Friday Fruit : Gentleness

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)

We continue our series by examining Gentleness.

The word that we read as “gentleness” is also rendered as “meekness” on occasion.  I think this is a bit of a problem, because it sometimes makes us think of weakness.

Meekness/Gentleness however is characterised by power, under perfect control.

Think for a minute about a wild and dangerous horse, which is tamed.  It is still powerful, but now it has learned to use its power under control and without hurting anyone.  (The technical term for taming a horse is actually “gentling” I believe.)

Gentleness as a Fruit of the Spirit means that we are controlled by God’s Spirit, and lead in the way of love and kindness.  It does not mean we need to be weak, or quiet.  It means we need to be controlled, and not hurt others. 

“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

In this verse, we see that the follower does not ignore or accept the sin, but he does not lash out or condemn the sinner either.  He is gentle in his instruction, and loving in bringing the opponent back to God.

Jesus was gentle.  He was loving to the woman caught in adultery, and the woman at the well.  In both cases he told them what they needed to do, and taught them the error of their ways.  However he did not punish them or lose his temper with them.  He was controlled.

He was also controlled when he turned over the tables in the temple, and when he spoke very harshly against the Pharisees, and condemned them for their hypocrisy.  He was controlled in his anger, and his hatred for sin.  He was gentle with the sinner.

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” - Isaiah 40:11

God is infinitely gentle in his love and dealings with us, and we need to learn to take on that gentleness, and not condemn or judge those around us.  We are not to be doormats, but use the power and authority we have been given in a loving and gentle way.

Friday Fruit–Goodness

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)

We continued our Fruit of the Spirit series with Goodness.

What do you think is meant by Goodness?

Think about “good coffee “or “a good book” or “a good nap.”
Why do we call it good?

I think it means… it did what it was supposed to do.

If we look at Genesis 1, we see the same line over and over, 
“…. And God looked at what he had created, and it was good.”

I think goodness for us is about being the person that God wants us to be, and made us to be. It is about doing what we are supposed to do, and being who we are supposed to be.

Who or what did God create us to be?

• · We were created for love
• · We were created for kindness
• · We were destined for salvation
• · We were created to become like Him
• · We were created to seek a relationship with him.

Sometimes Goodness seems a lot like Kindness.  However there are differences:

• Kindness is about helping, goodness is about doing the right thing.
• Kindness gives a man bread, goodness does something about hunger.
• Kindness reaches out a hand, goodness reaches out a heart.

Goodness is measured by how well we do what God calls us to do, and being who he wants us to be.  It grows not from being perfect, or never sinning, but from being a person who seeks God’s way every day.

Goodness is Godness. We become Good as we become more like God.

What do you think Goodness means?

Friday Fruit–Kindness

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)

Our series on Fruit of the Spirit continues today with Kindness.

What does kindness mean?  We tend to think of it as being a very weak word I think.  Love is strong.  Faith is strong.  Kindness… it sounds kind of wishy-washy.  Or is that just me?

The word kindness is often translated from the word Chesed, also translated as loving kindness, mercy, compassion etc.  It is an action of Strong Goodwill, not just a vague feeling.

If love is faith, then kindness is action.
Wishing someone well is love, doing something about their needs is kindness.
Loving someone in our hearts needs kindness with our hands/mouth/etc.

How do we show/grow kindness?

Practice makes perfect.

If you see a man fall into a hole, you don’t need to have the gift of helps to be or service to him, or the gift of being a great prayer warrior to pray for him, or the gift of evangelism to call others to come and help him.

You just need to be kind, and throw him a rope. Just reach out, and help him where he stands.

Kindness is how we re-act to the world, and grows out of love.

It is about showing our love to others, deserving or not. But in our own strength we would burn out. We need to be empowered, by the Spirit, for works of kindness.

What do you think kindness means?  How is it a Fruit of the Spirit?

 

Friday Fruit–Patience

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)

Patience my young Padawan (Star Wars)

I think that with the exception of Love, this might be the scariest area to be grown in. God grows love by putting us with unlovely people. And he grows patience by putting us in situations where we are tempted to not be patient.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
(James 1:2-3)

Temptation often starts when we are drawn to something (desire) and ends when we give in to that desire (action). The purpose of patience is learning not to give into that desire, or to seek its fulfilment elsewhere.

For years I desired a suitable marriage partner, which is a noble desire. However the temptation was to look for that person in the wrong place, or to accept someone who was less suited for me. I had to have patience, and faith, that God had the perfect person planned for me. And he did. I could never have found a more perfect wife than the one I have if I had tried for 100 years. I was patient, and God rewarded that patience.

Of course God also throws bad drivers and annoying clients in my path daily in an effort to teach me about patience in those areas, and I am still learning.

Patience grows in our lives as we let go of trying to find our own solutions to problems, and seek God’s solutions. This is why it is linked to faith, because if we can’t accept that there is a solution, we might be tempted to go our own way.

What do you think patience means?  Join me in the discussion about patience, and the other Spiritual Fruit.

 

Friday Fruit–Peace

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)

We continue our weekly look at the Fruit of the Spirit with Peace.

Why is Peace so important as a Fruit of the Spirit?

I believe Peace is connected to faith.  Thanks to the Amplified Bible, we have the following interpretation of John 14:27..

Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

We aren’t told to try not to be afraid, or that fear will not find us.  We are told NOT to be afraid.  We are told, I believe, to have faith.
Faith that God is in control.
Faith that Jesus is with us.
Faith that Holy Spirit is within us.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)

Peace is what guards our hearts and minds from fear, because it is rooted in Faith.  It surpasses all understanding, because it is of the Spirit, not our own nature.

Friday Fruit : Joy

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)

We continue our Friday Fruit series today with… joy.

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice.”(Philippians 4:4)

Joy is about faith, and finding God in all circumstances.  So that our joy and attitude can be governed not by what is happening to us, but by the fact the God is with us in these happenings.

How do we develop Joy as a Spiritual Fruit?

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

This is not just an instruction to be joyful, but an indication of how joy can be achieved. 

We can be joyful by:

• Praying continually
• Giving thanks in all circumstances.  (Not FOR the circumstance, but giving thanks DESPITE the circumstance)

If we are faced with circumstances where our first response is not joy, then our first response needs to be to bring it to the Lord (in prayer).  Then we need to give thanks for God’s provision, and the fact that He will be with us. 

If we can learn to always bring everything to God, and look for the opportunities for thanksgiving, then we will learn to find joy, even in the worst circumstance.

Friday Fruit : Love

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)

…But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13b)

The first of the Fruit of the Spirit attributes that we will be examining will be love.  We see from 1 Corinthians 13:13 (above) that love is mentioned as being quite a big deal.  But why?

I think because love is who God is.  Not just what he does, but who He is. 

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
(1 John 4:8)

Our very existence comes because God loved us.  He loved us enough to create us, He loved us enough to save us, He loves us enough to give us His Spirit.  Our response has to be to show love.  To God and to men. 

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. – Romans 13:8-10

Love is… what makes us who we are.
Love is… how we show who we are.
Love is… God shining out from us.
Love is… what we do when we are not strong enough to do anything else.

So how do we show love for others, and develop this Spiritual Fruit? As an exercise, I want to invite you to read 1 Corinthians 13, and replace the word Love with your own name in the second half.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Sharkbait is patient;
Sharkbait is kind;
SHarkbait does not envy;
Sharkbait does not boast;
Sharkbait is not proud;
Sharkbait is not rude;
Sharkbait is not self-seeking;
Sharkbait is not easily angered;
Sharkbait keeps no record of wrongs;
Sharkbait does not delight in evil;
Sharkbait rejoices with the truth;
Sharkbait always protects;
Sharkbait always trusts;
Sharkbait always hopes;
Sharkbait always perseveres.

(So, did you score as badly as I did?)

If we love, then the other qualities will come naturally.
If we focus on the other qualities, then love will follow naturally.

• When we are kind, we show love.
• When we are patient, we show love.
• When we show goodness, we show love.
• When we are gentle, we show love.
• If we love, then we will be kind, patient, good, etc.

What do you think love is?  And how do we grow it in our lives?
 
Answer here, or on your own blog, and leave a link below so we can come visit you.  To get the Friday Fruit button, and to see a full list of posts, click here.

Friday Fruit : Spiritual Fruit

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)

To my mind, the Fruit of the Spirit is about trying to take on the attributes and characters of GOD.  We have all heard the expressions “The love of God” or “The peace of God…”etc.  These are all fruit of His Spirit, that we can manifest in our own lives in order to become more like him.

So as we try to follow the Holy Spirit, and seek the power and strength of the Spirit, we will see these things come to fruition in our own lives. 

I sort of think that we really have no idea what we are getting ourselves in for when we ask Jesus into our lives.  We receive salvation, but the process of sanctification (becoming pure, and Christ-like) takes longer. 

For this, we need to start developing Spiritual Fruit.

More about these Fruit next week.

What do you think Spiritual Fruit means?

Answer here, or on your own blog, and leave a link below so we can come visit you.

(click here for a full list of Friday Fruit posts on my blog)

Dangerous Fruit?

I was driving home late last night, at about midnight.  As is my custom, I was talking to myself.  (Yes, I am weird like that.)

I was busy thinking about the Fruit of the Spirit, because I am planning a lesson series on it in my small group.  Stay tuned, I might post some of it here if you are good.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law – Galatians 5:22-24

As I was driving, I was considering how one goes about exhibiting and growing the fruit in your own life.  I was thinking about what love really means, and goodness, and kindness. 

Then as I drove down a dark and abandoned road, I saw someone in a bakkie coming around the corner with their hazard lights on. (You would probably know a bakkie as a pick-up truck or utility vehicle.)

The driver pulled off to the side of the road, and stopped their vehicle.  It appeared that they were having difficulty. 

I suppose I should have pulled over to see whether they needed help.  But it was a dark and uninhabited area, and it was not safe.  My country is riddled with crime, and it is one of the first things you learn… never get our of your car at night.  Especially if you are alone.

So I slowed down, but I could not see if the driver was in trouble or not, so I drove on.  Sometimes hijackers and robbers use “break-downs” as decoys to lure people in.  So I carried on home.

It got me thinking though.  The loving, kind and good thing would be to stop and help someone in need.  Sort of like the Good Samaritan in the story.  But what about when it is dangerous to you?  I don’t mind risking my life to help someone, but deliberately doing something stupid when it might be a trap is another thing.

Isn’t it?

What are we supposed to do as Christians?  What Would Jesus Do?
Is it goodness to stop for every person, or just stupidity?

What do you think?