The Fruit of The Spirit - Faithfulness

Faithfulness isn’t an ear mark of this world. Our society is often a display of a lack of commitment, follow-through and corruption.

We see the opposite of faithfulness in the public through people through their financial dealings such as tax evasion, embezzlement and the like. We also see it through the sometimes unfaithful and corrupt behavior of some politicians and other officials as well. 

This is especially true when we see these supposed leaders seeking to tear down others and attempt to malign the character of others. 

We see it in the lives of famous people or everyday people too, as they sometimes aren’t faithful to their wife or husband. We see it in some people with a lack of work ethic. We see it with the lack of follow-through as often people don't do what they say they will do. 

We see it in friendships where someone betrays the trust of others. Like someone shared something confidential with them or they say they promise to keep it a secret and then when it comes down to it, they don’t keep it a secret. Or how about when someone propagates gossip about someone?

None of the above are what faithfulness is. 

The Definition of Faithfulness:

Greek Word: “Pistis” with means: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity

Or some dictionaries and commentaries refer to it as reliable, steadfast and unwavering.

This type of faith is spoken of in at least the 4 following ways in the Bible:

1- As an attribute of God

2- As a gift of the Holy Spirit.

3- As a positive attribute or characteristic that some have.

4- As an attribute or characteristic that many lack.

In Practical terms, faithfulness is marked by things such as loyalty, trustworthiness, reliability, commitment, following through, being a man or woman of your word, perseverance, being a good steward with what God has entrusted you with or others have.

Biblical faith is grounded in a belief that God is who He tells us He. It's also a trust in what His Word says over anything this world tells us and knowing He promises to work everything together for good.

We put our Faith in God and He then grows faithfulness in us.

I’ve heard it well said that faithfulness is the "gluing" fruit that will preserve our faith and the other fruit of the Spirit and identify God's will so we can be dependable and trusting to God and others. Because if you’re not faithful – the rest of the fruit of the spirit cannot grow as well in you.

Examples of Faithfulness:

God’s Faithfulness:

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Here are some of the ways God is faithful:

He protects us from evil: 
2 Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

He forgives our sin: 
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He Sanctifies us: 
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

He limits our temptations and provides a way of escape: 
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

He sent His Helper: 
John 14:16 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.

John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Act 1:8 He promises that the Holy Spirit will come to empower us so we can be His Witnesses…then on The Day of Pentecost – Acts 2 the Holy Spirit was given.

He’s faithful to provide the help we need so we can live out our faith and live a faithful life!

Your calling to be Faithful:

Because God is trustworthy with us we can be faith-worthy in Him! For you and I, faithfulness begins when we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

Walking with Christ is a daily exercise in faith and faithfulness because you are to be committed to who God says He is from cover to cover in His Word.

We walk by faith not sight: 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Through every experience in life, no matter what your eyes see or tell you…you walk by faith and not by sight.

Furthermore, your life should be driven and motivated by what God says and not by what your eyes see as if you only follow the world…your vision will grow very blurry very quickly.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Be faithful to honor God by rightly studying, representing, interpreting and communicating His Word! 

Portraits of Faithfulness:

Read the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11:1-12  as each of these examples are people God highlights as examples of faith.

As you read it, you'll not He doesn’t mention any of the failures of faith in their lives, rather, He focuses only on the victories.

Noah for example displayed the gift of faithfulness as he lived in a place that didn’t see rain and for 120 years built the ark and warned people of the pending judgment. He remained faithful.

Sarah was in her 90s when God allowed her to be able to conceive. As you read the entire chapter you’ll see examples of people who for one reason or another didn’t get to see God fulfill the promises He’d given them but they remained faithful and God recognized their faithfulness.

Hudson Taylor: Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: 

"Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning … He sustained 3 million Israelite's in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all … Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply."

Practical Ideas For How to Grow in Faithfulness:

"Faith moves, faith takes action, faith does things, faith makes a difference in the way your life is lived." –Pastor Rich Jones

I recommend that you start by asking the Holy Spirit for help in growing in faithfulness.

Practice being faithful and one of the practical ways you can do so is by keeping your commitments.

You also have to be the one who purposes to walk in faith and not by sight. You have to put the faith in the faithfulness. Put your faith into action and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and not on this world.

Ultimately, it's vital be faithful in the little things and as Luke 16:10 says: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.  

Be faithful in everything!

As followers of Christ, Faithfulness should be one of the ear marks of our lives as God through His Holy Spirit continues to help us grow in this Fruit of The Spirit. 

Let's pray for one another that God will help us continue to grow in The Fruit of The Spirit of Faithfulness and that we'll strive to be faithful in all we do for His Kingdom and Glory. 

Your Brother and Servant in Christ,


Randolph Koch

Hate is NOT one of the "Fruit of The Spirit".

We're called to speak the truth in love and that doesn't mean we're supposed to speak and act in hate. 

In my observation, some people sling hate as if it's something they'll receive a reward for and this includes some who claim to be followers of Christ, yet, they live in hate!?  You've probably seen them too I'm sure and maybe you're reading this and you're one of them? (Although, I hope you're NOT one of them!)

Now, I know there are some who have an intellectual belief in "a god", but I'm not speaking about them, rather, I'm speaking to those who know and follow The One True King, as they've received His free gift of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Who died on our behalf so we might have forgiveness and life. 

Let me remind you that hate does not represent Him. Hate it isn't taught from His Word and it's not part of The Great Commission you're supposed to fulfill. He doesn't say go into all the world and hate them! (Matthew 28:16-20)

It also doesn't matter what political persuasion or social or economic category you might be in, what your favorite sports team is, and it also doesn't matter what your heritage, ancestry or nationality is... if you say you're a follower of Christ, hate is not something you should be known for, period! It's also NOT one of the Fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) 

Don't exalt your politics, favorite sports team, your opinion on any topic, or yourself or anything else over The Savior you claim to follow or the people around you who don't deserve your often vial and hateful onslaught. It doesn't mean you can't have or shouldn't have an opinion but it does mean how you communicate that opinion matters! You're actions also matter!

If you hate others, you have a heart problem because we're supposed to be known by our love as He first loved us. People are supposed to know we are His because of our love. 

Now, this doesn't mean we're to condone sin but we are to have a love for mankind because we're all in need of The Savior and if you stop to think about it, when has hate ever won anyone over?!  

Also, God Himself loves each of us and while there's still time, He wants as many to be saved as possible. He sent His Son because He loved us! (Read John 3 sometime)

To love doesn't mean we will like or get along with everyone, but, it does mean we need to strive to love one another. It also doesn't mean you have to water down the truth of God's Word either but it does mean you're supposed to speak the truth in....wait for it....wait for it....LOVE! (Ephesians 4:15) 

I share this because we need to do better in honoring God and here are some thoughts which have helped shape and motivate me to share about this: 

1 - We're supposed to love The Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31) We cannot truly love God and hate others. 

2 - The Bible Tells us to love our neighbors.  (Mark 12:30-31)

3 - We're supposed to love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

4 - There are many out there misrepresenting The Lord by their words and actions and they will stand accountable for this. 

5 - We are to be known by our love. (John 13:35) 

6 - I see people claiming to be Christian's hating everyone around them regardless of whether they are inside or outside of the body of Christ!?

7 - Read 1 Corinthians 13 and the 1 John 4:7-12 and 1 John 5:1-5.

8 - I see a lot of so called "follower's of Christ" trying to shred each other online and in person because they've decide hating on each other is somehow OK. Meanwhile their bible's sit somewhere collecting dust because they obviously haven't read it in a while! It's time for that to stop! 

These 8 thoughts or reasons just scratch the surface regarding what God's Word teaches us about love and we need to go back to the school of God's Word and be schooled by His Word and the power and conviction of The Holy Spirit. 

None of us will do this perfectly but we're not alone as we battle to actively take God's Word and live it out. 

So, let's pray and ask The Holy Spirit to help convict us and help us reevaluate our lives in this area in Jesus name!

Lastly, remember this, you will be held accountable for your actions by The One you say you follow...so, you better take inventory of your life and realign yourself with God's Will, Word, and Way! 

Your Brother and Servant in Christ,

Randolph Koch

The Fruit of The Spirit - Goodness

From the very beginning of the Bible, God introduces us to what Goodness is.

In Genesis we see when God had finished creation – And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. -Genesis 1:31

With all of the Fruits of the Spirit, they are glimpses of the Character of God. And they are characteristics that we through the Help of The Holy Spirit will also prayerfully reflect. 

Goodness is no exception to this as Goodness is also one of the many direct reflections of the character of God. 

When we consider all of The Fruit, you can also think of Fruit as the beneficial results of the work of The Spirit in your life for God’s Glory as well as for the benefit of yourself and others.

Kindness and Goodness go hand-in-hand and are very similar in the Fruit that they produce in and through us.

The Fruit of The Spirit - Kindness

I’ve heard it well said that The fruit of the Spirit is the resulting character of someone who is allowing the Holy Spirit to develop maturity in their life. 

To express kindness is no exception to this because we need The Holy Spirit to work in and through us to develop and express kindness! 

If we're honest, kindness isn't very easy sometimes to practice and live out and this is especially true in an often unkind culture. However, we're supposed to be in and not of this world so we are without excuse for times when we're constantly unkind because we're called to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of Him. As we do, He will prayerfully help us grow in The Fruit of The Spirit as He's The One Who gives us the spiritual gifts in the first place!

What is Kindness?

Kindness is something that we, through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, purposefully do!

The Greek word that is translated for “kindness” is chrēstotēs which essentially means tender concern/care or uprightness. 

It is kindness of heart and kindness of action. Kindness is something you see in others and hopefully see in yourself as well as others see in you.

Kindness is something we see described in Philippians 2:3-4. "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

It’s the considering one another as more important than ourselves...  
It’s looking out for one another... 

Kindness seeks no reward for oneself... 

It’s in the little things as well as the big things...

It’s not a selfish attempt to get something for ourselves!

Kindness is really a mindset and something where we have to shift our minds or change our stinking thinking. 

Kindness is something we desperately need prayer and the active Help of the Holy Spirit to experience and bear.

You know people who are the kindest of people. Be like them.

So, what is the opposite of kindness?

Anger, bitterness, envy, strife, coveting, maliciousness, hatred, cruelty, being mean, holding grudges. Being petty. Having selfish motives and more. All of these things are the opposite of kindness and we need to reject these things in our own lives! 

What are examples of kindness? 

How can we be kind to one another? 

God’s Kindness:

Kindness is part of the characteristic that led God to provide salvation for us:

Titus 3:4-7 (ESV) "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."  

It’s the kindness of God we see in Psalms 23:2-3 (ESV) where the Psalmist says:
"He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake."  

It is God's tender care that makes Him gather us under His wings, to protect us and keep us close to Him and to be our refuge.

Psalms 36:7 (ESV) - "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings."

Psalms 17:8-9 (ESV) - "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me."

Psalms 46:1-3 (ESV) - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 

The truth is, if God was unkind and unloving, no one could or would take refuge in Him would they? 

It was kindness that led Jesus to stop what He was doing and help others in need:

Mark 6:34 (ESV)  - "When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things."

Jesus was busy and always in demand but He helped people anyway. 

And kindness leads the Good Shepherd to rescue us when we stray which we see in the Parable Jesus taught in Luke 15:3-7 (ESV): 

"So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

For us to express kindness toward those who are against us requires the work of God:

2 Corinthians 6:4-7 (ESV) "but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;  by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;"

Our instruction to be kind:

God wants us to be more like Him! 

When we experience the Kindness of Christ, His love, grace and mercy and much more becomes real to us and in turn, we can share His love, grace and mercy with others, even those we feel don't deserve it. 

Furthermore, when you are kind to others, His love, grace and mercy can become real to others (who may have never experienced kindness their entire life) because they see Christ in you! 

2 Peter 1:5-8 (ESV)  "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."  

Or some versions translate as “brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:7) Instead of “affection”

We're instructed to make every effort to put on Kindness and many other character qualities!

We’re told to put on these things. Not a suggestion but a command: 

Col 3:12-15 (ESV) "Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."  

How to Grow in Kindness:

We need to pray and ask for The Holy Spirit's help to be kind an grow in the spiritual gift of kindness. We have to strive to practice kindness moment-by-moment! The Little things count! 

For example, when you’re at a gathering somewhere, if you see someone who tends to be alone – try to show them someone cares. Show them kindness.

If you're out and about on a hot day and you see someone who is homeless, hand them a bottle of water. 

If someone asks you to do something that you don't think is your job or you don't want to do, do it anyway. 

When someone is unkind to you, pray for them and try with everything within you to be kind in return. In other words, don't return unkindness with more unkindness. 

When you're driving your car and someone cuts you off...strive to let it go and realize you don't know what is going on in their lives. 

The truth is that Jesus endured a lot of unkindness and like Jesus, kindness is humbly giving of ourselves in love, compassion and mercy to others who may not be able to give anything back including those we feel don't deserve it or who frequently don’t thank us for it.
It's being kind regardless of what you do or don't receive in return.

Keep in mind that kindness is not dependent on our feelings, rather, we're to be kind even when we don't feel like it. That's where The Holy Spirit often helps us. 

Furthermore, kindness, love, mercy and compassion and grace are what we’ve been given from God yet none of us deserved it!  

Kindness Challenge: 

Challenge #1:  Let me challenge you to turn even your random acts of kindness into purposeful, fruit filled and fruit full acts of kindness.

There’s a saying that I like, “Be the change you want to see”…which I agree but in order to do that, the change has to really begin with you and me! 

It has to begin with God transforming us and empowering us to be His witnesses in the world! Ask Him to do so and allow Him to do so! 

Challenge #2: Let me challenge you to...Go BE That Change!  

Don’t just do “random acts of kindness” but also do intentional acts of kindness. You and I have to live it out!  We need to live life on purpose! 

Questions to get started with: 

-What if every action I made and every word I speak was seasoned with kindness and grace? 
-What if I chose to have an attitude of kindness instead of a cranky attitude?

-What if my response to other’s was kind more often than not?

-What if I allowed the Holy Spirit to fully be at work in and through me so I can produce more fruit? 

Friend, our world would be a far different place if we all would strive to practice kindness! We as followers of Christ should be leading the way! 

Keep growing and lets pray for one another that we'll grow in The Fruit of The Spirit of Kindness! 

Blessings in Christ,

Randolph Koch

P.S. I decided it was time to finish the rest of the series I put on pause. :-) In case you missed the previous messages here are the links to first 5 in the series:

Intro: http://www.ashepherdsheart.org/2016/09/the-fruit-of-spirit-get-ready-to-grow.html

Love: http://www.ashepherdsheart.org/2016/10/the-fruit-of-spirit-love.html

Joy: http://www.ashepherdsheart.org/2016/10/the-fruit-of-spirit-joy.html

Peace: http://www.ashepherdsheart.org/2016/11/the-fruit-of-spirit-peace.html

Patience: http://www.ashepherdsheart.org/2017/03/the-fruit-of-spirit-patience.html

Stay tuned for more of The Fruit of The Spirit in the weeks to come!

Please consider helping this ministry through prayer and other ways! Find out more here:  https://www.ashepherdsheart.org/p/help-a.html

The Fruit of The Spirit - Patience

Read: Galatians 5:22-24, Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 1:15-17, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Romans 12:12, Galatians 6:9, Proverbs 14:29, Ephesians 4:2, Genesis 6:9-9:17, Psalm 145:8

They say patience is a virtue but if we’re honest, it’s not a virtue that many have or are working to develop. It’s definitely an area of growth!

1 Corinthians 13 says that love is patience but we have to ask ourselves… is our love patient?

We have to remember that we serve a God who is very patient with us and in turn through His example, we can learn to be more patient too as it is one of the Fruit of The Spirit that He wants to grow in and through us! 

Here are a few examples of how He’s patient with us:

Advent Christmas Eve or Day - A Prayer of Praise and Rejoicing in Christ (His Arrival!)

Read: Luke 2:1-35

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we enter Christmas day we rejoice in the arrival and indescribable gift of Jesus! We celebrate the most important birthday of all time and the most amazing gift to mankind!

We praise You for His arrival!

We celebrate, Emmanuel...You with us! What and awesome reality!

We praise You and thank You that Jesus humbled Himself to come here so we might have life through Your love and forgiveness.

I ask for Your help through Your Holy Spirit to help us point people to Your son and that we'll proclaim Who You are, Who Jesus is, Why He came and the true meaning of Christmas!

We praise You and thank You as we have much to be thankful for and celebrate.

I pray that we keep Jesus in the center of our Christmas celebration and the center and forefront of our lives day-to-day!

I pray that You're Joy and peace would be at work in and through us!

I pray for comfort for those where Christmas is really hard for them. 

I remember and pray for those who are mourning this Christmas for a lost loved one or who are battling disease, depression, anxiet or other things. Please help them to know Your love and may Your love overshadow their grief. I pray that You would heal them in Jesus Name!

I pray that relationships, especially family relationships, would be mended and differences would be put aside for this Christmas and beyond. 

May Your peace reign in each household and each heart in Jesus name!

May we remember anew the gift of Jesus Who was wrapped in cloths as we unwrap our gifts and as we enjoy a wonderful meal and celebration.

As we open presents, may we remember His presence today and each day. 

Thank You for all that Christmas represents and I pray that we never become cynical about the Christmas celebration and each year may our awe, wonder and childlike faith be renewed!

I thank You and praise You again for the indescribable gift of Jesus!

In Jesus name I praise You and Thank You, Amen.

Because He is THE Reason for the season,
Your Brother and Servant,

rlk

P.S. : As a little Christmas gift from me to you... Here's a link to a recording of the Luke 2 account of the birth of Jesus: https://soundcloud.com/user-335546274/the-birth-of-jesus-luke-21-35 Merry Christmas!

Advent Week 4 - A Prayer of Peace

Read: Isaiah 9:6-7, Philippians 4:7, Romans 6:23

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we enter this fourth week of advent we consider peace, especially the true peace that come from You!


I thank You and praise You that Youre Word reminds us and we celebrate this time of year, that Jesus is the Prince of Peace!

I praise You that we can experience true and lasting peace through knowing Him!
Even amongts the chaos that we experience in life HIs peace is beyond our understanding. 

Advent Week 3 - A Prayer of Love

Read:  Micah 5:2, John 3:16, 1 John 4:9-17

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we enter this third week of advent we consider love...most importantly Your great love.

I thank You and praise You that we can celebrate and rejoice during this season and beyond that You sent Your love down to earth through Your Son Jesus. 

The Fruit of The Spirit - Peace

Read: Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 14:33a, Matthew 5:9, John 14:27, John 16:33, Isaiah 26:3, Romans 5:1, 1 Peter 3:10-11, 1 Peter 3:10-11, Romans 12:18, Colossians 3:15, Isaiah 48:18, 1 Peter 5:7  

Peace. It's something everyone deep down wants. Why wouldn't we?! Who really likes conflict, turmoil or anything else that is the opposite of peace?! 

We want peace in our home lives and work lives. 

We want peace during war time and peace in the world overall. 

We want peace within ourselves as we face much turmoil in this life. 

We want peace in every circumstance, however, the peace society has bought into isn't true peace because it's based on shifting standards.

So, what is peace and what is the Spiritual fruit of peace? How can we experience it? Do we have a responsibility to pursue it or can we go on "auto pilot" and let the Holy Spirit do it all?

The Fruit of The Spirit - Joy

Read: Galatians 5:22-24, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Romans 12:12, Romans 16:25, Nehemiah 8:10, Acts 2:46, 13:52, 1 Peter 1:8, Luke 2:10, Luke 1:47, Luke 1:44, John 15:11

When it comes to joy, there will be times when you are filled with joy and hope and then there will be times when you’re not. It's pretty much a guarantee in life that we'll experience both ends of the "joy spectrum". 

As you crack open God’s Word we see that He says a lot about Joy! 

In fact, depending on the specific translation, it refers to the words Joy or Rejoice (where we get our word for Joy) over 300 different times!

God’s Word teaches us a lot about joy in part because He created us to live in a joyful relationship with Him and He wants us to experience the true joy that is found in Him!

You may be asking, What's the difference between Joy and Happiness? 

Let's take a brief look at the difference as well as some of the things that can increase or decrease joy.

The Fruit of The Spirit - Love

Read: Galatians 5:22-23, John 3:16, Mark 12:30–31, John 15:13, 1 John 3:11, Romans 5:8, Luke 6:35, 1 John 5:3, John 13:35.

For the believer, when it comes to The Fruit of The Spirit, Love is one of the hardest fruits to bear as it doesn’t come naturally to us.

In the landscape of culture, background, upbringing and more, it can mean many things to each person.

To add to the confusion, it also doesn't help that what is called "love" is also skewed by what we often see represented in multiple venues such as movies, TV, books and even people around you that you may know. 

It may also be personally hard for you accept, receive and give to others because of how you were raised, the horrible ways you've been treated as well as the false examples of love you've experienced. 

If your/our idea of love falls into any of the before mentioned examples that we see in the culture, or the negative ones you've experienced first hand, we need to work hard to reject these ideas in order to see true love, the perfect love that God replaces the worlds love with. 

Because of how prevalent the culture and our sinful nature is, we need to rethink and re-calibrate what love really is. 

God's Love including the Love that comes through the Fruit of The Spirit, are completely different than the love we can experience and that we see exhibited in the world.  

You're Not A Waste Of Time!

You may feel like God is too busy for you or that you've lived so a horrible life that He thinks you're a waste of time. 

With The Lord, there's Never a lost cause or a waste of time. 

He's not like the imperfect human beings you experience in your life who are conditional in their love and care for you! 

He's full of grace, love and truth for you. He's, there for you and loves you unconditionally so why not abide in Him and seek Him with all that is within you (heart, mind, soul and strength) each day!? 

What are you waiting for? He's constantly trying to draw you to Himself so why not listen to Him?

Blessings in Christ, 

rlk 

#saturday #foodforthought #ashepherdsheart #grace #truth #love #faith #hope #trust #wisdom #truth #life #Godisgood #GodLovesYou #Christianity #ChristFollower #Christian #encourage #encouragement #inspire #inspiration #inspirational #inspirationalquotes #quote #quotes 

Need your prayers!

Appreciate your prayers for my audio/video venture! Find more information about it here and please pray for me! Only asking for prayers here but this link has information about the projects I'm trying to do. Thanks! http://www.ashepherdsheart.org/p/online-store.html#!/Audio-Video-Venture/p/53206936/category=0