There is a decal on the side that says, “Good Mood Mission.” Their “Good Mood Mission” was to raise food for those in need. I know my mood is sometimes dependent upon food, so I thought this was a great idea.
But
this is an old idea. God came up with the idea long ago. He sent His Holy
Spirit to live within us for a purpose. The Holy Spirit had and still has a good mood mission.
Several
years ago, I led two women’s Bible studies on the fruit of the Spirit. Written
by two different authors. I believe God was telling me something and I learned
so much about the fruit of the Spirit during those few months.
Today
and tomorrow I’m going to go through the fruit of the Spirit and expand on each
of them. I pray you will spend some time in prayer to consider how God’s Spirit
is able to create a good mood within you.
But
before we move on, let me clarify what I mean by “mood.” I am speaking of our attitude.
The good news here is that our attitude can change in moments if we allow the
Holy Spirit to work within us. If you feel your mood souring, talk to God. His
Spirit will improve your mood.
I
have done this on many occasions and it works. But don’t take my word for it.
Try it for yourself.
So
let’s get started. Can you recall the nine fruit of the Spirit without looking
the passage up in Galatians 5:22-23? It’s okay. I’ll wait while you think.
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
That’s
it! These are the characteristics that have replaced the sinful nature in our
lives when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. However, it is an overwhelming
list. So let’s look at these attributes one at a time.
Love
We
are fortunate enough to have an entire chapter in 1 Corinthians devoted to the
topic of love. God reveals specifically what love is and what love is not. Love
is patient, kind, rejoices with the truth, always protects, trusts, hopes, and
perseveres.
Love
is not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, a wrong-record
keeper, or an evil delighter. Love never fails.
I
know that my love for others could not fulfill all of these qualifications, but
with God’s Spirit, I have the ability to rely on God’s perfect love and share
that love with others.
With
God’s Spirit, I have the ability to change my mood to His good mood and find it
within me to love. Without fail.
Joy
There’s
a tiny little verse in John 15 that creates such enthusiasm within me. “I have told you this so that my joy may be
in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11 – NIV)
Jesus
gives us a wonderful picture of the Vine and the Branches in this chapter. He
repeats over and over that we are to remain in Him. When we do so, the joy we
receive is Christ’s joy! The joy within us is complete!
There
is no doubt that there is some good mood going on with His joy within us.
Peace
Romans
12:18 (NIV) tells us, “If it is possible,
as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” There it is. The
command. Live at peace with everyone.
Peace
may be difficult to find in this world. My personality is more than likely to
cause someone else some distress. And theirs to cause me some distress. So if
the command is there and I must obey the command, how can I possibly do this?
Ephesians
2:14 (NIV) points out, “For he himself is
our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing
wall of hostility.” With God’s Spirit within, we are able to utilize Christ’s
peace and live peaceful lives with others.
Just
another example of the good mood mission!
Patience
Perhaps
we could just skip this one…okay, okay. Let’s see what we can learn about
patience.
If
I’m ever in a dilemma on how to teach a certain aspect, I find that if I look
at how God does that particular thing, it makes it easier to teach. So let’s
see what Scripture says about God’s patience.
2
Peter 3:9 (NIV) shows us, “The Lord is
not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
How
long were you wandering around, seeking God’s truth in this life? Was it years?
Decades? It didn’t matter to God how long He had to wait for you. You were
worth His wait. He waited patiently for you to accept Him.
That’s
the example of patience set before us. But without the Holy Spirit, God’s
Spirit, our patience runs thin. We must learn to use God’s patience in our
lives. Our mood depends upon it.
Thankfully for us, the good mood mission is very clear on this one.
Tomorrow
we will look at the remaining five fruit of the Spirit to see how the good mood mission helps us in these areas as well.
How
is your mood today? Have you spent time asking God’s Spirit to lead and guide
you as you go through your day? Have you put on the Armor of God this morning?
If not, stop right now and ask for God’s assistance. It really will improve
your mood!
Grace
and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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