Gentleness & Self Control
This week's series is all about the fruit of the spirit. I say this often, but our goal each and every day should be to become a little bit more like Jesus than we were yesterday. To do that, we need to be intentional about living with the fruit of the spirit and the nine qualities. The qualities that I want to talk about today are gentleness and self control. One story that I really think showcases the gentleness and self control of Jesus in..........
Goodness & Faithfulness
The book of James helps us to not fixate on our goodness but rather the goodness of our Father. Having a relationship with Jesus naturally produces the goodness James speaks about. The goodness that we need to be pursuing is the goodness of our God, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not the goodness of ourselves.......
Patience & Kindness
Patience has always been one of those fruits that frustrate people! You are impatient for the past and the future at the same time. This same tension is something we feel spiritually as well. We need our impatience to be made new everyday by the restoring power of Jesus Christ. Sinful impatience says “I know what I need and I am upset that I am not getting it right now” Patience from the Lord says “I trust the Lord and what He has promised.” .....
Joy & Peace
If you grew up going to church you have probably experienced this situation! It’s Sunday morning and you’re running late for church, mom is yelling at you to get up and ready, you’re fighting with a sibling and trying to scarf down breakfast. When the family finally gets in the car it’s another fight about who gets the front seat, what music to listen to and where you are going to eat after church for lunch. Suddenly a phrase (or variation of this phrase) that I’m sure many parents have said comes out of their mouths “Can you guys just act happy to be here”.....
Love
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you feel loved today! As we get older, our outlook on love can sometimes become a little tainted and we may even find ourselves cynical of love. We may find ourselves stingy with our love. That's because we have allowed people and things to teach us about love that had no authority to teach those lessons. To find the truth about love, we have to turn to God - the author of love.......
Intro
A few years ago someone gave me strawberry seeds to grow my own strawberries! I wish I could tell you that I enjoyed even one amazing fresh strawberry but unfortunately I do not have gardening skills. I will forget to tend to plants and hope for the best. My lack of effort resulted in not being able to produce any fruit. A lot of this was because I didn’t have anyone or anything to help me I just went off my knowledge and skill set.....