The Fruit Of The Spirit- Peace

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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

The world thinks peace is about an absence of noise or of war. The Biblical concept goes much much deeper.

In the New Testament the Greek word eirene means peace, concord, unity. In the Old Testament the word shalom carries both the sense of harmony and every kind of blessing from God. Rather than the meaning of “getting away from it all” that we might think of as peace, the Bible has the sense of “getting on together.” We might not always agree with our neighbour or approve of what they do, but we can be at peace with them.

We can think of four areas that relate to peace.

1. Peace with God. Our sin separates us from God, and in a sense makes us into His enemies. Jesus has paid the price for every sin and in doing so, He brings us peace with God. In Romans 5:1 we read, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus has justified us (i.e. made us righteous) and so there is no enmity between God and those who put their trust in Christ.

The great war is over and we are united in peace with our heavenly Father.

2. Peace with ourselves. We were created for friendship with God. People work best when we follow the laws to love God and love our neighbour. Sin puts a huge tear in our spiritual well-being because it separates us from God and makes it impossible to love our neighbours. We have one part of us wanting to walk in God’s paths, and another part that directs us to live for our own self-interest.

When we are united with God and consciously want to do things His way, then the great tear in the fabric of our nature starts to be healed. Of course, we are still subject to temptations to go our own way, but our will is brought into submission to God, and the fight is less intense (mostly).

3. Peace with others. Until we see other people as valuable and loved by God, pride makes it impossible to live in peace with others. If I come from a viewpoint that I am the most important person in the world, and you do likewise, then there is no place for harmony between us. It is like the guitarists in a band playing their own songs at the same time. Each is competing for attention, but neither is playing in harmony with the other.

My significance comes from being loved by God. I don’t have to prove anything to any person, and so I do not have to compete with anyone for significance or approval. It is possible in this stance to live in peace with other people.

4. Peace with creation. When Adam and Eve sinned, it did not just affect them. The whole of creation was thrown into chaos. Part of that chaos manifests as a kind of war with nature. People try to gain as much short term gain from nature as possible without thinking through long term consequences. We suffer from the effects of drought, flood, bush fires, earthquakes and pandemics.

Humans were designed to cultivate the earth and to continue in God’s creative actions on the earth. But how can we do that when we are afflicted with so many problems in just staying alive? Being united with God means that we have access to God’s wisdom to find solutions for many problems, and also to live in harmony with creation. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God promises, “ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Peace, God’s peace, transforms every relationship, including our relationship with the earth.

Reflection on Romans 14:13-23

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Scripture

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Observation

Instead of condemning one another for living and believing differently to us, we should act out of concern and love for our brothers and sisters in the Lord, so as not to cause them to stumble.

No food is of itself wrong, but if another believer is distressed by what I eat, then out of love for them, I should not eat it.

The kingdom of God is not about rules about what we can and cannot eat, but about living a life of goodness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

All foods are good, but if my eating them causes a believer to stumble, then I should not eat these foods. And if I have doubts about whether it is right to eat something, then it is sin for me because I am not eating from conviction.

Application

The kingdom of God is not about dietary rules, or any other rules for that matter. We have been saved by grace, not by following rules. It is our relationship with God that sets us free from religious obligations.

The kingdom of God is about living a life of goodness. We don’t try to keep rules, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, we imitate the life of Jesus. This is a life marked by love for God and for others, and by holiness.

The kingdom of God is about peace. We have been reconciled to God and set free from sin. The peace of God should not only be in my heart, but radiate to others who do not know the peace of God.

The kingdom of God is about joy. The biggest problem, the heaviest weight, in a person’s life is the burden of sin. I’ve been set free from that. Laughter should always be ready to bubble up from us in our daily celebration of life.

And all of this is in the Holy Spirit. We don’t force people to put a smile on their dial, to pretend to be something they are not. No, the Holy Spirit brings goodness, joy and peace to our hearts as a gift.

Prayer

How awesome it is to be a child of God! Thank you Father! Amen.

Reflection on Romans 14:1-12

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Scripture

So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember we will all stand before the judgement seat of God.

Observation

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue about what is right or wrong. Some believers will eat only vegetables, but other believers will eat anything. Some believers think one day is more important than other days, while others think every day is holy.

We should not judge those who think differently to us on such issues. Those who only eat vegetables and those who eat meat as well, all eat to bring glory to God. Those who worship on one particular day do so to glorify God, as do those who worship on any day.

It is not fr us to condemn the Lord’s servants. The Lord will judge all of His people.

Application

There are lots of different ways to worship the Lord. Pentecostals, Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, all seek to worship God in a way that they believe honours Him. Many worship on Sunday, some on Saturday for pragmatic reasons, some on Saturday for doctrinal reasons. Some people think a mega church is the only place to worship, while others worship in home groups.

We most not condemn our brothers and sisters who worship in a way that is different to us. We might disagree with their reasons, but we still have to love each other joyfully.

Unfortunately, there is no exemption for those who haven’t read Romans 14. The people who are convinced that they are right and I am wrong and judge me for that, are hard to take. But God’s word says that I have to love them. After all, they are God’s children too.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the huge diversity of christians in the world. Help me to love everyone who loves you, regardless of our different ways of honouring you. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 13:8-14

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Scripture

Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Observation

Owe nothing to anyone except the debt to love. Loving my neighbour fulfils all the commandments. Love does no wrong to others, so it fulfils the requirements of God’s law.

We must live as children of the light. Time is running out. The night is nearly over and the day of salvation will soon be here. We must therefore live in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Application

What does a message about the return of Jesus normally look like? Often, it is a call to be careful about the rise of the Antichrist. It might be an appeal to get saved, or to share the gospel with those who are not saved.

Paul here uses the belief that Jesus is coming soon to encourage us to get ready by putting on deeds of righteousness. Jesus is coming soon, so make sure you are living the way you should be.

Paul tells us that we must clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. To me, this means two things- a commitment to prayer and worship, and a commitment to overcoming the sins in my life.

If we are really aware that Christ is already with us, then of course we will make prayer and worship a priority. These things flow from a heart transformed by Him.

Equally, we will be wanting to live in a way that is worthy of His presence. Paul says, “Don’t even let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” The sins that cause so much guilt and shame start with our thoughts. If we train our brains to shun these thoughts, then our lives will reflect the glory of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, please change me to be more like Christ, Thank you for the Holy Spirit who brings conviction of my sins. Help me to put away deeds of darkness and walk in your light. Amen.

Queensland Hypocrisy

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I think what rankles many people about the Queensland border issue, apart from the horrible consequences it is bringing, is the breath-taking hypocrisy of the women leading it- the Premier and her Chief Medical Officer.

Yesterday they stated that to open the border with NSW would require 28 days of no new cases in NSW.

They have not even achieved that in Queensland. By this standard, there should be a hard border with Brisbane- nobody in or out of the State capital.

And don’t forget that most of NSW- ie the bits outside of Sydney- achieved this months ago but they still say that the whole of NSW is a “hot spot.” In fact some LGA’s, such as Narrabri Shire, have never had a single case of corona virus.

Meanwhile businesses near the border (on both sides) are closing because they rely on customers across the border. People are missing out on vital health treatments because Queensland Health Department officials will not allow them to enter “their” hospitals. For some farmers, the first harvest they have had in 3 years may be jeopardised if they cannot get workers, contractors or repairers across the border.

But at least they got the AFL Grand Final in Brisbane.

The Fruit Of The Spirit- Joy

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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Joy is the second quality described as a part of the fruit of the Spirit.

Joy is very different to happiness. Happiness, as its name suggests, depends on what happens. It can be more variable than the weather. It can be generated by very poor reasons. A bank robber, for example, might be happy that he got away with it. We can be happy when a good thing distracts temporarily from a generally miserable life.

Whereas happiness comes from the outside, joy bubbles up from the inside. Our joy comes from our knowledge that we are loved and valued by God, we are adopted into His family, and set apart for a distinctive purpose.

I can be caught up in the worst of circumstances, such as grieving the sudden loss of a person I love, and yet the joy of the Lord is an unseen strength that prevents the loss from overwhelming me.

We are commanded on many occasions in Scripture to rejoice always. If joy were an emotion this would not make sense. We don’t seriously tell people to be happy when they are sad. But christians must rejoice, for we have much to celebrate.

The key to joy is to keep our focus on God and not on this worldly life. One great way to nurture joy in our lives is to develop a habit of giving thanks in all circumstances. Then it is not our circumstances that determine our joy, but the other way round.

To rejoice, start with a list of things to thank God for. Your salvation and your relationship with God, your personal and family relationships, the place that you live, the benefits that you enjoy each day, the air that you breathe, the beauty of creation.

When we go through the process of thanking God for the many benefits He has given us, joy is always close by. The fact is that joy is always in your life, just as surely as the Holy Spirit is. It is just that sometimes we focus on the wrong things.

This is not about positive thinking, but rather acknowledging that God is always with us and continues to pour blessing upon blessing on us. Positive thinking tries to persuade us that suffering is not real. Joy acknowledges our struggles, and then adds, “But God…” It is God who gives our life purpose and direction. Nothing can steal that from us.

Joy is the key signature of the christian life. Joy should be a key stone in every part of our lives.

There is so much to rejoice in and to be tankful for.