Freedom of Opportunity: Living by the Spirit
-a date when
our country remembers the colonies
taking their first steps to becoming
a nation,
declaring their freedom with
the Declaration of Independence.
The founding fathers signed it boldly stating
“…we
mutually pledge to each other
our
Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”[1]
They pledged to each other,
they were united in their beliefs,
they made a choice that would change
their lives.
The word freedom is
defined as
‘the power or right to act, speak, or think
as one wants without hinderance or
restraint.’
Think about what the early church was facing,
what problems the Galatians may have been
experiencing...strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels...
works of the flesh.
So what freedom is Paul referring to in Galatians?
what problems the Galatians may have been
experiencing...strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels...
works of the flesh.
So what freedom is Paul referring to in Galatians?
Freedom in
Christ;
freedom from the law.
In Christian freedom, we have an obligation,
we are bound to Christ’s service.
What is this ‘freedom of opportunity’?
It is the freedom you and I face as Christians in our
daily lives.
There are choices you and I make in how we live our
lives;
those choices can bring bad or good
results.
Those bad results are what Paul refers to
as the works of the flesh.
Simply put,
the works of the flesh are
a
way of thinking or behaving
that
is confined to the human realm,
a
way with no spiritual guidance.
Paul warns if this is the path chosen:
“those
who do such things
will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The human
realm or the kingdom of God?
It is our
choice to make, our freedom of opportunity.
In contrast,
there is the good result –the fruit of
the Spirit.
This is what
we should strive for in our lives.
Who does not want peace, joy, gentleness and self-control.?
Who would not want to be described
as
patient, kind, generous, and faithful?
These are the
‘fruit of the spirit’.
Yes, fruit of the spirit not
fruits, it is singular.
Why?
It
is about unity.
If we look back at verse
13
“through
love become slaves to one another.”
Love is the
key.
Loving one
another,
acting
in community, and as verse 14 tells us
“You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
As a
community together in Christ,
we are all part of the body of Christ,
brothers
and sisters in Christ;
you
and I support
each other,
we
catch each other when we fall,
we
work together,
worship together,
pray together.
The works of
the flesh may be individual failings,
the
fruit of the spirit is what can
result
from
being together as one.
Let us take a look at
these ethical characteristics of life,
life in Jesus through the Spirit.
Love: as
I said before love is the key,
it
sums up everything including the law;
love
is the fulfillment of the law.
Joy: something
we experience in our ordinary lives;
you and I never know when we will find
joy in our journey.
Peace: shalom,
wholeness and well being
through
restoring relationship between God and humanity,
including our personal relationship with God.
Patience: our ability to endure;
endurance
of hardships, difficulty, and
inconvenience
without complaint.
Patience
brings about maturity and wholeness.
Kindness: such
a simple thing to share;
the
Spirit gives us our ability to be compassionate
and
to show mercy as God has shown us mercy
through
grace.
Generosity: our
self-less response to each other,
our
hospitality, our giving heart;
it
is another sign of Divine grace.
Faithfulness: our
living response to life;
it
is our continuing relationship with God.
Gentleness: meekness,
humility
before God and as we interact with each other.
Self-control: a
way of thinking and acting that conforms
to
the power of God made strong in human weakness.
You
and I encounter a variety of temptations;
however, we rely on,
we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to leads us.
Take a
moment and think where you see
these
qualities in your life,
in
yourself or in others.
Where do you
observe this in this faith community?
In other communities where you are
involved?
Work? Home?
Neighborhood?
The Spirit is
ever-present in our ordinary lives!
The Holy
Spirit is powerful!
It empowers
us!
In the
scripture from Second Kings
Elijah
is preparing to be taken up to heaven.
Elijah asks
Elisha
“what I may do for
you, before I am taken from you”.
Elisha
responds
“Please let me inherit a double share of
your spirit.”
Elisha
knows he is dependent on the Spirit for his ministry
because he knows the power of the Spirit.
When
Elijah is gone Elisha picks up Elijah’s mantle.
A
mantle is a cloak with practical and versatile uses:
a cover at night,
protection against the elements;
it is also symbol of dignity, status, and power.
There
is a significance in Elisha picking up Elijah’s mantle,
it is a transition of power.
In
this case from one Godly leader to the next.
In our lives
the Holy Spirit equips us to pick up the mantle.
The
mantle of discipleship,
the mantle of Christian freedom,
the mantle of opportunity to choose
the path that leads to the fruit of the spirit,
the way to God’s kingdom.
As
we have not yet reached God’s
heavenly kingdom,
our obligations are here in the everyday world.
Our
actions in the world reflect our Christian love.
Through
the Holy Spirit you and I are given
the blessing of discipleship,
the ability to reach out to others,
and to share the gospel.
What is the
Holy Spirit calling you and me to do?
In Henry
Nouwen’s book Discernment, he
discusses
discerning
God’s will and call.
Nouwen
states
“Both inner and outer events and
circumstances can be
read and interpreted as signposts
leading to
a deeper understanding of the way
the Spirit of God
is working in our daily lives.”[2]
You and I have a longing for God’s presence,
we look for signs in our ordinary
life.
The
Holy Spirit is the presence and work of the living God in
our individual lives, in the church, and in the world.
You and I know God is present in our daily
lives.
Once again
quoting Henry Nouwen,
“We
have the freedom and responsibility
to look at our lives with the eyes
of faith and
a heart to trust, believing that God
cares and
is active in our lives.”[3]
When we
choose to be led by the Holy Spirit,
the freedom of God’s Spirit
will
lead us on the path to new life.
Through
prayer, we discern;
through worship we praise God;
through our choices and actions, we are disciples.
The fruit of the Spirit is a blessing to us;
it
is available to us;
embrace
the freedom of opportunity;
live
by the Spirit!
