Living The Spirit

Here in the South, we have lots of sayings and those colloquialisms are a "disappearing language." If I were to say I have a "hankerin'" for some "okry" or I "took a notion" to go to bed early or I "orta" take a shower, my meanings might be "unbeknownst" to many. Jesus always spoke clearly and candidly especially to those who opposed Him. To the religious leaders who were not as they appeared, Jesus said, "On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." (Matthew 23:28). In other words, these well-known and well-respected religious men were much less than their appearances suggested, or [as we would say in the South], they were "all vines and no taters." Oh, this should never be true of Jesus' Followers! We are called to live lives of substance, bearers of Holy Fruit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Like a vine full of tasty taters, Believers should protrude the Beauty of Christ Jesus as they live and "walk according to The Holy Spirit ... in step with The Holy Spirit." (V.25). When The Holy Spirit has "a-holt" of us, those around us will surely know it! Live The Spirit!