Intro to the Fruit of the Spirit -- Cultivating a Spiritual Garden
Want to Grow and Cultivate a Spiritual Garden to Produce an Everlasting fruit That Frost Cannot Bite? Are you a gardener? If you are, you know that growing colorful flowers and crunchy veggies requires your love, care, time, and effort. You need to work the soil to make it just right for the seeds, water them regularly, and patiently wait for nature to do its work. When I was around eleven, I planted a couple of marigold seeds in a flower pot that was small enough to be placed in front of me on my table next to my bed. …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Love
What is love? Is it a fluttering of the heart? A giddy feeling? A mind intoxicated by someone's charm? Many would answer yes to all three descriptions. We are all familiar with the story of handsome guy meeting beautiful girl and falling in love in each other. But what if the girl grows old--and we all do--and loses her beauty? What if she gains weight, experiences mood swings, and develops annoying little habits? Would the guy's love withstand the changes in her appearance, health, and behavior? Too often, marriages that began in love grow stale when the early romantic feelings …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Joy
If I grant you one wish, asking you, "Do you want money or joy?" which one would you choose? Yes, you can only pick one. Now, carefully think it over. I know what's going through your mind; you're thinking, "If I pick money, I'll be able to have joy, too." Certainly, money can buy you almost everything, but can it bring you true joy? Many years ago, a wealthy king named Solomon experimented on his riches and shared with others his findings in the most popular book--the Bible; let us see what this king discovered in order to help us …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
Are you able to feel at peace even when life bombards you with hardship? If not, how can you achieve peace when life gets tough? In one January, Tammy Brackett, a music publicist/writer, experienced the financial pain that many Americans were going through during the great depression. "My income was reduced by 2/3 because of a job layoff," says Tammy. Yet, she was able to feel at peace. When Donna Ratner, a certified holistic health counselor, was 14, her 22-year-old brother died suddenly in a swimming pool accident. When she was 23, living in New York City, she got held …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Longsuffering (Patient Endurance)
When life gets tough, how do you react? Do you throw your hands up in the air in resignation? Or do you patiently endure your difficult circumstances? Tough times are unavoidable and inevitable; but you don't have to let them make you miserable! How can you defeat harsh days? With longsuffering. What is longsuffering? Longsuffering is the ability to patiently and cheerfully endure an unbearable situation. Longsuffering is a quality of Yahweh God Almighty: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness
How do you feel when you picture your loved ones in your mind? Does thinking about your good friends and family bring a smile upon your face? Now, picture in your mind those you really don't like. How do you feel when you think about your "enemies"? Do you feel angry, sad, hurt, frustrated, annoyed, or confused? While many of us don't have real enemies, we do have people who we dislike greatly for whatever reason. Regardless of why we don't like them, we ought to love them. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
When you wake up each morning to the sweet melodies of birds, how do you feel? When you admire the spectacular spectrum of sunsets, are you awed? When sunlight warms your skin and gentle summer breezes softly kiss you, are you not delighted? Do you not enjoy the fragrance of wildflowers, the sound of ocean waves splashing, the chirps of crickets at night, and the claps of thunders during a heavy storm? How do all the elements of life reflect the Creator of life? Think about it carefully: "there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Faith
Does faith alone in Christ alone by divine grace alone save (justify) us? Absolutely! But what is that kind of saving faith? What does it look like, or entail? Let's turn to the authority of God's sacred Word. Since He is the one who justifies us (declares us righteous), then He alone knows what kind of faith saves us, so we do ourselves essential service to heed His Word for our eternal salvation (forgiveness and eternal life). "What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?" (James 2:14, …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Meekness
Do you give to everyone what you owe? Do you give respect to whom respect is due and honor to whom honor? (Romans 13:7, WEB) When we rise from our seats to greet a newcomer, help an elderly person across the street, care for our parents when they are in need, and abide by the laws of our government, we show our humility, giving to others what are rightfully due: love, honor, and respect. True humility comes from the heart. Only when we have a humble heart will we be able to reflect humility through our actions. How can we …Read more
Fruit of the Spirit: Temperance
Imagine someone you do not particularly like coming up to you, and in front of all your friends, begins to passionately accuse you of things you have never thought of, let alone have done. How would you react in such circumstances? In such cases, maintaining temperance is the key; otherwise, you could worsen an already unpleasant situation. But what is temperance? Temperance is self-control. It is the ability to control yourself at difficult circumstances. Such an ability is precious when you run into a seemingly overwhelming situation. This is why the wise King Solomon once said, "One who is slow …Read more