Twelve days - maids and ladies

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas . . . what a fun song! And, as we have seen, it's a teaching song, as well. Be sure to check out the other posts in this series to get the full history! 

We are day eight now: eight maids a-milking.

Scholars tell us that these industrious ladies stand for the Beatitudes. By remembering this verse of the song, the children could easily recall the eight different traits and their results . . . 

Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). Be humble, not arrogant; remember that we are the people we are because God has willed it. "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Blessed are they that mourn (5:4). When a loved one dies, it's okay to mourn. It may be quite a while, but we will be reunited in heaven. It's okay to mourn for others, as well, since it shows compassion. We will receive our eternal comfort in heaven.

Blessed are the meek (5:5). To be kind, and to be gentle, is to be meek. This is translated "power under control" -- gentleness is not weakness, but power that is contained by God's Spirit. The meek? The earth will be theirs.

Blessed are they that hunger for righteousness (5:6). Put simply, to desire justice and to seek to be righteous in our dealings with other people. When it is a basic need of our lives, like hunger and thirst, we will seek His righteousness and "be filled."

Blessed are the merciful (5:7). Pretty straightforward, no? Be merciful and forgiving and the same will be returned to you. None of us are perfect; sometimes we need to be forgiven a transgression, and sometimes we need to forgive someone else. 

Blessed are the pure in heart (5:8). Today? That's a tough one for a lot of people. There's so much "stuff" out there that people want, and crave, and it's not good, either. It's a difficult thing to guard our hearts against impure thoughts, and guard our lives from impure actions, and to be free of selfishness. But what a reward - we will see God!

Blessed are the peacemakers (5:9). We need to be a "peaceable" people, not only with how we treat ourselves, but how we treat others. Squash that temper! And sometimes we may need to tactfully avoid people who are just bent on creating strife and conflict . . .  just sayin'.

Blessed are the persecuted (5:10). Today in the Middle East and in Asia and Africa, Christians are dying for their faith. Would we be able to do the same, if we were threatened? Something to think about. 

Now, those are the eight maids a-milking -- how about those ladies dancing?
The nine ladies dancing are the nine different "fruits" of the Holy Spirit:

 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, NASB)

Hmmmm.

I "get" that these are attributes in our character that God will develop in us, if we are walking guided by the Holy Spirit each day. But I wonder why it says the "fruit" of the Spirit? There are nine of 'em there! 

I guess this is the easiest way for me to understand it . . . . I hope it works for you: I love Granny Smith apples. How would I describe this one in my hand? Firm. Bright green. Crisp. Juicy. Tart. Oh, yeah, tart. (Grin) Now, I am talking about one apple at this time, the one apple in my hand. It's one apple with all of those qualities. Just like the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, etc., but still one fruit. Only one way to get it. 

Does that make sense? As Christians, the fruit of the Spirit that we bear tells how much we are being led by the Holy Spirit, instead of being led by our own fleshly desires and tempers. No matter how much we tell people about how good Jesus is, they won't think much of us unless our lives show the fruit of the Spirit! If, however, we are led by the Spirit, and we bear the nine fruit in our lives, people will see Jesus through us. 

Are we led by the Spirit? Some Christians get a little hung up on the gifts of the Spirit but don't submit to the Spirit to live a pure and holy life. I think we can get it straight if we remember Jesus' words:

 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. (Matthew 6:33)

God's will for our lives is for us to bear fruit. To be branches of the Vine. Then He can produce these godly qualities in our lives.