Isaiah 55:11 NLT
”It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
When God gives a Word, you just have to obey, no questions ask. Even if you do not know where it will lead, you just have to trust God. You may not understand it now, but later surely you will. Always remember that God is a purposeful God. He does not waste a battle and He does not waste a pain. He has purpose in everything and it always produces fruit in you. God will accomplish everything what He desires for you, for you becoming like Christ. Christlikeness is understanding and producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you.
There were a lot of breaking news happened last year. As in ‘breaking’ news – stories of rejections, break-ups, and broken engagement. It somehow created fear, doubts, and questions to people, especially to the singles. But to me, I’m not affected of what happened even if I was a part of it because I still believe in God’s will and purpose. He had His own reasons why those things happened. The most important thing is the fruit it produces in me because it is my becoming.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
God wants you to undergo a sanctification process so that He can begin the process of molding, shaping, and transforming you into His own image and likeness. God wants your minds and thoughts to be renewed. God, through the Holy Spirit, will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you.
One thing that I was really grateful to God for this season, was because He gave me understanding about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When I asked God to lead me, He asked me for a sacrifice and to have self-control. I had to deal with my sinful nature and fully surrender it to God so He could truly work through me. God has taught me to be gentle in responding to people and to whatever is happening. God has taught me to be faithful and loyal even if I felt unappreciated. I understand to be kind and to be good to people so I reconciled with someone from the past to befriend again. God has developed patience in me, to trust and wait on Him even if the situation seems impossible and uncertain. In God, I found peace even if things did not go my way for I know He is in control of everything. The joy of the Lord is found in obeying Him so in Him, I found my strength.
Lastly, God gave me clear understanding on what really love is. Love does not depend its value on reciprocity. Love does not always meant to be reciprocated. Sometimes, I just have to give love without expecting anything in return. Sometimes, I just have to show love without thinking of something I can get from others. In Romans 5:8 NIV, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That love is sacrificial. That love is unconditional. That love is first authored by God when He gave His one and only Son Jesus Christ. In times when I was not worthy, He still chose to have compassion for me. In times when I was not worthy of His love, He loved me unconditionally. He embraced me in my filthiness and then cleansed me.
I know from the beginning that women are not required to reciprocate the love, the affection, and the efforts given by men. But still, I showed my love, my affection, and efforts regardless if not being returned. It is women’s right to say “yes” or to say “no”. On the other hand, it is men’s right when to fight and when to surrender. So if women assess men, men also assess women. So I am praying to God to give me discernment if it is still worthy to continue or if it is the time to stop. So I asked the Lord, how would I know if this courtship will lead to the final destination (to marriage), or if it is just a painful yet beautiful detour for me to grow and mature?