The eighth fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. There is more to this fruit than meets the eye and it goes to the core of who we are. 

The spirit of our age is not one of gentleness. It is often harsh, angry, judgmental, and unkind. At its core these are characteristics of pride and ego which cause us to believe we are better than others and therefore have the right to criticize, put down and put others in their place. It is why people are easily angered and ready to say harsh things. A lack of gentleness at its root means that we view ourselves as better than someone else. 

Gentleness on the other hand comes from a place of humility. Someone who is gentle is not easily angered, controls their judgements and words, does not take revenge, is not prideful, and is kind and gentle with others. Gentleness easily lets go of offense, is polite and courteous, and treats others as better than ourselves. It is the direct result of a humble Spirit that keeps ego under control. Gentle people refuse to be harsh, to act impulsively, or to say hurtful things.

This is actually nothing less than the character of God who humbled himself for us, (Philippians 2), is gentle and humble of heart, (Matthew 11:28-29), and infinitely kind to us. This is His character which is why it is a fruit of the Spirit. It comes from him. Scripture describes God as being like a tender father or mother, a loving shepherd caring for His sheep, carrying them in His arms. Protecting and providing.

Here is an irony. There is spiritual power in gentleness when we think the power comes from getting in the face of others. Like so many other areas, Jesus turns the thinking of the world on its head. The gentle person exudes a quiet confidence and inner strength that is contagious and powerful. And, because it is the character of God, it has spiritual power and influence. The gentle person ends up with far more influence than the harsh individual. Their quiet, measured, humble voice has amazing power. 

As you walk through your day today, be conscious of having a gentle spirit. As we keep our egos in check, treat others with dignity and respect and speak with gentle wisdom, God’s power will flow through us. This is His character. It is how he deals with us. It is who He is and what He calls us to.

Father, would you help me today to be gentle and kind and measured in my interactions and to treat people as you treat me? Give me a spirit of humility and kindness toward all. Amen.

Faithfulness is the seventh fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. It is an interesting word when we consider the context of our world today. Let’s start with the fact that there are no absolutes in our world anymore. Your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth and both are true even when they totally disagree with one another. Two diametrically different truths cannot both be true. But they are in our world.

We live in a relativistic world. Our ethics are driven by our belief system and our circumstances. Our moral choices are equally dependent on what seems best to me. In a world without absolutes there is confusion. This is our world.

Not so with a Christ follower for the seventh fruit of God’s Spirit is faithfulness. It is the Greek word pisteos, which means living with firm persuasion and conviction in the truth. It is a deep assurance in, reliance on, and confidence in God and His truth rather than a life of confusion, hypocrisy, or disobedience. It is a settled faith in God with the requisite fidelity to that truth and conviction. 

Unlike a confused world when it comes to truth, God is truth and His word is truth. He and His word are our foundation and our unchanging guide to what is right, what is wrong, and the way we are called to live. As the old hymn says, “We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll; fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.” 

We have the anchor in our Savior and His Word. Our responsibility is to live consistently with that anchor. With His truth. Not only believing (head knowledge) but believing (heart commitment) and doing (matching our beliefs to our lives). Never separate head knowledge from heart commitment and how we live. They all go together. That is faithfulness. 

Faithfulness requires that we understand the teaching of God. We cannot demonstrate faithfulness without spending regular time in the word of God, understanding God’s character, His teaching, and His call on our lives. Our objective truth is grounded in His objective Word. 

Something else happens as we spend time in his truth. We start to think like Him and we are motivated to live like Him. Time with His Word, and with Him in prayer, and meditation create in us the desire to live faithfully. This is what the Spirit does with our spirit as we spend time together.

Father, thank you that I have an anchor that keeps my soul safe and secure as the billows roll. Thank you that in a relativistic world I have objective truth grounded in the God of the universe. Give me your heart of faithfulness. Amen

The sixth fruit of the spirit is that of goodness. It comes from the Greek word “agathosune” meaning an uprightness of heart and life. It is a word that encompasses our whole life and translates from our minds to our hearts and then to our actions and words. Goodness is integrity of heart and life. Its goodness derives from God Himself who is changing us into His likeness. Into His character which is always good! It is living like Jesus lived. 

A life of goodness chooses to say no to those things that are not good and not like God. This is the kind of life that practices Hebrews 12:1-2. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” This is the foundational attitude of the spirit of goodness. Sin isn’t good so we throw off the stuff that hinders and entangles us with our eyes fixed on Jesus and His example. That is a life of goodness. 

Romans 12:1-2 says a similar thing. “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 

Paul contrasts the pattern of this world, which is not characterized by goodness, with the renewing of our minds and being living sacrifices, people who do what God would do in every possible situation. It is a life of goodness, not a life of conformity to the spirit of our world.

A spirit of goodness speaks honestly, cares about justice, tries to mitigate evil and sin in our world. It chooses right over wrong and actively seeks to throw off the sin that so easily entangles. It challenges power when necessary and works for the common good. It confronts evils like racism and stands up for the voiceless and marginalized. It cares about living with goodness personally and spreading that goodness to others for the common good. It reflects the character of God in whom there is no unholiness. 

The refrain of the book of Leviticus back in the Old Testament is “You shall be Holy for I the Lord God am holy.” The book goes on to describe how holiness in each part of life matters to God. This is the sense of the Fruit of Goodness. It is living with upright hearts, holy hearts, choosing righteousness over our sinful nature and being agents of God’s goodness wherever we are. 

Father, give me a deep desire for your goodness. A desire to live with your goodness and to display your goodness in my thinking, heart, words, and actions. Today! Amen

The fifth fruit of the Spirit is that of kindness. Again, because kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit living with us, we need to look at God’s kindness to us which is the description of what we should understand by kindness. 

Again, the place to go is the Gospels because it is there, in the person of Jesus, that we see what kindness looked like. Think with me about how Jesus interacted with people. He was deeply compassionate about their circumstances and brokenness. He spoke with gentleness and respect. He gave honor to those who society didn’t honor. 

In fact, this is what he said about himself in Matthew 11:29-30. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” These are words of kindness. He describes himself as gentle and humble in heart with an easy and light yoke. 

I am often challenged by the contrast of the life and example of Jesus and the harshness that Christians can show to one another. Preaching against certain sins can be harsh. Spirits toward one another can be critical. Judgements made about other believers can be cutting. Lack of forgiveness and holding onto grudges is commonplace. Hard words in the name of truth show up all over on social media - directed at other believers. And we can find ways to justify all of these. 

Except… they are not the fruit that comes from God. From Jesus. Because that spirit is a spirit of kindness, gentleness, respect, compassion  and humility. This is not our natural tendency, especially toward people we don’t like or agree with. None of the fruits of the spirit are natural tendencies. They are the direct result of God living within us, and our exposure to Him gives us the motivation and the power to relate to one another as He relates to us. The fruit of the Spirit is simply us mirroring to others how God relates to us. It is us passing Him along to those around us.

Ask Jesus to nudge you whenever you are tempted to respond unkindly, think about someone unkindly, or be harsh or hard in any way. If you ask, He will. And then, choose the way of Jesus, rather than the spirit of our world. Pass on the kindness that God gives to you every day and you will be amazed at how people respond. And please, let's not join the unkindness of our day in relating to those we don’t agree with. Our world and our fellow believers would not be so divided if we specialized in kindness. Ask Jesus to help you be kind, especially when you are tempted to be harsh.

Father, thank you, thank you, thank you for your kindness toward me. Thank you for your gentle and humble spirit. I pray that you would give that spirit to me to pass on to others. Amen.

We live in an impatient world. Especially when it comes to other people. If someone does not live up to our expectations it is easy to write them off. If we disagree with another’s politics it is easy to allow that to create relational distance. We just don’t have much room for disagreements, people who disappoint us, or ministry situations that don’t go our way. I would call our age, an age of impatience.

And yet, patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. That is because patience is part of God’s character. Think for a moment about your own life. You and I know the deficits we have and then think about God’s patience with us. He can wait years, sometimes decades for us to respond to his promptings. He does not force us but He also does not abandon us. He is gentle, patient, loving, and kind. We would be in major trouble if God’s level of patience were the same as ours. Fortunately it is not.

Patience has many facets. In fact, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is all about what it means to be patient. “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs…It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” What a beautiful picture of patience. This is not the spirit of our world. This is often not even the spirit in the church. It is the Spirit of God.

Here is the thing about God as it relates to us. He takes a long view of our growth. He puts up with our foolishness without writing us off. He perseveres with us when we fall short. He believes in us when others don’t. He forgives us when we fail. Every time.

Paul says to the Ephesians, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 4:32-5:2). 

At the heart of our impatience with people is often the issue of forgiveness. They fail us in some way. They irritate us. They disappoint us and we don’t do as Christ does and forgive them. Rather, it is easy to allow our irritation to get the best of us or even abandon them. This though, is not the way of Jesus, or the way that He has called us to. The way of the Spirit is kindness, forbearance, forgiveness, compassion and love. That is the foundation of patience. 

Before we pray, think of the individual that you have the hardest time being patient with. With that person in mind, let's pray.

Father, I confess my impatience and I long to be more like You. Would you remind me daily of your patience with me and help me through your Spirit to be more patient with others. And help me to forgive, live in love, have compassion, and become more like You. Amen.

Yesterday as we studied joy we concluded that “Joy is not the absence of difficulty but the presence of God.” A similar truth is found in the Gift of Peace. 

Peace is an unlikely state of being in a world that is so full of conflict, evil, and circumstances that bring anything but peace. It is the upper room discourse in the Gospel of John where we find the best teaching on peace. 

Start with this truth. Peace is not the absence of trouble. In fact, Jesus told His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

Further in John 14:27, Jesus makes it clear that He is the giver of peace and it is a supernatural peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Our peace is grounded in the power and goodness of God and it can prevent our hearts from being troubled and our hearts fearful. The peace of our world is an absence of trouble. The peace of God is peace in the midst of trouble. 

Twice in John 20, Jesus says to the disciples who were living in fear, “Peace be with you.” Think about your circumstances today. The uncertainties you face, the unknowns you have in your life and then hear the whisper of God to you, “Peace be with you.” As Paul says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Again notice the connection between our trust in God and His peace in our lives. Trust and peace, like trust and joy go hand in hand. The more we press into Him, the more peace and joy we experience.

If you lack peace today, there is an answer. Spend more time with the giver of peace. It is amazing how time in His presence changes our perspective because we start to take on His perspective which is one of peace and joy.

Peace is a gift from God. It is not dependent on events or circumstances of life. In fact, it is the antidote to the circumstances of life which are anything but peaceful. 

Father, thank you for the gift of peace. May you fill my heart with your peace today. Allow me to walk through troubled times with the supernatural gift of your peace. Amen.

The second Fruit of the Spirit is that of joy. If you look the word up you get definitions like “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” The problem with that is that there is plenty in life to rob us of pleasure and happiness. Certainly, I have met people who are naturally joyful. My wife Cleo fits that description. On the other hand there are people, and I am one of them, who struggles with depression and can find joy elusive. So the question is, what is meant by joy as a fruit of the spirit?

If you survey the use of the word in the New Testament there are places where it is used as a synonym for happiness. For instance, when the Christians were scattered in Acts 8, Philip was in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. The populace paid close attention to what he said and witnessed evil spirits driven out of people and the lame and paralyzed healed and it says, in verse 8, “so there was great joy in that city.” The gospel brought hope to the hopeless and with it joy.

What is interesting to me is the proximity of joy and the Holy Spirit. For instance, in Acts 13:52 we read, ‘And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” There is a connection between Joy and the Holy Spirit because it is the Spirit who brings real joy.

We have a similar connection in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Again notice that it is God who fills us with joy and peace as we trust him in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Our joy does not come from our circumstances, which would often create anything but joy. But Biblical joy comes from God Himself who fills us with His joy as we trust in Him. Thus, the closer we press into God, the more joy we experience. Not because of our circumstances but because God fills our hearts with His peace and joy in spite of our circumstances. Biblical joy is a state of being that comes directly from God and is not tied to our circumstances.

This was true even of Christ as faced the cross. Consider these words in Hebrews 12:1-3. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Joy is not the absence of difficulty but the presence of God. Think about that today. Joy is not the absence of difficulty but the presence of God.

Father, thank you that despite my circumstances, in you I have joy. Help me find joy in your presence today. Amen.

What is the one characteristic of those who you like to hang out with? What character trait makes you want to spend time with them? The answer can usually be summed up in one concept. They are people who love you and show you that love. In that love you feel accepted and valued and wanted. 

This is why Paul introduces the Fruit of the Spirit discussion with these words: For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Galatians 5:14. Loving our neighbor as ourselves is the second greatest command behind loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength.” Love of others is the single greatest obligation we have as Christ followers because it is who God is and it is how He has loved us.

Now Paul is writing to the congregation of the Galatians. And even among them and, for that matter, among us there are times when rather than love one another we, in his words, “destroy one another.” What destroys others? Gossip, unkind words, judgemental attitudes, envy, critical spirits, or as Paul says, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. Ouch. Even among God’s people, but it doesn’t need to be that way. It should not be that way. 

To love others is to want the very best for them. In fact, it is to want for them what we would want for ourselves. Love is a choice that we make to extend to others the very attitude that Jesus extends to us. It is the most countercultural and radical thing we can do in a world that is obsessed with self and self interest. It is a choice to see and treat others as Jesus sees and treats us.

Here is something to consider. In John 10:10, Jesus contrasts His character with Satan's character. He says this, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The thief or Satan wants to rob us and diminish us and hurt us while Jesus came to give us life and fullness of life. Here is what is interesting. In every interaction and relationship we have we either give life like Jesus or rob life like Satan. The deciding factor is whether we are demonstrating love or selfishness because love always gives life.

Here is the thing about love. It is easy with those we naturally like and hang out with. It is harder when it involves people that irritate us. Yet Jesus does not differentiate between the two. Our posture toward people is to be one of love and concern. To love is to make ourselves vulnerable, to hurt as Jesus did in His earthly existence. Sometimes the most painful situations are those when we show love to people who don’t respond in love. 

One of the tragedies of life today is that there are so many things that divide us. Politics, race, and ironically, even theology. We have elevated so many things above Jesus and the Gospel that things that should not divide do and relationships that should not be broken often are. We don’t have to agree with someone to show them love. They don’t need to live up to our standards to love them. Loving actions, attitudes, and words are a decision that we make because Jesus calls us to love one another.

What does that love look like? Paul gives us a definition in 1 Corinthians 13. Think about someone who is hard to love as you listen to this definition. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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.” 

The only way to live with that kind of love is to access the help and power of the Holy Spirit. But remember, this is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit is the key to living with love. Through the help of the Spirit we can live

Many Christians today have a lot of Bible knowledge - especially if they have been around the church for a while or grew up in Sunday School. What is often lacking in our Christian walk is not knowledge but what is called the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. That encompasses how we think about others, how we treat others, and how we demonstrate the love of Jesus to others. Relationships among fellow believers in the church often lack the magnetic love and grace that Jesus demonstrated in the Gospels and in our own lives. 

I recently did a comprehensive review of the culture of a large church, interviewing 70 people in the process. One of my findings was that the church is known for a fairly harsh, critical, judgemental, and fearful culture rather than a culture of joy, grace, and Jesus. Unfortunately, they are not alone even though many of these attitudes are hidden in the church behind spiritual language. 

Whenever this is the case, the problem is a lack of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the lives of those who call themselves Jesus followers. This is the subject of Galatians 5:13-26.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Think about this. Jesus attracted people to himself precisely because He epitomizes the fruit of the Spirit. It is His fruit. It is who He is. Yet, all too often what we encounter in relationships is not His fruit but the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that Paul tells us to leave behind. Every harsh word we utter, every time we are impatient with others, each broken relationship we have not attempted to heal, all bad attitudes toward others reflect our lower nature rather than God’s fruit. 

In the next days, we will look at what it means to live by the Fruit of the Spirit rather than by the Spirit of our Culture. For now, remember that every interaction we have with others is either characterized by the Fruit of God’s Spirit or the Spirit of our Culture, and there is a large difference.

Father, thank you for bringing to our attention what it means to live by your fruit. In all my interactions today, remind me that I can reflect you or reflect my culture and that you want me to be Jesus to those around me. Amen

Jonah is the only book in the bible that ends with a question. Let's review chapter four of the book. “But to Jonah, this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, "Isn't this what I said, Lord when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

But the Lord replied, "Is it right for you to be angry?" Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade, and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day, God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" "It is," he said. "And I'm so angry I wish I were dead." But the Lord said, "You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not be concerned for the great city of Nineveh, where there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?" 

Let's talk about Jonah's racism for a moment. The Ninevites were mortal enemies of the Jews and had treated them with great cruelty. Jonah had reason not to like them. Plus, he was one of the chosen, the Jews whom God had blessed and from whom the Messiah would one day come. The Ninevites were often oppressors of the Jews. They were uncouth, violent, and harsh people. Jonah despised them, which is why he ran from God's assignment and was so angry when God spared them. When it came to the Ninevites, Jonah was a classic racist.

A racist is "prejudiced against or antagonistic toward people based on their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group." Jonah's antagonism ran deep, and he told God he would rather die than God be gracious to them. But notice again the question that closes the book of Jonah. “And should I not be concerned for the great city of Nineveh, where there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?" 

God knew how bad these Ninevites were. That is why he was going to judge them and destroy them unless they repented. But what would have caused the heart of God to have compassion for a group that had oppressed His people?

Jonah gives the answer to God in verse 2. "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." Here is Jonah's second death wish. First in the running from God and now when He sees that God will not destroy the Ninevites. His antagonism ran deep!

Why was God's heart different? Because God created all people in His image. That image was destroyed in the fall when Adam and Eve sinned, but the remnants remain. He sees all people the same. Broken and needy images that He wants to re-image, restore, and heal. There are no exceptions. God wanted Jonah to see the Ninevites in that light, and He wants us to see all people in that light. There is no racism in the heart of God. There are no groups more deserving than others. None deserve His grace, but we all have access to it and should see our neighbors in the same light.

There are no people more deserving of God's grace than other people. None of us deserve it. Americans don't deserve it