By Laura Vaughan, Director of Discipleship
This spring and into the summer we have had great sermons from Dr. Greg Davis and Rev. Peter Gaughan on the Fruit of the Spirit in both Traditional and River worship services. One of my favorite authors is Henry Nouwen and I receive a daily devotional from his website. The following is from one of his devotionals:
How does the Spirit of God manifest itself through us? Often we think that to witness means to speak up in defense of God. This idea can make us very self-conscious. We wonder where and how we can make God the topic of our conversations and how to convince our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues of God's presence in their lives. But this explicit missionary endeavor often comes from an insecure heart and, therefore, easily creates divisions.
The way God's Spirit manifests itself most convincingly is through its fruit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, truthfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). These fruits speak for themselves. It is therefore always better to raise the question "How can I grow in the Spirit?" than the question "How can I make others believe in the Spirit?"
What are some of the ways you are growing in the Spirit?