I'm a wretch, who, by His glorious grace, has been adopted by the God of the universe. Praise Jesus from coming in the flesh and dying on the cross for the sins of the world to redeem fallen humanity to God. I'm seeking God in all I do, trying to be led by the Spirit-- seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.
The fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 have seemed too soft and too reinforcing of the status quo to me since realizing what this world is like. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” is a great list, but not enough. It should also include, based on other parts of the Bible, “risky compassion, discomfort with the comfortable, defiance in the face of injustice.” Read in a middle-class church, the original list can just strengthen self-satisfaction and complacency. Sure, it’s not east to be all these things in your marriage or with colleagues or neighbors, but it’s a lot easier than giving up what I have, to engage with people who are poor, or challenging the very systems that help make life good for my family. The fruit of the Spirit— the fruit of being shaped to be more like Jesus— has to be more revolutionary.
Kent Annan
