2 Peter 1:3-11; The last fruit of the Spirit Paul lists in Galatians 5 is "self control". No one wants to have to practice self control, but even the world will tell you that the one who has self control is a good person. But, for christians self control isn't so much denying self but clinging tightly to christ.

1 Timothy 6:11-16; Paul commands Timothy to "pursue...Gentleness." Gentleness is hard for sinful humans because our natural inclination is to fight and scratch and claw for our will. But Christians are to fight for God's will and God's will is accomplished through the Fruit of Gentleness.

1 Timothy 1:12-17; What is faithfulness? It isn't being good enough to please God. But it is receiving, remember and resting in Christ.

Matthew 12:33-37; Christians are to have the fruit of the Spirit "Goodness" flowing from them. But how can a bad tree make good fruit? Jesus deals with men who thought that they were good but only produced bad fruit. Jesus' diagnosis then was that they were not good, but evil. What are you?

2 Samuel 9:1-13; David wants to show kindness. Kindness has many imitators, but true kindness flows from a heart that has been shown kindness. David had that kind of heart. Do you?

James 5:7-11; Waiting is the hardest part. If it was easy James wouldn't have to command it. But he does. Christians are to be patient because they know the Lord.

Ephesians 2:11-22; Everyone talks about peace and wants peace, but we don't typically think through how it is a peace is accomplished. The world offers a false and temporary peace, but Jesus offers us eternal peace beginning when we know him.

1 Peter 1:3-9; Joy is the second fruit of the spirit. We can know that we are Christians if we have the presence of Joy in our lives. But, are we joyful? We have to know what it is, how we can get it, and how we can express it.

1 John 3:11-24; What is Love? John tells us that Love is the natural outworking of the work of the Spirit. If one doesn't love, then the Spirit doesn't abide in him.

Galatians 5:16-26; the introduction to a new series called "the Fruitful Christian". We can know that the Spirit is at work inside of us if we bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. There is no such thing as a non-fruitful Christian.