11/03/2020
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
"The Wholeness and Holiness from the Spirit"
Galatians 5:25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
I Iove how James Fenhagen expressed walking by the Spirit…
When I think of wholeness in my own life, I think of a finely tuned orchestra in which each instrument, guided by the conductor, contributes its part toward a magnificent symphony of sound. There are times–and in recent years, increasing times–when I have heard this sound that I know that I am in tune with the Spirit of God who moves within me. Sometimes the sound is discordant, even harsh, but it is nonetheless one sound. This is wholeness. It can include themes of joy and themes of pain, but there is still one sound. This is very different from what happens when the instruments that represent the many-faceted aspects of my personality are playing in opposition to each other. When this happens, I experience inner chaos and confusion–the very opposite of wholeness. The answer is not to play louder, not to pretend we do not hear, but rather to take time to listen to the many sounds so that the message they contain can be brought to light. The inner freedom the Gospel promises is experienced when our identity in Christ is honored and trusted and nourished. It is experienced when our inner lives are in tune, not in the sense of having arrived, but rather in the sense of being able to hear and respond to the themes and rhythms that the Spirit offers in calling us out of ourselves. The journey in Christ is a journey shaped by the biblical story of salvation in which is embodied a will to holiness. Wholeness, when open to the Spirit of God, is a seedbed for holiness. When our center has been reformed in Christ, an environment is created that opens us to the promptings of the Kingdom. In biblical terms, like Bartimaeus we begin to see. – from an Invitation to Holiness
Galatians 5:22-23
…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…
Lord, let me be more in tune with your Holy Spirit that I might display the fruit of the Spirit in my life. Subdue all the parts of me that quench your Spirit and make me obedient to Christ so that I may show Him my love. Make me more whole and more holy. Amen
