Trusting in God as Shepherd – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 2

This week we welcome guest blogger, David Hundert, who is a Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA.

In the previous post we learned that the first step to experiencing peace is to trust in God. But what does it mean to trust in God? There are two analogies that the Lord uses frequently to help us understand trust.

The first is that of a shepherd, and the second is a child. In this post, we’ll learn how to trust in God, our Shepherd.

In Scripture, God uses this one a lot because being a shepherd was common in biblical cultures. The other reason that he used the analogy of a shepherd is because it really does paint a beautiful picture of the kind of trust that leads to peace.

One of the most beautiful depictions of that kind of trust is Psalm 23 in the King James Version.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

Sheep have to trust their shepherd. They rely on their shepherd for everything. For sustenance, water, and safety.

I always wondered about the part of this Psalm that states “He leadeth me beside the still waters.” Why would the Lord make it a point that the waters were calm? A shepherd would know that. Well, I researched this question and discovered that sheep will die from thirst before drinking from a fast moving stream. Sheep have reason to fear the running water because they cannot swim very well. Thrown into a deep, fast moving river, sheep will most likely die. The shepherd wants to keep his sheep safe. So he leads them to still water.

Jesus says in John 10:11-15,

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

The sheep trust their shepherd, and as a result they live out their lives in peace.

What else does Jesus say about peace? We’ll learn more in the next post.

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What is Shalom? – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 1

This week we welcome guest blogger, David Hundert, who is a Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA.

As I’ve been going through my studies, the one thing that I’ve really been enjoying is using the tools available to me to do word studies. Now, I do have a confession to make. When I was in high school, I actually failed my senior English class and had to retake it in order to graduate with the rest of my class. I must say, English grammar is a real struggle for me. I tell people that my native language, and those that know me well would agree, is sarcasm. I can’t necessarily offer words of wisdom, but I can offer you a sarcastic comment! However, I’ve really been enjoying the study of individual words in Scripture. Have you ever really given any thought as to how a single word, or the lack thereof, can completely alter the meaning of a sentence? For instance, take the old worship song, “Through it all…”

Through it all
Through it all
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus
I’ve learned to trust in God

I mean, what would happen, if we added one little word? What if we were to add the word, “up”? That changes the whole meaning, the whole trajectory of the song, right? Okay, so maybe trajectory is the wrong word there… You know, I need to quit while I’m behind!

So, let’s just agree that words are important. The last two weeks, we looked at two different words from Galatians 5 verses 22 and 23:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (which is another way of saying patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Over the last two weeks, we’ve learned that if we walk in step with the Spirit, we will do two things. First, we will crucify the acts of the sinful nature and second, we will leave room for the Spirit to grow His fruit in our lives. In Galatians 5:22-23, the word, “fruit” is a singular noun. The Holy Spirit desires to grow all of these characteristics in our lives; it’s a total package. The first two characteristics of this fruit that we looked at is love and joy. As we walk in step with the Spirit, He equips us to love ourselves and to love our neighbors in the same way. We also learned that joy is a state of happiness and well-being and that as we walk in step with the Spirit, our joy will increase.

This week we are going to take a look at the next characteristic this fruit contains and that is “Peace.” First, in Isaiah, chapter 26, verse 3, we’re going to take a look at some of the things that Scripture says about peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.“

The word peace is translated from the Hebrew word, shalom. Shalom is defined as “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, soundness in body, health, prosperity, to be well with, tranquility, contentment. What is it that the author states that we need to do for all this to be ours? We need to “Trust in…” God. What does that kind of trust look like?

In the next post we’ll learn more!

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The “Gate” scandals and the problem of peace – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Preview

You know that image of US President Richard Nixon stepping off the presidential helicopter flashing peace signs with both hands?  It’s a classic moment in US history, as Nixon had recently been on a diplomacy trip to China, an extremely rare feat for presidents before and after. It was quite a successful trip, and upon arriving home a photographer snapped the photo of a triumphant Nixon.  What I have learned since, however, is that Nixon often flashed the double-V peace sign, raising his arms in the shape of a V, using his hands to make two more Vs. 

You and I are more accustomed to people making a single V sign as way to communicate, “Peace.”  For Nixon, it was much more likely that he meant the sign to say, “Victory!”  Sadly, for Nixon, and for the United States, his victory led to the opposite of peace.  After being caught cheating the rules of the election, he was impeached and resigned in August 1974.  Better known as the Watergate scandal, named after the hotel where the illegal activity occurred, Nixon’s legacy is one of turmoil.  In fact, stemming from Nixon’s “original sin,” the word “gate” is now tacked onto scandals of all kinds.  When NFL quarterback Tom Brady used slightly deflated footballs, which was against league rules, we called it “Deflategate.”  Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the hundreds of other “Gate” scandals in sports, politics and culture.  The “Gates” scandals are a reminder that so often our world lacks peace. 

What is peace? And how do we grow peace amid the scandals, anxieties, pressures and frustrations of the world.  Jesus once said to his disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  I love that, but I also have to admit that there are plenty of times when I still don’t feel peace.  We Christians say things like, “I can’t imagine not having a relationship with Jesus.  I don’t know how people who aren’t Christians get through the hard times in life.”  And yet, if we’re honest, we Christians can really struggle with a lack of peace sometimes. 

In our continuing series on the Fruit of the Spirit, we are learning to walk in step with the Spirit, which means growing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  We’ve learned about growing love and joy, and this coming week we’ll study what it means to grow peace. 

How to grow joy – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 5

Joy is a deep inner stability from the Lord, gained in his presence. 

My wife Michelle told me the story of a conversation she had the other day with one of the women she works with.  The woman has resettled here in Lancaster, along with her husband and two kids.  They fled the African country of Eritrea, spending years in a refugee camp.  This woman is known to the other employees as a steady joyful woman.  This week as she and Michelle were talking, she shared a bit about the years her husband was forced to be a soldier, which led them to flee Eritrea. She talked about how some of her family is still in Eritrea and some family is in refugee camps waiting to be resettled.  She shared about the heartache that brings. 

She ended the conversation with Michelle by saying, “And so I pray each day.  God is caring for me and I pray for their care.  I wish for my entire family to be with me here, but I am grateful.  We are here and so my children are safe.  I so I feel two things: a strong hope for the rest of my family to be here with me, and gratefulness that we can be here.”

That’s what joy is sometimes.  Both the longing and the struggle are present with the joy and contentedness.  But it takes intentional connection to the Spirit, it takes effort to cultivate that kind of contented joy.  The work is worth it.  God says it is important, and it is for our good.

Something very practical we can do is spend time in God’s presence.  It might be just learning to rest in his presence, which can be frustrating, especially because of the fast-paced society we live in, or if you yourself are a person who loves to be on the go. 

I recently listened to a podcast in which a person remarked that in our contemporary world, so often when we wake up each day, the first thing we do is open our devices or turn on the TV.  Instead, he recommended that we should start the day with quietness, in the presence of God.  That takes practice, working on being aware of the truth of God’s love for you, that you carry his Spirit with you. 

We could start each day by thanking God. Write down five things you are thankful for in a journal.  Thankfulness, which is the practice of counting your blessings, is a very helpful way to grow joy in your life. Even if it is just that you are thankful for coffee, for the new day, for breath.

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When joy is not easy – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 4

Joy as inner strength during trials is not to be confused with a bubbly or outgoing personality.  Not everyone has such a charismatic personality, but they can feel joy deep within them.  Also, not everyone who is bubbly and charismatic is feeling joy.  Extroverts most often seem joyful.  Introverts not so much.  But we’re not talking about personality.

Instead we’re talking about a unique source of joy.

Paul writes in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

This deep inner joy is from the Lord, found in knowing Christ.

In Psalm 16:11, David writes that we can be “Filled with joy in God’s presence.”

Christians have been persecuted for their relationship with Christ for centuries all over the world. And yet they can be filled with joy.  Paul writes in Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Joy is not easy.  Joy can require work.  Joy is a willful choice to follow the way of Jesus when what we want to do is lash out in angry hurtful ways.  Joy is rooted, however, in the knowledge that God is our rock, that we can always depend on him, so that even when we are hurting and fearful and the future is unknown and perhaps not looking good, we our hope is found in God.

When life is awful, the joy of the Lord is our strength.  When the future seems grim, we can be joyful in hope, knowing that God can overcome anything.  That doesn’t mean he will make everything work out like we want or think it should work out.  Often circumstances do not turn out as we hope they will.  Sometimes we screw up and face difficult consequences of our own doing.  Sometimes others hurt us.  But we can have joy in the middle of all of it. 

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Joy is a choice and a strength – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 3

Many Christians might wonder, “But what if I don’t feel joy?  Does that mean the Spirit hasn’t given this gift to me?”  Remember that being led by the Spirit requires action.  It is not a series of characteristics that he magically gives to us. 

While the Spirit does work in, we also cultivate joy, we grow it, as we walk in step with him.  The qualities in the list of Fruit of the Spirit are not emotions, not feelings, but a total package describing people who are walking in step with the Spirit.

In the New Testament book of Acts, which tells the story of the earliest Christians, we hear about how they experienced many difficulties.  For example, in Acts chapter 16, we read that the missionaries Paul and Silas are imprisoned, and yet they are singing hymns!  They are choosing to express joy despite their circumstances.  Do you see the very practical application?  You can choose to do things, to think things that will move you in line with the way of Jesus, even when you are hurting. 

Consider how Jesus himself showed us how to choose joy.  When he was being nailed to the cross, what did he do?  Scream, “I hate you!  I curse you!”  No.  He prayed for the people that were killing him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  That’s the kind of thing that you do when you have joy deep down inside, flowing from you. 

How is it possible to grow what can seem like inexplicable joy?

There is a fascinating story in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah that might help us answer this question.  The events of Nehemiah chapter 8 occur about 150 years after Jerusalem was destroyed and the people were exiled to Babylon, the events we learned about during our recent study through the book of Ezekiel. 

Nehemiah is a Jew in Persia, as the Medes and Persians eventually defeated the Babylonians. Nehemiah made it up the ranks in service to the King of Persia, and thus Nehemiah received  permission from the king to take a delegation back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls around the city. Before that time, Ezra had led the work of rebuilding the temple.  There was a celebration, which we read about in Nehemiah 8.  After 150 years of pain, the people are finally seeing a bit of restoration of their beloved city.  What happens?  As Ezra reads the Old Testament Law to the people, they starting weeping!  This is what we read:

“Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.’ Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.”

The people were weeping because it had been so, so long since their ancestors were living in Jerusalem, since the words of the Law had been read in the temple.  But Nehemiah says, don’t weep and grieve, now is the time for rejoicing, because the joy of the of the Lord is your strength.  Do you see how deep inner joy is like a strength that God gives us as we choose to walk in step with the Spirit? 

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Is there a difference between joy and happiness – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 2

What is joy?      

When the writers of the New Testament wrote about joy, such as in Galatians 5:22-23, when Paul wrote about the Fruit of the Spirit, he used the Greek word kara. That’s right, the women’s name Kara is the Greek word for joy.  The people who study words tell us this that the word kara means “to enjoy a state of happiness and well-being.”[1] 

Is that definition describing an emotion?  I’m not sure.  The definition doesn’t specify. 

What was Paul talking about in Galatians 5 when he said that we should be growing joy in our lives?  If we are to walk in step with the Spirit, it means becoming a person that is increasingly joyful. That much we know.  When we are walking in the Spirit, we will be growing joy in our lives.  The Spirit brings joy.  Not less joy.  More joy.  To grow joy is to produce more of it. 

Keep in mind that these qualities of love, joy, and the others in the Fruit of the Spirit, are OF the Spirit.  On our own we will not have these qualities, like joy, as a regular consistent part of our lives.  Also keep in mind what the metaphor fruit suggests.  Fruit grows through the work of planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning.  It takes effort.  Likewise, growing joy in our life takes the work of staying in step with the Spirit.  Spending time with the Spirit, he will grow joy in our lives.

So that is the first aspect of understanding joy.  We grow it by choosing to walk in step with the Spirit.

The second aspect of understanding joy is a related question, “What is happiness?” Or put another way, “Is there any difference between joy and happiness?”

I’ve heard some people try to make a case for the difference between the two.  Sometimes I think they are just two ways of describing the same thing, the emotion of gladness.  Other times I think it is helpful to define who joy and happiness are different.

I would suggest to you that joy is best understood as a deep inner calm and fulfillment.  This joy, this deep stability is also sustained, it endures.

Happiness, however, is a surface feeling, an emotion based on one’s current situation. Happiness is temporal, meaning that it does not endure.

Some people who make this argument about the difference between joy and happiness suggest that you can have joy deep down inside at the same time that you are feeling unhappy. 

I think a woman from our church, and how her battle with cancer.  This woman and her husband Lamar are long-time members of our church, and for years they have been serving as missionaries in Africa.  About five years ago they were home for a few months on home assignment, and during a health check-up they learned the shocking news that our friend had cancer.  She was not happy about getting cancer.  It was very difficult for her, for her husband, for their family.  They had to delay their return to Africa so she could start chemo and have surgery.  None of this made them happy.  But those of us who walked with them through her many months of treatment remember what she said about her situation from day 1: 

“I choose joy.” 

Her joy was a choice to trust in God, to have faith in him, no matter the outcome of her treatment, and spread the word that it is possible, and in fact it is best to have that kind of stability in God in the middle of hardships.  Janice’s joy was real.  Praise God, Janice is cancer free, and they have been back in Kenya for a number of years.   

What was so wonderful about her joy was that it was real in her life, before, during and after the cancer.  Of course we were all elated when she was healed, but that is not the point.  Her joy was real even in the middle of her pain and in the middle of the difficulty of her treatment, when the outcome was not sure.  Her joy was not dependent on the outcome.  That is important because not everyone experiences the outcome they desire, but they can still have joy, even in the pain.

When the brother of Jesus, James, wrote in James 1, “Consider it joy when you face trials of many kinds,” that’s what we are talking about.  Joy in the pain.  But I have to admit, I think to myself, “Really?  How is this possible?”

It is okay to not feel happy about the trial.  It is okay to not feel good about the trial.  When we are not emotionally excited about trials, we are just being normal humans.  But deep within, joy is the knowledge that the painful trial can bring us growth.  That God will keep his promises to us, and so we pray that he will redeem the bad situation.

There is no doubt that it can be a battle inside us, to feel joy when we are not feeling happy.  That’s why we need a consistent intentional connection with the Spirit to grow joy in our lives.  Having joy in the middle of pain and loss is not natural.

It is very similar to the difference between “love and like” that we talked about last week here. Joy is a choice to be thankful despite the circumstances, despite the feelings.  We are joyful when we turn our thoughts and attitudes towards the truth of who God is as we walk through the trial.

[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 302.

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When “rejoice always” sounds impossible – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 1

I once read the following quote:  “There are lots of reasons people cite for their loss of interest in faith, but one of the main reasons I have often heard stems from the perception that God’s people are boring, sad, anxious, narrow.  One person said: ‘I just think that life should be joyful; and many Christians I know aren’t.’ Another person said, ‘I’ve been living my Christian life for two decades now, but one of the things I’m struggling with is that I don’t have much real joy.  Can we talk about that?'”

Does that resonate with you?  I remember my grandmother telling me, in her 90s and on her deathbed in hospice, that she was afraid she was not truly a Christian because she struggled so much with a grumpy, bitter spirit.  We pitied my grandfather for the tongue-lashings he received.  My grandmother was a woman who walked closely with Jesus for years, but as she grew older, she struggled with joy. How about you? Do you struggle with joy?

This week on the blog as we continue our series about the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22, we’re talking about joy.  In the Bible there are some very intense statements about joy.

For example, the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk writes, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Hab. 3:17-18)

Jesus’ disciple Peter writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

Peter wasn’t some glutton for punishment. He got this teaching from Jesus.  In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus himself taught, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Clearly there is a Christian understanding of joy which says that joy is possible and important even when you are going through bad times.  In fact, in Philippians 4, Paul writes “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, and I say again, rejoice.” 

If we are honest, though, we sometimes feel the opposite.  Always rejoice?  It can sound impossible.  Is this just one of those Christian teachings that looks good on paper, but when we try to apply it to our real lives, we repeatedly fail, or we think we have no idea how to do it, so we conclude that it is a goal to shoot for, but not one that Jesus ever really expected us to achieve in this lifetime?  We can think that the only place time we’ll have unceasing joy is in heaven.  In Revelation 21:4 we read a description of heaven that says this, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

But that’s heaven.  That’s clearly not now.  Now the world is filled with many difficulties, some of which we wonder how we can possibly rejoice in the Lord always.  You might remember a few weeks ago on the blog, Clint Watkins taught us about lament. (See the first post in Clint’s series here.)  What do we do with lament, which is clearly not an expression of joy?  Lament is a holy complaint to God, a crying out of our pain and hurt and loss.  Lament is the expression of that pain and hurt.  Isn’t lament the opposite of joy?  Furthermore, the inclusion of so many psalms of lament in the Bible teaches us that it is right and good to express our pain.  But is the practice of lament disobeying the teaching to rejoice always?

What do we do when we don’t feel joy?  Maybe we should just say, “Lord, I’m confused here.  You say it is okay to lament and feel all the hurt and even express it to you.  But you also say that we should rejoice all the time, even in bad things we go through.” I suspect many of us might find that dissatisfying.  Is God being contradictory?  It kinda seems like it, doesn’t it? 

Remember what we know of God.  He is not a contradictory God.  He is loving, good and wants us to experience the flourishing abundant life.  So if he is telling us that both lament and joy can coexist, it is possible, and it is for our good.

With that in mind, let’s see what we can learn about joy, the second Fruit of the Spirit.  On the blog we are studying the list of qualities in Galatians 5:22-23 called the Fruit of the Spirit.  In Galatians 5, we learned that we Christians are people who are to crucify the acts of the sinful nature and walk in step with the Spirit.  Christians are people who take action to grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  Last week we looked at what it means to grow love in our lives. (See the first post in the love series here.)  This week, we are studying the second quality in the list, joy. 

What is joy? In the next post we’ll try to define it.

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What is your level of joy? – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Preview

At Christmas we sing “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”  The words of that Christmas carol reflect what the angel declared to the surprised shepherds keeping watching over their flocks at night just outside the town of Bethlehem, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  The shepherds rushed into town and found the baby, just as the angel said.  After spending some time with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, we read that the shepherds, “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.”  (Luke 2:8-20)

Then at Easter we rejoice likewise, declaring joyfully that Jesus won the victory over death, sin and the devil.  In so doing, we are like the women who were the first to discover the empty tomb, “afraid, yet filled with joy.”  (Matthew 28:8)  We are also like Jesus disciples who “were overjoyed when they saw” him risen. (John 20:20) 

But come to think of it, of course we are joyful on Christmas and Easter.  Those are two holidays marking momentous events, giving us loads of reason to be joyful.  And to a lesser degree, so is Palm Sunday when “the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices,” as is Ascension Sunday when the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” after seeing Jesus ascend to heaven (Luke 24:52-53).  But for most of the year, can it be said that our level of joy is lower than on those special days? 

How is your level of joy, generally-speaking?  Do people think of you as a joyful person?  No doubt, the world we live in has its fair share of troubles, and that might have you feeling less than joyful these days.  Or at least less joyful than normal.  Whether it is the war in Ukraine, the Covid pandemic, the abortion debate, racial injustice, or many of the other headlines in the news, it is normal human nature to get sucked into negativity.  That’s not to mention the very real difficulties you might be facing in your own lives.  Broken relationships, financial instability, health concerns, you name it.  What is the source of pain and loss in your life?  Has life affected your joy? 

When Clint Watkins was our guest blogger recently, his posts (starting here) resonated with many people because of how many are dealing with tough times.  But what about joy?  Is it not true that we Christians are supposed to be joyful?  Actually, is it not true that we are called to be very joyful?  Join us on the blog this coming week, and we’ll talk about joy further, continuing our series on the Fruit of the Spirit.

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God loves you like Beauty and the Beast, so you can love like that too – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 5

In addition to the word agape, the Greeks had another word for love, phileo, which is defined as “brotherly love.” For example in Romans 12:10, Paul uses phileo when he writes, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.”

What does brotherly love look like?  Brotherly love is sacrificial, the willingness to lay one’s life down for their friend, as Jesus so clearly demonstrates for us. 

But many people feel they can’t love like that.  Or perhaps people read the active description of agape love in 1 Corinthians 13 and think, “Whew…that is some crazy love.  That’s deep, that’s hard, and I don’t know I can do that.”

Maybe that’s because we forget how much God loves us, maybe we don’t understand how to love ourselves. God loves you.

Do you know how valued and special you are? You are loved!

And that brings me to the classic story of The Beauty and the Beast.

In a blog post here the author makes a helpful connection between the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, and the story of the Beauty and the Beast.  The author writes,

“The wonder of the gospel is not the love of the beautiful; it’s when Beauty kisses the Beast. The Beast isn’t loved because he has changed; the Beast is changed when he is loved. Joy doesn’t come when he’s loved for his beauty; joy overwhelms him when he is loved in his hideousness. If the Beast were loved for his beauty, it would be an unbearable burden. Any day he might be scarred, and soon he will certainly be a wrinkled old man.”

What can it look like for you and I to live with that kind of love flowing from our lives? Allow yourself to bask in the truth that God loves you even in your beastliness. In Romans 5:8, Paul makes this point clearly when he writes, “God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The author of the article continues, “God’s love isn’t vague sentimentality, but it cost him his most precious treasure to turn us into his prized possession; the story line of the Bible is God’s Search and Rescue mission to find the dying Beast and kiss him into joyous life.”

The author suggests that numerous famous stories in the Bible include God’s heart for the “beast”:

  • How Abraham was an idol worshiper and God loved him and pursued him;
  • How Joseph was a narcissistic boy and God loved him and pursued him;
  • How David was a murdering adulterer and God loved him and pursued him;
  • Paul was a persecutor of Christians and God love him and pursued him.

God reaches out in love to all, no matter how beastly we are.  In turn, he calls us to allow his living-giving love to grow in our lives, and flow out of our lives to those who are difficult to love.

Who do you look at as beastly in your life?  Who is difficult?  Who has hurt you?  Who is awkward?  Who is your enemy?  Who do you hate?

God wants his kind of love to be growing in you toward even those people. Walk in step with the Spirit, who can help us grow God’s love in our lives.  Treat people how the Spirit would treat them. Notice what Paul writes about this in Ephesians 5:1-2, “Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us!”

Love requires sacrifice.  Love requires awareness.  Love requires intention.  But as we rest in and learn to understand how beloved we are, and then as we interact with others in that spirit of the beloved, we will be walking in the Spirit more and more.  Again, walking in the Spirit is not a promise of ease.  It can actually be hard work to love, even those who are mostly easy to love.  It can be exponentially more difficult to love those who we find difficult.  But we have the promise of knowing more and more of God’s presence, of his empowerment to love even the unlovely. 

How can you grow more love this week?  Who will you ask to pray for you?  Who will you ask to check up on you, to hold you accountable, perhaps, in taking action steps to love, especially to love those who you find unlovely?  Who you can encourage when you see love flowing out of their lives as they walk in the Spirit?

Let’s conclude with Paul’s amazing prayer in Ephesians chapter 3.  Notice God’s work, Father, Son and Spirit, to encourage the growth of his love in us. 

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Photo by Lorena Zuleta on Unsplash