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On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, we're chatting with @JenOshman about love. If you’re new to the podcast or you didn’t catch last week’s episode, this is actually part of a series we’re doing on the fruit of the Spirit! Jen did such a great job laying out more context for the book of Galatians, the letter where we find this famous passage we’re honing in on.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ She encourages us that, “The fruit of the Spirit really is the image of Christ-likeness. That’s what Chris looks like. So the Spirit, as we remember the gospel, as we stay plugged into the Word, as we pray and ask him to form us and shape us he shapes us more into the image of the Son. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ And that’s where we find freedom! The Lord created us in his image. So, the more that we behave according to that image, the more the Spirit grows us and shapes us and changes us to be like Jesus, the more free we are!”⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ We are so excited for you to tune in to the episode today! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ep. 104 | Love with Jen Oshman
We've been reminded over and over again this week to shift our focus from ourselves. As we close out this week on the fruit of the Spirit, we want to leave you with this encouraging quote from our guest @amygannett which again reminds us that we can lift the burden of self from our shoulders as we focus on something much greater. She said,⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ "Christ-likeness is our main missional occupation - our main way of testifying to God’s grace in our lives. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ God’s not just making us more like himself for the sake of ourselves, he is doing so for his glory and so that the world might know."⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ What a joy to know that we do not need to continually measure ourselves by our own striving! Praise be to God that through his works of the Spirit in our lives, the world may come to a better understanding of HIM and HIS character.
Negative feelings are not always ones to avoid. In this week's episode, @amygannett showed us that these feelings can be applied as checkpoints in our hearts when we feel things aren't going rightly. She said: ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ "The way we keep in step with the Spirit is by putting reminders in front of ourselves that the Spirit dwells in us and is our helper to make us more like Christ. We remind ourselves that we cannot do it in our own strength. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ So when we feel that nagging sense of guilt that we have not done well, when we’ve had an outburst of anger, when we have that feeling of guilt that we are not good enough, we want to embrace that feeling as a reminder that we need the Lord. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ No we are not good in the flesh and we can invite the Spirit in and say, ‘forgive me and help me.’ "⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ What feelings have you been shying away from? How can you instead see them as arrows pointing to your desperate need for God to work in your life?
It's easy to look at our lives and make assessments on how our own efforts make us look, but the goal isn't to focus on our good deeds. Instead, our eyes should always be fixed on God and HIS work in us. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ "We want to focus on the God who is love, the God who is joy. As we fix our eyes on him we will be captivated by his character. The more we know of God, the more we should respond in worship. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Our theology (knowledge of God) should always lead to our worship of God.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ As the Spirit unites us to Christ, he is making us like Christ."⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ So, our prayer can simply be to be united to Christ since by getting closer to him and his character, the Spirit can then work in our hearts and give us the attributes of God. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Our own efforts towards sanctification are futile without the hand of the Spirit in our lives. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ep. 103 | The Fruit of the Spirit with Amy Gannett @amycategannett
Looking at the passage in Galatians on the fruit of the Spirit, we often interpret the verses as a list of morals that we should strive towards rather than understanding that they are attributes delivered through the Spirit. @amygannett described it so beautifully when she said, ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ “We want to read these verses as an invitation to lean into what it means to live our lives as gospel Christians. To be reminded that because of Christ’s sanctifying work on the cross, because of his resurrection, the door has been opened to us to accept a life of righteousness in Christ through faith. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ So, as we accept Christ’s invitation of grace by placing our faith exclusively in Christ, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit in us that is going to bear the fruit of righteousness. The fruit of that righteousness is the fruit of the Spirit living in us.”⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ If you've been striving, we encourage you to take a step back and invite the Spirit to work in you. Because we have been indwelt with the Holy Spirit, we are able to turn our gaze from ourselves and to the great work that can be accomplished through the Spirit's power already living inside us. What relief we can find in shifting our focus away from our fragile selves and to the power of the Spirit! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ep. 103 | The Fruit of the Spirit with Amy Gannett⁠ @amycategannett
We have freedom in Christ, which relieves us from the burden of striving to earn our salvation. @amygannett explains: ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ "The passage on the fruit of the Spirit in its context is a passage that is a summary of gospel-living and gospel-power. Paul wants to remind these believers that they do not have to do works according to the flesh anymore.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ It’s no longer about the things that they do in their own efforts to produce righteousness that makes them right before God. It is the Spirit of God that is going to do that work in their life because they’ve been justified by the righteousness of Christ."⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Praise God! For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ How does this truth meet you at the kitchen sink as you're doing dishes? Where do you find yourself striving where the Spirit could be working?⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ep. 103 | The Fruit of the Spirit with Amy Gannett⁠ @amycategannett