Real, lasting, biblical fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22)

I’m sitting at the hospital with my mom tonight. She went into the hospital on Monday for a “routine” brain surgery and had some complications. The complications have been frightening and traumatizing for all of us. Mom went from being a healthy, stubborn, independent adult to needing help to even get out of bed.  To say that it’s been a rough week for me and my siblings would be a real understatement.

Through it all though, I have been incredibly blessed by a true spirit of peace, joy, and yes, love for my stubborn, independent mother—healthy or not. The thing is that I know this is a peace that’s outside of me: a contentment and compassion that far surpasses my own abilities, and is truly the fruit of the Spirit who is living inside me.

Biblically speaking, the fruit of the Spirit is something that we as Christians should show. It’s a fruit that we in many ways can’t learn, can’t practice, can’t try harder, or even choose to “choose the right,” but instead, it’s a fruit that comes to us in the most unexpected times: in times when situations are beyond ourselves, in times that we just can’t do one more thing, and when we give our burdens up to God and let Him carry them.

John 15 talks about our relationship to God and compares it to Him being the vine and us being the branches. Branches are a great analogy because just like when the branch of a vine is disconnected from its roots and dies, the same thing is true of us. When we’re disconnected from God, we too wither up and die spiritually. John 15 verse five affirms that “without me ye can do nothing.” What's most important about this analogy is that a disconnected vine simply cannot bring forth fruit, no matter how hard it tries.

The Christian life isn’t a life of try, try, try, or even a life of choosing the right, but instead, is a life of God working through us. It’s a life where I acknowledge that the things that originate in “me” are messed up. What originates in me is anger, resentment, depression, hurt and more! (See Galatians 5 for the whole laundry list of things that I bring about) The Christian life on the other hand, is resting in the truth that One resides within me, who IS peace, love, joy and much, much more. It’s a life where that One acts through me to bring the fruit of His Spirit into my life, and really I’m just a conduit for Him. 

Thanks for your prayers for my mom, and also for me as I allow God to love her in His perfect way through me. (Doctors are optimistic that she’ll have a complete recovery but it’ll take some time).

Lies Straight from the Garden

It’s a beautiful rainy day here in Northern New Mexico where I live. Since that’s a rare occurrence around here, we’re all enjoying the cooler temperatures, and of course the moisture—especially my garden!

This morning though, I was thinking about Adam and Eve and what it might have been like in the garden. We know that God created it, and that it was very good because Genesis 1 tells us that after God got done creating everything He declared it “very good.”  I have to assume there was the right amount of moisture, not too much, and not too little. Unlike the high desert, and also unlike those places that get a lot more moisture than we have, it was just the right amount and I’m sure the plants were growing like crazy with that personalized “God-care.”

Also, in the garden it seems that Adam and Eve didn’t have to work overly hard—maybe they had time to pursue their hobbies (naming all the animals is something that Adam did), or relax. One thing we know for sure is that they had the time and energy to “walk with God” regularly in the garden. We know that because the biblical text tells us that right after the fall God came down to do what He regularly did which was to walk and talk with them.

Then entered the serpent.  .. dum, dum, dummm, duhhhmmmm as my kids would say. He starts off by asking Eve a question. “Did God really say?” I sure don’t have to think very hard to think of examples of Satan asking us the same question here today. The attacks on the Bible that are quite easily found on the Internet are one example of that. The attacks on what the Bible actually teaches are another one. (Did God really say that He hates homosexuality?)

Then Eve complicates the matter by adding on to what God said the phrase “you must not even touch it.” That too is something that religions do: add onto what scripture teaches by adding on rules and regulations that supersede what God has actually said. One example of that is the rule that many religions put on religious people that says they can’t drink alcoholic beverages. What God’s Word actually says is that a person shouldn’t get drunk, and also that nothing should enslave the Christian (that would include an addiction to alcohol). These “additional” rules were actually what Jesus was fighting against most often when He interacted with the Pharisees.

The next lie Satan tells is of particular interest to those who have studied Mormonism because what Satan tells Eve next is that she won’t actually die, but instead her eyes will be opened, and she will become “like God.”  It’s not actually a lie that’s unique to Mormonism, it’s just that Mormonism so blatantly teaches it. Most other systems of belief though, that elevate man, and bring God down to the level of a man are in essence teaching that mankind is “like God.”

I’m always fascinated by these three falsehoods because I think that they form the foundation for most of the temptations Satan throws at us today, and probably throughout history. The question for us is, are one of these issues facing us personally today?

Did God really say?

Not only that, but you also must. . . 

You can become like God.

Then and Now

A friend recently shared her testimony of the LDS church with me. Among other things, she mentioned a very trying time that she had gone through, and shared that without the help of the LDS church and modern day revelation she doesn’t know how she would have got through it. I was honored that she would care enough to openly share a very trying time in her life with me. I’m old enough now to know that trying times come to all of us—no matter how “good” we are, and no matter how blessed we are with things like a good marriage, coming from a good family, or even financial blessings. The simple fact is that life is going to challenge us in some way.

Before I knew Christ, life’s challenges were tough to deal with. One of my first big challenges in life happened when I was still living “in the world” and honestly, I didn’t handle it very well. I got angry and carried a chip on my shoulders for years afterwards. This anger affected everything I did, even, I'm sad to say, my marriage and family.

Another of life’s big challenges happened when I was LDS, and as my friend pointed out, it was easier to handle: I had supportive friends and family, and most of all I had some kind of relationship with God where He comforted me, held my hand, and helped me through. Anger, depression, and fear though were still a large part of my life as I grappled with my failures, and the failures of others. I really had no peace, or joy in my life, just a sense of obligation to do my best, and hope it was good enough.

Life hasn’t been all smooth sailing since then either. I’ve said more than once that coming out of the LDS church was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Steve’s being sick for the better part of a couple years was another of those hard times. The difference though between then, and now is God—the Holy Spirit within me.

Scriptures say that the fruits, or the outcome of the Spirit is peace, joy, love, self-control, forbearance, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Fruit by its very nature cannot happen unless other things happen on the tree. For instance, a tree that’s been cut down will not produce fruit. Likewise, a tree that doesn’t get sun which enters the leaves and produces photosynthesis will not produce fruit. A tree deprived of water entering it through good strong roots also will not produce fruit.

When I think about my past trials these analogies seem to fit right in. In my first example of a challenge I had only the best in worldly things to fall back on: my family, my friends, my own self-confidence, and abilities. When I was still LDS I too had those things to fall back on, but also I had good sound teaching that included some of the very best advice that any man can give to another.

Now though, there is a difference. You see, earthly wisdom can only go so far—and can even be wrong. But, when I’m connected to the vine: the Holy Spirit in a daily walk with Him, there is a difference. I don’t react in the same way to these situations, no matter how hard they are. Things like peace, joy, love and such are not so easy to see. Deep down inside me, though, I know that these things are there, even in the midst of my hardest trials. 

Joy is one of those attributes that I experience daily. Joy comes, really, from having a right relationship with God, and knowing, really knowing, that I am accepted in Him, that I am His beloved, that I am who He wants me to be, and that He is making (re-making) me into who He wants me to be. It’s knowing that my salvation, really, is His work, and I just cooperate with Him in what He’s doing.

Before, however, I had to perform in order to earn the right to stand freely and opening  in God’s presence. So, when I failed, or when I fell down on the job, I experienced condemnation, fear, and depression.  It was also true, that if my husband, or children, or even friends failed to live up to God’s holy, and righteous standards I lost my right (hopefully not forever) to be in God’s presence. That was a tremendous burden to bear, and most people I know don’t bear it well.

Peace too comes from knowing God and knowing that I’m free to serve Him because He bore the penalty for my sins. It’s knowing that even when I do mess up (and I do all too often) He only asks me to come to Him, admit that I was wrong, and then move on as His dearly beloved daughter.

The Bible says that love originates from God—that we can’t even know love, or understand love, if we don’t know and understand God. It makes me wonder if that’s why so many relationships in my past life—even the best ones—were fraught with problems. I simply didn’t understand love, but instead understood a cheap imitation of love. 

I won’t go through the other fruits of the Spirit, but I do see God working out them in my life, and like the tree out my window, I’m just part of the process, soaking up the water, the sunlight, and most of all rooted and grounded in the Source of love, peace, joy, self-control, gentleness, kindness, forbearance, and self-control. What amazing grace, and amazing love!

A Faith that Please God

Faith is a tough subject because there are so many ideas out there about it. The devout Muslim for instance shows their “faith” by becoming a suicide bomber. Another person has faith by believing their church is true, even if it means ignoring any evidence to the contrary. Another teacher I once read taught that faith was believing that something you wanted to be true actually was true, until it became true.

The Bible of course teaches a lot about faith, and in some ways seems similar to the examples I mentioned above. For instance Romans 4 tells us that Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he (God) was able also to perform.”  The writer of Hebrews adds more to this equation when he wrote “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Later on in chapter 11 he continues by saying: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

The difference between the examples I mention above and biblical faith though lies in the source of that faith. You see, biblical faith is always based on someone, and is backed up by facts.

Let’s look at Abraham who is often mentioned as an example of biblical faith in the New Testament. The very first time we see Abraham in scripture we see him talking with God. (Genesis 12) Spend some time thinking about that. Abraham had faith because God had promised Him directly to do what He said He would (in this case provide a heir). So, Abraham’s faith was based firmly on who God was, and on what God had promised Him.

That’s why too, biblically speaking, a Christian can have full confidence that God will save Him. John 3:16 (among many other verses) tells us that God loved the world so much that He gave His Son, that whoever believes  in Him will have eternal life. As a Christian I can’t be totally sure (fact wise) that there is eternal life, but there are things I can do to find the facts in this promise: first I can search out the history of the Bible and come to know that it is trustworthy—above and beyond any real doubt. Then, I can seek out this God and find out more about Him: is He trustworthy? Does He have a track record of keeping promises? (The answer is yes.)  Is there evidence that He exists? (Yes again.) Finally, because I can believe God, and because I can believe His Word, I can believe this promise. These are the “facts” behind my faith, just as Abraham’s meeting God, and hearing His promise firsthand were the “facts” behind Abraham’s faith.

Again, and again, and again in the Bible we see Jesus affirming the fact that He is truth. He’s very, very interested in truth (He actually says that He IS truth) and because He is interested in truth, He wants us to seek out the “facts” that we can firmly base our faith on. That’s true and biblical faith, and it’s the faith that pleases God.