Now that we have discussed the Fruit of the Spirit, we need to look at things that can quench it. We are all trying to fight the good fight, to win the race, to make it to the Kingdom of God, and since we are of the Spirit, we are to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

The thing is, though, when Christians start talking about the desires of the flesh, sin, we seem to focus on one type of sin and ignore the rest that can keep us out of the Kingdom of God. Let’s just look at the list in Galatians 5:19-21:

To many people, the Law of God is a set of “have to’s”.   “I have to watch what I say.  I have to keep my mitts off other people’s property.  I have to tell the truth.”  And so on.

But in reality, the Law of God is a series of “get to’s”.  If everyone kept the law, we would get to live in safe neighborhoods.  We would get to leave doors unlocked.  We would get to have honest and noble civic leaders.  We would get to have strong families and loving relationships.

Do you ever have one of those days that causes you to just wish you could have a do-over? A rewind button or a pause button that allowed you to react the way you know you should have, but you didn’t?

I can’t count how many times I’ve wished I could. Like those moments when I snap at my children for the slightest things or when my voice goes up some decibels. I know that I’m supposed to exhibit self-control. I know that “a gentle answer turns away wrath” and “a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov 15:1). But, when I let my emotions rule instead of God’s Spirit, I do not act the way I should.

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth,” said Jesus (Matt 5:5). Meekness means humility and gentleness. I noticed today in Galatians 5:22-23, where we find the list of the fruit of the Spirit, that I have always memorized “gentleness” though the KJV says “meekness.” Honestly, I did not know that they were synonyms. It is always neat to learn something new.

I think the world needs more of this fruit, but it is not my job to judge the world. That is God’s job (1 Cor 5:12-13). My job is to grow in the fruit of the Spirit, which is what everyone who calls themselves part of the body of Christ is supposed to do. So, if we are to be gentle/meek/humble, why do we have so many contentions within the body?

Being honest with God to the point of being blunt is perfectly okay with him – even to the point of being uncharitable.  

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21 NKJV)  These were the words of Martha after the death of her brother Lazarus had, and she spoke these words to the Son of God himself.  If you read her comments with the proper inflection, you can sense her frustration.  Jesus had failed to hurry to their side when he learned of Lazarus’ sickness.  They had sent for him days before (verse 3), but John, when presenting these facts, strangely juxtaposes two sentences: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was.” (John 11:5-6 NKJV)

Faith is a gift from God. It is not something we create ourselves (Eph 2:8-9). God gives us a measure of faith (Rom 12:3), and I believe that God allots us more faith as we grow in Christ. I do not think that we are stuck with the measure we receive when we first believe.

When I look at Abraham, the father of faith, I see a man whose faith grew. I know that it took a lot of faith to leave his homeland and to follow an unseen God to an unknown place (Gen 12). He had a measure of faith; I’m sure it was given to him by God since God never changes.

No, I don’t accept it all on faith.  The God of the Bible does not expect you to check your reasoning powers at the sanctuary door.  Rather, we read of Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (I Thessalonians 5:21 NKJV), or as the old King James has it, “Prove all things.”

“Prove” can mean lots of different things.  Writers such as Lee Strobel offer proof of God through rules of evidence which he presents admirably in his “Case For” books – The Case of Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. 

The next fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22, is mentioned in the KJV as gentleness, and most other versions say kindness.  I believe everyone of us have been the receiver of kindness/gentleness, and it brightens our days.

How great is it when you are sitting in a parking lot trying to get out onto the street that is packed with cars, and someone waves you in to pull out in front of them.  Or, how about the times that you are entering a place and someone takes the time to hold the door open for you.  Or, the times when you just can’t seem to see anything bright that day, and a perfect stranger smiles at you and offers a kind word to you.  

If we are going to say that Exodus 16:4 makes the seventh-day Sabbath the “Test Commandment” for ancient Israel and for God’s people today, then we also have to examine what God says in Judges 2:21-22.

    “I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.”

More than one hundred years ago the scholar E. W. Bullinger published his Companion Bible, popular for its scholarly appendices and insights. From internal Scriptural evidence, Bullinger makes the case that Jesus could not have been born in December. More than likely his birth was in the fall of the year, specifically during the High Holy Day season at the Feast of Tabernacles.

There are so many kinds of Sabbath-keeping Churches of God out there. They vary on doctrine, liturgy, and church government. This variety gives our brethren many choices of where they can attend.

How about your congregation? What kind of people attend there? Does your group encourage people of different persuasions to attend? Or is it possible you are keeping some Sabbath-keepers out of your local group with the words you say?

The third fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 is peace. Jesus gives us peace through the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-27), but it is not the peace that the majority of people think of when they define peace. This peace is not a life without troubles, it isn’t a life without wars, and it isn’t peaceful living through prosperity. It is peace as in wholeness, a sense of tranquility inside us, even if life around us is in a constant state of chaos.

I remember when I was a child how easy it was to be joyful. A giddy feeling that would hit the pit of my stomach when I knew something awesome was just around the corner. Not being able to sleep the night before the Feast of Tabernacles because I was so excited about the trip and meeting new people. Or, the times with my friends that bursts of uncontrollable laughter would erupt at absolutely nothing in particular, but we couldn’t stop laughing.

I don’t know if any of my readers have noticed, but I like to blog about things that I am trying to learn. Right now, I really want to study the “Fruit of the Spirit” from Galatians 5:22-23. I desire to do a harvest check in my own life. I need to make sure I am bearing good fruit.

This week has been a rather hard one with my children. They haven’t been bad or anything, but the bombardment of commercials regarding all the sales that are happening over the Thanksgiving holidays has nearly derailed what Thanksgiving is supposed to be about, you know, thankfulness. I have noticed that they are acquiring a huge increase in materialism these days, and it is probably because they are older, thus making them more aware of merchandising that bombards their environment.

One time God told Moses to stop praying. If we accept that prayer is a good thing, why would God tell someone to cut it out?

God to Moses:  “Why are you crying out to me?” (Exodus 14:15).  Given the circumstances, I would think the question should be, “Why not?”

Here’s the story. Moses had just led Israel out of Egypt. Through his hand God had turned the Nile into blood, brought many plagues on the Egyptians, and with boldness he had led the nation to freedom.