Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Good Life

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
22 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,
23 not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.

Many people think that following Jesus means giving up on the good things of life and that being a Christian means no more fun. Just the opposite is true. It is only possible to truly live if we invite the Spirit of God to break down the barriers erected by the self centered heart, to heal our wounds, and to open our hearts to God and each other.

Not accepting Jesus means never knowing the good life. It is like having an empty jar of honey and thinking that the jar is pretty neat. Having a taste of honey changes everything.

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