Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
The Fruits of the spirit
“And with that he breathed
on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”
It was resurrection Sunday night. Now, we would say Easter Sunday. The
disciples were meeting in Jerusalem in the room with door shut when JESUS
appeared among them. This scene highlights john's last reference to the spirit
in his gospel. This passage highlights two important things. First, Jesus is
dealing with the belief and fear of disciples. He inspires faith and bestows
peace upon them. And second, He sends them out for their task. It is not enough
that they believe; the disciples must fulfill their commission as well. They
must be witnesses. These two emphases provide the immediate context for the
impartation of the spirit, as we might anticipate, relates to both points. In V
19-20, Jesus establishes their faith, then in V 21 & 23 He deals with
mission & service. Nested in this passage is Christ bestowal of spirit.
John 20:19 -23 and Luke 24:33 - 43 are parallel and describe the same scene.
Jesus comes to us in an invisible way, through his word, not to stop our
storms, but to bring peace in the midst to the storms. Jesus breathes / imparts
/ anoints the disciples with the fruits of spirit. Gal 5 : 22 speaks about
fruits of spirit ,the nine graces are often divided into 3 groups.
1) Love, grace and peace are the graces which turn ones thought
towards God. The second group focuses our attention towards our fellow men and
they are Long suffering, Kindness and Goodness. The third group refers more
directly to one’s own self and they are Faithfulness, Gentleness and self
control
Let us
pray to God to breathe on me the fruit of spirit, as Edwin hatch's wonderful
hymn says, “Breathe on me, Breath of God, Blend all my soul with thine, Until
this earthly part of me, Glows with thy fire divine”. May it so, let the breath
of God come into our lives. Let go & live in Gods gracious power, or
as we say at the end of the service,'Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing
in the power of the spirit.
Prayer: God the spirit we want you to indwell within us to help
us to shine in the darkness. Amen
Thought for the day: When Spirit indwells in us we will be the
light of the world.
Theme of the week: The gifts of the spirit
Rev Saju
Mathew, Immanuel MTC, Houston.