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Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Devotional

  • There Is No Fruit of the Spirit without Holy Spirit

    There Is No Fruit of the Spirit without Holy Spirit

    puffball mushrooms

    Ah, the humble mushroom. There are approximately  20,000 classified varieties, with more being catalogued all the time. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. These colorful and often strange-looking organisms have been used in cooking and traditional medicine for millennia.

    This morning’s pic is a puffball mushroom, one of several varieties. Actually, that isn’t quite accurate. This is the fruit of a puffball mushroom.

    The puffy bodies of mushrooms that we are familiar with are only a small part of the mushroom. The larger portion of the fungus is its extensive mycelium, hidden beneath the earth or other substrates.

    The mycelium can be massive. According to one source, “The largest known living organism on earth is a fungus – an underground mycelial mat of the honey fungus in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, covering an incredible 2,385 acres.”

    If there is no mycelium, there is no mushroom fruit.

    The same holds true in the spiritual realm. If there is no Holy Spirit at work in us, there can never be fruit of the Spirit.

    For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14

    The Holy Spirit allows us to discern things of the Spirit. It gives us the seed to grow spiritually. We nurture those seeds through spiritual disciplines such as reading Scripture, prayer, worship, serving, fasting, confession of sin, and more.

    All the spiritual disciplines in the world cannot grow the fruit of the Spirit if we don’t have Him. People of many faiths practice spiritual disciplines, in truth, often putting Christians to shame with their devotion and faithfulness. Yet, in the end, their efforts will prove fruitless because they don’t have Him. 

    Are you seeing the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Certainly, fruit is seasonal, and some fruit takes longer to mature than others, but if there is none, there is a problem.

    You may need to stop and ensure you are right with the Lord. Then you need to nurture what He has provided. 

    My prayer is that you become increasingly conformed into the image of Jesus and bear a vast harvest of the fruit of the Spirit. May your life reflect Him well.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

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    Fruit of the Spirit
    Every Member Is Necessary — 1 Corinthians 12
  • Fences – Barriers to love

    Fences – Barriers to love

    moss covered split rail fence

    The remnants of old split rail fences can be found in many of the  local area parks. The cedar rails are rot-resistant, and the fences are relatively easy to construct, making them ideal for many uses.

    There’s an old country saying: “Good fences make good neighbors.” It’s been found in writing as early as the 1640s, but it likely far outdates them. The saying implies that boundaries, both physical and otherwise, are good. There is truth in that, but boundaries are often abused.

    We like to categorize people. It helps us know who is who. We do it by gender, culture, politics, age, skin color, and so much more. It’s even done within the church. We sort by theology, baptism style, denomination, worship style, what seminary the pastor attended, and more.

    It becomes problematic when we start to see categories rather than people. We can begin to focus on the differences rather than the commonalities. Rather than a tool to help facilitate understanding and dialogue, we begin to exclude based on what fence our neighbor lives behind.

    It’s an easy trap to fall into, particularly when dealing with contentious issues within the church. I can easily fall into the trap of seeing people as one of “them” rather than individuals. I find myself doing that I must repent of as sin and seek reconciliation if need be.

    The fact that someone comes from a different denominational background or differs on non-essential theological issues doesn’t make them our enemies. If their faith is in Christ per the gospel, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

    Like blood families, Christian families can have differences and struggles. It’s a fact of life and an opportunity to give and receive forgiveness, grace, and love.

    Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:9-11

    Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15

    We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:19-21

    Let’s use our fences to understand, but let us also remember to love.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

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    Changed From the Inside – Good News
    The Gospel – the best news you will ever hear