Gentleness

Be Humble

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This is Holy Week…a time to reflect clearly on what Jesus truly did for you, to save you.  He entered the city of Jerusalem to cheers and the waving of palms…and days later He left the city, beaten, bloody and dragging the very cross He would die upon…in order to reconcile us with God.  It is all written down for us in God’s Word.  I am a sinner, thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ…for His sacrifice, for His mercy and for His love.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

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“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.””

Luke 9:10-14

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)

Fruit Of The Spirit

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Even though we all know about the common thing that is impacting everyone in the world, there are still battles everyone is fighting that we don’t know about.  The impact of a pandemic goes far beyond are you sick or is someone in your house sick…there are people who were struggling with the basic needs in life before this ever started and it could be worse now…there are still people battling mental illness and this situation is adding another level struggle…the list could go on and on.  Life is hard and often unfair and if this pandemic has magnified anything it is this…how we treat each other in our daily life is so important…every person you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, so be kind, live your life with the Fruit of the Spirit shining through your thoughts, your words and your actions.  May God’s peace be with you.  Amen.

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“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

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Compassion

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Care…concern…gentleness…tenderness…kindness…mercy…understanding…love.  God is compassionate.  If we would choose compassion over self-centered behavior more often it would make such a big difference in this world.  An act of compassion doesn’t have to be recorded and go viral to be meaningful…one act of compassion that benefits one person that nobody else knows about is just as valuable as one that encourages many.  Jesus Christ has set us the example of care, concern, gentleness, tenderness, kindness, mercy, understanding and love…let’s strive to follow His lead and show compassion to others.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.  Amen.

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“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8-9

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Self-Awareness

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This is defined as knowledge of one’s own feelings, motives and desires.  If we are able to understand more about ourselves, we can become more confident in our values and purpose.  Being more self-aware will also improve our relationships and interactions with others.  For example, if our motives and desires center around self-satisfaction we will most likely have difficulty in relationships as we are not accounting for the needs of others.  There is a balance between self-care and helping others that we should strive for and we don’t have to do it alone.  God is with us and because of Jesus Christ we can ask for guidance in finding this balance.  May the Fruit of the Spirit be in you and flow through you.  Amen.

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“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

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

Be Patient

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Why all the rushing around?  The hurry up, the plow through, the I have to finish this so I can rush off to that…and on and on it goes.  No wonder we are lost…we don’t even take time to acknowledge where we are or what is going on around us.  As we approach the holiday season, let’s not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of all the things we are supposed to do…let’s strive to acknowledge the reason for the season and to make time to be present with whoever God has us spending time with this year.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:2

(This photo was taken in December of 2013 in northwestern Wisconsin)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

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When we come to Christ and seek Him, we are renewed.  The Holy Spirit within us encourages us to live by the Fruit of the Spirit more and more and to leave the evil, anger, hatred and darkness behind.  The more we use the Fruit of the Spirit when thinking about ourselves and while helping others the better our life will be.  Most of us are too hard on ourselves and too hard on others…things can be different.  Pick up God’s Word and read about it, pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and to have the Fruit of the Spirit stirred up in you.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.  Amen.

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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 while traveling through northern Colorado)

Developing Who We Are

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The faith journey takes us on a road of self-awareness and growth.  As we read God’s Word and the teachings of Jesus, we hear messages about our attitudes, our behaviors, our words and our actions.  These are all things that we can control in our everyday life.  Instead of wasting our time worrying and wringing our hands about what other people are doing, thinking or saying we would do well to focus that effort on developing the Fruit of the Spirit in our own lives and relationships.  After all, we have the most control over one thing more than any other…how we choose to respond.  May we strive to grow the Fruit of the Spirit in who we are in the world.  Amen.

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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 August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Humble And Gentle

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Be respectful…good listener…have compassion…acknowledge others needs.  These are ways we can be one with the Spirit that is within us.  These behaviors are neither common or natural to many people.  Striving for these ways is learning to live differently than the world tells you how to live.  When we put Christ in the center of our lives we are a new creation and our old ways are left behind, life should be different, our attitude should be different and the joy and peace of the Lord will be much more common in our every day.  May the grace and mercy of God the Father wash over us and make us new.  Amen.

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“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:1-2

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

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)