hey guys,
a conversation earlier this week reminded me of an awesome sermon. Piper, borrowing the words of Jonathan Edwards, made the point that Christian virtues are concatenated (that is: to be interdependent, linked, connected). This means that you can't simply be strong in one virtue and weak everywhere else; or be strong in almost everything but lacking in one. It's all one packaged deal. In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit - fruit (singular) and not fruits (plural). So its not a matter of growing the fruit of love and another fruit of peace, its a matter of cultivating one tree (you) into yielding one fruit that has all the characteristics of holiness.
I say this because im convinced that it's impossible to have true humility without self control. While the two doesn't seem like they have anything to do with each other, both are characteristics God wants us to cultivate. Thing is...to lack self control (be it with food, video games, relationships, or pornography) is nothing less than the gratification of your own desires. Humility is all about selflessness. You can never be genuinely humble when you have a habit of selfishness.
Another example that i've noticed in myself these past few days, I dont think its possible to love without being hopeful. An unsaved family member, coworkers who drive you nuts, a friend with a bad habit - all these relationships where we believe we're genuinely loving people, but have given up hope in seeing God move in their lives. Where there is no hope, there is no prayer, and therefore no faith - in short, there is no real desire for God to bring about Good in this person's life. Simply putting up with people doesn't seem like love to me, puts a new spin on the phrase "love your enemy" doesn't it? Among many other things, true love hopes; desperately, faithfully, painfully, against-all-evidence-that-says-otherwise-ly hopes. This is tremendously harsh...but any love that is NOT hopeful, or patient, or trusting, or selfless, or perseveres; any love that fails to protect, is an imperfect love. It is not Love the way God Loves, and it is a kind of love that can be distorted and twisted into something harmful.
List can go on and on. My aim is not to put down people's efforts towards sanctity and Godliness. But I want to be aware that i can't split up aspects of my spiritual walk like some kind of homework problem set; to work on patience today and kindness tomorrow. I want to encourage everyone to pursue holiness with this holistic (ahahah get it? get it?) understanding of concatenated virtues. I want the genuine pursuit of Godliness to move us away from posturing and posing and into true kindness that is also joyful, true peace that doesn't forget love, and true gentleness marked by self control.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." - Galatians 5:22-23
"Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
hahahaha, hamsta stuck in a video game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I9xMVbtTdY&feature=related
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