Fruity Spirits Day 5: Kindness

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 Well hello and welcome to day 5 of our 9 day journey through the fruits of the spirit!  Today we talk about kindness as we march on through Galatians 5:22-23.  If you missed any of the first 4 days of this series be sure to check them out using these links:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience.

Today as we reflect on kindness and what it means to be genuinely kind I want to take a moment to think about kindness.  

What IS kindness?  

When I think about kindness I personally think first and foremost about generosity.  I think of kindness as an outpouring of happiness and love.  Kindness is a universal tool that can be shown through so many different mediums.  Kindness can show through our words, our actions, and even our thoughts!

How would YOU define kindness?

Take a moment to check out this previous post about kindness as it ties in PERFECTLY with today's fruit of the spirit (click the link):  RANDOM KINDNESS

Kindness goes beyond the random acts of kindness, kindness is a way of life.  Choosing a life of kindness is choosing to live not for yourself.  

Kindness can manifest itself with something as simple as a smile...give it a try!  

Here's a challenge for you:  For an entire day make the conscious decision to be aware of little bits of kindness.  How much kindness can you spot in your day to day life?  It can be your own kindness that you are outpouring or it can be the kindness of others you observe.  Keep track and see just how many accounts of kindness you can see in an entire day - I think you'll be surprised!  Remember no act of kindness is too small!  

Take a serious look at your own life...not only in the random acts of kindness department...but in the overall kindness department.  Are you a kind person?  Are your words, thoughts, actions, and motives kind?  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23

  

Fruity Spirits Day 4: Patience

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Greetings to day number four out of nine of our Fruity Spirits series!  The journey in Galatians 5:22-23 continues today as we talk about the word no one really enjoys hearing...patience.  If you missed any of the previous day check them out using these links:  Day 1  Day 2 Day 3

Let's be honest...whether you're 5 or 95 you're not really fond of the term "patience".  Nobody likes waiting and nobody REALLY enjoys being patient...if you do then I admire you greatly!

Patience is so universal in our lives when it comes to WHAT we have to be patient with.  Sometimes its a person, sometimes its ourselves, sometimes it's God....the possibilities are endless.  Patience comes in all ways, shapes, forms, and not always at the opportune time.

Whether you're 7 and have a REALLY cool story to tell your mom but instead are tested in patience when you find out that she is having a conversation on the phone or you're 87 and you're asked to be patient as you wait for your prescriptions at the pharmacy...no matter how old you are you've experienced SOME kind of situation where PATIENCE was asked of you.

As Christians walking in a relationship with Christ we are often tested in our patience, especially our patience in God's timing.  Learning to have patience in the Lord's timing is a task that I am starting to become convinced takes a lifetime to acquire.  Unfortunately, I think learning to be patient means using a great deal of patience (uh-oh....).

I'm hopeful though because I am almost positive that I am not the first person to ever struggle sometimes with being patient in God's timing. 

So what do we do when we're over here being all patient waiting on the Lord and His timing?!

We worship.
We work.
We serve.
We praise God.

Living patiently in the Lord's timing is saying "While I wait Lord, I'm going to serve you.  I'm going to work and I'm going to praise you.  All while I wait...patiently!"  

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..."

- Psalm 37:7

 

This song says it all perfectly:

 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23

Fruity Spirits Day 3: Peace

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Here we are on day three of our nine day journey through the fruits of the spirits series entitled "Fruity Spirits".  If you missed the first two days take a moment to check them out now:  Day 1: Love , Day 2: Joy  Today we move on in Galatians 5:22-23 and discuss peace!

PEACE.  

If you're thinking along the same lines as me you most definitely just pictured a bunch of hippies with their two fingers up in the air declaring the peace sign.  Or maybe you thought of peace on a completely different level and wafted off to a peaceful place in your mind where you were spending an afternoon snoozing in the hammock....seriously though lets chill for a second and for the sake of this post talk about peace on a more literal sense.

Let's talk about peace as a trait of our character.
Let's talk about peace as a way of life.
Let's talk about BEING at peace.
Let's talk about living IN peace.

To be at peace it means we have no worries, no second thoughts, no apprehensions about what may come.  Being at peace is knowing full well that God has it ALL under control.  

Peace is the ability to rise in the morning, lay our heads on the pillow at night, and fill all the moments in between by saying "it is well with my soul".  

Peace is knowing IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY.

Peace is saying "God there's so many things in my life that I should be scared to death about but because of your precious hand on my life I can breathe and know that there is no need to worry because YOU HAVE A PLAN".  

Being at peace is having full confidence in God's plan for your life.
Being at peace is having no doubts that there IS a plan for your life.
Being at peace is having awareness that there IS a BIGGER PICTURE.

Being at peace is saying "God whatever comes my way I'm trusting that you have a plan".  
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

We begin to live peacefully when we are at peace with the realization that God's hand guides our path, not our own.  God's plan overrules ours.  And whatever comes our way, must be for the glory of God...somewhere, somehow, all in the bigger picture that only God can see.

Laying our burdens, worries, and fears down and saying "God, I trust you." is the first step to living a peace filled life.

" For our God is not a God of disorder but of peace."

- 1 Corinthians 14:33 

I urge you and challenge you to examine your own life and ask yourself, am I living IN peace?  Is it well with MY soul?

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you."

- 2 Thessalonians 3:16

 

And finally, since we've talking about peace so much it just wouldn't feel right to end this post any other way....

Peace out! 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23 

Fruity Spirits Day 2: Joy

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Welcome to day number two of the Fruity Spirits series!  If you missed day one make sure you check it out here:  Day 1: Love  Today we venture on in Galatians 5:22-23 by spending some time discussing the second fruit of the spirit...Joy!  

When I hear the word Joy there is definitely some catchy song lyrics that pop into my mind almost immediately:  

"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

WHERE?!

Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

WHERE?!

Down in my heart to stay!" 

...Now that that's out of my system....

Take a moment to think about joy and what it means to you.

What brings YOU joy?

When I ask myself that question I find my mind suddenly getting flooded with a thousand-million (yes I quite possibly could have just made that number up) different things. So many simple little things bring joy to my heart and I'm sure there are many things that do the same for you!

 But now here's the tough question...how can you have a joyful heart?

I think for the sake of this post its safe to say that having a joyful heart and a joyful attitude all stems from the way you look at things.  Being joyful is not only a feeling or emotion but rather a perspective in which you see the world and the things you do.

Quite possibly the best way to achieve this perspective is through the truth that Colossians 3:23 speaks:  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." 

 

When we begin to do the activities of our lives not for the sake of the world but for the sake of the Lord we begin to see things through a new perspective.  We begin to find a new joy in the activities that once seemed so mundane and unrewarding. 

Joy is more than a feeling, joy is a way of life.  Joy is an active decision to embrace the little things in life and embrace where you're at.  Joy is doing life not for your sake or for the sake of others but for the sake of the Lord.  Joy is being content.  Joy is knowing that each moment plays a role in the bigger picture.  Joy is happiness in knowing the Lord has a plan for your life.  Joy is what we feel, joyful is what we are, when we're doing it all for the Lord.

So the question is....

What brings you joy?  

I want to know what brings you joy (hobbies, activities, babies laughing, green grass growing, you name it!)!  It might be something simple, something funny, something ordinary, something crazy, or maybe even something you didn't even realized brings you joy.  Leave a comment and let me know what brings you joy!  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23

 

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Fruity Spirits Day 1: Love

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Fruity Spirits Introduction:  Over the course of the next nine days we will be walking through Galatians 5:22-23 which talks about the fruit of the Spirit:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  If you counted the same way I did that's nine "fruits" of the spirit, and since we're blogging for the next nine days...you guessed it...we will be elaborating on one "fruit" each day.  Today we kick things off with the first "fruit"....love!  

What is love? What does it mean to love?  What does it look like to truly love?

Love can be described using a lot of different words like commitment, chemistry, longing, etc. 

Biblically speaking there's no better way to describe it than this:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, 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.  Love never fails."  - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

There is no better story of love than the act of God found in the Bible.  "This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live, through him.  This is love:  not that we loved God, but the he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:9-10 

If THAT doesn't speak true love to you then take a moment to flip through the pages of your Bible and view story after story of how Jesus loved.  Talk about endless love!

God's love is a love that never fails, never goes away, and is endless.  

So how do we love like God?  How do we embrace this whole "loving" thing as part of one of the fruits of the spirit? 

May I suggest you go back and re-read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 again.  

Ephesians 5:2 says "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

You've heard it before...WWJD...let's think WWJD when it comes to the question of asking how to love more like God.  

"And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love." 

- 1 Cortinthians 13:13 

To go along with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and defining what love looks like here's a great way to wrap it all up - make sure you listen:  

...And make sure to remember that love never fails, God is love, and God NEVER fails!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

- Galatians 5:22-23 

Want more on love?  Check out this previous post all about love by clicking HERE. 

HE WANTS YOU!

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"I want THAT one.  The broken one.  I WANT him.  I don't NEED him, I WANT him."

There can be a sea of Christians and children of God and one single lost soul amongst the crowd and God is going to point them out and say "I want THAT one.  I NEED that one."

Jesus searches out the broken, the wrecked, the ones in need of a love so immaculate words can't even begin to describe it and he tells them He wants - NEEDS - them in His family.

This blows my mind!

A God who has all things looks down at me and you in our imperfections, weaknesses and insecurities and say's "I want you in my family!  I need you in my family.  I would do anything to get you into my family!  Come child, come join me.  Be a part of my family for ever and always."

Jesus doesn't need us, He WANTS us.  He looks at us in our weaknesses and failures and STILL WANTS us.  He WANTS us in His family no matter how bad we mess up, He WANTS us!

The question is...how are you going to respond to His desire for you to be in His family?

Dig Baby, Dig!

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If you've ever taken a history class you've heard all about archaeologists.  If I know one thing about archaeologists it's this:  they like to dig.  They love to dig and find things that no one has yet discovered.  They ultimately dig to find things of value; things that mean something!  

I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "archaeologist" I immediately think of someone out at the bottom of mammoth whole in the ground digging up dinosaur bones or something of the sorts somewhere.  Maybe that's not accurate but you get the point.

If an archaeologist was to sit inside at their desk all day doing nothing, their job would NEVER get done. No dirt would be turned and no discoveries would be made.  An archaeologist is only able to find new things and make new discoveries when they are digging!  

As Christians the same goes for us.

Should we choose to sit around all day and not do anything but still hope to "score the gold" we're going to lose big time.  Just as an archaeologist must dig to find "treasure" we too must dig...into the Bible!  

What if we were to start digging in the Bible like an archaeologist digs looking for historic artifacts?  

What if we were passionate about discovering "treasure"?  

WHAT IF we were PASSIONATE about digging deeper in our relationship with Christ?

Start digging.  I dare you.  Dig baby, dig!  You might just strike gold.  

 

 

You Are What You Eat

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Since we were little we've heard it AT LEAST a thousand times..."eat your veggies!"...or at least I have.  Now that I'm older I realize the importance and healthy benefits of vegetables, and I now find myself actually enjoying my veggies...Ironic how that happens, isn't it?   

Parents stress to their children the importance of eating vegetables because they help you to grow and help your body to stay healthy.  Children, from a young age, learn about how sugary treats are not so great for your body and don't provide you with the same healthy benefits as healthier foods like fruits and vegetables.  When it comes to how we fuel our bodies it all comes down to this:  what we're filling our bodies with will essentially determine how we grow.  

Are you completely confused on where I'm heading with this yet?

How we live is a lot like how we fuel our bodies.  Ever heard the phrase "garbage in, garbage out"?  What we choose to fill our lives with is inevitably what we start to be about. Think:  junk food = overweight and unhealthy, fruits and veggies = healthy weight and healthy body. Just as what we eat determines our bodies health.  What you're filling your mind with is essentially what you are pouring out.  

In the same way that a trip to a fast food restaurant "every-now-and-then" turns into "yesterday-today-and-most-likely-tomorrow", little things that we let start slipping in to our lives can soon escalate into bigger things and all of sudden become "who" we are.  

Whether we're filling our bodies with fast food everyday or fruits and veggies we're changing the way our body lives.  

Whether we're filling our minds with the garbage of Hollywood or the words of the Bible we're changing the way we live.

We must understand that we can't start to grow-up until we start to fill-up with the proper stuff!  

So the question is....what are you filling up with?  

Is what you're filling up with helping you turn into the person God intends for you to be or is it making you stray away from that person God intends you to be?  

Now there's some food for thought!

“Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable”  

Philippians 4:8

"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."  

Colossians 1:10