Muscle-Building "Threes"

Try building spiritual muscles with these groups of "threes":

Faith, Hope and Love (1 Corinthians 13) - Faith is having the confidence of Jesus, to sleep in a storm. Hope is expecting good things because God promises to work all things together for good. Love is seeking the good of others, including God, whom we are to love with all of our being.

Righteousness, Peace and Joy (Romans 14) - These are "in the Holy Spirit," but so are all the "virtues" in this post. That is the most important point - we are seeking the Spirit, and with the Spirit come the virtues; that's how we "make them our own." Righteousness is "justice" (it seems that's how Jews think of it). To be "just" (righteous) is to deal fairly and generously with others. Peace is to "rest" in the goodness of God. Joy is to be pervaded with a sense of well-being, and can live alongside sorrow (Paul refers to his own experience of being "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" in 2 Corinthians).

My definitions aren't original: they are influenced by others, most deeply by Dallas Willard's teachings, so if you've noticed, good on you!

Goodness, righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5). Goodness is that which benefits; God always does that which benefits his beloved creation, though we might not agree, because we (unlike He) don't see the end from the beginning. Hence "God is good" (all the time). Truth is reality; it's "what you bump into when you're wrong."

Why not pick one of these "threes" and work on them for a while? You'll find that other qualities come along with them because the "fruit of the Spirit" is a "concatenation" (a series of interconnected qualities), to quote Jonathan Edwards. Dwell on their meaning, think about how to apply them, think about what Jesus and others must've been thinking when they were faithful, peaceful, loving, just. Ask God to help you.

Enjoy your walk with God!

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