The world upside down

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

The mark of the Holy Spirit in a person's life is not simply love, joy, peace, patience, etc.  It is love, joy, peace, patience, etc. when the circumstances demand the exact opposite.  Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (Matthew 5:46-47)  Instead, he calls us to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).  Anyone can have peace when all is going well, but the mark of the Spirit is having peace when all is going wrong.  The Spirit turns the normalcy of the world upside down.  While the world despairs in suffering we are called to "rejoice in our sufferings" (Romans 5:3).  When the world grieves without hope we have hope (1 Thessalonians 5:13).  Even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil (Psalm 23:4).  Why?  Because we believe and embrace a truth the world does not.

This truth is that through Christ we are heirs to a treasure of unbelievable worth and everything else is miniscule in comparison.  Paul wrote, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21).  He meant Christ is better than everything life can offer and Christ is better than anything death can take.  Paul also wrote,

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies....knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.  2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 14

The Holy Spirit enables us to hold loose to the things of this world because we know that our greatest joy now pales in comparison to the fullness of joy we'll have then and the deepest of sorrow now is but a "light momentary affliction" that prepares "for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-29