Devotional Text

Pastor David’s devotional for May 11, 2022

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,  23  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Last Sunday I began my sermon remembering a question I was asked as a part of my ordination process: How would I explain the Holy Spirit to a child? I remembered the story of Nicodemus from John 3 and compared the Holy Spirit to the wind—we may not be able to see the Holy Spirit, but we can feel the Spirit and we can see what the Spirit does in our lives. That is one way to talk about the Holy Spirit.

When you think of the Holy Spirit, what comes to your mind? How do you describe the Holy Spirit? What thoughts to you have about the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people?

In the sermon, I described the Holy Spirit as a conduit for grace (God’s love in action in our lives). This grace that comes to us by the Holy Spirit brings us to the faith and then grows us from infants in the faith to maturity and (what St. Paul called) the full stature of Christ.

How did you become a Christian? Looking back upon becoming Christian, can you identify ways the Holy Spirit was at work in your life? If so, in what ways?

Growth in faith is something that happens over time. The Holy Spirit is growing me up in my faith, but I have a ways to go to live into what Paul means by the “full stature of Christ.”

What does the “full stature of Christ” mean to you? How will you know if you have reached maturity as a Christian?

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul describes the mature Christian: love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He calls these characteristics of the Christian life “The Fruit of the Spirit.” By that he means that God wants our lives to be full of these virtues and the Holy Spirit is at work in us growing us up in faith that increasingly our lives model these Christian virtues. So, one way we can evaluate our growth as Christians is to do some self-reflection asking ourselves if we can see more and more of these virtues present in our day to day lives.

So how are you doing?

Most of us have some of each of these virtues, but many of us don’t have a full measure of them. In other words, sometimes we are kind but other times maybe not so much. Sometimes we are patient, but other times maybe not so much.

Of the Fruit of the Spirit, are there a few of the Fruits that you would say you have a pretty big measure of?

For me, I have a full measure of joy. My joy, up to now, has been unshakable. Sure, I am sad sometimes, but the joy of the Lord always and eventually breaks through. Meanwhile, there are times when peace can be a bit illusive—especially with all that is going on in the world.

Are there any of the Fruit of the Spirit that are not as present in your life yet? Which ones? Why do you say this?

Remembering that it is the Holy Spirit that grows us in our faith, it is the Holy Spirit that will help us grow in these virtues. One day we will embody them. One of the ways we partner with the Holy Spirit is to use our God given gifts in service to Christ. The Holy Spirit has given each of us Spiritual Gifts (special abilities) through which the Holy Spirit works to accomplish God’s will and purposes. When we use our gifts to do good in this world, the Holy Spirit meets us in our efforts bringing blessings to others, while also growing us more in the faith. Maybe you have had this experience: you do something to help another person, and after doing so you wonder who got more out of the experience—you are the person you helped.

Can you remember this kind of experience? It is one of the ways we experience the Holy Spirit in our lives.

There is much to be said about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comforts us, guides us, advocates for us, convicts us, converts us, grows us in the faith, equips us for ministry and so much more. Let’s give thanks to God for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

God bless you,
dave