Friday Nurturing Content - 11/10/23

Happy Friday, Friend!

We’re in the month of November and we’re talking about harvesting fruit over at The Christian Authors Network!🍇🍊🍎🍋🍉🍓

But not just any kind of fruit.

We are focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit, as outlined by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…”

While traces of love, joy, peace, patience, etc. can be found in almost everyone’s lives to some extent, these traits take on a whole new meaning for those who walk in step with the Spirit.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is the distinguishing factor between those who are in Christ and those who are unbelievers. The words and actions of a believer demonstrate the process of sanctification that is at work within his or her heart.

To put it simply: Holy Spirit IN; Fruit of the Spirit OUT.

As mentioned in the previous email, we’ll be exploring each of these nine fruits throughout this month. You can follow along in our November Success Guide as well as through our Facebook group and, of course, through our weekly emails.

Today, I’d like to start us off by focusing on the first three fruits: Love, Joy, & Peace.

Love:

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” -1 John 4:10

 “Let all that you do be done in love.” -1 Corinthians 16:14

Such a small word and yet love can mean so many different things.

We have oversaturated our mainstream culture with that word: We love inanimate objects and our pets. We love movie stars and musicians who are strangers to us. We love the perfect shade of teal, a really good book that sucks us in, and that first sip of a warm drink on a cold day! And yet, we’re often left wondering what exactly is love and what does it mean to have love as a fruit of the Spirit?!

True love is a verb. It is selfless and sacrificial. It seeks to bless others. It seeks the best interests of others above all else. The more we understand and cherish God’s atoning love for us, the more the Spirit directs us to share that love with others in both our words and our actions.

Joy:

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." -Psalm 16:11

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” -Philippians 4:4

Christian joy transcends our circumstances. It is a deep-seated gladness that is rooted in the knowledge of our current salvation and the coming reunification with our Creator. It sustains us through disappointment and heartbreak, trials and sorrow this side of eternity. It is a reflection of our confidence in God's sovereign grace. People who walk in the Spirit can find joy in all circumstances!

How truly remarkable it is that God not only commands us to be joyful but also grants us the ability to produce joy in us by His Spirit?!

Peace:

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” -John 16:33

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. This deeply beautiful word holds so much more than just meaning the absence of conflict and war or a lack of tension and animosity. It is a deep sense of tranquility that flows from a right relationship with God. And, it points to full flourishing for all people and creation in harmony with God Himself. This is exactly how our Creator intended it to be when He created the first humans, but sin overtook our hearts and this world and corrupted His perfect plan.

However, as believers who have been reconciled with God through Jesus, we do, at times, get a glimpse of that peace here on earth! This shalom that we experience is one that guards our hearts and minds and provides us with a stability amidst life's storms. We can take heart in the fact that, although there is grief and turmoil surrounding us, Christ has triumphed over sin and death! We can now have peace because we know that God was and is and will always be victorious and in control, no matter what we experience here on earth!

And, we can also extend this same peace to our fellow brothers and sisters as we work to reconcile, mediate, and seek counsel with one another. As the Spirit is at work within us, He produces an inner peace in our minds and hearts so that we may also experience that peace outwardly with others in our lives.

I leave you with this prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit that is producing good fruit in us at this very moment. We pray for a love that is sacrificial and not self-serving. We pray for a joy that is not attached to any of our circumstances. We pray for a peace that surpasses all our earthly worries and hurts. Cultivate this fruit in us and show us daily how we can walk and talk in the Spirit of love, peace, and joy so that others may see this fruit and glorify You. Amen.

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Tam