We often reduce the Christian life to a list of rules. Do’s and don’ts. But in Galatians 5, Paul calls upon Christians to walk and live by the Spirit and talks of the fruits of that Spiritual life. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not commands here. They’re the byproduct of a Spirit-filled walk.
Tag: joy
-
Saturday Night Live sketch uses humor to tackle issues of meaning
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. A recent Saturday Night Live sketch featured SNL alum Adam Sandler as the host of a fake tour company. The premise of the parody commercial is explaining what his Italian tour company can (and cannot) do for customers.
If a person is unhappy in America, they will be the same unhappy person in Italy. “You’re still gonna be you on vacation,” Sandler’s character points out. Sandler continues, “there’s a lot a vacation can do – help you unwind, see some different looking squirrels – but it cannot fix deeper issues: like how you behave in group settings or your general baseline mood. That’s a job for incremental lifestyle changes sustained over time.” (more…)
-
The lost art of lament
Lament is a topic that is often overlooked in American churches (especially in predominately caucasian churches).Lament is very common in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. We see it as a theme throughout the prophetic books, and the Bible has more books on prophecy than in any other genre. We see it in places like Job, Ruth, and Ecclesiasties.Lament is not whining. -
The fruit of the Spirit – something we can’t produce
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.-Galatians 5:22-23In the Book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit.It’s a section that fascinates me. Because the fruit is produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.There are certain areas in our lives we can control.Think about it.Honesty. You can force yourself to be honest. I’ll just choose to not lie. You can decide that for yourself. Honesty isn’t a fruit of the Spirit. -
Difficulties as seasons for joy
In his book “Above the Line,” Ohio State’s football coach Urban Meyer talks about his coaching philosophy. One of the things Meyer talks about in his book is what he calls “the R factor.”And by the R factor, Meyer is talking about the Response Factor. In the book, Meyer says: “We don’t control the events in life, and we don’t directly control the outcomes. But we always have control over how we choose to respond.”
While this is certainly true on the football field, Meyer goes on to talk about how this is also true in life. (more…)
