But it doesn't stop there. When faith diminishes, it carries away with it Agape love (Godly love). Agape love arises from faith in Christ. Godly love is the fruit of Christian faith and both are the fruit of the Spirit of God who abides in every Christian. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ...." Gal.5:22. All of those 9 spiritual traits are actually one thing ... "The fruit of the Spirit is....(singular)" like an orange is one thing but with 11 sections.
A negative attitude, at its heart, is a lack of faith and when faith recedes, all of those spiritual traits fade. This was the problem with God's people, Israel, when He led them out of bondage into the desert where they were free from bondage but no longer had the Egyptian, slavery flesh pots to feed on and began to complain and murmur that they were better off in bondage as slaves. Here were the people of God, free of their slave chains but gripping that there were no more government subsidies, so God filled their camps with quails in the evenings and manna from heaven in the mornings. Exodus 16:11-15. "And the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." Ex.16:31. Even though God fed them with manna for their 40 years in the desert and then opened up the Promised Land, a land of their own, some of them always had something to complain and murmur about. A lack of faith in God is at the root of a negative attitude and leads to a lack of love, joy, peace and all those other gifts of the Holy Spirit.... plus, other negative traits take over the vacancy and grow in their number. For instance, tale bearing, true or untrue, signifies diminished or the absence of faith and love. "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." Prov.11:13.
The word faith and faithful are found 280 times in the New Testament. Half of those times, love is conjoined with faith as though they were twins, with love the second born following faith.
Those people in Matt.9:2 who brought the sick man to Jesus were not only showing their faith in Christ but their love for the man ... and Christ healed him of his sin and his sickness. Those people had a positive attitude born of faith and proven by love.
We have all met people, even some Christians, who never seem satisfied with anything for long. No matter what it is, it has flaws which are all they can see in the thing. Though it has many positives and is wonderfully helpful, and a joy to have. Yet they focus on the one small negative. In conversations, nearly every positive comment by someone, about someone, evokes a negative one from the negative person, to nullify the positive. This kind of personality seems insulted if someone is mentioned who appears better than them, and you dare not say anything that seems to question them or reflect on them. So you suffer the tediousness, remain silent and tip-toe cautiously around them. There doesn't seem to be any cure for such people ... which they will accept. Maybe those people are here to contrast and highlight their opposites, those with a positive attitude of faith and love like this powerful and wealthy, but humble Roman soldier ....
"And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.... When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Luke 7:2-9.
Now there is a Gentile man with a fantastic, positive attitude born of Faith and Love... for which he received from Christ one of, if not the highest commendation Jesus ever gave anyone. Lord make me half the man of faith and love as this Roman Centurion.
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