The wonderful gardening of the Holy Spirit

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.  Gal 5:22 23

I have always loved planting things and watching them grow. When I lived in my home state of Ohio, tomatoes and roses were my favorite and most successful endeavors. Yet, there were any number of things that I loved to watch grow. My sweet daughter, Olivia, and I planted an acorn. Our expectations were met and then some when a beautiful red oak tree
emerged and grew to a lovely specimen.

Well, as you know, there's some great gardening going on inside each son and daughter
adopted into the family of our Heavenly Father. The gardener has a wonderful green thumb
and is known far and wide for His successes in gardening and elsewhere. He is cultivating
the fruits of the spirit inside of us as we are moved along the road to sanctification. He will
not be  bothered by the weeds planted by satan, our own less-than-steadfast efforts or
any other roadblock, for He is the Spirit of God. Enough said.

The wonderful things about these fruits being grown is that they are, essentially, the
very characteristics of blessed Jesus. They are essentially the very attributes one sees in
the life and ministry of God on earth. They flow out of His words, His deeds, his very
essence, and they are available to us as we are being sanctified.

Not seeing much growth or noticing new branches? Well the gardening work can be slow and tedious, but if you just concentrate you should be able to notice those little shoots
of new growth. Do not worry because this gardener is patient and steady as He does His
glorious work.

All the more amazing is the fact that Jesus, the walking representation of the Father,
was providing for us the only true look at His Father.

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!  John 14: 9

So we are also being transformed into the very likeness of the living God. Wow.
I just want to work hard at knowing and glorifying God and enjoy the wonderful,
growing fruits that are being cultivated within me. How amazing is our God!

The ever elusive ability to have Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

I have been listening to Wayne Grudem's video series on the basics of the Christian
faith; it is an enjoyable overview of the terms a Christian encounters and works through.
In a recent discussion of sanctification, he mentioned a long-time Christian woman who
was terminal. When questioned about her faith that she would soon be in the presence
of Jesus, she replied that she hoped so. Wayne saw this as very sad, as an indication that
her faith was not full.

I, on the other hand, see this as very human. Faith, when one speaks of a Christian's
journey, is TRUST in God, in Jesus, in the Gospel.... I could go on. Having assurance
is something that I believe grows as we grow into more mature followers of Christ; however,
I am not willing to forget a very important characteristic of we people... we are people.

That means we carry with us a certain amount of doubt and inability to completely 
trust in something we cannot physically reach out and touch. I am not implying that
faith doesn't grow, that we do not become much more comfortable about trusting in
Jesus as we read God's word and continue our walk. I am certain that were I to be
told tomorrow that I was soon to rest, I would have many things to tie together and
would feel a certain amount of anticipation because I fully believe in the saving power
of Jesus and the grace of our God. I also, in my most honest look ahead, am sure that I
will respond honestly in a way very similar to the woman discussed above.... with HOPE,
with heartfelt joy, with excitement, with a certain amount of sadness that I will be
leaving this wonderful life God has provided for me.... and also, with a degree of
doubt.

Not doubt in Jesus!  Not doubt in God! Not doubt in the gospel message of salvation
through the work on the cross... doubt because I am a human being... incapable of
total trust and faith.

I know and believe that God will understand me because, after all, He was the one
who created me.

All praise and glory be to God the Father!

Not even a cameo appearance

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.    Ephesians 2: 8-10

So many questions, aren't there! It's difficult to understand why it is that there are issues
and questions that, quite likely, will not be answered in this lifetime. Once saved, always
saved? Predestination? Sola Fide? Works? Apostasy? While a lot of these and other
issues are different, there seems to be an overlap.

I am going to take a blogger's stand on the importance or relevance of our own part
in the processes of being transformed once we establish Jesus Christ as our personal savior
and Lord. First, I believe that this very act of choosing to follow Christ is done To us, not
By us. I'm not buying that we even have a choice once God reaches out and "plucks" us
into His hands. So our very justification, assumed righteousness (0f Christ) and
salvation are, in my eyes, totally passive. We aren't involved in these life altering
changes; GOD is!

So taking the stand that we have been changed out of the very grace of God, I also
do not feel that we are "actors" in the saga of our sanctification. The very process of
being sanctified, has as its goal, the removal of all sin. It is a process that ends after our
death; a process that is on-going through the work of the Holy Spirit who is challenged
by our corporal sin abiding flesh... we simply aren't up to the task of doing the process
ourselves. To believe that we can change ourselves from within, is, as I see it, prideful
and mistaken.

Will we strive to live lives more closely resembling the Jesus we love? Yes, I believe
we will do so through our appreciation and God's support. Will others see a change
in us and surmise that we have changed?Yes, I believe we will look and live
differently: I believe we will have no choice because that will also be done To us.

Are we really weak and in need of a wonderful savior to make the changes necessary
to reach everlasting life with God? Well, that's exactly what the gospel message
shouts at us!

We are human. That's okay. We need God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to do their
saving, graceful, miraculous transition to our lives. 

Praise our Holy God!

Not so much...anymore

2 Cor 5: 17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

One of the most wonderful things that can happen to a person associated with Jesus
is change. These changes aren't necessarily sudden, some may not even recognize, at
first, that they are happening or progressing..but they are. They are changes that are
being done to us, not by us, so as in our salvation, we are not responsible or 
capable of making these changes on our own. It's a passive thing, meaning something
being done to us almost in spite of ourselves.

I read, somewhere, that really looking into oneself and assessing is a bit like looking
into a fun-house mirror; we aren't really accurate at self-assessment so others may be
more aware of these new changes than we are.

These changes are ones that are being enacted by the Holy Spirit in a process called
sanctification, bringing us more in line with the likeness of Jesus Christ, our Lord. It's a
goal, a challenge that, in my opinion, is not finished during our lifetimes. No one can
be like Jesus, no one ever was or will be. Yet, we are changing, thanks be to God, in ways
that make us more like the humans we were actually created to be.

Depending on who one is, these changes may not look the same. One change that probably
runs across the board is recognition of sin. No more excuses. No more ignorance when
we do something sinful...we are convicted immediately by the Holy Spirit. Along with the
recognition is the sudden desire to avoid, to repent, to turn away to not repeat. We
also become more aware of the frequency of our sin. 

I am far less prone to emotional bursts... anger, jealousy, envy. My old road rage
has fizzled, for the most part. I find myself shocked when a curse word even enters my
mind, let alone exits my mouth. I am more patient, though this is one that I must
continue to pray about. 

I worry less; I don't have expectations that I must run things. I understand that I am
not in charge. I find it easier and more natural to pray. I take great joy in worshiping
God in song and word. I find it comforting and inspiring to read God's word. I enjoy the
people at church and want what is best for them.

More than these, I have a deep love for God, the trinity. I want to learn as much as
I may about Him and increase the quality of my relationship with Him.

Yes, lots of changes. Beneficial ones. Ones that I am blessed to understand are
happening to me. I need them!!! I appreciate them! God be praised!