Living in the Spirit
July 1, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 6:1-16

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. –Galatians 6:7-10

I deeply regret that the English language does not have an apt equivalent verb form for the noun “faith”. I understand that in both the Hebrew and Greek renderings of the Bible, words that would be the equivalent of the verb form of “faith” are translated into English as “believe” or “trust”. Trust probably comes closer to a faith verb; humans believe many things that we treat as concrete that would not hold up a toothpick. How long did our ancestors believe the world was round before a few daring souls set sail in faith to determine otherwise.

When ask about his opinion about mixing religion and civic governance, Harry Truman responded, I’m not very much impressed with men who publicly parade their religious beliefs…. I’ve always believed that religion is something to live by and not to talk about. *

I see nowhere in the Bible where we are called to force our “beliefs” on anyone else in regard to faith transmission much less civic governance. The Hebrew Bible basically wraps Judaism in an exclusive package that welcome others but does not solicit membership. Jesus introduced taking the love of God beyond the borders of the Jewish faith welcoming all people to share in the love of God. Both of these faith groups set forth ways of living something to live by, that are designed to guide people toward loving God, which encompasses loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Yes, we should share our faith with others and that does usually take words but I think the anonymous quote often credited to Saint Francis of Assissi may have said it best, Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. And, yes, we should fully participate in civic governance as appropriate but not as a venue for forcing our beliefs on others.

Paul calls us to task in our scripture today, indicating that what we do matters and that we are accountable for our own actions or lack of actions particularly how our actions relate to our loving others and wanting the very best for them.

Prayer: Lord, search me and show me where my sowing is misplaced. Guide me to activities that are most productive in sharing your love. Amen.

*https://www.trumanlibrary.org/speaks.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, 
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.