The Ladder to Heaven
Read: Genesis 28:10-22 This is the gate of heaven. (v. 17) Do you ever struggle to see God’s hand at work in dark and difficult seasons? I certainly do. When life gets hard, my vision shrinks from seeing God’s bigger purpose and plan to fixating only on my problems and distress. Yet it is precisely in […]
A Starry Covenant
Read: Genesis 15:1-21 Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. (v. 5) As a young girl who loved the night sky, I adorned the walls and ceiling of my bedroom with glow-in-the-dark stars. These plastic stars came in packs of 50 or 100, which seemed innumerable to me as […]
The Keeper of the Stars
Read: Job 38:19-33 Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? (v. 31) As someone who struggles daily with anxiety, I work hard to feel like I am in control in my life. I make to-do lists and cross each item off carefully one by one as a sign that […]
Let Them Be for Signs
Read: Genesis 1:6-19 Let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. (v. 14) When I was a child, I was terrified of the dark. Every night before bed I would stand in the doorway of my room, switch off the light, and race across the carpet to the safety of my […]
Known by Our Fruits
Read: Galatians 5:25; Matthew 7:15-20 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. (v. 25) The law can’t produce them or maintain them; only the Spirit can nurture them. Such are the fruits of the Spirit. Where is fruit budding in your life and in your family, church, or […]
Legal
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 13:8-10 . . . against such things there is no law. (v. 23) It might seem a little odd that Paul concludes the list of fruits of the Spirit by remarking that there is no law against such fruit. But remember, Paul’s bigger goal is to show the Galatians how the way of the […]
Self-Control
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Timothy 1:3-7 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control. (vv. 22-23) Last but not least, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Self-control, or any moderation for that matter, is a stark contrast to the works of the flesh that Paul lists (Gal. 5:19-21). We can work hard at altering our […]
Gentleness
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:4-7 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . gentleness. (vv. 22-23) For some reason, when I think about gentleness in contemporary terms I picture someone standing up to a bully. Not fighting back against the bully, but not tolerating him either. This kind of gentleness has the strength to confront violence and […]
Faithfulness
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Hebrews 12:1-2 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . faithfulness. (v. 22) “There is no shadow of turning with Thee.” That’s how we describe God’s faithfulness in the familiar hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” This image reflects loyalty and commitment—the one who is faithful can be trusted to follow through. An interesting debate […]