GirlsTBS

GIRLS ONLY
Weekly Bible Study

TBS #13
Sent out via E-mail to those who request it every Tuesday

The purpose of these weekly Bible Studies are to grow you closer to God. To know God is to love God, to love God is to obey Him, and to obey Him is to become more Christ-like. Before you begin, give yourself time and quiet. Have your Bible with you, and make sure you pray before and after each Bible Study.

What Kinda Tree Are You?

I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS...



Hey girls: I'm sure you've come across the question at least once or twice before: If you could ask God one question, what would it be? Well, very honestly, I think when you come face-to-face with God you'll be so awestruck you won't be able to do anything (let alone ask anything) except fall flat on your face to praise and honor Him. But we'll pretend that He gave you some special ability to speak in His presence, and you did, in fact, have the opportunity to ask Him a question? Well, I've thought about dinosaurs. "Where do dinosaurs fit in, God?" Then I found Job 40:15-24. (Don't tell me it's an elephant or hippo, because neither of those have a tail that swings like a cedar...a cedar is a rather large and thick tree.) So then I moved onto if God would still speak to us today...I mean like He did with Adam and Eve, with Moses, and with Abraham. Then I found a verse that debunked that, too. "So then...God, are there any prophets today?" No. No need for them...Christ has come and gone, and Revelations was the very last revelation needed. Then it hit me. "God, if I were a fruit tree, what kinda tree would I be?" Don't say it: "Mary, you're a nut." Because I'm gonna explain it in our Bible Study! Ta-da! So open your Bible to Galatians 5:22-23, and pray that God will speak to you today. :) It's another really long Bible Study, so it's okay to split it up and do a little bit over the course of a few days. GALATIANS 5:22-23 This is a very well-known verse, but often times we get to the point where we hear a verse or read it so many times, that it loses it's meaning to us. But if you've never read it before, hooray! I get to introduce you to a truly awesome verse in the Bible. Remember when we talked about Who the Holy Spirit is? This verse talks about the impact and results reflected in your life when you let Him guide and lead you. So read it now, if you haven't already. What an amazing list!! Nine attributes of Christian character that are valued so much by God. We're going to look at each of them briefly, then that last sentence about the law, and finally take a big overview of these two verses and the application to your life. (I'm so organized, aren't you proud?) We're even going to look at the Greek words used (wow!) One more note: when you read that verse, see that the word "fruit" is singular, not plural. These are not nine different fruits, but nine different qualities or characteristics of one fruit. :) I LOVE YOU!! Love is definitely one of the biggest messages in the Bible, both OT and NT. God constantly reveals His love for us to us, and it's unconditional, undying, eternal!! What's amazing about His love is that we don't deserve it at all, because we constantly turn our back on Him, sin against Him, disobey Him, and trash Him to His face. Yet He's faithful and stands by us. The "love" of the Bible is not the touchy-feely emotion you see on TV. It's not that butterflies in your stomach feeling, or that swoony feeling you get with a new crush or something. This is Divine love, not sensual love or even brotherly love. The Greek word here is "agape" (uh-GAH-pay). It's like an action-word, a verb. It's the joy of seeking the welfare of others regardless of the cost or the consequences...selfless sacrifice for others. Love is the focus of Christ's entire ethical appeal: "serve one another in love" (v 13). Love fulfills the law (v 14), and it's the expression of faith (v 6). Love is demonstrated in a tangible way in the sacrificial love of Christ (2:20) and the service of Christians (5:13). The eight other moral qualities define and flow from this love. JOY TO THE WORLD... The Greek word for "joy" here is "makarios" (muh-KAR-ee-ose). This is the same word found in the Beatitudes of the Sermon of the Mount (check out the beginning of Matthew 5). Like in verse three, Jesus says "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they will inherit the Kingdom of God." I've read a definition of the "joy" expressed here in Galatians 5:22 that says, "supremely blessed; by extension fortunate, well-off, blessed, happy." So it's more than just a random feeling or emotion, but something felt as a result of something else (namely, God!) Joy is the result of a healthy relationship with God. The key thing to remember here is this: it's an inward peace and sufficiency that is not effected by outward circumstances. PEACE BE WITH YOU The Greek word here is "eirene" (ear-REEN?). It comes from the verb "eiro" (EAR-o), which means to fasten or join together...so it's like a harmony between us and God. There is quietness, rest, and reconciliation in this harmony/peace. God tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). In the quiet, God will speak to us. In being still and silent, we fade away and surrender to God. After one of your daily Quiet Times, try to sit quietly with God. Don't let your mind wander or just start thinking about something else...let God search your heart. Try to be aware of His presense, for He is always with you. Let the Spirit move. Comparable to meditation, but better. :) He will fill you with an incredible calm and peace. If we surrender ourselves to God 100% forever, all the time, we will always have this peace within us, created only by the Spirit, not us. So peace is also the result of a healthy relationship with God. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE... Patience is love-forbearing. Think about that for a second. If you love someone, you will endure with them. And since we are to love all, well, there you go. (1 Corinthians 13:4) Patience suggests self-restraint under the pressure of provocation, especially undeserved provocation. For example: your little brother or sister is bothering you to no end, trying to provoke you, get you really angry. You smile and go on with what you're doing. Same thing with people who will try to tell you that you're a hypocrite. As Christians, we're gonna come across people who try to tell us we're not practicing what we preach. That's why we need to be above reproach (live in a way that if someone tries to say something bad about us, they'll be lying.) And when you encounter people like that, be kind and patience, polite yet stern in the fact that, no...you're living the Christian life to the best of you're abilities. (And mean it!) The Greek word is "makrothumia" (MACK-row-THOO-mee-uh). It's control under pressure, self-restraint that refuses to retaliate, reacting properly under pressure. It's forbearance as well as fortitude. And it's best demonstrated in Christ's words from the cross in Luke 23:34. Even when someone constantly wrongs you and irritates you, you stick with them. ONE-OF-A-KINDNESS The Greek word here is "chrestotes" (no clue at pronunciation). It literally means "to use," like to be used by God in serving others, and to think of it as a joy to do so. It's not something that's a chore. Being kind is more than just being nice or polite (though it doesn't hurt!) It's the actions, again. A sweet disposition and DOING good toward people is the way to stick by them in love. GOODNESS GRACIOUS One of the best descriptions of the word "goodness" here that I've ever read is simply LOVE IN ACTION! Isn't that awesome? The Greek word is "agathosune" (ah-GUH-thoe-SUE-nay). It's from the Greek word "agathos", which means good. The idea here is to promote goodness or achieving the ultimate good. This is like commending or encouraging, correcting, or even rebuking a brother or sister in Christ so that good may result. Jesus denounced the Pharisees in Matthew 23 and asked them to be forgiven at the cross in Luke 23...both were acts of goodness. GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS That's the title of really great hymn, by the way. But in this case, Paul's saying that the Spirit will make you faithful, too. Faithfulness is the quality of keeping committed to your relationship with God. The Galatians had proved to be fickle in their attitude toward Paul (4:13-16), so how could they remain faithful to their God? Only the Spirit can produce this quality of loyalty, no matter the cost. The Greek word is "pistis" (PISS-tees? PEES-tiss?). It's moral conviction of religiou truth or the truthfulness of God, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. Also, a mental resolve in one's profession of faith in Christ, and in the truth of the gospel. There is assurance and fidelity in this faithfulness. Layman's terms: you should be so secure in your faith, that it's shows. Being faithful to God is obeying His commands, not because you're constantly forcing yourself to and keeping yourself in check, but because doing anything else feels unnatural. It's putting Him first in your life, because nothing and noone holds more importance. And through this faithfulness, it's constantly proving it to Him through how you live your life. And it's all under the compulsion of the Spirit -- you're not trying at all. GENTLENESS (sorry, couldn't think up a catchy subtitle) Some other versions of the Bible (I use NIV) have the word "meekness" here. Meekness does not equal weakness; Jesus was meek, but He wasn't weak!! Gentleness is the opposite of "selfish ambition." Gentle people are not "conceited, provoking and envying each other" (v 26). Gentleness is an expression of humility, considering the needs and hurts of others before one's personal goals. It's "praiotes" (pry-O-tays) in Greek. It's the opposite of arrogance. In being gentle, the Spirit gives you the ability to reason and think things through ("how will this affect this person I'm dealing with?") and restore and help them, instead of giving in to the human urge to hate and destroy. SELF-CONTROL FREAK "Egkrateia" (eeg-KRAY-tee-uh) is a compaund word meaning to hold in or maintaining control. Here, it's the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life teaching us self-mastery over all human appetites (lust, greed, etc), the human temper, the passions of the flesh, and other human traits. Self-control, continence, self-discipline, etc. Read Galatians 5:24. It's the opposite of self-indulgence. Those who are Spirit-led will not indulge in the sinful nature (v 13). They are not characterized by "sexual immorality,...drunkenness, orgies." Okay, maybe you've never gone as far as an orgy, but there are things people do today that are just as bad. Sexual immorality is a simple as a self-extended lustful thought about the hot guy you saw at the mall. When we have self-control, we don't use other people to gratify our own appetites. We have the strength to say "no" to ourselves, and to the desires of our sinful nature. ALL TOGETHER, NOW... An important thing to remember about all nine traits is that THEY ARE NOT A PRODUCT OF THE NATURAL MIND. You're not gonna go through life saying to yourself, "Okay, Mary...gotta be filled with love. Gotta be filled with joy... Come on now, get with it..." You're going to feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to live this way. And the closer you get to God, the easier it will become! You will be supernaturally changed day-by-day by the Spirit, and all you have to do is seek God (not self-improvement). LEGAL STUFF (NOT JUST SMALL PRINT) Lists of these types of virtues (see also Romans 1:29-31 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10) were common in the ancient world. In making this particular list, Paul was contrasting the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19) with fruit (not "works") of the Spirit. Not law, but the Spirit, leads to such traits. When Paul tells the Galatians that "Against such things there is no law," remember how when we studied Galatians 3, Paul was talking to people who want to be under the supervision of the law. Paul assures them that if they are led by the Spirit, they're not under the law (v 18) because the Spirit produces all the qualities that fulfill the requirements of the law (v 14, v 23). These is no rule in the Mosaic (remember that vocab term? having to do with Moses...) lawbooks (first five books of the Bible...Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) which can be cited against such character qualities. The Spirit-led life is not a life against the law; it is a life that fulfills the law!! The way to the fulfillment of the law is not to live under the law like slaves, but to live by the Spirit as the children of God that we are!! OKAY, MARY. EXPLAIN THE TREE. So when I get to heaven, [if I can,] I'm going to ask God what kinda tree I am. Do I bear a lot of fruit, or am I barren? Am I firmly rooted in the Word? Do my branches stretch out wide, because I've reached out to a lot of people? Do I stand tall and strong in my faith, or would I easily fall or break when a storm came by? So if you died today, what kind of tree would you be? Pray in closing.