

Speak Life: The Blessing of Speaking to Bless Others

By Vanessa Wynder Quainoo

 I read this book twice in one sitting. When I got to page 207, I turned back to the Introduction and read the entire book again. Granted, the print is rather large and the line spacing is double, so it was quite easy to read. That being given, the concepts were not easy. When I finished the second time, I gave it to my husband and he read the entire book the same day.

 

 The reason the concepts weren’t easy is because what Professor Quainoo shares is completely different from every book I’ve read up until now. When I saw the title, I thought it would be another “say it and claim it” type of book that I’ve read many times before. Professor Quainoo’s material comes from a whole different place. First of all, she’s been a communications instructor for over twenty years, so she knows about words and their value. More importantly, she presents communication itself as a gift from God, and she encourages us to fine-tune our words for the purpose of affirming who we are in God and building each other up as well.

 

 Although the title is Speak Life, and much of the book has to do with affirming the truth of Scripture…I am redeemed. I am whole in Christ. I am healed in Christ… (page 66), a large portion of the book is what not to say.

 

One of the concepts that spoke directly to me is how she compares our prayers to God to the deliberations of a jury. The jury is not allowed to discuss the case with their friends and family. Professor Quainoo shared her experience as an official mediator in a conflict. She was given strict instructions to suspend any communication about the topic to any outsiders, only to say, “we are talking about it” or “we are expecting an agreeable solution” (page 96). She continued, (on page 97) “when we are praying through a situation with the Lord, we are in “deliberation” with Him. We are in “talks” with Him and we really should not say words that cast doubt on the plausibility of a solution.”

 

 Professor Quainoo concedes that not all words are beneficial. Some words are used for tearing down, not building up. She admonishes us to not use our words (or agreement with someone else’s words) to bring confusion to the church or to belittle our pastor.

 

“Complaints, critical barbs and jabs or even sophisticated expressions of doubt and despair should not be met with agreement by a listening Christian (page 82).

 

 She warns us against “sowing a seed of doubt by “suggesting” or inculcating that the leader of the organization, ministry, project, etc…is somehow less capable than you or someone else. In kingdom life, order and respect for authority cannot be dismissed because of talent or ability (page 154). Wow!  Unfortunately, I have been guilty of this very thinking, not realizing that who God ordained is ordained, and my only job is to pray for them.

 

The book ends with a beautiful poem that recalls Psalm 1: “He (who meditates on God’s words day and night) shall be like the tree planted by the rivers of water.”

 

 

The Fruit of The Spirit

The Fruit of the Spirit

I am not a minister and I’ve never been to seminary, but I’ve been very curious about the fruit of the Spirit, and decided to share what I’ve learned from the Bible about exactly what the phrase, “the fruit of the Spirit,” means.

 For the longest time I thought the “fruit” were rewards. For example, Jesus stated at the end of the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13:23: But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Did that mean some received one hundred blessings, thirty thousand dollars? A better house? Better health? A longer life? Better relationships?

 “Later, I thought that I was “bearing fruit” when friends accepted my invitation to come to church. I was really excited and happy about that, actually thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I’m bearing fruit!” When those people came a couple of times and didn’t come back, I was deflated and realized that couldn’t mean what the “fruit of the Spirit was all about.

I see now, after reading Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, Against such there is no law. The original King James Version says, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness, temperance.’ Having the attributes of the Spirit spelled out in this way, I see that both of the above interpretations: one of rewards, the other of trying to bring people into the church was both self-centered. Amazingly, however, and this is due to the goodness and generosity of God, the real fruit of the Spirit can actually lead to actual life rewards and really leading people into the fellowship of faith.

I now think that the fruit of the Spirit are actually attributes of God Himself that He deposits into us when we accept His great gift of salvation. Just as we don’t become converted overnight when we receive Christ, (although we actually do in the spiritual realm,) we don’t always immediately feel or appear as though we’ve received these attributes until we’ve been on our journey for a while. Usually, we look back and think, “Wow I remember when I used to get so mad when such and such happened, now I don’t. I’ve really changed.” I don’t think that it’s something we can consciously strive for ourselves; I think that God does the work because it’s His intention for us to conform to the image of Jesus.

God is our Creator, Science is how we learn about the world

Why do people think that they have to believe in either God or science? People who move to extremism on either side think that they are somehow smarter or better than the people on the other side. God is our Creator. Science is the way we learn about the world we’re in. God created us with intellect. Scientists have used this intellect to cure diseases, to invent modern conveniences, and yes, to explore our surroundings. People who don’t believe in God seem to think that believers are unintelligent and gullible. At the same time, believers who seem to be afraid of human progress think of themselves as somehow superior to non-believers.

 

As far as I know, there aren’t any ways to objectively explain or measure things like inspiration, our ability to admire beauty, our conscience, love, or enthusiasm. Every single one of us know the difference between right and wrong (even though we sometimes choose what’s wrong over what’s right).

 

Conversely, we can’t use what we think about God in order to justify hatred or prejudice. God loves us all. The person who thinks, “My view of God is right and everyone else’s is wrong,” is a very dangerous person. That particular brand of thinking justified slavery, and more recently, makes people discriminate against other people.

 

The person who thinks, “there is no God,” gives no credit to the immeasurable “thing” inside of us that pushes us to persevere in spite of hardship, to enjoy music, to appreciate something beautiful, to love people, to have a sense of humor, and gives us the natural curiosity to explore our world.