Not Drunk, But Spirit-Filled

Today is National Alcohol Screening Day. Primarily, this is a day to bring about awareness of the problems
related to alcohol abuse, particularly among college students. This is maybe a bit of a stretch for a "Celebrate Today" post, but bear with me.

Today reminded me, as it's possibly reminded many of you, of Ephesians 5:18. For context, though, let's start at verse 17:

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:17-20) 

Now, believe it or not, I'm not interested in talking about the dangers of alcohol. Most of us understand the dangers of excess, and I think we can agree Scripture is pretty clear about God's view of drunkenness. What's more interesting to me is the parallel Paul seems to be drawing between drunkenness and a life of the Spirit. Like alcohol, God's Holy Spirit can alter our minds, changing the way we act (Romans 12:2 reminds us, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...").

In fact, the Disciples of Christ, after being filled with the Spirit, were so changed and inspired that those who saw what they did next were convinced they'd been drinking (Acts 2:1-15)!

Unlike liquor, however, the fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

When we allow addictions like alcohol control over our lives, we can become a different person. Somebody our own families don't recognize -- and, by the way, probably don't particularly like. But when we give control over the the Spirit, we become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), reflecting the glory and the grace of Jesus Christ!

The Spirit of God: The Cultivator of Perfection

"Fruit of the Spirit," by Amber Hadden
Available thru Fine Art America.

I talk a lot about the Fruit of the Spirit. Even though Scripture only lists these attributes in this manner once, their importance is undeniable.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
 
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:18-23)

  
Part of the reason these things are, I believe, so important is because they are the attributes of God.  Right before Paul lists the forbidden acts of the flesh, Paul reminds us we are now under Grace, and living in the Spirit of God -- and are therefore not under the law. However, these two ideas are inseparable. You can't live outside the law -- that is you are still subject to punishment under it -- unless the Spirit dwells within you. How do you know the Spirit dwells within you? Because, through Him, you exhibit love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These things are, if you like, the fruits of the seed the Holy Spirit plants in your life. God is a great farmer: if your soil -- your heart -- is prepared, He will cultivate His attitudes and attributes in your life. We have freedom in Christ -- that is, we are no longer penalized under the Law -- because these fleshly acts are no longer a part of who we are. The soil of our hearts has been stripped and churned and replanted with the Spirit. 

We are called, then, to "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)." God not only saves us from the penalty of sin, he calls us out of our sinful lives, and gives His spirit to live and work within us to make us more like Him. To love as He loves; to be joyful as He is joyful and peaceful as He is peaceful. We are called to be kind, good, and faithful -- just as the God who holds back nothing good from His children, and who indeed gave even His own son as a sacrifice. To be as gentle as the Shepherd who leads us beside still waters and restores our souls (Psalm 23), and as self-controlled as the God who stays His hand and gives grace instead of wrath. 

I love reading about the fruits of the Spirit, not only because they remind me who I ought to be, but because they are a picture of who our God already is!

Planting Seeds

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9)

Today is Plant A Flower Day. Although, if you're in Wisconsin, it may be a good idea to plant it inside for now. But another way to celebrate today is to remember we, as God's faithful, are sowers of another, more vital seed: that of God's word. Jesus explains the above parable in verses 19-23:

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Now, when you and I sow God's word, we don't know what the soil looks like. We may not know the work the Spirit is doing in the heart of the one to whom we're speaking. But God asks us, nevertheless, to sow. Sometimes, we are prompted be direct about it: to come right out and talk to somebody about the love of God. But even with our lives, we sow. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:16, followers and false prophets alike are known by their fruit. This is a theme repeated throughout the New Testament, in fact. 

We are sowers, and the seed we scatter comes in many varieties. We can't know, always, the condition of the soil -- the hearts of the ones we reach. What we have to do is be certain of what we sow. Is it
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness? Is it the word of Hope, and the Gospel of Christ?

If so, don't be discouraged! We won't reach everyone we want to reach right away, in the way we want to reach them. But in the hearts of some, there will be understanding. And where there is understanding, there is a crop -- a yield of many times what was sown.

It's our job to scatter the seed -- let God work with the soil.

NOTE: On another day, we'll talk about what happens next: the cultivation of a good crop. In faith, as in farming, scattering the seed is step one.

Be Excellent To Each Other

When people think about you, what do they say? Are you an uplifting person? A positive, happy person that makes others feel good to be around you? Are you somebody who lifts others up in the eyes of your peers? Can you be counted on to have a good word for the people you work with.

Today we're celebrating "Compliment Day," a day to, well, compliment others. And not in that sort of fake way we can sometimes do, when we feel like we should say something nice, but don't really mean it. But to really try to see somebody as Jesus sees them: a person of beauty and quality who just needs grace.

Proverbs 12:25 says, "Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up."

Indeed, kindness is one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. 

When you take on the name "Christian," when you identify yourself as a follower of Christ, your actions are a reflection to the world of who Christ is. So who do the people around you see? Do they see the office sourpus?

Or do they see somebody who always has a kind word? A positive, upbeat individual who reflects the Joy of the Lord? A person who lets them know that, when the world is pressing down with all its negativity and worry and stress, they are loved?

Take the time out today, and see somebody the way God sees them. See a child of God, or a sheep He desperately wants to bring back to Himself. And let them know: God loves them.

Hey, you. Yeah -- you! You're a pretty doggone awesome person. Thought you should know.

If It's So Great To Be Forgiven, Why Are You Such A Sourpuss?

Have you ever noticed that, no matter what you say or do, it seems like there's always somebody who has to put a negative spin on it? I'm not talking about just at work or school, either. This sort of thing actually happens in church, too.

A lot. 

Does that seem improbable? Allow me to suggest an experiment: come up with a new idea for ministry. We can't do it that way! We've never done it that way before! That's not what our last pastor did, and anyway it'll never, ever work! 

Or, try sharing a bit of good news. Too bad it won't last. Just wait, that'll go south before you know it! I don't really like/approve/appreciate/enjoy that... but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Maybe it's human nature, but it seems like we very often can't wait to find the cloud attached to the silver lining. 

 

This is so contrary to who Jesus is, though, and to who we are, if we are in His spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to "Rejoice always." Not to look for the negative in your circumstances, or to find reasons to be a naysayer, but to "pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

 

So often, it seems as though Christians have very little to be happy about. At least, if we were to judge on their countenance and behavior.  But don't we, after all, have the best of reasons to rejoice? Shouldn't we be an example in our exuberance that we, in our lostness, were found and in our blindness given sight? 

 

Seems like I read about something like that somewhere...  

So... THIS Is Love.

My 4-year-old daughter said something profound yesterday. "I love Jesus because He is in my heart," she said. The simple faith and trust of a small child, and it made my wife and me smile. But she didn't stop there. "That is why I can love him," she said. "That's why I can love everybody."

We had,  in fact, been talking that evening with friends about how God often speaks to us the same way we speak to our children. Sometimes simply. Sometimes bluntly. Sometimes with an air of exasperation. What we didn't talk about was how often God speaks through our children.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

Anyone can love somebody who loves them back. Only in Christ can we love those who do not. I've been learning lessons about love and forgiveness in my own life, slowly realizing that I need to forgive as I am forgiven, and to love as I am loved. It took my daughter to remind me that I can't do it without the Spirit of the Living God.

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us of this: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

Galatians 5 reminds us that Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Are you having a hard time forgiving somebody who, maybe, doesn't even know they need it? Is it hard, sometimes, to love the unlovable? In our own strength, this can be -- it is -- an impossible task. But, because Jesus loved us first, we can love everybody. Just ask my daughter.