O come, O Holy Spirit, come!
Come as holy fire and burn in us,
Come as holy wind and cleanse us,
Come as holy light and lead us,
Come as holy truth and teach us,
Come as holy forgiveness and free us,
Come as holy love and enfold us,
Come as holy power and enable us,
Come as holy life and dwell in us.
Convict us, convert us, consecrate us.
Until we are totally yours.
(Adapted from a prayer of the Ancient Collect)
The one who sows to please his sinful nature,
from that nature will reap destruction;
the one who sows to please the Spirit,
from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
(Galatians 6:8-10)
TODAY’S ” TO DO” LIST:
It’s NO GRUMBLING WEEK here on GUWG.
Ever feel like you’re running on empty?
I find that I’m most prone to grumble when I try to navigate life under my own power. Here’s what we get when we let our sinful nature take the wheel: “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy” (Galatians 5:20-21).
What should we do? Use an alternative fuel source . . .
BE
the fruit of the Spirit
FILLED
is love, joy, peace,
WITH
patience, kindness, goodness,
THE
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
SPIRIT
(Ephesians 5:18b, Galatians 5:22)
For the past couple of weeks here on GUWG, we’ve been discussing the Holy Spirit and what He means to us today. Here’s a little test just to make sure you were paying attention.
1. The Holy Spirit . . .
a. Is a person
b. Is God
c. Lives in all Christians
d. Guides, helps, teaches, comforts, warns and prays for us
e. All of the above
2. The Holy Spirit is NOT . . .
a. An “it”
b. An impersonal force that we can manipulate
c. A ghost that haunts our attics and only comes out at night
d. Someone we should ignore
e. All of the above
3. Which of the following is NOT a fruit of the Spirit?
a. Love
b. Joy
c. Peace
d. Patience
e. Kindness
f. Goodness
g. Faithfulness
h. Gentleness
i. Self-control
j. Bananas
4. Which would you rather have more of in your life: the fruit of the sinful nature (hatred, jealousy, discord, etc.) or the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.)?
a. The fruit of the sinful nature — I love being miserable and despised
b. The fruit of the Spirit
5. In John 15, God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. In that picture, what is the Holy Spirit like?
a. Pesticide
b. The dirt
c. A cute little bunny hopping to and fro
d. Sap running through the branches, helping them produce good fruit
6. True or False: Christians should be grumpy, grimace and grit their teeth a lot as they serve God.
a. True
b. False — joy is a fruit of the Spirit
7. Complete this phrase: Blessed are the _______________.
a. Cheesemakers
b. Pacemakers
c. Pittsburgh Steelers
d. Peacemakers
8. Christians should be faithful even to the point of ___________.
a. Mild discomfort
b. Embarrassment
c. Potentially negative financial consequences
d. Death
9. True or False: It’s OK for Christians to yell at telemarketers and/or customer service reps on the phone.
a. True
b. False – we should let our gentleness be evident to all
10. Which of the following is NOT a spiritual gift?
a. Serving
b. Teaching
c. Administration
d. Encouragement
e. Excellent karaoke skills
EXTRA CREDIT: What happens to trees that don’t bear good fruit?
a. Nothing — all trees and fruit are basically good
b. They wither, die and are reincarnated as ugly shrubs
c. They’re ground into paper pulp and turned into church bulletins
d. They’re cut down and thrown into the fire
Answers: 1(e), 2(e), 3(j), 4(b), 5(d), 6(b), 7(d), 8(d), 9(b), 10(e), EC(d)
I hope you enjoyed the past two Spirit-filled weeks. Always remember . . .
As SPIRIT WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG draws to a close, we shift our focus to SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
What exactly are spiritual gifts? Great question. The Bible warns us not to be “ignorant” about this topic (1 Corinthians 12:1). In short, they are God-given abilities designed to build up the church today.
What’s the difference between spiritual “fruit” and “gifts”? The fruit of the Spirit are godly attitudes that grow in the lives of believers. Spiritual gifts are God-given abilities for serving God and His church.
What spiritual gifts are there? There’s only one Spirit, but many different gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4). Here’s a summary (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28 and Ephesians 4:11):
Are all the gifts still given today? Some say the Sign Gifts ceased once the early church was established. Others disagree. The key question is this: Is the “gift” truly from God and being used for the good of the church in LOVE?
How do I know what my gift is and how should I use it? Each and every believer has at least one spiritual gift. Read through and meditate on the verses above. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Talk to your pastor or other Christians you trust. Then get out there and use your gift(s) for the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7), remembering that gifts without love are nothing:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy
and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love,
I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love,
I gain nothing.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
In SPIRIT WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re finishing up our look at each fruit of the Spirit.
Our final featured fruit: SELF-CONTROL.
Right before the Bible lists the fruit of the Spirit, it spells out in graphic detail the “fruit” of our uncontrolled sinful selves: drunkenness, sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, rage and various other forms of discord, dissension and debauchery.
What’s the antidote? A Spirit-filled self-controlled life. The Bible says that instead of getting “drunk” on what this world has to offer, we should instead be “filled” with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) Put another way, we need to be “under the influence” of the Spirit at all times.
How do we stay under the Spirit’s influence in this chaotic world? The Bible says to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7 NASB). But don’t be confused. Christian discipline isn’t about gritting your teeth and gutting life out. The Christian life should be filled with JOY.
In his excellent Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney outlines basic activities to help us avoid the world’s temptations and keep in step with the Spirit, including:
Want a good role model for all of the above? Follow Jesus. That’s His life in a nutshell.
In Part 2 of SPIRIT WEEK here on GUWG, where we’re taking a look at each fruit of the Spirit.
Today’s featured fruit: GENTLENESS.
In my natural state, I’m about as un-gentle as they come. Without God at the helm, I tend to crash and bang through life at warp speed, leaving a wake of debris, destruction and devastation behind me.
But there’s hope even for people like me. I’ll give you an example . . .
Not long ago, my credit card company decided it would be fun to double my interest rate without telling me. I immediately called and had a rather un-gentle-ish conversation with a poor defenseless customer service rep. I demanded to talk to her supervisor. And then her supervisor’s supervisor. And then her supervisor’s supervisor’s supervisor. The result: my interest rate stayed high (in fact, I’m surprised they didn’t double it again).
I then remembered this little verse:
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
(Philippians 4:5)
I said a little prayer, asked the Holy Spirit to fill me with gentleness and then called back. This time, I was quiet, restrained and . . . gentle. It was a totally different conversation. The rep went out of his way to help, spending almost an hour on the phone with me. The end result: my rate went back down (and so did my blood pressure).
Gentleness works. Here are some other “gentle” reminders from the Bible:
In SPIRIT WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re taking a close look at each fruit of the Spirit.
Today’s featured fruit: FAITHFULNESS.
What exactly is “faith”? Here’s one of my favorite definitions:
Faith means abandoning all trust in one’s own resources. Faith means casting oneself unreservedly on the mercy of God. Faith means laying hold of the promises of God in Christ, relying entirely on the finished work of Christ for salvation, and on the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God for daily strength. Faith implies complete reliance on God and full obedience to God. (New Bible Dictionary)
Put another way, faith is remaining in Christ. We cling to Him with all our hearts, abiding in Him and Him in us, trusting Him completely.
Here’s a selection of “faithful” verses. Ask the Holy Spirit to drive ‘em deep down into your soul.
May the answer to that last question be a resounding YES!
It’s SPIRIT WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re continuing our in-depth look at each fruit of the Spirit.
Today’s featured fruit: GOODNESS.
Jesus said it best: “No one is good — except God alone.” (Mark 10:18)
The entire Bible can be seen as a story about the triumph of good (God) over evil (Satan). The question, then, is this:
What side are you on?
The fruit you’re producing is strong evidence of where your heart’s really at. Jesus said:
[E]very good tree bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear fruit,
and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:17-20)
Here are some “good” verses to store deep inside your heart:
It’s SPIRIT WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re finishing up our look at each fruit of the Spirit.
Today’s featured fruit: KINDNESS.
Stop reading this right now and go do something kind. Send someone a nice note. Bring soup to a sick friend. Volunteer in the community. Invite someone to lunch and pick up the tab. Do an elderly neighbor’s yard work. Clear out your closets and give stuff away. Clean up the mess you made in the kitchen last night without being asked. The possibilities are endless.
Done? OK, now you can continue.
Basically, kindness is love in action. Here are some verses to keep in mind so you’re more inclined to be kind:
