As in previous years gift giving in my family spilled over into the New Year with many friends and family having birthdays. I enjoy the variety of gifts given and how some people are creative and have a gift of giving gifts. One such present was a hand designed voucher of the promise of a swim with the sharks in the deep waters off the coast at Port Lincoln.
Our Heavenly Father, who loves us, has given us spiritual gifts. Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth explaining that the Holy Spirit distributes the different kinds of gifts. Here are a few – wise counsel, clear understanding, simple trust, healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues. In the middle of writing about these spiritual gifts, Paul inserts a reminder to desire the best gifts and then shows us a better way—the way of love. Interestingly, love appears first on another list—the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22
Breakdowns
Over Christmas and the New Year I heard of three different family breakdowns where people left marriages and where family members fought with each other. Pondering the sadness of such events I wondered how we could prepare ourselves to weather such storms of life. I thought about Paul’s plea to desire love.
The fruit of the Spirit looks very much like nice ripe character qualities that develop as we grow and mature in our walk of faith. However, they are like our physical muscles and only become developed and strong as we exercise them.
- We could exercise love when someone else is being unlovely.
- We could exercise joy while living in a difficult situation.
- We could exercise peace when there is anxiety and uncertainty.
- We could exercise patience when someone or something annoying is happening.
- We could exercise kindness can when we are wronged.
- We could exercise goodness when there is no goodness around us.
- We could exercise faithfulness when there is betrayal.
- We could exercise gentleness amidst aggravation and rage.
- We could exercise self-control when we are provoked and mistreated.
Exchanges?
The person receiving the gift to swim with the sharks was too scared and opted for a beach in Bali as an exchange.
Let’s be women who don’t exchange the gifts God has given us and who develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.