As nights are getting longer and darker I am reminded of the battle of darkness and light. Thankfully we know that God has won the battle on the cross. Gratefully we realize that darkness has no say over us. Blessedly we acknowledge that in Jesus there will always be light.
Do you think upright-living is uptight-living? Did you know that upright-living does not mean joy-less living? It means joy-filled living instead. Because upright-living is God-honoring and God is joy. But, sure, we do need to stick to Jesus with patient endurance. We do need to seize the word of God and hold on no matter of what. We do need to be sincere and honest in our beliefs until the end. Because if we don’t, we don’t mature. If we…
Waiting for God’s guidance can be frustrating. God’s timing is not ours and sometimes God is silent when we’d like to have some concrete tips on how to proceed. But just in times like this it is important to NOT to take matters on our own hands. This does not mean to be lazy. But it means we should not turn away from God and disobey him like Saul. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and hadn’t…
Compassion makes life beautiful. Compassion makes life worth living. Compassion gives us a glimpse of heaven here on earth. Because God is is the epitome of compassion. If we want to be compassionate we need to become more like him. The fifth spiritual fruit discribed in Galatians 5:22 has traditionally been translated kindness (NIV/NRSV/CEB) or gentleness (KJV). The Message describes it as “a sense of compassion in the heart”. I think it is more thought-provoking than kindness or gentleness. It…
God has promised to bless his children richly. But these blessings are not material things. Nonetheless these blessings bring forth all the good things in life: God’s kingdom isn’t about eating food and drinking but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14: 17, CEB) We can’t produce spiritual fruit on our own. And artificial fruit just does not do it. The only way to bear spiritual fruit is by abiding in Christ. Even then it’s never…
You might ask what money and spiritual fruitfulness have in common. I used to question that myself. I’ve always thought that giving is good and we need to take care of each other. But I did not see what it had to do with spiritual fruitfulness. Martin Luther has said “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse.” For a long time I did not particularly like this quote. But now I see its…
If we want to be filled with joy, we need to be filled with God. The world offers passing entertainment but God offers real, lasting and exuberant joy. The joy God gives is not artificial or forced but delightful and true. It’s a gift from God. Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. So, God’s people, shout praise to God, Give thanks to our Holy God! (Psalm 97: 11-12, MSG) Evelyn…
All children of God are called to bear spiritual fruit, to cultivate a spiritual crop. What this means for each of us is a little different. We’ve been gifted and wired special and peculiar ways. God has created us unique and also our callings will be unique. Hence we are not to compare ourselves with each other. We are to do the creative best we can with our own life and help others along the way. The main goal for…
Self-control has always been the spiritual fruit that has intimated me. Somehow it has felt like a court order, a requirement that I could never meet. Then I read about the nine spiritual fruits in the Message and I had a revelation that has changed my approach to self-control, the ninth spiritual fruit found in Galatians 5:22-24. But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an…
