10/3/11

Contrast


Yesterday it was actually cool when I left for church in the morning!  What a feeling!!!  And the news gets better; the forecast says that there will be noteven ONE day this week where the temperature will get into the 90's!!!  Wow, what a hot summer we had!!!  Then I saw this picture and I was reminded of what "cool" weather is all about.  That crisp, clean feeling when the temperature is in the 20's, the frost on the grass and view of the exhaust of a power plant in a clear, clear sky.  The contrast is undeniable and downright memorable.  Life can be like that too, because one who has turned from a life of sin to a life in pursuit of Godliness can't help but see the difference.  Look at the descriptions the apostle Paul uses in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 5:19-23 (WEB)
19) Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,
20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
21) envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
23) gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Just for a moment, compare verses 19 and 21 with 22 and 23.  Who in their right mind would want a life filled with the first list when they could have the second?  Sometimes, we just have to take a moment and consider what we really have to appreciate it.  Its like the difference between a heat wave and a cold front.  Remember and rejoice!!!