Deeds vs. Fruit

I recently listened to a Tim Keller sermon on this which was phenomenal! I also watched the movie "Immortals" which I don't necessarily recommend but if you see it you'll see that the emphasis on DEEDS is remarkable - elevating them to eternal significance.

A strong Christian friend of mine send the following message out about Servant Leadership in the Marine Corps and I'll follow this with my reply:
"When Jesus washed his disciples feet he did it because, 1) He was confident in himself & his role & 2) He loved his disciples. Clearly as Marine Corps officers we are both of those, but can servant leadership apply to us? How? Maybe in garrison, but in combat, too?
I believe that it does still apply & I try to follow it as a mindset, however executing is difficult.
Why is it so hard to be a servant leader? Thoughts."

Then I wrote:
"Gents, I've got lots of time on our day off in Kansas City, so pardon the somewhat lengthy reply...

The first thing that comes to my mind is PRIDE. The pride we have (and are encouraged to have) as Marines is suppose to build esprit de corps, and give us ambition and drive. It is justified as helpful but we seldom see how sneaky Satan is.

Pride translates to selfishness and laziness, but also (more acceptable to Christianity) to self-esteem because our self-responsibility is high, so we place value on self-reliance and think if something is to be done right we have to do it our self, and all the world reinforces this emphasis on SELF. Even big named so-called Christians like Rob Bell, Joel Osteen, and QB Drew Brees of the NO Saints say: "Have faith in yourselves..." and to them faith in God appears to be an after thought... Not judging, just saying what I've seen...

Christ's example; however, is to DIE to self. Scriptures teach us to DENY our selves, and the fruit of the Spirit isn't self confidence, it's self control! And none of the FRUIT of the Spirit have to do with things we achieve or accomplish, that fruit is contrasted with the DEEDS of the FLESH. (deeds: Gal 5:17-22 versus fruit: Gal 5:23-25)

It takes a long time to put these principles into practice, but through persistent prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to be purposeful and successful at demonstrating passionate servant leadership. By "long time" I do mean years of maturing in Christ, but I also mean hours in EACH DAY devoting ourselves to reading, listening to, studying, memorizing and meditating on Scripture, as well as an attitude of prayer throughout the day - "always and in every way..."

Pray for me. I'll pray for you too.

Lord, we desire to live lives that show we are Your disciples, help us bear good fruit by the power of Your Holy Spirit, let our works not be done in the flesh, but in humility, let us consider others better than ourselves. Renew our minds daily, and transform our hearts to reject pride and embrace servant leadership, in Christ's Name. Amen.

Peace,
Adam

Created 6 months ago