Following Grace

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

Forget the doctrine, forget the dogma and follow grace. It's all we need really. This fruit of the spirit list keeps us on track. It lets us know when we are doing right, when we are on the right road. When we are behaving as God wants. To love one another as we love ourselves. Grace is that wonderful perfect love that is made up of the fruit of the spirit. The very things we feel from God, even when we know we are not deserving of it. So just how do we follow grace ?

Stop for a moment and look at your thoughts. Am I feeling contentious, disparaging, condemning, judgemental, full of righteous indignation ? All of which seem so motivated by fear. I need to look deeply at myself and what I am feeling and be honest to see it is not the fruit of the spirit. In that moment of self observation, I must stop myself before I say that unkind word, or perhaps send an email filled with judgement and self righteousness. I must stop myself before getting all puffed up and see myself as better than another or more enlightened. Stop myself before I belittle another, even if by only a look, and this goes for my family as well as a stranger, even if not to their face but behind their back. Stop, the thoughts where I decide to stand as judge and jury, condemning another by trying to play God. Stop, before I make doctrine or dogma more important than Grace, it isn't. And replace all those negatives with the fruit of the spirit, then I know I are following Grace. Love the unlovable. If I am not filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, then guess what folks, I am not following grace. We are told, do not repay evil with evil, but love one another. So even when someone is nasty to you, give to them the fruit of the spirit. Anything less, then you are not following grace. This fruit of the spirit is living in peace. It is peace ! And this fruit of the spirit, is to permeate our every action, our every thought. This requires living in the moment. And then, there is no room for hatred towards anyone. I suspect that I don't take that moment to stop and question myself often enough to see if I am following that which is good and right. We all know that the greatest wittiness to what is good, is not the preaching of doctrine or shoving rules down someones neck, it is living a life so filled with goodness and kindness that others are drawn to what motivates us to live this way.