We were camping at a beautiful little campground in Crossville, Tennessee, Spring Lake RV Resort.
Spring Lake RV Resort, a panoramic view of peaceful campground.
Although the fall colors were not yet in their fullest, it was clear that they would be brilliant very soon.
In the morning, the cool air held the promise of a beautiful day as we sat eating breakfast looking out at the lake.
Eating breakfast outside with a view of the lake before us. God’s creation is magnificent!
In the evening, the air was crisp, requiring a shawl for me, as Bill and I sat on the swing and looked at the stars through the hanging pine branches overhead.
One of the most relaxing and mesmerizing sights for us was watching the fountain in the center of the lake that began its work about 9 in the morning and continued, nonstop, until dark.
Spring Lake fountain showing droplets plummeting to the lake’s surface.
Having worked on a number of water cases during my law practice, I am well aware of the importance of aerating lakes and ponds so that the water does not stagnate and cause all sorts of problems in the environment. So I understood the reason for the fountain.
But having knowledge of the characteristics of lakes and ponds and the variations of fountains and aeration systems did not eliminate the mesmerizing magic of watching the water shooting into the air, of seeing the mist going higher than the water itself, and then following the arc of the water spouts as they turned and plummeted to the lake’s surface.
Fountain and ripples on the lake from the falling water.
In the morning, as the sun rose over the lake, the fountain became even more hypnotizing when its reflection became apparent.
Fountain spray reflected in the lake.
While thinking about the reflection in the lake, I also thought about how Scripture says we are to reflect the image of Christ to those with whom we come in contact.
We have just completed a 25 week series on the Fruit of the Spirit in this blog. As I often noted in discussing the fruit that the Holy Spirit wants to grow, nourish and blossom in our hearts, minds and souls, the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s is to transform us into the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In short, we are to reflect Jesus Christ to those we meet during our day.
Paul says we are not to conform to the world but we are to be transformed by the Holy Spirit, see Romans 12:2:
Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
In Romans 8:29, Paul describes the transformation that occurs in the Christian through the Holy Spirit when he says:
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
The reflection of the fountain in the lake is not the same thing as the fountain itself. The reflection has no power of its own; it cannot make an impact on the lake because it is just a reflection.
Likewise, when we speak of “conformed to the image of his Son” we are not talking about physically looking like Jesus. Nor do we have any power of our own, like the fountain reflection; we can do nothing apart from the source of our power, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
Rather, we are Jesus’ image bearers to our world. We are to have the same attitudes and spirit of the Lord. What matters to Him should matter to us. His response to people should be our response to people. His sacrificial compassion should be evident in how we treat others, putting their needs ahead of our own at all times.
But, we cannot do it on our own because we are sinful and God’s way is totally counter-cultural and against the ways of the world. On our own, we are like the reflection of the fountain – powerless. We must be transformed before we can do Christ’s work in the world.
That required transformation comes by the work of the Holy Spirit, so we should cherish the development of the fruit of the Spirit in our hearts because that is evidence that we are growing in our Christian walk. Then, when we are walking in the Spirit and the Holy Spirit is working on our transformation into the likeness of the Lord, we will be able to impact our world for the glory of God.
The challenge – don’t be just a powerless mirror reflection of our Lord, one who says words without faith in action; one who does good deeds without telling of Jesus. Connect to the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to transform your heart and mind into the image of our Lord. Then you will have His power to spread the Good News of the Gospel to those you meet throughout your day.
Father, forgive me when I have failed to reflect your love to others, when I have neglected the needs of those around me, when I have put myself ahead of others on my list of importance! Transform me from a powerless reflection into the vital image of your Son through the continuing work of the Holy Spirit so that I can be an effective witness of your power, grace, mercy and love. May I spread your Gospel to others through your leading and your strength.
The concept of the Holy Spirit is not new. The Trinity has been alive and well long before creation! God is, was and always will be. Indeed, the Holy Spirit was present at creation when he “hovered over the waters” and gave form and structure to the universe the Father had created. The Holy Spirit worked not just in the broad creation activity but also within specific people who God prepared, with His Spirit, to do His work throughout the millennia.
We read in Exodus 31:1-5 where God told Moses that He had filled Bezalel with the spirit of God, “in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship to devise cunning works, to work in gold, in silver and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship” for the building of the tabernacle and of the fixtures to be used in the worship of God. Clearly, God prepared His people to properly worship him, even in the wilderness, by providing gifts to certain people to do specific work that He had ordained for them to do.
In the New Testament days the Holy Spirit came down and filled the believers and gave them specific gifts for the same reason He gifted people in the Old Testament days, to do the specific work that God wanted them to do His worship and for His church. The gifts of the Spirit are listed in various places including in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4.
But separate from the gifts of the Spirit are the fruit of the Spirit – the fruit being what grows out of the Spirit’s presence in our life. Fruit is not the result of our own work – we cannot create the fruit and we cannot earn the fruit: we have it because the Spirit lives within us and we can only give the fruit life as it grows through the Spirit’s power.
You will recall that the primary characteristic of the various gifts of the Spirit is that they are active and visible. The gifts are not inside the believer or quiet. They are in full sight of others and almost always they are exercised for the benefit of other people. In short, the gifts of the Spirit usually get a lot of press.
Not so with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Generally speaking, the fruit of the Spirit is quiet, internal. There may be actions that come out of the fruit of the Spirit in the believer, and those actions would be observed by others, but the fruit itself is internal to the believer personally. The Holy Spirit’s fruit for each and every Christian is found in Galatians 5:22-23. The following verses note these attributes of our God, and of His Son – attributes, fruit, that we are to grow as we conform to the likeness of Christ:
Love – Matthew 22:37-40
Joy – John 16:33
Peace – Philippians 4:9
Patience – Colossians 3:12
Kindness – Luke 6:35
Goodness – Titus 3:4-5
Faithfulness – Matthew 23:23
Gentleness, Humility, Meekness – Matthew 5:9
Self-Control – 2 Timothy 1:7
Paul concludes this listing of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 with the statement “Against such there is no law.” At first glance, this could be considered a parallelism where Paul is comparing the works of the flesh listed in earlier verses that are clearly against the law with the fruit of the Spirit that is just as clearly lawful. Calvin, in his commentary on Galatians, says:
Some understand these words as meaning simply that the law is not directed against good works. But Paul’s real meaning is deeper and less obvious; namely, that, where the Spirit reigns, the law has no longer any dominion. By molding our hearts to his own righteousness, the Lord delivers us from the severity of the law, so that [we are] not regulated by its covenant, nor our consciences bound by its sentence of condemnation. Yet the law continues to teach and exhort, and thus performs its own office; but our subjection to it is withdrawn by the Spirit of adoption.
Rykers says:
This catalogue of spiritual virtues is not exhaustive. Paul hints at this when he refers to the fruit of the Spirit as “such things” (Gal. 5:23). Some graces that are not on this list, such as hope, for example, or godliness, appear elsewhere in the New Testament. Once again, the point is not so much the specific character traits as it is the entire lifestyle they represent.
The contrast between the special produce of the Spirit and the bitter fruit of the sinful nature could hardly be sharper. The fruit of the Spirit is the very opposite of the works of the flesh. The Spirit brings forth good fruit from a good tree, the product of a whole new spiritual nature in Christ. Further, we do not grow this fruit on our own. This is why it is called the fruit of the Spirit rather than the works of the Spirit. Mr. S. H. Hooke comments:
“A vine does not produce grapes by Act of Parliament; they are the fruit of the vines own life; so the conduct which conforms to the standard of the Kingdom is not produced by any demand, not even God’s, but it is the fruit of that divine nature which God gives as the result of what he has done in and by Christ.” This fruit of the Spirit is the natural product of his gracious inward influences, the spontaneous and inevitable result of his uniting us to Jesus Christ. It will take time to grow, but grow it must, for God will make it grow. What we are to do in the meantime is cultivate this spiritual fruit.
Walk in the Spirit
Although the virtues in Galatians 5 are given by God through the Spirit, we cannot use the metaphor of fruit in a way that would stress only the “given” quality of the virtues and thus imply an ethical passivity on the Christian’s part. Indeed, combined with the givenness of these virtues by God is the believer’s active involvement in expressing them in his or her own lifestyle – or as Paul puts it pointedly a couple verses later: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
The point of the phrase “let us keep in step with the Spirit” puts the emphasis on the obligation of Christian living as being neither based on legal prescriptions nor being based on the dictates of the flesh but to the Spirit, who directs and enables and who is fully sufficient both for bringing to birth a believer’s new life “in Christ” and for effecting a truly Christian lifestyle.
The purpose of this study is to remind us that we are far more in need of growth in the fruit of the Spirit than we thought. We tend to look at our natural strengths as a sign that we are Christ-like. Though God makes the world a very good place because he grants so many people natural strengths, they are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit. Indeed, we have seen that most of the fruit of the Spirit mandates actions that are contrary to our earthly inclinations.
This is true because the fruit of the Spirit is intended to transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. It is His nature that we are to develop while here on earth and it is His nature that will be a witness of His power to the world around us.
So, even though there will be no more weekly studies in this series, from this day forward you can walk in the Spirit.
Allow the characteristics of our Lord to become evident in your life so that we truly are being transformed into the image of our Savior.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Let the Spirit enliven and magnify these qualities in your life as you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Walk in the Spirit.
PRAYER [a portion of a Puritan’s prayer]: Father, Lord of the Universe and Creator of all things, we come before you at the conclusion of this study on the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Lord, the Holy Spirit was given to increase your graces in our heart. We cannot preserve or improve on them unless the Holy Spirit works continually in us. May the Holy Spirit confirm our trust in you and your promised help and let us walk humbly in reliance on the Holy Spirit as we live our lives before you. We ask this in your beloved name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
SELF CONTROL – SELF MASTERY SO WE CAN SERVE GOD IN FREEDOM
PART TWO
Developing the fruit of the Spirit of self-control is not instantaneous once we become Christians.
G. K. Beale says it like this:
Christians are like pilgrims passing through this world. As such they are to commit themselves to the revelation of God in the new order so as progressively to reflect and imitate his image and increasingly live according to the values of the new world, not being conformed to the fallen system, its idolatrous images, and associated values.
G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 175. [Emphasis mine]
As with all the fruit of the Spirit, we have the seed of the fruit within us because the Holy Spirit resides within the Christian, but that seed may not have grown very much yet. We have to commit ourselves to the Holy Spirit so He can develop the character and image of Christ in us.
Remember our thoughts last week comparing a life without self-control to a jungle while a life with self-control is rather like a well groomed, tended garden.
Jungle scene from Parrot Jungle in Kings Bay, Florida.Beautiful garden walkway from Kings Bay, Florida.
One characteristic of a growing and maturing Christian is the ability to bridle the wild impulses that lead to destruction — self-control. Note, we can have self-control in one area but not in another. The Spirit will encourage you to increase self-control so that it encompasses all the areas of your life, not just some of them!
How do we develop self-control of the Holy Spirit? There is no pill to take for it and there is no substitute for hard work. We train ourselves, just as an athlete would do, so that we learn to exercise self-control through God’s grace and His Spirit.
What does Scripture say?
So, what does the scripture say about temperance [abstinence or restraint]?
Consider Eating:
Table manners are important! Proverbs 23:1-3 speaks of restraint when eating with those over you:
When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.
If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
Proverbs 25:16
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. … “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” … At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
Daniel 1:8-16. Honor God in controlling our appetite for food and beverages.
Consider Desires and Passions:
I made a covenant with my eyes, not to look lustfully at a girl.
Job 31:1
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age,…
Titus 2:11-12
Consider our Dress
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
Proverbs 31:25
I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
1 Timothy 2:9
Consider our Speech and Thoughts
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
Philippians 4:5
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3 (NIV)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
Ecclesiastes 5:2-3
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Titus 2:6-8
Consider the standard for Christian Leaders
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
Titus 1:7-8
Older Christians to be models for younger Christians
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Titus 2:2-5
Consider Self-Control In all things
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Proverbs 25:28
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Titus 2:11-12
How does this apply to my daily life?
The temperate person lives within restraints and keeps his life under control. Self-control is not strict adherence to rules. Further, this is not done through sheer willpower, through grit teeth or rank stubbornness … it is done through the Spirit of our Lord and the strength that only He can give. It is for the purpose of glorifying God by living self-controlled, upright and godly lives before those we come in contact with, in direct contrast to the worldly life that is so chaotic and random, without control or order.
Thinking back to last week’s lesson, is our life a jungle or a garden? Are we tending it and, through self-control, weeding out the bad and developing the good for our Lord’s sake? Have we committed ourselves to the Holy Spirit so that He can transform us into the image of Christ?
Let us develop self-control to the honor of God through the power of the Holy Spirit!
Blessings to you and I pray that you have been blessed as we have studied about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God. Next week we will have the final conclusion for the study; please join me as we seek to learn and do the will of our Father.
SELF CONTROL – SELF MASTERY SO WE CAN SERVE GOD IN FREEDOM
PART ONE
You may recall that the initial entry in this list of graces from the Holy Spirit is “love” and this last entry is “self-control” or, in the King James Version, “temperance”. In Greek language structure, it was common to place the elements that you wanted stressed at the beginning and at the end. Thus, the first fruit of “love” would be known to be of paramount importance because of its placement at the head of the line. This is true in our own language construct. However, in the Greek writing, the last item is also intended to be emphasized. Se we need to pay special attention to this characteristic that the Holy Spirit is desiring to develop in us.
As for the other fruit of the Spirit, the world speaks of this fruit but the meaning and application is greatly different than that which the Spirit imparts.
For example, Oscar Wilde has said “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” No self-control there!
Tom Wilson (An American cartoonist, 1931-1978) said: “About the only time losing is more fun than winning is when you’re fighting temptation.”
The look says it all!
Benjamin Franklin came closer to the Scriptural meaning when he said: “Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
In his World Biblical Commentary, Richard Longnecker says that the word “self-control” has a long history among Greek classical writers. Plato used the term in contrast to overindulgence in both food and sex. Aristotle gave it significant treatment in his writings on ethics, specifically pointing out the difference between the person who has powerful passions but keeps them under control (self-control) while its opposite (incontinence) is the person who does not deliberately choose the wrong but who has no strength to resist temptation. The term “incontinence” is also called wantonness. Aristotle thought self-control was primarily related to bodily enjoyment but that it was not improper to be incontinent with respect to money or temper or glory.
Later, Augustine said that incontinence was not a problem of knowledge, which is of knowing but not acting. Rather, it was an issue of will. He found that it was an everyday occurrence that men failed to exercise self-control by choosing the lesser over greater goods.
Romanticism came into vogue and the incontinent choice of feeling over reason became increasing more welcome. Blake wrote that “those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.”
All this progressed in a downhill spiral until the 1960s with the breakdown of conscience by “letting it all hang out” – acting out and emotional self-indulgence and drama. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incontinence_(philosophy)]
What does Scripture say?
We have come to the final entry in the fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23.
At the time of Paul’s writings, self-control was a central concept in Hellenistic ethics. Indeed, Josephus uses the noun in various places to refer to self-control in sexual matters. Therefore, we can understand Paul’s placement of self-control at the end of the list as intending emphasis as well as to highlight the direct contrast to the list of vices of “drunkenness” and “orgies” that concluded the listing of the works of the flesh in verses 19-21. The Spirit’s fruit of self-control is not limited to either control of the appetite for drink or the consequent tendency to unrestrained and immodest behavior.
The Greek word for self-control is Egkrateia – self-control. The Lexicon defines the term as being 1) the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites and 2) restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions or desires.
Philip Rykers in the Reformed Expository Commentary on Galatians says that self-control means temperance or moderation, especially like drinking, sex, and eating. He refers to this virtue as “a sober virtue” and says that it prevents liberty from becoming license in the Christian life. A person with self-control has the restraint and self-discipline not to be ruled by passion, and, therefore, she is able to resist temptation.
James Montgomery Boice describes self-control as the quality that gives victory over fleshly desires and which is therefore closely related to chastity both in mind and conduct. It is the “great quality which comes to a man when Christ is in his heart and it is that quality which makes him able to live and to walk in the world, and yet to keep his garments unspotted from the world.”
How does this apply to my daily life?
Dr. R. C. Sproul references the frequent description of our world today, when we warn someone to “be careful, it’s a jungle out there!” Then he notes that God put man in a garden, not a jungle. What is the difference between the two?
Jungle like conditions in bird habitat at Brookgreen Gardens, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Formal gardens at Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile, Alabama.
Both are places where things grow. Both are places where there are animals of various types. Both are places of a variety of plants and trees and shrubs. But one is wild – not structured – not subject to any control. The other is under control and has an intentional structure; the garden is actively tended – continually groomed, monitored, fed and weeded so that the plants can grow to their fullest potential. The jungle is ignored and unrestrained; there is no intentional structure, rather anything is allowed to grow without any attention or direction.
God, in creation, put man in the Garden. Because of man’s sin, he was ejected from the Garden and thus exchanged the Garden for a jungle and chaos was substituted for God’s order. Self-control, temperance, is the fruit of the Spirit which replaces the jungle of uncontrolled emotions, passions, violence and chaos with a desire for God and His order. It is our restraint through the Holy Spirit that conquers the chaos of the flesh and allows us to embrace the life that our Lord desires us to have through His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion but of order, harmony and self-control, and it is this self-control that we must nurture by reading our scripture, prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit for guidance and growth.
What is the difference between self-control as a fruit of the Spirit and self-discipline or sheer willpower?
Paul provides a distinction between living by the flesh and in the spirit in Romans 8:13-14:
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Again, Paul in Colossians 2:20-23 said:
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations – “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
The self-control of the flesh is strict adherence to rules and regulations. In contrast, the self-control from the Holy Spirit gives us restraint based on God’s strength, not on ours.
We tend the garden of our heart by the exercise of self-control so that the weeds of the world cannot transform our garden into a jungle which is out of control and outside of God’s plan for us.
Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.
Humility means putting God and other persons ahead of our own personal selfish interests. Humility comes with the knowledge that God’s creation as a whole transcends our own narrow interests.
Humility will cause an individual to wholly subject himself to God. Even if God sends affliction or depressed circumstances, the humble person does not complain but expresses his gratitude for what God has decreed. The humble man says with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).
“The greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Matthew 23:11-12
How does this apply to my daily life?
The humble person lives by the Golden Rule.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Luke 6:31.
If we want to be loved, we must first give our love to others. If we want to be respected, we must first give respect to all persons, most especially to those persons we do not like. If we wish to be satisfied in our lives, we must first be generous toward others.
Gentleness/humility affects our talk, both with regard to attitude and topic. Scripture confirms this in numerous passages:
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
Proverbs 15:1-2
The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.”
Matthew 12:35
More specifically, when it comes to our talk, gossip is an act of hostility intended to harm someone’s reputation. We must avoid the temptation to misrepresent someone’s character or actions even if we are covering those acts with “Bless her heart!”
Gentleness/humility also affects our speech and emotions in that the humble person will not respond in anger or revenge.
Instead of anger, the humble person’s reaction to life’s difficulties is understanding and empathy. An understanding attitude will settle the dispute and avoid turning a minor issue into a major confrontation. The humble demeanor is a perfect tool for avoiding disputes and hard feelings.
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20
When we respond to anger with empathy and love, we can break the cycle of hatred and transform even our enemies into friends. Jesus recognized this when he gave us the unique command to love even our enemies:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:43-45
Certain characteristics can be found win the humble man or woman.
The humble man or woman avoids ambitious behavior. She is not greedy for honor and does not desire to be above her neighbors. She does not take upon herself that which does not belong to her as if the earth ought to be subject to her bidding. On the contrary, she gives all due deference to the judgment and desires of others. Her behavior is consistent with Philippians 2:3:
“Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”
The humble man or woman avoids ostentatious behavior. If she has any advantage, ability or benefit over her neighbors, she will not make a show of it. In other words, she is not a Pharisee who, according to Jesus, did all their works to be seen of men.” Matt 23:5.
Rather, she knows that the impression others have of her is a small thing indeed. She is content that the God in Heaven sees what was done and she desires that He approve of her efforts.
The humble man or woman will not express scornful or belittling behavior. Treating others with scorn and contempt is one of the most offensive manifestations of improper pride toward them. The humble woman treats others with courtesy and friendliness – because she is aware of her own weakness before God, and she knows that it is God alone that makes her any different than others.
The humble will always have the spirit to “condescend to men of low estate” (Romans 12:16) and this is true even if the person is in a position of public trust and honor.
The humble man or woman will not exhibit willful or stubborn behavior. The humble man or woman will not be stiff and inflexible, and insist that everything must go according to what they happen first to propose. Further, the humble person will not make all the difficulty they can so as to make others uneasy if they do not get their own way.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
On the contrary, humility inclines men to have a yielding spirit to others, ready, for the sake of peace and to gratify others, to comply in many things with the desires of others, and to yield to their judgments when they are not inconsistent with truth and holiness.
A truly humble man is inflexible in nothing but in the cause of his Lord and Master, which is the cause of truth and virtue. In this he is inflexible, because God and conscience require it.
The humble spirit is desired by God and should be sought by the Christian. Peter said that this spirit is the richest of all ornaments: “even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” 1 Peter 3:4.
We read in 1 Peter 5:5 that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Regarding this verse, Jonathan Edwards says that in the original language, this means God “sets Himself in battle array against him,” In other words, the proud spirit is abhorrent to God! I certainly do not want God to fight against me!
Jesus – our Lord and Savior said:
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 5:9.
Gentleness/ Humility is the ornament of the spirit, the source of some of the sweetest exercises of Christian experience, the most acceptable sacrifice we can offer to God, the subject of the richest of His promises, the spirit with which He will dwell on earth, and which He will crown with glory in heaven hereafter.
Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.
Gentleness, also known as humility, is a subject about which the world has a good bit to say but most of it is not from the Christian’s world view.
Consider the song “It’s hard to be humble” … I will quote some cleaned up lyrics for you if you don’t know this song from the late 70s.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way.
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a heck of a man.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
but I’m doing the best that I can.
C. S. Lewis says that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. And someone aptly said that “Humility is a strange thing – the moment you think you’ve got it, you lose it.”
What does Scripture say?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23.
In Scripture, the Greek word for gentleness (humility) isPrautas. It is the quality of “self-forgetfulness”. Rather than, “Me first,” humility allows us to say, “No, you first, my friend.” This is the quality that lets us go more than halfway to meet the needs and demands of others.
Its opposite is aggressiveness, arrogance, and boastfulness and the world’s counterfeit is inferiority; being self-absorbed and self-consciousness.
When we think of gentleness or humility, we sometimes think of meekness which sounds like weakness … picturing someone who is rather milque-toast in nature. However, that is not at all the scriptural view of either meekness or humility.
Meekness is the strength to refrain from taking part in a fight that you know you could win, or from making a point about which there could be no question, in order to prevent the damage that otherwise would be done.
Consider Moses the “in charge” leader bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. In Numbers 12, God stood by him when Aaron and Miriam grumbled about his marriage to a Cushite woman, God calling them aside and saying:
“Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (NIV)
After this, the Lord struck Miriam with leprosy and Aaron pleaded with Moses to seek God for healing for their sister. Moses didn’t respond that Aaron and Miriam deserved what they got and he did not have an “I’m more important than you” attitude. Instead, he pleaded with God on Miriam’s behalf and God healed her after 7 days.
Clearly Moses had access to the ear of the Lord. He was powerful and knew that God stood by him. But the verse that is most telling about Moses comes before this story … it is Numbers 12:3 which says:
“Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (NIV)
Moses was humble –he was meek – he was gentle – and God stood up for him when he was attacked by his siblings. See Psalm 147:5-6:
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. (NIV)
Remember that the whole point of the Fruit of the Spirit is to conform us to the image of Jesus. Therefore, we need to consider how Jesus responded to situations.
In Matthew 11:20 we read that Jesus was “humble in heart” (Matt 11:29). In other words, Jesus was conscientiously following the Father’s plan for his earthly life rather than his own earthly desires. This is consistent with his prayer in the Garden found in Luke 22:42:
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Humility as a virtue is a major theme of both the Old and New Testaments for a number of reasons.
First, with respect to our vertical relationship between God and man, humility goes hand in hand with obedience. The one who is humble will follow God’s direction and will honor the plan that God has for his life.
Second, with respect to our horizontal relationship with our fellow creatures in this world, a demeanor of humility is exactly what is needed to live in peace and harmony with all persons. Humility allows us to see the dignity and worth of all God’s people.
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 16:19
How does this apply to my daily life?
Acting with humility does not in any way deny our own self-worth. Theologian J. I. Packer says:
“Humility in Scripture means, not pretending to be worthless and refusing positions of responsibility, but knowing and keeping the place God has appointed for one. Being humble is a matter of holding on to God’s arrangement, whether it means the high exposure of leadership or the obscurity of subservience.”
In other words, humility affirms the inherent worth of all persons. We should exhibit a humble attitude whether we are the president or the janitor. Our title or position does not matter – humility is expected if we are to grow in Christ Jesus.
The humble person has proper deference toward both God and others. Our humility rests on a sense of our own comparative lack of value and honor in relation to God and to others. Paul implies this rule when he says in Romans 12:3 that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.
The humble woman will refuse to glory in any good that she has or does but rather will give all glory to God.
“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and thy truth’s sake”
Psalm 115:1
This week, look for times when you can exhibit a gentle, humble spirit towards others. Imitate Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let this fruit grow in your heart, mind, soul and life!
Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.
FAITHFULNESS – BELIEVING GOD AND TRUSTING GOD AND HIS WORD
PART TWO
John Piper in God’s Passion for His Glory, (Crossway Publishers, 1998) notes:
“Though God’s ways of expressing his faithfulness are sometimes unexpected and bewildering, looking indeed to the casual observer and in the short term more like unfaithfulness, the final testimony of those who walk with God through life’s ups and downs is that “every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”
What does Scripture say?
And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”
Joshua 23:14-16. What is the definition of faithfulness? “… not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you.” Seems to me that this is a pretty good definition!
So, what does God’s faithfulness mean to His people?
God’s faithfulness is the attribute where He is ever mindful of His covenant and fulfills all the promises which He has made to His people. This faithfulness of God is of the utmost practical significance to the people of God. This faithfulness is the ground of their confidence, the foundation of their hope, and the cause of their rejoicing.
It saves them from the despair to which their own unfaithfulness might easily lead, it gives them courage to carry on in spite of their failures, and it fills their hearts with joyful anticipations, even when they are deeply conscious of the fact that they should have forfeited all the blessings of God because of their own wayward actions.
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
Deuteronomy 7:9
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:9
The saying is trustworthy, for … if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
II Timothy 2:11-13
How does this apply to my daily life?
Our response to God’s faithfulness is, obviously, faithfulness to God. This is the fruit that the Holy Spirit wants to grow within us as we grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord. He gives us the ability to remain faithful as we seek His strength and lean on our Lord.
Jesus said that we were to be faithful to him in our obedience and allegiance to Him when he said:
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 10:32-33.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:7.
In Charity and Its Fruits, Jonathan Edwards quotes this verse and notes that Paul is showing that charity includes a suffering spirit so that it “bears all things;” and that we do this by encouraging the two graces of faith and hope.
Indeed, Edwards states that the fruit of faith through agape love “cannot be conquered by all the opposition the world brings against it, for faith overcomes the world” and also he notes that faith and hope in God enables the Christian to triumph in Christ Jesus.”
Faithfulness in interpersonal relationships is evidenced when, the Holy Spirit gives us the disposition to trust others. We give others the benefit of the doubt and we, ourselves, are trustworthy. We are faithful to our vows, to our commitments and to our world.
An example of faithfulness that is given to us in Scripture is marriage:
Marriage has a unique place because it speaks of an absolute faithfulness, a covenant between radically different persons, male and female; and so it echoes the absolute covenant of God with his chosen, a covenant between radically different partners.
In other words, our marriages, our family life, our relationships with those in our intimate circle should reflect the faithfulness and love that characterizes God’s relationship with His people. When people see us in the restaurant, at the mall, in the movies or by the hospital or nursing home bedside – do they see a faithfulness in all circumstances? Is our marriage a witness of our relationship with Jesus? Are you utterly reliable in the little things that no one will notice as well as the big ones that are out in front of others?
Let us pray that the Lord would increase our faithfulness and that we would be able, at the end of the day, to lay our head down and hear His voice say:
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master”.
Matthew 21:25.
Being called “Old Faithful” is a goal worth achieving in the Lord’s Kingdom!
Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.
FAITHFULNESS – BELIEVING GOD AND TRUSTING GOD AND HIS WORD
PART ONE
Faith is a fundamental part of our human existence. It is not a stretch to say that our life, as we know it, would not exist without it. We breathe air that we cannot see (unless you live in LA or Atlanta and the smog is bad); we eat food that comes from hundreds of miles away and is touched and handled by multiple people we don’t know; we get on airplanes and, unless we have relatives in the airline industry, we don’t even know the names of the people to whom we entrust our lives!
We have seen, however, times in recent history where people who were supposed to be dealing faithfully over our matters were less than honest. The Ponzi schemes of a few years ago are but one example. Consider the hundreds of people who were hurt when they took a pain reliever and got cyanide instead. Perhaps closer to home, think of the woman who trusts her husband and learns of infidelity, emotional abandonment and unfaithfulness.
In short, we expect the people in whom we place our trust to be faithful. Faith without faithfulness equals disaster.
What does Scripture say?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23. We now turn our eyes toward faith and faithfulness.
According to Dr. R. C. Sproul, the basic meaning of the biblical word “faith” is trust. We can believe that God exists, we can even believe that God created the universe, but that is not the same as having faith.
Faith is not just believing in God, it is believing God – it is trusting God and His Word.
This is difficult for us to do because of our sin that reflects an unwillingness to believe or trust God. Sin has an appeal to us because we think that if we commit the sin we will be happier than if we don’t commit the sin. So, what we are really saying is that we don’t believe what God says about sin or about our source of true happiness.
John Piper in God’s Passion for His Glory, (Crossway Publishers, 1998) argues that sin is where you could have had God’s glory as a treasure but you chose something else instead. “This is the deepest problem with sin – it is a suicidal exchange of infinite value and beauty for some fleeting, inferior substitute. This is the great insult.”
God knows that sin may be pleasurable, but He also knows it cannot bring happiness. The apple in the Garden of Eden may have been good, but it soon soured when the weeds came and hard labor was upon both Adam and Eve, circumstances that were unimaginable to them prior to their fall. Sin can only bring destruction to the human race, collectively and personally. Sin is a curse on humanity … and that cannot be good by any definition!
In contrast, according to Dr. Sproul, when faith becomes fruitful, we havean increased capacity to believe God and that has a direct impact on our struggle with sin. We can stand when Satan throws his arrows at us, when he tempts us to sin, because we believe our God and His Word. We have faith in God and that faith is sufficient to carry us through.
So, what about faithfulness as an attribute of God and as something which the Holy Spirit wants to instill in us as God’s children?
J. I. Packer says in his book Concise Theology,
“God’s faithfulness to his purposes, promises, and people is a further aspect of his goodness and praiseworthiness. Humans lie and break their words; God does neither. Indeed, we know God is Truth. God’s fidelity, along with the other aspects of his gracious goodness as set forth in his Word, is always solid ground on which to rest our faith and hope.”
See Hebrews 6:17-18 where we read:
“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”
In Numbers 23:19 we have a combination of truth and faithfulness – he will not lie and he will not deviate from his stated plan:
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.”
In Lamentations 3:22-23 we read:
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
How does this apply to my daily life?
After reading Lamentations 3:22-23, Thomas Obediah Chisholm was inspired to write a poem entitled “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” The providence of God was at work in the distribution of this hymn when Chisholm sent the words of his poem to his friend William Runyan, who wrote the music. Runyan was a friend of Dr. Will Houghton who happened to be the president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
The hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” became a favorite of Dr. Houghton who invited George Beverly Shea to sing hymns on the Moody Bible Institute’s radio station. Shea was an unknown vocalist but he took the opportunity to sing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” in his musical lineup, especially because Dr. Houghton liked it so much.
Billy Graham was a student at Wheaton College, also in the Chicagoland area, and he heard George Beverly Shea (and this hymn) on the radio program. Graham invited Shea to become part of the Crusade ministry and “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” was included in the Crusade’s repertoire. [See Lextionary.org, Hymn Story, copyright 2007 as written by Richard Niell Donovan].
How does the fruit of the Spirit of faithfulness apply to your life? Read Lamentations 3 and let the wonder of these verses fill your heart and mind as you contemplate how great God’s faithfulness to us is, moment by moment, day by day. For your encouragement, here is “Great is Thy Faithfulness” from the album of the same name as sung by Robert Kochis.
Now, may each of us reflect God’s faithfulness to us as we interact with those around us.
Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.
God’s goodness is expressed in the very first reference to God in Scripture. In Genesis 1 we read of the creation done by God simply at the power of His words.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. An God saw that the light was good.
Genesis 1:3-4. This continued through creation and then, in verses 26-27, 31 we read:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. … And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
Have you ever worked hard to create something and then looked at it and saw the imperfections, the mistakes, the “oops” that no one else would see, and then say to yourself, “it’s nice” or “it’s fairly good” or “not bad for a first attempt”.
That’s not what happened in Genesis 1 – God created the world and all there is in it and when the Triune God was done on the sixth day, He looked at his completed creation and said not only that each of the component parts were good, He declared that “it was VERY GOOD” and it included mankind, created in His image, for fellowship and relationship with Him. God is Good and we were created in His image.
Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
Psalm 31:19-20
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.
2 Chronicles 16:9
God’s goodness is shown in His long-suffering, forbearance and slowness to anger that continues toward persons who have persisted in sinning.
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…
Exodus 34:6
Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.
Psalm 78:38
Theologian J. I. Packer says that the supreme expression of God’s goodness is His amazing grace and inexpressible love that is evidenced by His saving sinners, who deserve only condemnation, at the tremendous cost of Christ’s death on Calvary.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10
God’s goodness includes His glorious kindness and generosity that touches all His creatures.
In his book Knowing God, J. I. Packer calls Psalm 107 the classical exposition of God’s goodness. The psalmist begins with the call to give thanks for God’s goodness.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble. Vs. 1-2
The psalmist then identifies four problems from which God has given aid to Israel.
God redeems those who are helpless from their enemies;
God delivers from “darkness and the shadow of death” – Hallelujah –notably reference in the text is even made that this was brought about because of the people’s rebellion against God and yet he delivered anyway;
God provided healing for diseases that He had brought upon the people to discipline the “fools” who disregarded him; and
God protected those who traveled by sea when storms arose that would have sunk their ship but He intervened and stilled the storm.
Looking at the psalm, each of these situations and rescues concludes with the same refrain:
“Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”
Psalm 107 is not the only place where we are told to sing God’s praises for His goodness in creation and the history of His people.
In Psalm 136 we find verses that sing of God’s goodness with each verse ending with the refrain “for His steadfast love endures forever.” Verse 1 begins the psalm with “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” and the last verse commands that we “Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
So we know God is Good … and we know that we are not good apart from Jesus. So, what are we to do?
Jesus said in Matthew 5:16:
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
We are to do works that are good so that we give glory to God. We reflect His glory and tell of His goodness when we magnify His great name before others. That is our purpose in goodness before men.
How does this apply to my daily life?
So, what good works do we do? How do we let our light shine before men? How do we give glory to God?
There are multitudes of ways that we can perform good works through the Holy Spirit provided through Jesus Christ to us. Here, however, we will be looking at 1) generosity and 2) appreciation of excellence and beauty.
Regarding Generosity —
Our doing good freely should be done liberally and bountifully. We are not to be skimpy givers, but we are to be open-hearted and open-handed. See 2 Corinthians 9:8, 11. In verse 6, Paul reminds the Corinthians that if they sow sparingly, they will reap sparingly; and conversely, if they sow bountifully, they will reap bountifully.
We will have a desire for the good will of others. This is an imitation of the love and grace of God and of the love of Christ which desires the good of men. See Luke 2:14.
We show our willingness to do good to other simply by doing it! Where there is power to act, the act will always follow the will. Scripture speaks of doing good as the evidence of love. I John 3: 18-19.
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. Hereby we know that we are of the truth.”
We will seek opportunity to do good to the soul and body of others. Our benevolence should be universal, constant, free, habitual andaccording to our opportunities and ability, as we follow the commands of God. To freely do good to others is to do to them as we would have them do to us, that is the enactment of “the Golden Rule.” To freely do good to others encourages us to remember how kind God and Christ have been to us and how much we have received from them, every moment of every day. 2 Corinthians 8:9.
Regarding appreciation of what is good, true and beautiful:
Dr. R. C. Sproul says “One thing that comes with the fruit of goodness is a new appreciation for what is good, true and beautiful.”
We have already spoken of God’s beautiful creation. In Exodus 28:2 God tells the people how to make Aaron’s garments:
“And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty”.
Note that Aaron’s garments were to reflect God’s glory and beauty! We know the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem were pinnacles of beauty and the directions for their building did not come from designers or architects but directly from God.
Another example of the appreciation of beauty as coming from the Goodness of our Creator God is the work of the composer Johan Sebastian Bach.
Bach composed his music as an apologetic for the existence of God. Pointing to the order of creation and the beauty therein, Bach wanted his music to point to the existence of God when, during the period known as the Enlightenment, people were arguing that man was the be all and end all and there was no need for God anymore. Although born in 1685 and living only until 1750, Bach’s witness for God is far from silent in our own day!
Bach himself said:
“Music’s only purpose should be the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit.”
Music was given to glorify God in heaven and to edify men and women on earth. It wasn’t to make lots of money or to feed the musician’s ego or to be famous. Music was about blessing the Lord and blessing others.
Listen to “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” as composed by J. S. Bach and as performed by the Brentwood Jazz Quartet.
But Bach’s music goes far beyond merely reflecting God’s orderly creation – it contains the message of the Gospel when used by the Holy Spirit.
C. S. Lewis opined that the world does not need more Christian literature – it needs more Christians writing good literature or more Christians composing good works of music or of art. When we produce art that is good; art that reflects a biblical world view, its richness will endure through the ages.
Does your experience with the Fruit of the Spirit of Goodness give you a new appreciation for the good, true and beautiful?
God is Good
His goodness underlies his love, his redemptive acts and his securing of our eternal blessings.
His goodness is evidenced in creation, and in truth and all things beautiful.
May we give our best to the Lord and may we do good for Him, whether it be in acts of benevolence for others or in writing or composing … whatever we do, may it be to the Glory of God for He alone is Good and his Goodness extends to all generations.
Take some time this week to listen to some beautiful music or look at some beautiful scenery and let your Spirit soar as you glorify your God in meditation. Do some good act of benevolence for someone anonymously and let the Spirit work His will in both the recipient and you, the giver. Daily, praise the Lord, for He is Good.
Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.
The Ruminant Scribe - Snapshots of God's World and Word 