Note: To better understand this article please read my articles, Understand Your Identity in Christ and What is the Fruit of the Spirit?
In this article, I’ll discuss the WORLD VIEW of a Christian walking in the fruit of the Spirit.
Consider how attentive God is to His world.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Matthew 10:29-30
If God is attentive to the needs of a single sparrow and even knows the number of hairs on your head, then you can be certain He knows what happens to you in your everyday life.
But does He care? Well, He considers you more valuable that a sparrow!
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:31
But does God care about the details of my life?
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
By dying on the cross, God personally dealt with the root cause of man’s problems— his selfish nature. Christ’s death paid the penalty for man’s sin, Christ’s life gave him access to a selfless nature as discussed in my article, How To Get Healthy Spiritually.
Now let me ask you, if God went to all the trouble of dealing with your very soul, do you think He cares about the details of your life?
Absolutely He does!
When the Apostle Paul came to this realization he proclaimed,
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will God not also with Christ graciously GIVE US ALL THINGS?
Romans 8:31-32
In this we understand that God is ready, willing and able to be involved in the details of our lives. But God wants us to TRUST Him. Life is a battle zone and not everything is going to go the way we imagine it. We’ll make mistakes and life will fight against us— but God is there.
Again Paul assures us that,
We know that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Our part is to bring our worries and fears to God.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the PEACE OF GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
God is there, He just needs you to know that He is and that based on your prayers he is working everything together for your good.
So where does this leave us when it comes to our WORLD VIEW?
Let me ask you, “If God is for us, can we walk in PEACE?”
Who could keep you from living a life of peace? Could life and all its troubles keep you from peace? Could angels or demons or even Satan himself? The answer is no. In fact the only one that could keep you from walking in peace is YOU— YOURSELF.
Those who choose to walk in peace regardless of what they see happening around them, walk in the Spirit. Peace is the world view of a Spirit-filled Christian.
Summary: Peace is getting God’s perspective.
For techniques that will help you better walk in peace, refer to my article, How To Walk in Peace.
But not only does the death and resurrection of Christ inspire us to walk in PEACE, they also introduce us to the second WORLD VIEW of a Christian walking in the Spirit— MEEKNESS.
What is meekness?
Consider the following:
Let this MIND be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a SERVANT, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:5-8
Christ had a MIND (world view) to serve mankind— even to the point of dying on a cross.
Do you understand the significance of that statement? That God Himself came and died for the sins of men! This is the ultimate example of servanthood.
God didn’t think, “Hey, I’m God, I don’t have to do this. I didn’t sin— they did. Let them deal with it.” No, He put aside His greatness, His position and became a servant to men.
So now, if we are to bring heaven to earth in our own characters we must become servants too!
We become servants when we use our gifts to serve mankind. Regardless of who you are, God has given every person a personal gift. That gift is activated through the DESIRES of your heart. Is there something inside you that you’ve always wanted to do? Serve mankind by aligning those desires with your natural gift. Discover how to do that by reading my article, How To Find Your Specific Purpose in Life.
Summary: Meekness is having a servant heart.
Conclusion
Christians operating in their new nature have a world view of peace and meekness.
Peace
Their peace comes from the fact that they are connected to Christ. They know that nothing can remove them from God’s love.
We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
Meekness
Their meekness comes from the example of Christ Himself. As He served us, we serve others. We serve through the gifts God has given us.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
1 Peter 4:10
In my next article, I’ll discuss the second category of the fruit of the Spirit, How Those Walking in the Spirit Treat People. We’ll discuss the fruits of the Spirit, gentleness and long-suffering.
