Did We Have A Successful Feast?

              By Rex Spears, (S.F. Bay Area)

Did I have a successful Feast?  That is a question that I ask myself every year.  But the question brings up another question.  What criteria should I use to answer that question?

Galatians 5:22-23 comes to mind, “(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”  

It is easy to memorize these verses and we should because they are the gold standard.  But can we truthfully say we came back from the Feast with more of the fruits of the spirit in our lives.  Or as too often is the case with me, do the positive effects from the Feast gradually disappear and we are back to our old selves?

For example, do I complain less than I did before?  Or is it my way or the highway?  Is my way the only way?  Being able to travel for the Feast has taught me a great lesson.  The American way is not the only way and often it is not the best way.  If it is not a salvation issue is it really that important?

If I am complaining am I showing the fruits of the Spirit? Godly love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

God likes growth. In 1 Peter 2:1-2 it says, (1) “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, (2) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,”.

Notice there are some things you must throw away and then and only then can we grow as new born babies. The pure word comes from the Bible and not the world. In 2 Peter 3:18 we are told, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

In the parable of the talents Jesus tells us that the man with one talent that did not grow had that one talent taken away.  In other words, (lets be blunt), he lost his salvation.

Years ago, while working at Del Monte I was sent to a leadership class.  One point stuck in my mind.  There is a difference between 30 years’ experience and 1 years’ experience 30 times.

It is the difference between growing and stagnating.  Only one leads to eternal life.  In the coming year are we going to truly change or was this last Feast just a great vacation?