Growth I am told
comes from experiences. Mostly for me those
experiences have been pain. If pain causes growth,
then I don't think I want to grow anymore. If loosing
a loved one, dealing with sickness and disease on a
daily basis, being lost in depression or the deep
black hole as I call it, is what causes growth, then
I pass. If hard times financially and emotionally
cause growth then again I must pass. Etc. etc. Etc.
There is only one
problem here. I can't pass. Life will go on, and pain
will come, unwanted but it will come. These things
are gonna happen whether I choose to grow or not. I
see that growth does not come from pain unless I
decide to learn and grow from the pain. So this tells
me that choices bring maturity. The choices I make.
Good and bad, bring growth. I can grow into a
miserable person or one who is at peace with herself
and her surroundings and situations.
The Bible says in
Gal:5:16:
This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. (KJV)
So just what is
walking in the spirit?
This is what it is
not.
Gal:5:19:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness,
Gal:5:20:
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation's,
wrath, strife, sedition's, heresies,
Gal:5:21:
Envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such
like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also
told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
So to walk in the
Spirit is to have the fruit of the Spirit in our
lives
Gal:5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal:5:23:
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal:5:24:
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts.
Gal:5:25:
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit.
Gal:5:26:
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one
another, envying one another.
I used to believe
that if you pray enough, read your Bible enough, be
kind enough that the fruit of the spirit will be
evident in your life. I found out that this too
depends on my choice. The fruit of the spirit is
there by choice. Just like everything else in my
life. I used to think that if I just read my Bible
like I said before, God would zap me with peace, and
that has not been the case. I found I still got so
aggravated with those whose goal in life is to upset
my peace. I never got zapped the first time with
humility! I never got zapped with love, I chose to
choose to love. I never got zapped with joy, I had to
chose to be joyous with the things God blessed me
with. If you look at society as a whole you can see
this is true, many who are blessed beyond measure
lead miserable lives.
I have to choose to
keep my mind on whatsoever things are lovely.
Whatsoever things are true.
Phil:4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things. (KJV)
Never once did I
get peace thinking okay I read my Bible today, So my
thoughts are gonna be good towards everything and
everyone. It helped me focus on good, but the choice
was mine to make. And many times I have come from a
wonderful service, and had a rotten day. And so have
you if you are honest enough to admit it.
Forest Gump said
life is like a box a chocolates you never know what
your gonna get. Yea that's for sure. But if I don't
like the one I get I don't have to eat it. I can spit
it out. My choice! Death came to my door many times,
and the most significant was the death of a spouse. I
could have withered up and died and lived the rest of
my life in my grief. Turned bitter and more angry. I
could have eaten it, but I spit it out. I chose not
to eat the death that could consume my life if I but
allowed it. Many says oh how cold, you must not have
loved your husband. Do you see what a bad statement
that is? I hope you do. So again a choice.
Now lets take a
lesson in grammar can we? Choice just like walk, is
an action word and they go hand in hand. You have not
made a choice until you take the necessary steps to
make that choice a reality. I was so guilty of
speaking the words I choose peace, I would speak them
out in my house, and wait and wait for it to come.
And when it didn't I still stayed snappy at those
around me, angry with God because I had such a bad
lot in life. So just saying I chose peace didn't make
it reality. What made it reality was when I chose it
and went about creating it in my life. Making choices
and decision for things that would create harmony and
peace.
The decision made I
walked toward it. I made the decisions reality by my
actions. I kept a civil tongue in my head when I
wanted to be mean and hateful. I loved anyway when I
didn't want to. I consciously checked my motive
behind my actions., and made sure I had right
motives. I chose to do the right things instead of
what I wanted to do. That is when the fruit of the
spirit came. Or better said, the essence of Christ.
Fruit of the spirit
defined to me is this. The essence of Christ. To know
the fruit of the spirit one must know Christ. Who he
was. And incorporate it in your life. WE must get rid
of the zapped mentality if we are to grow. God never
has and never will zap anyone. He had one son, Christ
Jesus, he won't zap you and make you like him. He
isn't in the cloning business, but you can become a
son, by putting on, and putting on is an action word.
Putting on The essence of Christ. That's when you
grow.
Jesus never
changes. God never changes. So we should not either.
We have to find the straight road, whether we are on
the mountain top or in the valley. We can be elated
and snorting fire on the mountain top. And we can be
so despondent and of no use in the valley. Or we can
be on the straight road, and enjoy the cool breeze of
the mountain, and choose peace in the valley. One of
my biggest struggles in life has been to be like God
and the same all the time. Letting the essence of
Christ decide my moods. Letting the essence of Christ
declare my rising up and my going down.
In
Psalm 137:1- 6 it says, By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered
Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the
midst thereof.
For
there they that carried us away captive required of
us a song; and they that wasted us required of us
mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
How
shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
If I
forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget
her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not
Jerusalem above my chief joy.
The writer cried,
"They carried us away captive and required a
song from us!"
Ever felt that way?
I have. Can't you see that I am here in the desert
and you want a song??? But, to have the essence of
Christ, and live in Jerusalem so to speak, I have to
remember the Lord! and sing! Or my tongue should just
cleave to the roof of my mouth, or easier said, be
shut up forever!
Again a choice. We
can have the essence of Christ no matter how high or
how low we are, if we but choose, and take the steps.
God said I change not. And I am so glad to know my
life doesn't depend on whether he is having a bad day
or not He never changes, not like I myself have
allowed in my life. To dictate how I would spend my
day dependent on my mood. The Essence of Christ is He
gave just like his father, and in this frame of mind,
I can give nothing. So Growth, is but a choice. What
do you choose?
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