The Fruit of the Spirit can be found in Galatians Chapter 5. Before Paul lists the fruit (not fruits, but collectively as fruit), he discusses letting the Holy Spirit guiding our lives. Living by following the Holy Spirit’s guidance draws us away from living a sinful nature. Paul goes on to say that the forces of good and evil are always at odds with each other and it makes it hard for us to do good. Some of the desires of our sinful nature includes quarreling, jealousy, hostility, anger, selfishness, envy.
Then Paul directs us to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)
Paul goes on to say, ” Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. ” Galatians 24-26 (New Living Translation)
We recently took a short camping trip to Tugalo State Park. The RV campsites are usually booked, but with the kids in school, we learned that camping during the first of the week in August is an optimal time. We were able to get a beautiful spot overlooking Lake Hartwell. Below are examples of God’s glory revealed in His creation.
Sunrise over Hartwell Lake, at Tugaloo State Park, August 2019
Can you find the flock of Canadian geese ?
The Canadian geese landed in the cove near us.natural rock formations on the shoreMore unusual rocks on shorelinerocky bottom at the shore lineCan you find the deer in this picture?
We have two rescue dogs. I found Daisy at work. She showed up at work in February. She was less than a year old then. She was afraid of men, but would cautiously approach women. Staff were feeding her scraps when I found out about her. We have had dogs all our married life, and one was in her final stages of life. I called my husband and he came to see Daisy. Even though she was afraid of men, my husband knelt to the ground and called her. She crawled to him, he picked her up and took her home. Somehow she knew that he would not harm her. That was eleven years ago. We still are not sure what her breed is, but we think she is a mix of maybe Husky because she has a double coat and love the cold weather. After all this time, she still is cautious around young children and men.
Our other rescue dog, Tanya, is a Terrier. We found her at a local fall festival where the local animal shelter had some of their dogs for sale. Tanya was on the “sniff list”. She had been in the shelter for six months and if she was not adopted was going to be euthanized. We bough her for $30. She was three years old at the time. Now, she and Daisy are best buddies (most of the time). She is eight years old now.
In Genesis, God instructed Adam to take care of the animals (Genesis 1:26) and in Proverbs 12:10 “For godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.” (NLT) There are many references in the Bible regarding taking care of animals.
Hiawasse River at Riverbed Campground, Hiawasse, GA
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me resting the green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along the right paths, bringing honor to His name. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect me and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (NLT)
The worldly definition of grace is quite different from the biblical definition. The worldly synonyms for grace include courtesy, and elegance. The on-line Merman-Webster dictionary defines grace as “a virtue from God”, and “an unmerited divine assistance”
From the biblical perspective, Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “But God is so rich in mercy, He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT)
Ephesians 2:8 states, “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Ephesians 9-10 go on to say, “Salvation is not a a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Jesus Christ, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” (NLT)
In my opinions, grace is the unmerited favor that God gives as a free gift for those who believe that we are sinners, Christ died for our sins, and rose again. Walking in God’s grace is best described as following God’s unique path he has for each of us and, as Paul described in Ephesians 2:10, “do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
What is God’s Glory? What does it mean to walk in God’s Glory? According to my Google search, the noun has several notable synonyms: honor, distinction, eminence, magnificence, spendor, beauty. The noun has several definitions: high renown and honor and magnificence or great beauty. The use of glory as a verb means take great pride or pleasure in. Synonyms of the verb is exult in, rejoice in, take pride in.
The biblical definition of God’s Glory is the manifestation of God’s presence, which is truly seen in God’s creation in nature on a daily basis and praise and worship at our church.
What places or instances do you walk in God’s Glory?
The book of Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Old Testament. It has 31 chapters. That is one chapter a day for any month of the year and you have yourself a daily devotional and Bible study. Chapter 3 contains one of my favorite verses in Proverbs.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on our own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NLT)
Hummingbird Update! We now have about four baby hummers! Yay!
Two babies on the left, mom on the right
Welcome to the Walker Family’s website, devoted to glorifying God and His Grace in everyday life. Today, we want to glorify God for His creation of hummingbirds. On our deck, we have a hummingbird feeder. There are at least two pairs of the Ruby-Throated variety that migrate to our area yearly. Each hummer is very protective of the feeder and wants it all to his or herself. We often see them dive-bombing each other over possession of the feeder. On occasion, we will see two or three of the characters drinking from the feeder, but this is rare. Usually it is only one hummer drinking until one of the other hummers scare him or her off, so they can get a drink.
Hummingbirds are not as afraid of humans as other birds. We can sit out on the deck and the hummers will fly and dash around the feeder, obliviousto us. Sometimes they will curiously hum about us, or we get caught in the crossfire of their dive-bombing each other for a drink at the feeder.
I thank God for our hummingbirds. They bring joy to my life.
“Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 (NLT)
Do you have a hummingbird feeder? We would love to hear about your hummers!
