The Bible never says: "do good so that God will love you," or "do good so that you can earn your salvation," or "do good so that you will become a good person." That kind of goodness doesn't exist. The only way to become good, or righteous, is to receive the gift of righteousness through God's Son, Jesus.

This short addition is what was cut off on the live version of today's sermon!

All authority, all nations, all things, always. The words of Jesus have a permanent & enduring & universal validity for you & for me. That’s why they were given & that’s why they were recorded. We ought to pay special attention to what Jesus is saying here.

Now, I want to make something clear. There is much more to our message than merely "Let's be kind." The gospel message is more than that, but it is never less. If you are flowing in the fullness of the Spirit, you will take seriously the call to kindness.

Learn to be patient...with other and yourself! After all, God isn't done with you yet!

It doesn't take an advanced degree in sociology to recognize that the ideological climate in our country has become increasingly intolerant of anyone whose opinions veer from what one group or the other deems acceptable. The battle lines have been drawn & for some, there is no middle ground. With very little effort at all, you can spend your entire day in conflict with others. Or you can choose to take the path of peace.

Living out the fruit of the Spirit is not something you can accomplish by your own effort; neither can you accomplish it with no effort at all. We need to do our part in cultivating the Spirit's fruit. For this reason, as we look at each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, we'll consider how we can cultivate each quality—to take it from potential to practice to perfection.

To experience the fullness of God's joy, we must be willing to take our eyes off ourselves & all our problems & turn our eyes upon Jesus—so that the Holy Spirit can enable us to recognize the beauty of Christ in the Word & world & we can share God's goodness with others.

When you read the Bible, God speaks to you about you. The Holy Spirit will draw to your attention certain attitudes you need to change, certain actions you need to avoid, certain behaviors you to need to put into practice. So, each morning you can turn to the biblical narrative & say: God, tell me what I need to hear to become more like Jesus.

There will be times in your life when the master, is on a journey. And it may feel like no one is watching—not even God. And it may feel like he's never coming back & all you've got to work with is this little amount—not nearly as much as everyone else—and—after all—who's going to notice if you invest it or spend it or bury it.