DNA testing, or deoxyribonucleic acid, has become quite popular in our modern society.  Ancestry.com encourages people to submit a saliva swab in order to discover their familial heritage and/or background.  If you watch the TV show Forensic Files, you quickly learn that current crimes and even “cold-cases” or unsolved crimes can now be accurately solved, sometimes years later, with DNA samples that leave no room for error.  Amazing!  You can argue but you cannot refute DNA evidence!

          Years ago, I remember being in a youth group where a case was presented stating that “If you were accused in a court room of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you”?  It was a poignant question; would there be enough DNA, if you will, to find sufficient evidence that I was a child of God?

          As a child of God, God’s DNA should readily be found in me.   What does that look like?  What godly characteristics should be easily seen in my life?  In Galatians 5:22-23, we read that the fruit of the Spirit (of God) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  Let’s look more closely at this “fruit”.

          LOVE – is a choice and it is not without effort, but we are called to love each other, unconditionally.  In I Corinthians 13:4-7, we read that “Love is patient; love is kind.  Love does not envy, is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things; endures all things”.  Love involves compassion, empathy, courtesy, wisdom, and forgiveness.  These qualities will enrich my life and the lives of my loved ones.

          JOY – is the countenance of life.  “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:1, 2).   John 15:11 says, “These things have I spoken unto you that My joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full”.  Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I say rejoice”.  I have so many reasons to be joyful; a priceless and precious gift from the Lord!  Smile, speak kindness, praise generously, encourage often.

          PEACE – “Be still, and know that I am God”.  Psalm 46:10.  I love this verse!  Sometimes it is difficult to find a little peace and quiet.  Life can be distracting, complicated, frustrating.  God desires for me to sense His will and His love each day but I must stop and listen in order to feel His presence.  Quiet time with God is the most important activity of my day, especially if it can be the first activity of my day.  Give God your first fruits, whenever possible!

          LONGSUFFERING – is the “patient enduring of something unpleasant for a long period of time; enduring a sickness or hardship, for example, with cheerfulness”.  “God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).  Can you think of someone who endures physical or difficult situations but always possesses a cheerful attitude?  The demeanor I show speaks volumes of my reliance on God to sustain and help me.  Bill Bright said “The sermon of your life in tough times’ ministers to people more powerfully than the most eloquent speaker”.  Amen!

          GENTLENESS – is “the quality of being kind, tender, mild-mannered”.  When we teach a toddler how to treat the new puppy, we say “be gentle!”  Paul said, “I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).  “Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5).  Am I known for speaking “softly and tenderly”, as Jesus would have me speak?

          GOODNESS – is “the choosing and following of a moral good; a resistance of moral evil; a righteousness of action”.  It is the thinking of others and what I can do to enhance their life; the looking for what is pure and holy.  My husband was a “good” man!  He thought of ways to love and please me and others.   Romans 2:4 says that the “goodness of God leads to repentance”.

          FAITH – is “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  It is the assurance that the things revealed and promised in God’s Word are true, though unseen, and that gives the believer a conviction of hope.  I have faith that one day I will again see my grandparents, my parents, my sister, my husband and many others who have passed away.  I have faith that God will continue to care for me, just as He has in the past. I have faith that God’s Word is truth.  I have faith that God will answer my prayers and give me peace.  Hebrews 11:6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please God…”

MEEKNESS – I love the definition of meekness.  It can mean being “righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering, (long suffering), willing to follow gospel teachings, and the attribute of a true disciple”.   It certainly is not a sign of weakness.  I want to be known as a meek woman!  Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).  Christ, Himself, was meek and gentle according to II Corinthians 10:1.  Psalm 37:11 says, “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace”.

          The last “fruit” is TEMPERANCE, which means restraint and moderation in action, thought or feeling; self-control.  Several examples are found in the Bible.  In I Timothy 3:2, one definition of a deacon is “he must be temperate, self-controlled and respectable”.  Wives, in I Timothy 3:11, are exhorted to “not be malicious talkers, but temperate and trustworthy”.  Paul, in Titus 2:2, says “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance”.

          Just as the DNA of my physical body is evident to a scientist, the DNA of my Christian life, evidence of fruit from God’s Holy Spirit living within me, should be abundantly obvious and evident to those around me.  What does your DNA reveal?

          Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is an official American holiday held on the last Monday of May each year, in remembrance of US military personnel who have lost their lives in battles of war on home soil or abroad.  It is appropriate that we have a day specifically set aside to remember and honor brave men and women who fought and died for the sake of our country.  We are proud of what they gave, though we grieve for lives lost too soon.  It is easy for us to remember our loved ones and we will never forget them.  Sadly, because of covid-19 this year, the customary festivities and parades to honor these soldiers are not being held for the first time in decades.  We can still remember!  We cannot forget.

          On a greater level, we also must not forget the death made, not for our country’s freedom, but for our personal salvation.  The only Son of God, Jesus Christ, died for each of us and in our place, so that we have the opportunity for life eternal.  Jesus willingly came to earth in order to serve and to teach and then to die for you and me.  He died bearing the weight of our combined sins on the cross at Calvary.  He endured ridicule, mockery and flogging in order to pay the penalty, not for Himself, but for each of our sins.  His suffering was so great and the sin was so heinous that God, the Father, could not even look upon His own Son at the moment of death.  Why?  “For God so loved the word, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  God gave a way to eternal life through the sacrifice of His Son for us.  Our part is to believe and obey!

          Just as Memorial Day helps us remember soldiers who have died for our country, Jesus left a memorial, too.  Many churches display the emblems of communion, the bread and the wine, on a table carved with the words “Do This in Remembrance of Me”.  This is called the Lord’s Supper or time of Communion.  Paul gives us very specific directions from Jesus on how we are to partake in
I Corinthians 12:23-29.

          Paul says, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you.  The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Next, a qualification is given.  “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.”  In other words, we are exhorted to focus and remember during communion only on what Jesus did for us when he died on Calvary.  This is not the time to think about lunch or Sunday afternoon plans or even to whisper to the person sitting next to you, but rather think about the great gift Jesus gave in substitution for our sin!

Let’s remember fallen soldiers with honor and respect.
Let’s remember Jesus’ death with praise and thanksgiving.