But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control
Galatians
5:22
It has been a week since I finally
updated my blog. I am having a hard time with this one. I have other things in
mind that can be much easier to write down, but I still wanted this one. I just
thought that it would be nice if I discuss these 9 fruits on my 9th
post. Actually, I’ve already started writing this thing down days ago, but I ran
out of words to elaborate this topic. Well it is because I don’t really possess
all these fruits, so I can’t easily relate. However, I believe having a piece
or two of these amazing gifts is really awesome. As what the verse said, these
fruits came directly from the Holy Spirit, not from us. So imagine living each
day of your life being blessed by God by imparting His qualities right up into your soul and personality. Praise God for this one. Since I don’t exactly have
all these qualities, I decided to name few people that I remember possessing
each of these 9 fruits. This is going to be exciting. For one, probably most of
the people that I’ll be mentioning are not aware of their God-given qualities,
but it is sometimes better that way. For these gifts are not given to be boasted;
rather, to be nurtured and to be shared as well.
Love
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16
I wish all of us can remember this verse, for this has
been the reason why we are saved. Before Christ was born, people kill animals
and put them as sacrifices to the Lord whenever they commit sins. But this
trend has already been washed away since the day that Jesus sacrificed Himself
and saved us from all our sins. Can you imagine yourself today burning and
sacrificing animals or whatever in repentance for your sins? That’s why we are
so blessed. All of the sins of our forefathers going back to the sins of Adam
and Eve have all been forgiven by Jesus’ Death. God so loved us that He
sacrificed His only Son for the Greater Good.
Love is defined as: Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern
for the well being of another. The only person that I can think of
having these qualities is my mom. She is my real-life Wonderwoman. Unselfish – for all she ever wanted was to see us
happy, nothing more, nothing less; loyal – for she has always been faithful to
us; benevolent – for she has always been concerned not only to us, but also to
other people. I admire my Mama and Papa for being so generous and concerned
with their employees. I can still remember there came a time that the food and
shelter of their employees have been somewhat like for free because they made it so cheap. I said, “Ma, hindi naman pwede palaging ganun.”
Then she replied, “Hayaan mo na.”
They never thought of doing things for their own good. Love is truly one
awesome gift.
Joy
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your
salvation. – Psalm 13:5
It is
far better to seek "joy." Joy is related to happiness, but it is a
deeper experience. In the search for happiness the individual focuses upon
himself, but joy moves a person out of a self-centered preoccupation and
provides an orientation towards others. Joy is an experience which connects us
to that which is "Greater" than we are. It connects us to the creative
power that is more than the "I" or ego. Joy gets us out of ourselves
and in contact with this "Other" and with others. Joy can sustain us
throughout the four phases of life. If we are willing to give up the search for
happiness, we may find joy. It exists near the center of the wheel where
happiness and suffering meet and intermingle (http://www.lessons4living.com/joy.htm)
All I thought joy has
the same meaning with happiness. But it is not. Now I got this understanding
that if you are happy seeing other people happy, that was joy flowing into you,
not happiness. This is what God wants us to have – a better, deeper feeling than
happiness. It is one great gift to have Joy overflowing into your soul in an
early stage of your life. Only few people I know have this unselfish quality.
But the first person that came into my mind was Ma’am Neneth Canizares. She was
my professor in Leadership, Management and Research back in College. I really
admire her, for she is highly respected in the institution. Some may fear or
hate her for her snobbish look and strict persona; but if they would only
have the chance to know her better, they will see how caring and loving she is
to her students. I can still remember before beginning every meeting, each one
of us was tasked to read and reflect to the Word
of Day. She wanted us to learn from each other’s experiences. I was always excited
when it was already my turn to read and reflect, for I always wanted to share
my experiences with my classmates. She always checked and asked about our
performances on our Nursing Audit. She encouraged us when we were down. She
listened to our troubles and problems. She always puts an effort with her
works. She was not our adviser, but she
acted more of like a mother to us. She was always happy with us; even though
she was not so vocal, we felt her love and care through her actions. She is
really one of a kind. Most teachers are like that. They are proud to see their
students excel and become successful in their respective lives. They have this
joy of knowing that they became part of their students’ lives.
Peace
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of
one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. - Colossians 3:15
Blessed
are the Peacemakers. Jesus said, “God
blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.”
There is a huge difference between
people who work for peace and those who are in peace. That is why peacemaking
is a difficult task for not only you seek for peace, but you actively seek to
resolve conflict as well. Most of us, to attain peace, avoid conflicts. That is
not what God wants us to do, for that is cowardice. He wants us to extend our
hands to everybody, resolve conflicts and restore any broken relationships. Always
remember that Love is God’s Good
News. He wants us to relate and love one another. Honestly, I couldn’t think of
any person having this mentality. Even I am guilty of not having this gift. Many
that I know of can be considered as persons who love peace, but working for
peace, as what I’ve said earlier, is really far beyond just seeking for peace. I
am happy that I don’t have any problems with anybody right now. However, there
are still few people that I have broken relationships with, and I want it to be
restored… maybe not today, but I am hoping that it won’t take forever for us to
rebuild and renew what have been lost. I want to be a peacemaker; though it is
not that easy, I know I can because God is with me.
Sadly, I think I have to cut the long story from here and continue the rest of the 9 fruits to my next posts. At least, I can
finally publish this one. LOL. I hope you and I will discover all these 9 fruits
eventually. Always remember that these gifts have been given to us by the Holy
Spirit. We should treasure them and use them to touch other lives as well. They
are very powerful weapons to fight evil and live a life in a Christ-like manner.
Alrighty then, I got to go. Waaa. I’m going to be late again on my worship
service! Till next time! Have a blessed Sunday! God is with you.
Testimony: If it weren't for Him, I couldn’t
easily forgive those who have sinned against me.
Life Lesson: Cherish every God-given gift
that you have.
Godly Passion: Love your neighbor.
Good News: Live a Christ-like life.
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