The Fruit of the Cross

During the Season of Lent, this year we will be doing something a little different. Typically during Lent we preach on stuff like, "The Seven Deadly Sins," “Idolatry," or other things we are called to "put off." That is as it should be. After all, Lent is a season of honest self-examination and repentance. Repentance means to identify, confess, and forsake a sin that is in your life. But having said that, Lent is never about just a forsaking of something for its own sake. Lent is ultimately about joy--more joy and greater joy!

The achievement of the cross is so vast, it is the ultimate game-changer in life. The cross is not just about forsaking something, but also about putting on something--virtue; putting on habits, practices, and virtues that mirror Jesus and make us more like Him. So, this season we are talking about how the cross enables us, empowers us, directs us, and compels us to much more than a putting away of things. Rather, it gives us the power to put on the Fruit of the Spirit.

The Christian life is a supernatural life from beginning to end. We simply are not good enough to hear about a virtue and modify our behavior because of that. No, we need much more than information, we need a new birth. Join us Sunday and we'll talk about it.

Blessings,

James M. Holland