"The fruit of God's Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23
I don't write often about the Bible.
But I love the Bible.
The reason I don't often directly quote or refer to passages in the Bible is because I understand that it can be hard for some, who aren't specifically drawn to scriptures or to Christianity, to not immediately discount what's being said. Or to dismiss my voice. Or to just stop reading. Just because it's the Bible.
And that's ok. I totally get this. There are a lot of things about Christianity - and the "Christian" communities that we see around us, that are hard for me to take. There are reasons that I'm not a member of any church right now. To be honest, lately....the more religious things get, the less I'm drawn to them.
But - no matter what else I see of religion - I love the Bible.
And I often take time to meditate on these fruits of the Spirit -
{love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.}
Funny thing - it's the 'catch phrase' at the end of this little morsel of scripture that gets me every time....
Against such things there is no law.
No limit. No resistance. No boundary.
Doesn't really matter what {or who} we believe to be the source, the giver of life and hope...it's hard to argue with this list of virtues. Or to imagine laws that would limit the amount of love or kindness we can show to others.
Is it just me, or do we spend so much time chasing the demons, stifling the darkness, avoiding weakness and fearing evil....that we forget to nourish the spirit? If my 50 (cough) plus (cough, cough) years have taught me anything...it's the profound value of these simple virtues.
So I'm going to take my little blog link up {Six Word Fridays} and devote the next few weeks to these fruits of the Spirit - one each week. If you'd like to join in {and I really, totally, completely hope that you will!} please check in here and link up on Friday! Let's celebrate {together} these wonderful qualities, all of which make our lives so much richer!
Six Word Fridays is easy - it's just blogging in phrases that only contain six words! {The tab in the menu bar at the top of my page will fill you in on the details}
This Friday - we'll be sharing about LOVE!
I totally understand what you mean that it can be hard for some, who aren't specifically drawn to scriptures or Christianity . . . but sprinkled like morsels, snippets of thoughts are always a good thing. And no matter what we each believe, if we are willing to meet that person in the middle, we have so much to learn and share with one another.
ReplyDeleteAdrienne, I am coughing along with you - 50+ :)
ReplyDeleteSo much of your post resonated with me. I am a Christian who has stepped away from the church (for several different personal reasons - not any particular problem with church per se); but, I have not left my love for God, for His gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, or His Word.
It has been a long time since I have participated in Six Word Fridays, and I didn't know you were hosting it. I used to participate under my other blog, but I have recently started a second blog.
I agree with you completely here. I'll look forward to exploring these virtues--it will be a good reminder of what is important!
ReplyDelete