Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. ~ Galatians 5:19-25
Last week was the great Feast of Pentecost in the Christian Church, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s followers, after he ascended into heaven.
For the past two weeks, I have written about Pentecost and the power of the Holy Spirit, and that I have experienced that power in my life in previously unimagined ways. And how that power is available to all of us, if we only ask.
The power of the Spirit and the fruits it bears in believers lives bears repeating.
By sending the Holy Spirit upon those who believe in Christ, the Divine gives us not only an advocate, counselor, healer and so on, but it also gives us the power to live according to the laws upon which the Creator has formed the universe.
Saint Paul lays out in his letter to the Galatians, partially quoted above, the fruits of living in the Spirit. If the Spirit of God lives in our hearts, in our souls, our lives and the fruit we bear will be marked by “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
On the other hand, if we have strayed from the living Spirit of God, and do not turn to it for guidance and leadership and protection and sanctity, our lives will be marked by “immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like.”
Now, all those who are Christian – all humans, really, if they sincerely seek it – are on a journey from darkness to light.
Even as we travel this spiritual path through life and try to live according to the tenets of Divine Love, we will be imperfectly perfect. We can never expect to fully know God or live the life God has planned for us on this side of the veil.
And yet, those who do acknowledge they are not in control – those who do acknowledge they were formed by Love and designed for Love – will find their lives displaying the fruits of the spirit in ever greater brilliance, despite the times they might get life wrong. By turning in humility to the Creator to ask for grace in this life, we are assured of the Presence of the Holy Spirit to help us incarnate its fruits in our lives.
Look around you.
Look at your family, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues, your leaders…ask yourself, what kind of fruit of the Spirit do I see them bearing in their lives?
Do their lives and their words and their actions promote “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?”
Or, do their lives and their words and their actions promote “immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like.”
This is not about judgment of others, as much as it is about intentionally opening our minds and hearts to see the work of the Spirit among us.
When you are in the presence of your neighbors, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your leaders, what kind of Spirit do you experience?
Let us continue to pray for a deeper, more powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the world and the hearts of the people who walk the Earth.
In these days, in these times we live in, it is crucial to be able to recognize what is from above, and what is not.
SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column that examines spirituality. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and in your community.
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