Thought for the Day – Saturday 23rd May
So really all this week we have been talking about the Spirit being
given to us as an advocate and a helper when we believe in and love Jesus and
wish to live a life of love, but why exactly do we need that Spirit and how can
we try and live that life of love? Well Galatians 5 gives us a clue, here is
the familiar ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ passage but today from The Message version
of the Bible:
‘But what happens when we live
God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears
in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life,
serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion
in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and
people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not
needing to force
our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is
helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who
belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly
responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good - crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us
make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in
our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That
means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better
and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives.
Each of us is an original.’
So, when the Spirit lives within us we will be gifted all those fruits
and they will grow in us and then we can be enabled to live a life of love –
because we will be thinking not of ourselves but only of others. I like to
think too, that if some of those fruits grow within us more than others then
the same might be true for someone else, for example, one person might grow to
be more compassionate than another while someone else might be more patient
than another but when we all work together to live out this life of love in the
Spirit then it all balances out and the love of God is shown.
When I think of this Spirit filled life the first hymn that comes into
my head is ‘The Spirit lives to set us
free’. That freedom to ‘walk, walk in
the light’ comes by remembering ‘Jesus
promised life to all’; he died ‘to
save the lost like you and me’ but that ‘we know his death was not the end’ because ‘by Jesus’ love our wounds are healed’ and he ‘gave his spirit to be our friend’. When we believe all these things
then his ‘spirit lives in you and me’
and when we, graced by those fruits of the spirit, endeavour to live a life
showing his love, try to reveal his love through our living, then ‘the Father’s kindness is revealed’, we
will be bound together ‘in unity’,
other folks wounds may be healed by us showing Jesus’ love and the light of
Jesus ‘will shine for all to see’.
‘The Spirit lives to set us free, walk, walk in the light.’
Prayer
Loving Lord,
Grower of spiritual fruit, fill us with your Spirit and move within us
that the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – those defining characteristics of
Jesus - might ripen in our lives. Clear from our hearts all that prevents us
from being fruitful for you and grow in us an ever increasing willingness to
walk in your light and shine for all to see that unity, peace and justice might
come once more to your world. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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