By Pastor Greg
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age 5, and Ryan, age 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.' Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
“You be Jesus” is the call of God in our lives. We are called to become more and more like Christ. But, as we have learned, we do not possess this ability. We cannot become someone we are not. We are not born with it and we cannot manufacture it. We read passages like Galatians 5:22-23 and often realize just how often we fail to live up to this standard. If you are like me, you are troubled by commands such as “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). It seems that too often we observe everything BUT the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. So sometimes the call to be like Jesus seems far too lofty; a goal we simply cannot reach.
I know that we will become complete “one day”. One day, when we pass from this life, the war within us will be over. The flesh will be stripped away and we will finally be free to be who the Lord wants us to be. But how are we to live in the mean time? How can we still live in this world yet not be a part of this world? How do we nail the passions and desires of our sinful nature to the cross of Christ and crucify them there? Even Paul confessed to struggling with this. A war raged within him between the flesh and the Spirit. What was he to do? What can we do? And what does it mean when we fail to demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives all the time? Fortunately Paul gave us the answer in Romans 7:25. The answer to this struggle is found in Jesus Christ.
You know, too often we only think about what Jesus did for us upon the cross. The cross is the most important part of our relationship with Jesus, and our eternal future depends upon how we react to the Cross of Christ. But sometimes we forget what the Lord will do for us in this life as well. Sometimes we forget that there are earthly benefits to a relationship with Christ; benefits we experience this side of heaven. And these benefits can be seen in the “Fruit of the Spirit”.
I know the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives is often pictured as an angel of light sitting on our shoulder trying to persuade us to do the right thing, while the devil sits on the other shoulder luring us to the dark side. But the Holy Spirit is much, much more than the voice of our conscience. And this is where becoming a Christian gets really, really interesting. You see, not only does my Faith in Christ grant me eternal life, but because of my faith the Father grants me the gift of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s presence equips me to become someone I am not and someone I could never become on my own. He transforms me, not just informs me what God would have me do. And as His Spirit fills me I find that the emptiness within me and the deep longings of my heart are finally satisfied in this life.
Consider the life of John the Apostle for example. While he walked with Jesus, John was known as a Son of Thunder (Mark 3:17). Throughout the Gospels we get the impression that John was hot-headed, judgmental, and not very loving at all (Luke 9:54; Mark 9:38). John had difficulty loving, and yet years later he would describe himself as a disciple loved by Jesus (John 13:23). Why would John describe his relationship with Jesus in this way? It’s because deep within his heart John knew he lacked love. He did not know how to love, did not have the ability to love, and quite possibly did not feel loved. Yet in Jesus he found what his heart desired. He needed love to be given him so one day he might be transformed into someone who does love.
I see this example even lived out in my own life. On those days when I fail; when I am far from perfect, I desperately need patience and kindness. I need to know that the Lord is not going to lose His temper when the flesh overpowers the Spirit within me. When I fail, I need to know that Jesus will be patient with me because I am not very patient with me. I need Jesus to love me especially on those days when I don’t love me. When no one around me is kind and gentle, I need the Lord to treat me with tenderness and love. These become the deep longings of my soul; to be loved, to be shown patience, and to be treated kindly. Thank God that I am able to find these things in my Savior and my Lord.
It is in experiencing love that we learn to love. It is in being shown patience that we learn patience. The transformation into a person who demonstrates the Fruit of the Spirit takes place because we receive these things first from our Savior. What we need to make it through the day to day living in this life we freely receive from Jesus. This Fruit enables us to live out our lives becoming more like Jesus each and every day.
Let me tell you a wonderful secret: Jesus is cheering you on. He is on your side. He wants to see you succeed in your Christian walk. He wants to see you transformed. He sees where you are weak; where you struggle in letting go of your old life. Yet rather than condemn or accuse, He is your advocate.
I don’t want you to forget this one important lesson. As we look inward at ourselves and see where the Fruit of the Spirit is lacking in our own lives, we must, must realize that through this whole process Jesus is our champion. He is not against us. He is for us. And I can say this with confidence simply because this Fruit that we have been looking at describes the character of our Lord. If the Spirit is trying to transform us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), this Fruit then describes the character of Christ. Our Lord and Savior is Himself loving and joyful and peaceful and patient and kind and good and faithful and gentle and filled with self-control.
You be Jesus. But while you strive to become like Jesus, know this: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (1 John 2:1).
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