Gifts of the Spirit

Commitment

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

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: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 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 Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Fruit of the Spirit

Stained Glass

Christ Church Cathedral

Dublin, Ireland

Notes: Lord as Good Shepherd along with the Fruit of the Spirit, namely Love (inscription in centre), Joy & Peace (top inscription), and in clockwise direction: Longsuffering, Faith, Gentleness, Goodness, Meekness, Temperance in reference to Galatians 5:22-23, surrounded by medallions, depicting an angel carrying a scroll with the inscription Gloria in excelsis deo (top, representing joy & peace), and then in clockwise direction: Job (upper right, representing long-suffering), Jonathan (lower right, representing faithfulness), Ruth (bottom, representing goodness and gentleness), Moses (lower left, representing meekness), and John the Baptist (upper left, representing temperance, see Matthew 3:4)." [from Wikimedia]

http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=20130628875946044&code=ACT&RC=55637&Row=6

It takes a deep commitment to change

and an even deeper commitment to grow.

~ Ralph Ellison

When you get right down to the

root of the meaning of the word succeed,

you find that it simply means to follow through.

~ F.W. Nichol

WorkShip for church last Sunday