Have I Been Found Wanting?

1/7/2020
John 14:9

Today Chambers asks, "We receive His blessings and know His word, but do we know Him?" As I meditated on today's study, only questions came to my mind as well; a soul examination. How intimate is my relationship with Jesus? Do I trust Him above all others? Does my relationship with Him bear fruit? When others see me, do they see the light of Jesus' love and grace in me? Do I gain strength, calm , and sanity from my Lord? What evidence is there that I live for my God?

This morning, while my husband and I were sharing our thoughts on today's lesson, we started discussing the Fruits of the Spirit. He pointed out to me that in Galatians 5: 22-23 the word fruit is singular. All these attributes should be present at once: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. I had never really thought about that before. They are all part of a single fruit; for example the color, seeds, stem, sections, etc. Together they make up the whole. In the past I have taken a Spiritual inventory with these attributes as my guide, and I have been found wanting every time. I was breaking them down into separate categories and checking boxes; there are those I am better at than others, and those that seem to be lacking. I always thought I could work on my week areas.

Now, I see them as a whole. That the only way to bear this spiritual fruit is through an abiding, profound, and intimate relationship with Jesus and an opening of my soul to the Holy Spirit. With Him, I have an eternal relationship through the gift He so readily gave me through His sacrifice. How can I give him anything less than all of me?