What Kind Of Seeds Will We Sow?

Gal 6:7; Gal 5:17,19-23; Gal 2:20. Will we sow seeds of harmony or discord?

How Will They Know We Are Christians?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Gal 5:22-23 KJV)

I was listening to a Christian speaker on YouTube the other night. His topic was "how can we tell if someone is a Christian other than just by them saying they are?" The first thing that came to my mind was the song "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love." But, that was not what he was directly getting to. His response was the verse from Galatians that reminds us that if the Spirit of God dwells in us we will produce the fruit of the Spirit which does indeed include love. 

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us that we can know whether a prophet is true or not. He said, You will know them by their fruits. "Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." (Matt 7:16-20)

Yes, in faith and in faithfulness Christians will produce good fruit. They will love. They will be joyful. They will suffer much, showing gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance in order that all might live in peace. 

What fruits do we bear as we profess to be Christians? Can anyone tell that we are truly followers of Christ by the fruits that we bear?

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Fruit Of The Spirit

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

                                                                         (Gal 6:7 KJV)

If we plant and tend a flower seed a flower will grow. If we plant and tend a thistle bush as thistle bush will grow. Inevitably we all plant something. We can plant seeds of harmony or seeds of discord. We can plants seeds of love or seeds of hate. We can seeds of truth or the seeds of lies. Whatever we plant is what we will harvest. Discord or peace; which is it that the world actually desires?

There is a war going on inside our very beings. The one side looks after ourselves. It looks after our own gratification no matter whom we might hurt in pursuing our personal desires. The other side hopes for peace and desires to sow the seeds of peace. 

In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul warns us against sowing the seeds that gratify the flesh. He extols the fruit that comes from fruit of the Spirit.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

                                                                            (Gal 5:17,19-23)

We live in the flesh and that same flesh tells us to get what we want no matter who we hurt by it. But, the better way is to live by Spirit whom God has given us. The better way is not to trust what our flesh tells us we should have; but, to sow seeds that will produce fruit of the Spirit for not just ourselves but for those around us. Yet, it is not we who have the ability to do this; but, according to St. Paul: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal 2:20)

May God help us to produce good fruit by the power of the Spirit of Christ that we  all might live life in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

No Law

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

                                                                             (Gal 5:18 - 23 KJV

There is no law against being nice. There is no law against caring for others. But, there are both God given laws and man-made laws about doing otherwise. 

Some not so joyful or peaceful consequences often follow breaking these laws. 

It is just so much easier to be nice and do what is right; do what is good for you and for others and we will all experience a whole lot less turmoil and drama in our lives for it.

May God help us all not to spitefully use or abuse others in any way. And, may His love, joy, and peace be with us always!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Help Us To Be Fruitful

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

                                                                                    (2 Peter 1:2-8 KJV)

We are saved by God's grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ; yet, Peter reminds us that we should support that faith with such things as goodness and knowledge. It makes no sense whatsoever for us to have received this precious gift of faith if we do not live by that faith. We are to be fruitful laborers in that which He has called us.

God bless the works of our hands, the words of our lips and the meditations of our hearts and minds that all that we say and think and do will be acceptable in His sight and glorify Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Faith Then Patience

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                                           (2 Peter 1:2-8 KJV)

I cannot begin to imagine how much patience it took to plow fields around the Ring of Kerry.

I have to admit that there are definitely days that my self-control and patience are a bit lacking. They are both more present in me today than they were twenty or thirty years ago. But, I do still fall short. I fall short because there are times when I get so wrapped up in getting things done that I forget that God is with me and I end up doing things the way others or I would prefer that they be done. Not doing God's will; but, instead doing what pleases a few people or myself usually ends up in a disaster. And... disasters can mightily challenge our self-control and patience.

So I pray that God would grant us all faith and that in faith; virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity will follow.

God Peace - Pr. J