Fresh Perspective II
So I didn't want to leave you mucking around in Gal. 5:19-21 for too long..... onto verses 22-23. One of the most amazing things about our salvation is that we have not only been saved from our sin and rescued from destruction, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit that we may truly live!
Here is the comparison of the NIV and The Message on the fruit of the Spirit:
The one that stood out to me as odd was his translation of "goodness". I've always viewed it as goodness in the person who has the Holy Spirit, not a conviction about holiness in things and people. As I thought about it, I am open to considering that a belief that all of life is sacred - sourced in and connected to God - will impact the way a person treats others and everything around them. They would act in good ways.
The one that stood out for me as a great definition for something I find hard to nail down in my life was the translation of gentleness: not needing to force my way in life. Ahh, I get that. Being gentle with others (even myself) means not using pressure, coercion, or aggression to get my agenda carried out.
What about you? Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you as you consider these two lists side-by-side? If so, take a minute to open yourself up to the possiblity that He can (and will) produce these fruits in you!
Here is the comparison of the NIV and The Message on the fruit of the Spirit:
| NIV | The Message |
| Love | Affection for Others |
| Joy | Exuberance about life |
| Peace | Serenity |
| Patience | A willingness to stick with things |
| Kindness | A sense of compassion in the heart |
| goodness | A conviction that basic holiness permeates things and people |
| Faithfulness | loyal commitments |
| Gentelness | not needing to force our way in life |
| Self Control | able to marshall and direct our energies wisely |
The one that stood out to me as odd was his translation of "goodness". I've always viewed it as goodness in the person who has the Holy Spirit, not a conviction about holiness in things and people. As I thought about it, I am open to considering that a belief that all of life is sacred - sourced in and connected to God - will impact the way a person treats others and everything around them. They would act in good ways.
The one that stood out for me as a great definition for something I find hard to nail down in my life was the translation of gentleness: not needing to force my way in life. Ahh, I get that. Being gentle with others (even myself) means not using pressure, coercion, or aggression to get my agenda carried out.
What about you? Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you as you consider these two lists side-by-side? If so, take a minute to open yourself up to the possiblity that He can (and will) produce these fruits in you!
I really enjoyed the comparison of the two lists. I think I will read some more in the message. Some things, like the Christmas story can become like we've read them a million times and don't really absorb them. It would be good to spend some thought on the Christmas story before I rush off to the mall to fight the crowd and spend my life savings on plastic things that break in a week.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you ladies lots!
It's taken me a while to get to the most recent posting, but the timing is perfect! At church yesterday, the sermon was given by our youth pastor, Jim, and was based on the Gospel reading - Luke 3:7-18. He really focused on verse 8: "Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance [that is, [b]conduct worthy of a heart changed, a heart abhorring sin]." (Amplified). Jim closed with a benediction, imploring us to "Go forth and bear fruit worthy of our repentance." These words really struck me, even though I've heard them before (and, further to Jess' comment above, Jim's sermon also emphasized the danger of becoming numb to the familiar - e.g. the Christmas story). I left church marvelling at the life-changing breadth and depth of true repentance and wondering what that fruit would look like - and today I found Tracy's list! So now I'm meditating on this list and trusting the Holy Spirit to do the work. Amen!
ReplyDeleteIt's taken me a while to get to the most recent posting, but, as it turns out, the timing is perfect. At church yesterday, the sermon was based on the Gospel reading - Luke 3:7-18 - and really focused on verse 8: "Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance [that is, [b]conduct worthy of a heart changed, a heart abhorring sin]." (Amplified). The pastor closed with a benediction, imploring us to "Go forth and bear fruit worthy of our repentance." These words really struck me, even though I've heard them before (and, further to Jess' comment above, the sermon also emphasized the danger of becoming numb to the familiar - e.g. the Christmas story). I left church marvelling at the life-changing breadth and depth of true repentance and wondering what that fruit would look like - and today I found Tracy's list! So now I'm meditating on this list and trusting the Holy Spirit to do the work. Amen!
ReplyDeleteUrgh ... I may have posted the same (similar) comment twice.
ReplyDeleteNo! I didn't post the same comment twice!! Still meditating!
ReplyDelete