25.2.08

a simple message

Our student interim Pastor, Clare, had a good message yesterday based on Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit". Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. These 9 attributes of Christian character can seem so daunting to live up to, and actually they are impossible to live up to without the HIS Spirit living and working in our hearts. We all, if we are completely honest, struggle with each of these character attributes. After all they are really attributes of the Father and modeled to us by Christ.
The difference is God's attributes are part of His essence and nature, and for mankind, well we will always struggle to measure up to His standards. The good news is because of Christ's death on the cross for our sin and His resurrection on the third day we can have new life with Him. We can have the Spirit living in us to accomplish the impossible. And the impossible is made possible through Him for us to:
Love the unlovable, as He first loved us
Be joyful in difficult circumstances
Experience God's peace in everything
Remain patient with others
Be Kind to those who show no kindness
Reflect God's goodness in our attitudes
Be faithful in all our relationships
Always be gentle in speech
Be self-controlled in our thoughts and actions

None of these are possible in their entirety without the Spirit living in us, but all are possible with the Spirit living and working in our lives to make us more like Christ.

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