Goodness
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Genesis 1 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . goodness. (v. 22) We use the word “good” in all sorts of ways. The food was good, my day was good, the kids were good, the movie was good, his Spanish is good, I’m feeling good. What might “goodness” as a fruit of the […]
February 2024 Prayer Guide
NIGER — Pray for three children who were brought to our producer after having been abandoned. Our producer agreed to take in the children, and the church has rallied to provide support—helping to supply food and raising funds so that the children can once again attend school. Pray that the Lord will be at work […]
Kindness
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . kindness. (v. 22) One of my favorite poets, Naomi Shahib Nye, wrote a poem called “Kindness” in which she depicts kindness as something we can only really know when we have also known sorrow. I like this contrast; it evokes the sense in […]
Patience
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:12-15 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . patience. (v. 22) No one advertises a smartphone, computer, or tablet as “nice and slow.” Each new technological gadget is faster than the last. Our sense of what is “slow” and what is “fast” gets pretty warped as a result. When we catch ourselves […]
Peace
Read: Galatians 5:16-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . peace. (v. 22) Paul lists “strife,” “rivalries,” and “dissension” among the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:20), but peace blossoms from the work of the Spirit. We cherish peace at many levels—a peaceful moment free from noise, a break in the fighting between siblings or nations, […]
Joy
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 1:15-21 But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy. (v. 22) What comes to mind when you think of joy? What was the last experience you had that you would describe as “sheer joy”? Joy is different from happiness. “The pursuit of happiness” is prized in the American Declaration of Independence as […]
Love
Read: Galatians 5:22-23; John 13:31-35 But the fruit of the Spirit is love. (v. 22) The first fruit of the Spirit is love, which echoes other scriptural references to the primacy of love—for instance, “faith, hope, and love abide . . . but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13) and “we love because he first loved […]
Fruit in Bunches
Read: Galatians 5:24; John 15:12-17 Those who belong to Christ . . . (v. 24) The fruit of the Spirit is different from the fruit of the self-help movement, and it’s also different from those qualities we call virtues. Virtues typically refer to the way a person’s character has been formed. Is she courageous? Is he truthful? Virtues are […]
Fruit vs. Self-Help
Read: John 15:1-8 But the fruit of the Spirit . . . (Gal. 5:22) Most bookstores that are divided into subject areas will have a decent amount of shelf space devoted to the section called “Self-Help.” Designed to help us tackle our bad habits or dysfunctional relationships, these books appeal to our desire for self-improvement. Such desires aren’t […]