BY REV. CORY KEMP |
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5: 22-23
This passage from Galatians is one of my favorites, and perhaps it is for you too. It is simple, straightforward and pretty easy to remember.
Even if you can’t place each piece in order, you know the bits that speak to you and that they are included in a special blend of how God makes evident the spiritual work that is always going on.
It’s often easier to think in broad terms about God, how and where God acts. But, in this moment, I’d like to encourage you to take a few moments and ask yourself where you see, feel and experience the fruit of God’s spirit in your own life.
Image via Masaaki Komori on Usplash.com
Where is God’s loving spirit fruitful in your life?
How does God’s joy bear fruit in your actions?
Where do you experience spiritual peace?
What does the gift of God’s patience feel like in your body?
How does God’s kindness reveal itself in unexpected ways, by your actions or others actions for you?
What defines your understanding of God’s goodness in the world? Have you kept looking for it and trusting it?
Where have you remained faithful in your life and how does this express God’s faithfulness to you?
What does gentleness born of God’s wisdom give to you when you recognize it and receive it?
What does it mean to you to maintain self-control as a Christian, a believer in the God who is Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all things visible and invisible?
I know, this is a lot of questions, each of which take time, attention and thought to comprehend and live fully. And that is my point, that it is easy to glide over these kinds of familiar scriptures because they are so well-known to us. The depth and power, as well as the pleasure, they give us is not meant to be learned in a moment, but over the course of our whole lives.
I hope you will take some time, a little each day over the next week or two, give yourself permission to consider God’s action in your life as constant, surprising and wonderful. The fruit of God’s spirit is everywhere in your life and in you.
About the author
The Rev. Cory L. Kemp is founder and faith mentor with Broad Plains Faith Coaching. Cory, employing her signature Handcrafted Faith program, supports ordained and lay women leaders in visualizing, understanding and strengthening their beliefs, so that they may know, love and serve God and their communities with generosity, wisdom, and joy.
Requests for republishing, click here
Want to volunteer to write for us? Click here
