To cultivate the fruit of gentleness, one must surrender personal rights. The meek wholeheartedly offer themselves to an awesome God in reverence. I love how Pastor Chuck Smith explains it: “The word meek can probably best be defined by putting a hyphen in the middle of it: me-ek. It is again looking at myself…
Sow gentleness. Meekness is strength under the control of the Holy Spirit. A gentle person exercises personal power without abuse. This fruit is infused with grace. One who is gentle has received grace and understands the importance of humbly extending it to others. Meekness requires a submissive spirit that trusts that God is good. When…
Do you ever feel like a piece of fruit on a juicer? Do you feel manhandled, squeezed, and pushed in opposing directions? Some days, I just want to say “enough.” No more. Stop. But, I am reminded that my Savior endured much — He endured much more than I ever will. Jesus was a finisher,…
All right, I know that this picture is of a potato. A potato is definitely not a fruit, and we are talking about fruitful living. But, the more I delved into the word “faithfulness,” the more I realized that faithfulness is a rare fruit. I am reminded of Proverbs 20:6 (NIV): “Many claim to have…
When this world tries to tell me that I am not enough, then I will remember that God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14). God is enthralled by my beauty (Psalms 45:11). God has given me everything I need for life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). I am more than a conqueror…
Can I be honest? I don’t like to be good. The fruit of goodness requires me to extend myself to others — and sometimes I find that uncomfortable. I know that the Bible says I am supposed to meet the needs of the poor and hurting and the downtrodden, but some times I don’t want…