Fruit of the Spirit

Patience

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During this Advent time of year, the Fruits of the Spirit keep coming into my mind.  We wait for the celebration of the birth of our Savior.  Nothing about His coming was designed by us, the human race.  This is a clear example of God at work for the good of all people.  We must be patient on our faith journey and not give up hope…no matter how bad things may get, in any situation.  Prayer…thoughtful, sincere, true and honest prayer, that is based in trust and belief in Jesus Christ is very powerful.  The answers to our prayers are not based on our plans or our desires and that is a good thing.  When you are discouraged or frustrated regarding a person or situation…take it to the Lord in prayer and remember when God was at work with His plan over 2,000 years ago, the results both then and now have been better than any human plan ever conceived.  I pray we all trust in the Lord and seek patience with His plan for our lives.  Amen.

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of  those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Faithfulness

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Devoted…loyal…dependable…reliable…committed.  Faithfulness is another one of the Fruits of the Spirit.  To be faithful means there is a willingness to set aside ourselves as top priority, and put our focus on something greater.  Faithfulness may not be filled with excitement and adventure rather it is about being consistent and supportive in our values and beliefs.  Being faithful may not always fulfill all of our wants and desires, however, when faithfulness is given and received it does fulfill some of our greatest needs.  May we all take time to reflect on our relationships and give thanks to those who have been faithful to us and seek where we can serve others faithfully.  Amen.

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“…The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”

Psalm 145:13

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the south shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Wait For The Lord

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The ways of the Lord are exemplified by the Fruits of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  It is so easy to get derailed and off track with these ways because the world is pushing for self-centered behaviors of hate, anger, dissension, me first, greed, faster, get out of my way and other similar attitudes.  God keeps His promises and He will encourage you, hold you up and strengthen you for every and any battle…it is up to you to be engaged in your relationship with Jesus Christ and for you to read the Word of God to gain the wisdom and understanding God provides.  If we are unsure of where God is in our life then we should continue in prayer and wait for Him…He always shows up, always.  I pray we seek to live the Fruits of the Spirit in our relationship with the Lord and with others.  Amen.

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“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

Character

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Personality…nature…disposition…temperament…mentality…essence…identity…spirit.  Our character is defined by who we are, how we relate and interact with others.  This is at the core of who we are as a person.  For some, their true character is only revealed to a few other people as they have fear and a lack of trust in others due to previous wounds and painful past experiences.  The other reason fear exists in revealing our true character is our concern regarding acceptance.  With the proliferation of social media sites, judgement or what is know as ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ has inappropriately become the measuring stick of defining who someone is…talk about judging a book by its cover!  We can begin to get knowledge and a better understanding of our character by spending time with Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord and by accepting who we are according to God.  Additionally, we can encourage and help build up others by taking time to listen and discuss the things that make us different.  I pray we all examine who we are more than what we do and we lay our fears and worries at the foot of the cross.  Amen.

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Sow The Seeds Of Faith

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Whatever we choose to be, how we choose to behave, the attitude that we choose as our approach to things…this is what will come back to us in our lives.  If we choose to be angry, full of fear, jealousy, envy and go around constantly judging others…that is exactly what we will get back.  Yet if we choose to live differently, if we choose to follow the Fruits of the Spirit as written in Galatians 5:22-23…we will receive those fruits back to us.  So the question is what do you want to sow today?  I pray we seek goodness and to live by the Fruits of the Spirit in our daily walk.  Amen.

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“The one who sows to please the sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Galatians 6:8

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while traveling through North Dakota)

Holy Living

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To know Him and to make Him known.  Love…Joy…Peace…Patience…Kindness…Goodness…Faithfulness…Gentleness…Self-Control.  These are all ways we can live a holy life.  We do not need to pound on people with bible verses as if they are the law.  God gave everyone free will, each person will either turn towards God or turn away from God by how they choose to live.  The attitude and behaviors they exhibit in everyday life.  I usually try to pick one of the nine fruits of the Spirit and make myself more aware of how am I practicing patience or how am I showing faithfulness and one of the hard ones for me…how am I doing with self-control.  The more we spend time with Jesus and the Word of God the better we get at holy living and the more prepared we become to share the Good News.  May you find joy and comfort in your faith.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12-13

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Give Good Fruit

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Our lives are filled with choices and decisions.  We are the ones responsible for the attitudes and behaviors we present to the world.  We are blessed with the redeeming blood of Christ.  We have been forgiven for our sins.  Let’s go out and give good fruit.  No matter what your circumstances or your place in life today you can give the good fruit we receive from the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t take money and it doesn’t take a certain level of influence in society.  The Fruit of the Spirit is all about making the choice to behave as we have been instructed to.  We should not expect the world to always be kind and generous to us as it is broken, however, we know that no matter what, God is with us and He is holding us.  May we share the blessings the Lord has given to us with others.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

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We all have something we believe in, we all have something to share with others.  The way we choose to share that message will have a significant impact on whether we are heard or cast aside.  How we communicate is probably more important then the message itself because the best message that goes unheard is nothing.  God provided the guide on how to interact with others and if more people spent time interacting with each other in this way there would be so much less anger, hatred and disrespectful choices being made among us.  The way to communicate a message of injustice or to help draw attention to a need is with the fruit of the Spirit…with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and with self-control.  If you choose to communicate with dishonor, anger, yelling and disrespect for others then the value of your message is lost as the focus will only be on your poor behavior.  The message everyone has is important and just as important is how everyone chooses to communicate their message.  May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Garden of the Gods park in Colorado)

Choose How You Will Respond

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With every situation in life we are given free will by God which means we choose how to respond to what other people do or say.  This freedom also means we are accountable and responsible for our response even if the response is to do nothing.  If we are focused on self more than anything else we will often choose a poor response as self is only responding to the impact on me without regard for others.  God created us out of His love and we were made to choose the fruits of the Spirit in how we live our daily lives.  Be aware not only of ‘what’ you do and say, but also ‘how’ you do and say things when you respond to others.  Free will is a gift from God, how we respond with this gift makes all the difference in how we feel in our life.  May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:1

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Prince Of Peace

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No matter how you are feeling today, look to follow Jesus…

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Minneapolis, Minnesota)