Tag Archive for: Galatians

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The Fruit of Gentleness

Gentleness is one of those characteristics we often admire but don’t always understand. In a world that rewards being loud, forceful, and reactive, gentleness can easily be mistaken for weakness. We sometimes assume that strong people must be tough, decisive, and unwilling to back down. But Jesus offers us a different model.

Jesus described himself as “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). He could speak difficult truths, confront injustice, and challenge those who misused their power. Yet he never needed cruelty to demonstrate strength. His strength was expressed through compassion, patience, humility, and love.

The fruit of gentleness is not the absence of strength. It is strength placed in the hands of love.

Gentleness changes the way we speak to one another, the way we respond when we are offended, the way we exercise authority, and even the way we disagree. It invites us to ask a simple but challenging question: What if the strongest thing we can sometimes do is choose to be gentle?

In a culture that often celebrates winning, gentleness reminds us that following Jesus is not primarily about winning arguments or proving our strength. It is about becoming more like Jesus. It is about becoming who God has created us to be.

Read Galatians 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

Reflect on Galatians 6

Biblical gentleness is the strength to treat people with grace when you have every opportunity to treat them harshly. The Greek word often translated gentleness is the same word translated meekness in the Beatitudes. It describes a person who possesses strength but chooses to exercise it with restraint and love.

Gentleness is strength under control. By the work of God’s spirit within you, you have the ability to respond to others with humility, patience, and compassion rather than force or harshness.

Notice the word “restore” in Paul’s letter. Just after giving examples of the fruit of the spirit, he offers instruction on caring for others. So, the goal of gentleness is not to win, punish, embarrass, or prove someone wrong. The goal is to help another person become whole or to become who God has created them to be.

Gentleness reflects the character of Jesus. To become more like Jesus is to become increasingly gentle in the way we treat people.

So, Paul is instructing the followers of Jesus in Galatia that gentleness is not weakness or passivity. Gentleness is being so self-aware that you can have difficult conversations. By the work of God’s Spirit within you, you have the grace to challenge hypocrisy, injustice, and what is wrong without being cruel or vindictive.

He also instructed the followers of Jesus in Ephesus with a similar teaching by connecting gentleness with humility, patience, and love. He wrote, “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2).

Gentleness is about creating space for others to be heard even when you feel you have the right to argue your point or to have the last word.

Respond to Galatians 6

So, how will you produce the fruit of gentleness this week? Ask yourself these questions, “How can I speak the truth without destroying the person who needs to hear it?” Or, When I have the power to hurt, shame, silence, or overpower someone, will I instead choose the way of Jesus, the way of gentleness?

Maybe think of it this way. There was once an old gardener who had spent most of his life caring for roses. One spring, a young apprentice began working with him.

One morning, the apprentice was pruning a rosebush when he accidentally broke one of the largest branches. The branch had several beautiful buds on it, and the apprentice knew he had ruined the plant.

He became embarrassed and waited for the gardener to become angry. The gardener walked over, looked at the broken branch, and said, “You were trying to help the rose grow, weren’t you?”

The apprentice responded quietly, “Yes.”

Instead of scolding him, the gardener showed him how to cut the damaged branch cleanly and care for the wound. Then he placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder and said, “You will make mistakes while you learn. I don’t want you to be afraid of making mistakes. I want to help you learn from them.”

Years later, the apprentice became a gardener himself. He remembered that moment, not because the gardener had corrected him, but because the gardener had not humiliated him.

Gentleness doesn’t ignore mistakes. The gardener still corrected the problem. But he understood what Paul had written, “If anyone is caught in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

So, how will you produce the fruit of gentleness this week?

Return

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways were you gentle with them? In what ways were you firm but caring? With whom do you need to celebrate their gentleness with you? What will you do differently tomorrow?

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Producing the Fruit of Patience: Trusting God Below the Surface

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” Galatians 5:22-23.

Have you ever prayed for patience? It is not an easy prayer. I heard of a person who once prayed, “Lord, make me patient and make me patient now!”

Patience

As much as we sometimes think it is, patience does not mean simply waiting.

There are two words for patience in the New Testament. The word “hupomone” means steadfast endurance, perseverance, or remaining under a heavy load. The other word “makrothumia” means long-suffering or slowness to anger in relationship to people.

“Hupomone” is used when enduring difficult situations or life circumstances without giving up. “Makrothumia” is used with people. Forgiving offenses or responding without retaliation.

Neither word simply means waiting. Both are Spirit-empowered. Whether it is the ability to endure difficulties, wait on God without complaining, or treating others with love and generosity, both are rooted in God’s grace. Patience is a gift from God that is greater than waiting for a preferred result.

Patience Includes…

Patience includes enduring tough situations and circumstances. Job remained faithful through immense suffering. Jesus demonstrated perfect patience by enduring rejection, suffering, and the cross while showing compassion and forgiveness. So, patience is remaining faithful when life is difficult. Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25).

Patience includes a special care for people. It is responding by being slow to anger and quick to listen. It is responding with generosity instead of reacting critically or harshly. It is offering forgiveness without demanding something in return. So, patience begins with a focus upon people and upon strengthening relationships. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Be completely humble and gentile; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Patience includes trusting God’s timing. It is believing that God is working even when answers are delayed. So, patience is an active trust as opposed to passive waiting. It means remaining faithful, loving, and hopeful because you believe God is faithful. The Psalmist wrote, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalms 37:7).

Ultimately, patience includes trusting God’s Spirit in your life as opposed to relying upon your human willpower. Patience, being part of the fruit of the Spirit, is rooted in love. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Love is patient, love is kind…” I Corinthians 13:4).

Working Below the Surface

Here is a story that illustrates God is working below the surface, even when we cannot see the results.

When a farmer plants the seed of a Chinese bamboo tree, nothing seems to happen for the first year. He waters it, fertilizes it, and tends the soil every day.

The second year, still nothing appears above the ground.

The third year, nothing.

The fourth year, still nothing.

Imagine the neighbors. “Why are you wasting your time? That seed is dead.”

But the farmer keeps watering, trusting that something is happening that he cannot see.

Then, sometime during the fifth year, a tiny shoot breaks through the surface. Within a matter of weeks, the bamboo grows 80 to 90 feet tall.

The question is: Did the bamboo grow in six weeks, or in five years? You know the answer.

Strength, Growth, and Patience

During those unseen years, the tree was developing an extensive root system capable of supporting its incredible height. Had it grown sooner, it would have collapsed under its own weight.

God often works that way in our lives. We pray. We wait. We trust. Even though it seems as if nothing is happening. Patience is trusting that God is working below the surface, even when we cannot see the results. Like the bamboo tree, the greatest growth often begins where no one else can see it.

Planting Seeds that Require Patience

And when it comes to people, Patience is the willingness to invest in the lives of people with whom we may never see the results. Parents plant seeds of faith that may bloom years later. Teachers shape lives that may not bear fruit until adulthood. Churches faithfully grow followers of Jesus knowing the harvest belongs to God. Every act of obedience, every prayer, every word of encouragement, every sacrifice, and every expression of love is a seed planted in the lives of the people God sends our way.

So, be careful when you pray for patience. God will continue to work in your life in such a way that the people around you will experience God’s love and become more who God created them to be. Be patient because it will happen one person at a time.

Lord, make me patient by giving me the faith that you are working deep within me so I might love others as you have loved me. Amen

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Producing the Fruit of Joy

As a child, when I attended Vacation Bible School, I learned the song, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.” At that time in my life, I had no idea what I was singing, but obviously, it made an impact on me.

What is the joy we sing about? If we look at joy in the scripture, it is much deeper than happiness. Happiness is often based on circumstances, while joy is a deep, enduring delight rooted in God’s presence, character, and promises, regardless of our outward circumstances.

Read Galatians 5:22-23

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…”

Reflect on Galatians 5:22-23

Paul lists joy as the second fruit of the Spirit. This means joy is not something we manufacture through positive thinking. It is produced by the Holy Spirit as we remain connected to Jesus.

The word for joy in the Greek is “chara.” It comes from the same root for grace which is charis. This is significant because it tells us that joy is the natural response to experiencing God’s grace.

With that in mind, a good definition of joy is, “the Spirit-given confidence and delight that comes from knowing God, trusting God’s promises, and experiencing God’s presence, regardless of life’s circumstances.”

Joy is rooted in God’s character and not in the changing circumstances in which we live. It flows from God’s grace, is sustained by the Holy Spirit, and coexists with suffering.

In the scripture, joy and sorrow are not opposites. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” (2 Corinthians 6:10) and James encouraged believers to, “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials…” (James 1:2)

This does not mean suffering is enjoyable. Rather, we can rejoice because God is at work even through disappointment and pain, producing perseverance, maturity, and hope. Jesus offers hope to us as his followers, “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

Jesus himself endured the cross “…for the joy set before him…” (Hebrews 12:2) His joy came from being faithful to God’s plan and purpose. As Jesus followers, our joy is centered in the plan and purpose of Jesus. Henri Nouwen wrote: “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

While joy is a fruit of the Spirit and ultimately God’s gift, Wesley taught us to cultivate practice like the “means of grace” to keep ourselves open to the work of God’s Spirit in us.

I believe that is part of what Paul was saying when he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Respond to Galatians 5

One winter morning in Washington, D.C., thousands of commuters hurried through a busy Metro station. Most had somewhere important to be. Heads were down, coffee in hand, eyes fixed on the clock.

Standing near a wall was a man with a violin. He began to play some of the most beautiful music ever written. For forty-five minutes he performed six masterpieces with extraordinary skill.

Nearly everyone walked by.

A few slowed for a moment, then hurried on. Several dropped a dollar into his violin case without stopping. Children wanted to linger, but their parents tugged them along. In all, more than a thousand people passed him, yet only a handful truly listened.

What the commuters didn’t know was that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. Just two nights earlier, people had paid over $100 each to hear him perform in a sold-out concert hall.

The music hadn’t changed. The musician hadn’t changed. Only the setting had changed. Many people missed something beautiful because they were too consumed by their circumstances.

How will your life be filled with God’s presence today? The circumstances might be ordinary. They might be difficult, but God’s song is still playing. Joy is not found because life is easy. Joy is found because God is present.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. How about you? Where will you find joy today?

Return

Give thanks for the people you encountered today. In what ways did you experience joy? In what ways did you help others experience joy? With whom do you need to celebrate the joy you experience in and through them? What will you do differently tomorrow?

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Responding in a Time of Confusion

In a time of confusion and chaos, many voices are vying for your attention. So, as a follower of Jesus, a Christian, how do you discern the truth in the midst of all the rhetoric? Where do you start in your evaluation of what you hear and perceive?

It matters where you start. As a follower of Jesus, you start with love, particularly God’s love. In our culture, we talk a lot about love without much reflection. Often, we base our love on what we like or how we feel. Sometimes we even base our love on what is going to serve us best and cost us the least. 

Regardless of how you view love, I think you will agree that love is deep and complex. It is understood to be an emotion that touches the heart, a feeling that brings closeness and comfort, and a passion that lights something powerful inside us. It can be both gentle and intense, making us feel open and vulnerable. It is also what lifts us into the most joyful and meaningful moments in life.

Start with God’s Love

As followers of Jesus, love is defined and shaped by God’s love, and it is lived out in everyday situations and circumstances. It might be true that what the world needs now is love, but not just any kind of generic love. I want to offer a perspective that might help us respond to the rhetoric of today as followers of Jesus. Rather than starting with our deeply felt opinions or our political positions, let’s start with the love of God. I am convinced that the love of God will help us see more clearly how to respond as people of faith.

Agape

God’s love, in scripture, is known as agape. It is a selfless love, completely unconditional and given without expecting anything in return. It is not based upon feeling, emotion, or passion, but upon intentional choices that work for the good of all people. It is a choice no matter what the situation or circumstance. It is a choice regardless of difficulty or convenience.

With that said, it is not based upon political opinions or positions. It is not bound by our conditions or criteria. It is not bound by whether we have determined someone worthy of our care. God’s love goes beyond all boundaries we have set to protect ourselves and our assets.

Below are three scriptures that can and will help in forming your response of love to the words being spoken today.

Read John 1:1-5, 14

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.

The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Matthew 23:36-40

“Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being,[c] and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Galatians 522-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. 26 Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other.

Reflect on the Scripture

Although each gospel writer expresses it differently, they announce the same good news, Jesus is the human expression, the human touch of God’s love. John says the Word became flesh in Jesus. So, amid the present confusion and chaos, a place to start and to stand in your evaluation is the Word of God, the love of God made human in Jesus.

Matthew, who is concerned about holy and righteous living, helps us to see that holiness is revealed in our primary relationships with family and friends, and in our relationships with strangers, and enemies. We love God by loving our neighbor. The measure of all relationships is love of neighbor.

Paul, when writing to the church in Galatia, writes about the behavior that is contrary to God’s love and then lists the characteristics of God’s love. The characteristics are known as the “fruits of the Spirit.” As a Jesus follower, you produce this fruit by the way you live and love others. All you say, do, and hear is measured by the fruit you produce as a Jesus follower.

Respond to the Scripture

Over the past several weeks and months we have heard a lot of words about “us,” meaning conservatives, Christians, and real Americans versus “them” meaning progressives, the woke left, and academia. The rhetoric has helped to create an atmosphere of division and polarization.

There has been an oversimplification of complex issues, which has led to conflict in the form of dehumanizing and demonizing those with whom we disagree.

Love One Another

How do we as followers of Jesus respond to such rhetoric? Remember, the Word became flesh and came to live with us.” We love one another as we have been loved in and through Jesus. When working for the good and well-being of others, there is no place for dehumanizing and demonizing persons with whom we disagree. So, keep focused on the love that God has shown you, so you can show that love to others regardless of political position or opinion.

There has been emotionally charged language like spiritual warfare and enemy territory used to motivate loyalty and action. The language has created the fear of loss and a moral urgency as well as inflamed division, created mistrust, and weakened attempts at constructive dialogue. To illustrate, a recent speaker said, “I hate my opponents and don’t want the best for them.” 

Start with Jesus

How do we as followers of Jesus respond to such language? When you start with Jesus, you start with love and trust. Even though you hear words that create fear, you trust the words “perfect love casts out fear.” Even though you hear words that create mistrust, you focus upon the God who loves you and works for your good. You focus upon the God who trusts you to be a witness of love in unloving situations.

Some of what you have heard treats political and cultural issues as threats to civilization, to our country, and to our faith. There has been a blurring of faith and country leading to political loyalty and ideology that has pushed aside values like love, compassion, justice and humility.

The rhetoric regarding culture wars has, in many instances, overshadowed the discussion of constructive policy that addresses systemic problems and reasonable responses to the threats around us.

Your Loyalty is to Jesus

How do we as followers of Jesus respond to what we hear related to what we believe? Your loyalty is Jesus. Remember, Jesus is the human touch of God’s love. To live your life as a follower of Jesus you will show the characteristics of love expressed in the “fruit of the Spirit,” the characteristics of God’s love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To say it in another way. God’s love puts the well-being of others first.  It is rooted in the actions of grace, kindness, and commitment. When you seek to follow Jesus, you seek to align yourself with God. When you align yourself with God, you learn to love what God loves. “God so loved the world…” and all the people in the world. Whatever action needs to be taken to heal our world, our communities, our relationships is in harmony with God’s love. 

God’s love brings people together. God’s love shows up in the way we love one another. From a biblical perspective, loving others is more than a nice idea. Loving others is who we are as followers of Jesus.

Love Your Neighbor as You Love Yourself

Loving neighbor is rooted in the Old Testament teaching of Leviticus, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), and from the New Testament witness to Jesus being God’s love, “Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34). 

It is the intentional act of caring for others with empathy, respect, and compassion, recognizing their dignity and worth. Love of neighbor challenges us to look beyond ourselves, to serve, support, and uplift those around us, whether friend, stranger, or adversary. It challenges us to build communities of justice and peace through selfless concern and shared humanity.

God’s Love Seeks the Good of All People

God’s love shows up as a generous spirit that humanizes rather than dehumanizes people. As we have said, it expresses itself in seeking the good of all people.

So, in this time of confusion and chaos, when many voices are vying for your attention, you can discern the truth by staying focused on God’s love in Jesus. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. Start your evaluation of what you hear with him, and you will be able to stand through it all with love and grace.

I know that sounds simplistic, but it is not about power and position, it is about love and compassion. Listen to the voices around you. When you hear words of love and compassion, you will know how to make your decisions.

Return to Reflect on the Day

Give God thanks for the people you encountered. In whom did you see Jesus? In what situations did you decide to respond in love? What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the experiences that have helped you become who God created you to be.

Prayer

O God, help me love the people you send my way every day. Fill me with a love so deep that I am not only moved but I make a conscious decision to work for the good of others. By your grace, help me respond to your love with love for the people around me. I place myself at your disposal, in the name of Jesus. Amen

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Living and Leading as a Christ-Centered Leader

As a Jesus follower, you have been called and gifted to be a Christ-centered leader. You have a responsibility to live and lead as God has created you to live and lead. The question is, “What does it mean to live and lead as a Christ-centered leader?

The Role of a Christ-Centered Leader

Your first and primary task is to be faithful to Jesus. So, your first task is not a political or social one, though you will certainly make an impact politically and socially. Your first task is to be shaped by God’s love so you can be who God created you to be. It is to live and be the truth of God’s love in everyday situations and circumstances.

Your goal is not success in terms of bigger and better or more people means more money. Your goal is to demonstrate that Jesus makes possible a new order based not upon what works or competing self-interest, but upon the truth of God’s love.

Living Out God’s Love in Everyday Situations

This is not a withdrawal from the world. God’s love invites, leads, and drives you into the world to work for justice and peace. You must take seriously the political processes that change systems and structures. You develop relationships with political leaders and assist them in working for the common good.

But you don’t put your hope in the political systems that serve self-interest or in societal norms of personal preference. As you live and lead you offer an invitation to the people entrusted to your care to confront the world. In obedience to Jesus’ invitation, you are first focused upon who you are by responding to, “Come unto me,” and “Do this in remembrance of me,” and then upon living as you have been created to live, “Follow me” and “Go into all the world.”

Balancing Belief and Behavior

As a leader of the people of God, you serve the church and the community. Your service is not in running errands but in providing light. You lead to provide an imaginative alternative to the culture. As you model leadership, you are providing hope for people who are struggling to create the structures and alternatives that the world cannot achieve through governmental power of self-interest.

You might wonder if your leading is worth the hassle. Here is where your courageous leadership comes in. Keep your eyes, heart, and mind on Jesus. When you feel your living and leading are ineffective, remember that Jesus appeared ineffective in the world. Then remember that his power was the truth of the nature of God and not power, strength, and violence within the culture.

Modeling Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Modeling God’s love will always be more radical than the world can provide. Legislation cannot serve the poorest and most powerless. The best policies can do is to give the less powerful a little more power and call it justice. The world cannot give dignity to the young, the old, the sick, the disabled, the marginalized. All it can do is hand out a few meager rights and call it compassion.

For the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick, there must be hope that is not dependent upon public policy but upon the promise that God’s love is stronger than death, and that nothing can separate them or any of us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. You living into your call and giftedness helps bring that about.

As a Christ-centered leader, your living and loving help develop and provide a radical hope that forms a community of faith around the truth of God’s love as experienced in and through Jesus.

So first be faithful to Jesus.

Putting Faith into Everyday Action

Your second task is to live your faith in everyday relationships, encounters, situations, and circumstances. It is important to put belief and behavior together. As a leader influenced by John Wesley, you balance personal piety and social holiness.

In the scripture, proper behavior is a response to faith in God who is acting on your behalf. God’s requirements are always preceded by God’s actions. In the Old Testament, belief and behavior are brought together, “Hear O Israel: The Lord your God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4). That is the belief. Then follows the response: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). So, to be faithful to Jesus is to live your faith in everyday relationships, encounters, situations, and circumstances.

The Ten Commandments begin with the words, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). That is faith and belief. The commandments represent appropriate behavior in response to God’s acts of deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

The Good News in the New Testament

In good news according to Mark, Jesus walked along the lakeside announcing, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). That was an invitation to faith. It was an invitation to believe that God was bringing a new world. Then comes the appropriate response, “Repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). All of Jesus’ demands, from “Come follow me” to “Take up your cross,” from “Go sell all you have and give to the poor” to “Turn the other cheek and go the second mile” are rooted in God’s invitation to love.

Paul in his letter to the Galatians writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). That is belief. Jesus has set us free. Then comes the invitation to respond, “Stand firm, therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters” (Galatians 5:1, 13). Then Paul offers the expected behavior, “Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another” (Galatians 5:13). So, to be faithful to Jesus is to live your faith in everyday situations and circumstances.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (II Corinthians 5:19). God acted in Jesus to reconcile us to God, to our true selves, and to others. In other words, God has acted in Jesus so we can be who God created us to be. The question is, what is the behavior to be balanced with this good news? Paul answers the questions for us, “And entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us” (II Corinthians 5:19-20). Your response to God’s reconciling love is to model through your leading the gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Leadership Role of Gratitude

At the heart of your faith and action is gratitude for God’s faith in you. Gratitude transforms obedience from a dreaded duty to a joyful expression of love. We simply enjoy doing what we do out of gratitude and love.

I remember a friend of mine telling me about his wife being on a business trip and what his children did to surprise her. On the day she was to return, my friend said he tried to persuade his son and daughter to help him clean the house before she arrived. He said they grumbled and procrastinated because they had other things to do.

As he served them their lunch, he said to them, “You know, Mom has been very good to us. She works hard and long, and she loves us very much. She will come in the door tonight with a hug and a gift for each of us. That is who she is. We are lucky to be loved so much. Why don’t we give her something as a gift? Let’s give her a clean house.” The children agreed. After lunch, they helped clean the house and even had fun making a game out of it.

I remember thinking that a clean house became a grateful response to a loving parent. That is behavior linked to belief. What a beautiful expression of faith in Jesus lived out in everyday situations and circumstances. That is what it means to lead as a Christ-centered leader. First you are faithful to Jesus, and you live your faith in everyday relationships, encounters, situations, and circumstances.

The Impact of Leadership

As a Christ-centered leader, why do you put your faith in Jesus into everyday action?

Several years ago, I read a story of a Canadian photographer by the name of Yousaf Karsh. The only portrait he took of a person’s back was taken of Pablo Casals in a small French Abbey in 1954. Karsh said he was setting up his equipment when Casals began playing Bach on his cello. Karsh was so taken by the music that he said he almost forgot why he was there. He took his portrait of Casals with the musician bent over his cello, frozen in time against the plain stone wall of the chapel. Karsh said that he took it that way to capture the loneliness of the truly great artists and the loneliness of the exile.

You are God’s Masterpiece

Years later, when the portrait was on exhibit in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, another old man came day after day and stood for long periods of time in front of the portrait. The Curator of the Museum noticed him, and when his curiosity got the best of him, he went over, tapped the man on the shoulder, and asked him why he stood so long before the picture. The old man, with obvious irritation, turned toward the curator and said, “Hush, young man. Can’t you see I’m listening to the music!”

Karsh watched Casals play his cello and presented a picture. The old man, looking at that picture, could hear the music.

You have been called and gifted to be a Christ-centered leader. You have a responsibility to live and lead as God has created you to live and lead. As a leader, you are God’s model, God’s picture, God’s music of what God wants your community, your neighborhood, your city to be.

As a Christ-centered leader, when you live and lead with God’s love you provide a radical hope all people need. Your music, your leadership, will permeate the whole of life and people will listen to you and follow you to Jesus.

Remember, who you are is how you lead!

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Leadership and Character

Character is essential in leadership. Your competency determines what you can do. Your commitment determines what you want to do. But your character determines what you will do. It shapes how you engage the world around you, what you notice, what you reinforce, who you engage in conversation, what you value, and what you choose to act on. The list goes on. 

There are more books on leadership that focus on style than on character. It seems that we are more interested in leaders who can get us what we want rather than leaders who model the life we need to live. At times we act as if character is old-fashioned and out of date. At other times we are reluctant to discuss character because we cannot measure it objectively.   

Failure of Character

When mistakes are made in leadership, we usually look first at a leader’s shortcomings in abilities and gifts, when the root cause is a failing of character.  A lack of self-awareness is rooted in character. Not being willing to listen to others because of the perception it will undermine your leadership is a problem of character. The fear of making decisions reflects character. Selective truth-telling is a measure of character. 

On a more positive note, challenging decisions made by others, because they are morally or ethically wrong, requires character. Dealing with prejudiced and unfair behaviors by others requires character. Creating a culture of constructive disagreement so others can challenge your decisions without fear of consequences requires character. Truthtelling requires character. 

Christ-Centered Leadership Necessitates Character

Character is essential to leadership, especially Christ-centered leadership. Let’s look at what the apostle Paul says about character.

Let’s use the pattern of READ, REFLECT, RESPOND, and RETURN as a way of examining one aspect of character in the scripture. 

READ: Galatians 5:16-25  

Focus on the scripture verses in italics.

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Reflect

Paul names nine qualities of character known as the “Fruit of the Spirit.”  These qualities can be divided into three categories: relationship with God, relationship with others, and relationship with yourself.

Without these qualities, you cannot and will not reflect who God has created you to be as a leader. The Fruit of the Spirit reflects the characteristics of God in human form. Ultimately revealed in Jesus, these are the characteristics of Christ-centered leaders. Your character as a leader produces this fruit.

Relationship with God

The first category is love, joy, and peace.

Love:  This is agape. It means unconquerable benevolence.  No matter what a person might do to you by way of insult, injury, or humiliation, you never seek anything other than his or her highest good.  It is a feeling of the mind as much as it is of the heart; it concerns the will just as much as it does the emotions.  It describes the effort of seeking the best for all people, even for those who seek the worst for you.

Joy:  This shows your trust in God. It means to know God as the God of all circumstances.  You are living into who God created you to be regardless of life situation or setting. Being rooted in God, joy is not upon the happenings or consequences in your life. It is seeing the situations of life as opportunities for trusting God. 

Peace:  This is Shalom. It means everything that makes for a person’s highest good.  It is more than the absence of conflict or trouble.  It is the calmness of heart and mind, which comes from the all-pervading consciousness that your life is in the hands of God. It is being at one with God, yourself, and others. 

Relationship with Others

The second category is patience, kindness, and generosity. 

Patience:  This is an action-focused upon people rather than circumstances. It means to overlook the inconveniences of the world in regard to people.  It is an attitude, which leads us to deal with others with love, forgiveness, and long-suffering, just as God in Jesus has dealt with us.  It also means to be disciplined in regard to wants or desires.

Kindness:  Again, this is an action focused on people. It means to love and care for people with the same love and care God in Christ has loved and cared for you. It reveals your inner life because kindness is the integration of the inner character and the outward expression of your life in relationship to others. You are making the way easier because you are related to the people around you.

Generosity (goodness): It means you see people doing the best they can in every situation and circumstance. Your actions reveal the love of God to the point that those around you who are comfortable in their apathy, unconcern, and insensitivity are afflicted by your very presence, and those who are afflicted by the pains and problems of life will be comforted by your same presence.  It refers to the life of a person who can be caring and strong at the same time.  

Relationship with Yourself

The third category is faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Faithfulness:  This means you are trustworthy or reliable.  It means keeping your promises and being dependable.

Gentleness:  This is a matter of self-awareness. It means you know yourself to the point that you are pointing others to God as you love and care for them. You are teachable and considerate. And because who you are grows out of your relationship with God, humility is revealed in the way you relate to and treat others.

Self-control:  This means you control desires and wants. You control yourself to the point that you are fit to be the leader of others. As a leader, it is easy to step out of the character of God and into the passions of your own heart. Your passion (fallen nature) is often opposed to the passion of God (your true created nature). 

To be led by the Spirit is to be obedient to God’s plan and purpose for your life. Paul knew within himself the struggle to be who God had created him to be. He knew the distinction between the works of the flesh (his own desires) and the fruit of the Spirit (God’s desires) through his own experience.  His life had been in chaos.  His sinful nature in rebellion against God made him at war even with himself and split his life into fragmentary deeds.  Then came the reconciling love of Christ, integrating his life with God and with others. It is all centered on the unifying love of Christ. 

Evidence of Integrity

The evidence of your integrity (joining of inner life and outer life) is shown in your obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.  The evidence of the character of God in your life and leadership is called “The Fruit of the Spirit.”  

The fruit of the Spirit is the outward expression of Christ dwelling within you.  Powerfully and surely the Spirit works.  Sometimes dramatically, sometimes slowly, and most times imperceptibly, the Spirit works in your life and is seen in your relationships. 

Character is essential to leadership, especially Christ-centered leadership. There is much more, but this lays a partial foundation for understanding the importance of character in leaders. 

Respond

There once was a woman who had a deep desire for peace in the world as well as in her life. She became frustrated because both seemed out of her reach. The world seemed to be falling apart and her personal life wasn’t that great either. 

One day while shopping, she noticed a new and different store. One she had not seen before. She stepped inside and was surprised to see Jesus behind the counter. She knew it was Jesus because he looked just like the paintings she had seen in museums and in devotional books. After several glances at him, she got the nerve to ask him, “Excuse me, but are you Jesus?” 

“I am,” he replied. 

“Do you work here?” she asked. 

“In a way; I own the store.” 

“Oh, what do you sell here?” 

Jesus replied, “Just about everything.  Feel free to walk up and down the aisles, make a list, see what it is you want, and then come back and I’ll see what I can do for you.” 

Well, she did just that. She walked up and down the aisles, writing furiously. She made her list: Peace on earth, no war, guidelines for guns; Peace in families, harmony, no dissension; Food for the hungry and housing for the homeless; and Resources for those in poverty. She found honesty and hope, as well as care and compassion. She was excited to see many of the things she wanted for her community and for the world.

By the time she got back to the counter, she had an extensive list. She hands her list to Jesus. He looked it over, smiled, and said, “No problem.” 

He bent down behind the counter, picked out several seed packets, stood up, and laid the packets on the counter. 

“Seed packets,” Jesus answered. “This is a catalog store.” 

“You mean I don’t get the finished product?” 

“No, this is a place of vision and dreams. You come and see what it looks like, and I will give you the seeds. You go home and plant the seeds. You care for them and nurture them to help them grow. Someday someone else will reap the benefits of you planting and nurturing the seeds.”  

The woman was disappointed, as well as a little put off. She turned to the person behind her in line and asked, “Do you believe what he just said? Are you going to do that? Are you going to plant the seeds so someone else can reap the benefits? Are you going to do that?”

Character is revealed by your leadership.  

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…”

 Who you are is how you lead!

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. In what situations did you feel you were making decisions based on character? With whom was your character challenged? How did you respond? How did you assist others in developing the character of their lives? Who is helping you grow in character? What will you do differently tomorrow as a leader? Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be.  

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What A Legacy!

What happened to our study on Galatians? Is it over already?

I must confess, I miss the daily readings and reflections. Over the past six weeks, I have reflected seriously on my life, my ministry as a leader in the church, and the legacy I am leaving behind. And when I say legacy, I am not talking only about my years of ministry within the United Methodist Church but what am I leaving behind for my granddaughters, for my friends, and for the world?

I have reached an age in my life where I ask myself a lot of questions. The Galatians study guided me in asking some of those questions. Questions I have been reluctant to face. Questions like: “For whom have I been living my life?” “What do I have to show for my life and ministry?” “What of significance am I leaving behind?”

Thy Will Be Done

As I reflected upon Paul’s contrast between freedom as self-indulgence with freedom as walking in the life of the Spirit, I realized that much of my life and ministry have been focused upon me and my success. As a leader, I have been focused more on my capacity to lead as it is related to my career and not as much upon my character as it is related to my capacity to lead. Would you believe that sobering thought leads me to conclude that the way I live and work shapes the destiny I receive and the legacy leave?

C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’” You and I know what leaders look like when they chose to do things their own way, alone, relying upon their own capacity. That is not how I want to be remembered.

So, I have been thinking. What would it take to be a leader who first develops relationships of vulnerability and trust, who aligns with truth, and who pays the price of living a life of integrity? Will we accept only that which we can accomplish on our own? Or will we begin to focus more upon the character shaped by God in Christ, trusting God to lead us to a destiny far greater than we can imagine?

Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “each of us must decide whether we will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” The latter comes naturally. The former comes supernaturally. We only live in service and care of others when we cease living solely for ourselves.

Helping Others Win

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all with physical or mental disabilities, assembled at the starting line for the hundred-yard dash. At the sound of the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a desire to run the race to the finish. All, that is, except one little boy, who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The others slowed down and looked back. Then, they stopped, turned around, and went back. All eight of them. One little girl bent over, kissed the fallen boy, and said, “This will make it better.” A couple of runners helped the boy to his feet, then, all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood and applauded. The cheering went on for several minutes.

This story always stirs something deep inside of me. I think part of it is related to hearing about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. But, another part hits the core of my being. Deep down in my heart, I know that helping others win matters far more than my hollow victories. Just like the children, changing my course requires me to pause and hear the cries of those around me. What I have learned is, I can only change my course when I am willing to pause and hear the cry within my own heart. Maybe that is the difficulty, being authentic, honest, and transparent.

What a Legacy Transforming Mission

Confirmation from Studying Galatians

So, the study on Galatians reaffirmed a couple of things for me. First, our character, who we are matters more than what we do. Second, for whom we care matters more than how we care.

As I look back upon my life and ministry, upon who I have become and upon whom I have served, I see that it has exposed the intent of my living. Career and character are not mutually exclusive, but which I choose will determine the destiny I receive and the legacy I leave.

There is a story of a woman who had a dream of wandering into a shop at the mall. She found Jesus behind the counter. He said to her, “You can have anything your heart desires.” Surprised but pleased, she asked Jesus for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, happiness, wisdom, and freedom from fear. Then she added, “Not just for me, but for the whole world.”

Jesus smiled and said, “I think you misunderstood me. We don’t sell fruit here, we only sell seeds.”

So, what seeds am I planting? What am I leaving behind?

How Do You Want to Be Remembered?

Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrath, in their book The Ascent of a Leader, write, “The seed of destiny within each of us awaits the day when it will bear fruit in the lives of others. It awaits the fertile soil of community. It awaits an environment of grace…In the making of our own lives, some choices must inevitably be left to the Master. But God leaves many of the choices to us. We participate in the creation of our own lives and legacies.”

In and through the daily readings and reflections, I have become more focused upon the life and legacy I want to leave behind. In Christ, I have crucified my self-indulgence and I live in the Spirit. So, if I live in the Spirit, let me live the life of love.

Now, that is how I want to be remembered.

 

 

 

 

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Galatians 6, Day 7

From the Following Jesus Every Day: Galatians Reading Plan

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Read


Review Galatians 6

Reflect

Chapter 6 is a continuation of Paul’s ethical teaching. By walking in the Spirit, we are free to live out acts of Christian love in everyday life situations. Because we belong to Christ and live out our responsibility as Christians, we are identified by the fruit of the Spirit. It is in the fruit we produce that we witness to who governs our lives. It is in and through our relationships that we live out our individual responsibility before God and our shared responsibility for each other in the congregation and the community.

Respond

Follow Jesus

You did it! For six weeks, you journeyed through reading, reflecting, and responding to God. While this journey may be ending, your journey with Christ continues. Consider how the next six weeks of your life with Christ will continue to help you grow in grace and bear the fruit of the spirit. Celebrate God’s grace at work in your life and the life of the local church. For forty-two days you’ve focused on following Jesus. Our encouragement is simple: Keep going!

Pray

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the journey through Galatians. Thank you for speaking to me and through me and helping me to grow to become more like you. May all that I’ve experienced be used for your glory and the good of your people. Amen.

Celebrate

Where did you experience God’s grace today?

We’re celebrating each one of you. Thank you for the privilege of Following Jesus Every Day with you. Whether you responded daily on social media or never shared your response, we give God thanks for the journey of faith you’ve experienced. Know of our continued prayers for you and the ministry of the church. May the grace you experienced through the study of Galatians continue to guide you.

Grace and peace to you!

Use a notebook to record your responses. Share your celebrations in the comments below or in the Facebook group (You’ll find a link to request to join in your confirmation email. Not registered? Sign-up here.)

 

Galatians 6 Transforming Mission

Extra Thoughts

If you haven’t taken a moment to review the “Overview of Following Jesus Every Day: Galatians,” please do so. You’ll find a few tips that will help you start this journey.

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Galatians 6, Day 6

From the Following Jesus Every Day: Galatians Reading Plan

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Read

Galatians 6:17-18

Paul bore the scars of his missionary experience. He not only proclaimed the message of the cross; it was imprinted on his body. We may not be called upon to produce the marks Paul could produce, but there are marks which identify us.

Reflect

If we belong to Christ we are branded. Within the shared life of the people of God, the mark is the fruit of the Spirit. And in that body, the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ is received and shared. What mark identifies you as a follower of Jesus? As you journeyed through Galatians, how has that mark helped you identify God’s grace?

Respond

Follow Jesus

Paul points to the identifying mark of love throughout Galatians. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ guide your words, actions, and intentions today.

Pray

Jesus, all glory and honor are yours. Thank you for loving me for who I am and not leaving me where I am. Use me today to share your love with others. Amen.

Celebrate

Where did Christ’s love, the mark of the Spirit, show up in your life today?

Use a notebook to record your responses. Share your celebrations in the comments below or in the Facebook group (You’ll find a link to request to join in your confirmation email. Not registered? Sign-up here.)

 

Galatians 6 Prayers Transforming Mission

Extra Thoughts

If you haven’t taken a moment to review the “Overview of Following Jesus Every Day: Galatians,” please do so. You’ll find a few tips that will help you start this journey.

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Galatians 6, Day 5

From the Following Jesus Every Day: Galatians Reading Plan

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Galatians 6:14-16

The old world was marked by distinctions and separation. One received one’s identity by polarized categories: Jew or Gentile, law-keeper or law-ignorer, male or female, slave or free.  The new world that came into being in Jesus Christ overcame the law and circumcision. It also overcame non-law and non-circumcision, religion and non-religion.

Reflect

Pay special attention today to the new thing(s) God is doing in your midst. What transformation are you and the community around you experiencing?

Respond

Follow Jesus

Ask your spouse or friend, “What new thing is happening in your life?” Perhaps you’ll also be able to speak to where you see the transformation happening in your life.

Pray

God you are making all things new. I praise you for the Spirit’s work in my life and the lives of the people I love. Continue to help us grow in grace. Amen.

Celebrate

What new thing is God doing in the midst of your life and the lives of others? What new thing did you hear about today?

Use a notebook to record your responses. Share your celebrations in the comments below or in the Facebook group (You’ll find a link to request to join in your confirmation email. Not registered? Sign-up here.)

 

Galatians 6 prayers Transforming Mission

Extra Thoughts

If you haven’t taken a moment to review the “Overview of Following Jesus Every Day: Galatians,” please do so. You’ll find a few tips that will help you start this journey.

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