Tag Archives: Fruit of the Spirit

Patience

February 14, 2023

Scripture Reading: Exodus 24:12-18
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.’

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

I have repeatedly said patience is a fruit of the spirit I lack*. This is one of the instances I prefer the King James translation, which rather than using the word patience, calls it long-suffering**.

I finally realized that the word is fruit, singular, not fruits, plural. The fruit of the spirit is a package deal. Moses had to have possessed much patience to stay up on that mountain for so long. He did wait, and he received the laws of God and carefully retained the instructions for how to use them. Surely, he was consoled by the other parts of the Spirit’s presence. At the end of this sojourn with God, he carries the tablets with the commandments etched on them down the mountain when he discovered the Israelites worshiping a golden calf idol. They did not have the patience to wait for his return. He dashed the tablets to the ground and broke them; then, he destroyed the idol. His patience had run out.

As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. —Exodus 32:19-20

The laws were recovered and built into our understanding and worship of God to this day. We also learned that there is a time and place for patience and a time to express anger if appropriate.

Prayer: Lord, help us to maintain our connection with your Spirit so that we can correctly identify when it is time to be patient and a time to express anger ruled by the boundaries of love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Amen.

*Galatians 5:22-23–By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

**( https://biblehub.com/greek/3115.htm) Greek translation: 3115 makrothymía (from 3117 /makrós, “long” and 2372 /thymós, “passion, anger”) – properly, long-passion, i.e. waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. This avoids the premature use of force (retribution) that rises out of improper anger (a personal reaction).

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Strengthen Our Souls

Living in the Spirit

August 20, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down towards your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
   for you have exalted your name and your word
   above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
   you increased my strength of soul.

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
   for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
   but the haughty he perceives from far away. –Psalm 138:1-6

I am not sure I have ever considered that the soul possesses strength. My tendency is to think that a soul can be full or empty, not strong or weak. Of course, I have no idea where I picked up that perception. Venturing into Strong’s Concordance, I found that the soul is much more complicated than I realized.  The concordance describes the word “soul” used in Psalm 138 as the seat of emotions and passions* and in this instance, refers to joy.

The Hebrew word joy** relates to rejoicing. The Greek word for joy***, as used in the listing of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)— describes the awareness of God’s grace or favor.

Indeed, I may be overthinking the application of the meaning of words, but the truth is that during this time in our world, I need God’s fullness and strength and grace and favor, and I believe we all do. I grow weary hearing news reports of the chaos in our world. Yet, I care about all those being negatively impacted by circumstances beyond their control, and our failure to address the things we can.

Someone asked me recently if I was happy, and I responded, “no.” I now realize I do rejoice in loving God, who restores my soul in both fullness and strength as a gift of God’s wonderful grace. God does that for all of us when we open our hearts to God.

 Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

 Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below****.

Prayer: Thank you God for the fruit of the spirit with which you grace us. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5315.htm
** https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2302b.htm
***https://biblehub.com/greek/5479.htm
****First and second verses of Be Still My Soul by Kathrina von Schlegel see at https://hymnary.org/text/be_still_my_soul_the_lord_is_on_thy_side

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Spirit’s Fruit

Living in the Spirit

June 17, 2020

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 69:7-10-18

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
   At an acceptable time, O God,
   in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help rescue me
   from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
   and from the deep waters.
Do not let the flood sweep over me,
   or the deep swallow me up,
   or the Pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
   according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant,
   for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
Draw near to me, redeem me,
   set me free because of my enemies. –Psalm 69:13-18

Some people could probably have been classified as my external enemies. They were primarily people who saw me as a roadblock to their personal accomplishments or success. And they can be a thorn in the flesh.

As I read the above selection of scripture, I was struck by the thought that I often am my own worst enemy. Impatience can be a good thing if it counteracts ennui—emptiness of spirit. Impatience is harmful if it causes us to act without carefully considering the consequences of our actions. Finding our holy center regarding the fruit of the Spirit, which includes patience, requires us to pray the prayer that says answer my prayer at an acceptable time. I do, however, think God understands our frustration when immediately after we offer the, “give me patience prayer,” we implore God to make haste to answer us, knowing that the answer may be, wait.

Seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all times is the best means to having the Spirit’s gifts so ingrained in our being that they rise to the occasion when we face our enemies even when our enemies are ourselves.

…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. —Galatians 5:22-23

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the fruit of your Spirit and for helping us incorporate them into our beings. Amen.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Spiritual Gifts

Eastertide
June 1, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3-13

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. –1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Similar to the fact that many of us do not know what to make of the Holy Spirit, we are also confused about the gifts of the Spirit. Some flaunt their gifts, “I am the world’s greatest athlete, movie star, doctor, lawyer, mother, dad, truck driver, or whatever.” Some hide them under a basket*. I like Russell Westbrook’s approach. I know of no one who questions his gifts, and his goals are personally to get better every day and to help each of his team members improve. Personal accolades do not mean as much to him as team wins. These are good aspirations for the whole Body of Christ.

Do you know what your gifts are? Books and other tools exist to help us identify our gifts. While they are helpful, learning to know ourselves is just as important. I think seeking justice is in my DNA, but I was surely also influenced by my egalitarian mother. Anymore, I exercise that gift using a keyboard rather than my feet and posters because I now accept that I am more an introvert than extrovert and I have bad knees.

It is important that we take the time to identify what brings us joy or any of the other fruit of the Spirit. The fruit or produce of the Spirit as spelled out in Galatians 5:22-23 is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Backtracking from an experience of joy, for example, you may be surprised to find its source. Most likely it stems from one of your gifts. I am talking true joy, and it most likely occurs after a lot of hard work and perhaps meeting many challenges. I felt it when I heard the Governor of Oklahoma had vetoed an onerous bill designed to increase the interest rate on payday loans in our state.

Prayer: Lord, help us to trace our gifts and to hone our crafts together with all our fellow members of your Body engaged in the world today. Amen.

*See Matthew 5:15

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Spiritual Fruit

the-fruit-of-the-spirit-patience-1-638Living in the Spirit
July 8, 2016

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. –Colossians 1:11-14

God is our source of wholeness. Made in the image of God, does it not just make sense that working to bring ourselves into alignment with that image is crucial for full actualization of the fruit  which blesses each of Christ’s followers? Experience says we can never change any other person. The only person we have any chance of changing is ourselves. We waste much time and energy in trying to remold and remake everyone around us while avoiding tackling the fractures in our souls. Honestly, I do not think we can even change ourselves. Through partnership with the Holy Spirit, we can be cleansed of the things that hold us back and embolden to be fully ourselves.

I once joked about not having received patience as one of the Fruits of the Spirit. I said at the time that it was one instance when I preferred the King James wording of long-suffering instead of patience. If we look closely at Galatians 5:22-23, we will note that the phrase is singular, the Fruit of the Spirit. It is apparently a packaged deal. It is just as apparent that I may not be choosing to partake of the fruit of patience.

Our relationship with God is the essential ingredient in our wholeness. Each of us being whole is the beginning of both oneness and justice. As we look out over our splintered world today, we need to take stock to determine if the gaps in our souls are contributing to the dysfunction about which we have no patience. Paul tells us in our scripture today that our strength comes from God, and it is there waiting for us to claim it.

Prayer: Help us to grasps all the Fruit of the Spirit that is always set before us when we share at your table of love. Amen.

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.

Fruit of the Spirit

Journeying-togetherLiving in the Spirit
June 24, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. –Galatians 5:16-25

The laundry lists of the don’ts of the Bible aren’t always what we want them to be, especially when they hit a little too close to home. We are much more comfortable being concerned about what a very few people might be doing that we would never do, and holding those actions up as examples of things that separate us from God and building God’s Kingdom. We sure do not want to hear about strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, or envy, each of which we are all probably guilty of practicing on any given day.

All of this laundry list from Paul include activities that involve walking down a wrong path, or worse yet, leading others down a wrong path. They are all apt to also result in hurting ourselves. God wants us to take care of ourselves and each other.

The fruit of the Spirit does just the opposite of the don’ts. The fruit of the Spirit helps us build each other up which also builds each of us into better servants of God.

Prayer: Convict me when I get caught up in the things that separate me from you, turn me around and show me the way for me to walk the path of the Spirit. Amen.

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.