The Ice House
Take this virtual trip in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland from the quaint village of Griendlwald to the Jungfrau. The first part of the trip is by conventional rail to Eigergletscher, the rail stop where passengers transfer to the rack railway going up to the Jungfrau at an elevation of 11,332 feet. It is spoken of as the “Top of Europe.” From here there is a panoramic view of much of Europe. Avalanches can be seen cascading down large mountains. A highlight of the visit to the stunning visitors center is the intriguing ice palace. It is an entire house carved into the glacier. Each room is framed by an ice wall. A constant temperature below freezing preserves the palace.
Make sure the ice palace is not a physical depiction of your home spiritually. With the King domiciled in your house warm hearts will exude “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5: 22, 23).
Let’s trace this backwards to determine if the King is in residence. If those traits typify your home or personal life the King is in command.
PAUSE and reflect on each of the “fruit” one at a time. Determine if each does it needs accenting?
I enjoyed visiting the ice palace at the Jungfrau, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
Physically make it evident to any guest that might come into your house that Christians live there. This can be done by having a nativity all year. Having a Bible visible sends a message.
The late great basketball player Pete Maravich told me he had John 3: 16 carved in the front door of his house. He said he did it so that anyone who came to his house would know a believer lived there.
Make it evident believers live in your home by the spirit of those living there.
Galatians 5: 22 lists nine aspects in our lives. The text says “the harvest of the Spirit is…” Grammatically that appears to involve a singular noun, harvest, and plural verbs.
The solution is found in the Greek word “karpos” translated “fruit.” In 1611 in England, when the New Testament was translated from Greek to English, harvest time was called a time of “fruiting” so they translated it “fruit.” Today the word “harvest” is a better translation. All nine traits are to be incorporated in the life of each believer. Keep them in mind and enact them daily to avoid your home being a spiritual ice palace.