“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
What would you say is your highest calling? Is it to evangelize or preach or provide for your family or raise your children? Are you sure that is your highest calling? Let me propose a higher one, and I admit it is as much of a challenge for me as I know it will be for you.
Whatever else God has called us to do and to be can be summed up in this: As believers we are called to be like Christ. Now that is a high calling! But what does that look like and how do we do it?
Are we called to speak with authority over demons because He has given us authority? Well, yes, but is that where you spend your life? Are we called to be like Christ in the working of miracles? Well, yes, but do you and I make miracles happen? Are we called to be like Christ in a life of self-sacrifice? Well, yes, but what does the cross look like in our lives?
If you want to fulfill a calling you need to have a goal, right? A good guideline for being like Christ is the sketch of Christ-like character called the "fruit of the Spirit". Not "fruits", but 'fruit." The "fruit of" a person's labor is the product of their work. If the Holy Spirit is at work in you and me, then there will be a product. The characteristics described by the fruit of the Spirit are the evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in a person's life, in my life, and yours. That product is Christ-like character.
So, here is a reminder of what that fruit, the evidence, that product of the Spirit's work, will be: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:23-24) If you’ve been around church for any length of time, you've heard it all before. And let’s admit to each other right now that you and I are just not very good at displaying some of that fruit. True, but God doesn't ask us to be good at it. He hasn't called us to make it happen.
The truth is we can't make any of that fruit happen in ourselves. I am not trying to be a downer here! There really is encouragement in that! God hasn't asked us to make it happen because it's the Holy Spirit's job to make it happen. Our job is to recognize our need for Him to do the work and then begin to cooperate with Him so that He can do it. We start to do that by admitting to Him that we can't.
I did not realize how impatient a person I was until I had a two-year-old! This little person was determined to do things his way, not mine, and I was frustrated and angry. I was dismayed to find out what was really inside of me. I didn't like it and didn't know how to change it. I knew that God wanted me to be patient and that I wasn't, and that was all. Over a period of time, as I asked God to do the work in me and as I focused on just growing my relationship with Him, I found that I became more patient. The fruit of patience grew in me as a result of seeking after God, not just seeking after patience.
As you and I allow the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in our lives, we will find ourselves equipped to do a better job at everything else that God has asked us to do. Every task will become sweeter. The results of our interactions with others will be more loving. We will find ourselves growing into the people we were created to be. It will take time. The Holy Spirit has begun a good work in you and me and He won't stop until the day Jesus brings us home. Then we will know that we have fulfilled our highest calling because we will see Him as He is, and we will be like Him (1 John 3:2). Praise God!
Key Question: How am I fulfilling my calling to be like Christ?
A Scripture to Consider: “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
A YES Challenge: Which fruit of the Holy Spirit is least evident in your character? Commit to regularly asking Him to develop that aspect of Christ's character in you.
Prayer: Father, I am so aware that I lack Christ-like character. I wish I could just make it happen, but I realize that it is Your work and not mine — the work of the Holy Spirit in me — that produces that fruit. Help me to cooperate with You. Do your work in me so that I can represent You well in all I do. Amen.