As we continue with the Fruit of the Spirit, we will talk about kindness. Kindness can have such an impact in people’s lives. Even a smile can brighten a person’s day. I think along with that is generosity which is a form of kindness. Helping others in need. Giving a kind word. Standing up for those who are not strong enough to stand up for themselves. This can go a long way in changing a person’s outlook on life and changing an attitude, both for the giver and the receiver.
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Patience and Longsuffering
Patience is such a hard one. It is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and I don’t know about you, but it is probably the one that I struggle with the most. We have heard, “patience is a virtue.” How true. And, “Lord give me patience and give it to me now!” Of course that is jokingly, but we don’t like to go through the trials and challenges that will lead to patient. We are (or at least I am) impatient people. We’ve heard that we live in a microwave society. We are just too uptight. We don’t like to wait. I imagine maybe this is less so in other countries? Anyways, then there is longsuffering. What is the difference? They seem to be interchangeable.
Continue reading “Patience and Longsuffering”Rejoice!: The Fruit of the Spirit
What brings you joy? Do you have joy? It’s not the same as happiness. To me, happiness is a feeling based on circumstances. Joy is contentment regardless of circumstances. That is what Jesus gives us through the Holy Spirit. That is what He gave me. Though sometimes I just need to remember His goodness, listen … Continue reading “Rejoice!: The Fruit of the Spirit”
What brings you joy? Do you have joy? It’s not the same as happiness. To me, happiness is a feeling based on circumstances. Joy is contentment regardless of circumstances. That is what Jesus gives us through the Holy Spirit. That is what He gave me. Though sometimes I just need to remember His goodness, listen to the Holy Spirit, and show it.
Continue reading “Rejoice!: The Fruit of the Spirit”Fruit of the Spirit: Love
The previous posts we talked about hope and faith and how they were intertwined. I also mentioned that faith was part of the fruit of the Spirit, so I thought it would be interesting to go through each one. Let’s examine each component of the fruit of the Spirit. Again notice fruit is singular. We who are in Christ have all of these, not just one, or a few.
Continue reading “Fruit of the Spirit: Love”The World We Live In
When the Bible talks about “the world” what does that mean? We live in a world full of people. We live in a world full of trouble. God created the world (the earth and everything in it), God so loved the world (the people of the world), but we are to not love the world (worldly affairs and systems which oppose God; I think that’s what is meant when Jesus says that we are in the world but not of the world). Something like that. Let us see what God’s word has to say about it.
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