Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness (Matthew 18:3) Day 89

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 89

Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3

Children mature from depending on their caretakers to wanting their independence; from believing all that they are told (from Santa Clause to the Tooth Fairy) to questioning everything; and from being sincere and genuine to having pride. In fact, younger children seemingly hide their wrongdoings due to fear of punishment, not because of pride. Pride tends to come with age and maturity.

To adopt a heavenly mindset, we must unlearn some lessons and convert back to how we began as young children. We may not be punished for refusing to be humble. God may allow us, however, to encounter experiences that allow our pride to be reduced.

Pride in things such as our wealth, positions, or God-given talents may be counterbalanced by our personal struggles in those same areas. Some struggles may be due to our arrogance about our accomplishments or from over-valuing ourselves. With such a mindset, childlike humility may occasionally be forced upon us.

With each passing day, let us learn to resemble the genuine nature of a child. Let us seek God. Let us accept that there is a Holy Father greater than us all. Instead of seeking verification of our value from others, let us seek to enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness (Psalm 149:4) Day 88

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 88

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

Psalm 149:4

There are countless ways that our relationship with God may be disrupted. For example, a lifestyle centered on impressing others can lead us on a path away from God. This may be more than being focused on materials such as cars, houses, clothes, shoes, etc. We may be intent on telling others about all we have done, the things we have purchased, or places where we have traveled. Our primary concern is not what God knows of our hearts but the thoughts others have of us. Thus, it is important that we conduct an occasional self-evaluation of our priorities.

Do we acknowledge that God is Lord over us? Do we aim to walk humbly? Unlike Jesus, we are imperfect. So, we will fail from time to time, but GOD takes pleasure in His people. In fact, He has preserved salvation for those who humble themselves to Him.

When we continue to acknowledge Him as the Lord of lords, we humble ourselves. When we humble ourselves to God, we will not be concerned with the impressions that others have of us. We will focus on God’s standards. If we do consider the thoughts of others, let others see that we serve and follow our Almighty God.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness ( 2 Timothy 2:25) Day 87

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 87

Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. Maybe God will lead them to turn to him and learn the truth.

-CEV

2 Timothy 2:25

There are certain people who are commonly referred to as “Know it Alls.” No matter the subject, they seem to have an answer for everything and want you to know just how smart they are. Eventually, those who are around them avoid asking questions or just avoid being in their presence, even if Mr. or Mrs. Know It All is often correct.

We run the risk of doing this in our efforts to spread the Word. Although we do not want to condone sin or the world’s ways, we must be careful how we wield our swords of truth. In our attempts to cut others free from the chains of bondage and sin, we may find ourselves piercing them so much that they refuse to give Christ a chance. If all that is felt when encountering Christians is the pain of correction, the world will never learn to accept the healing love of Christ.

We must learn to be passionate, yet gentle, in sharing how great God is. We should be gentle in explaining what He asks from us. In 2 Timothy 2:25, we see that though we may provide an example of humility, it is God who turns people to the truth, not us. Let us do as President Theodore Roosevelt stated, “Walk softly and carry a big stick.” The Word of God is both the biggest and gentlest of all.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness (James 3:17) Day 86

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 86

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

James 3:17

When conversing with others, we usually do not understand what someone else is expressing to us solely based on the words that are being spoken. Often, it is not what is said, but also how something is said that communicates the meaning. Indeed, changing the emphasis on a word or altering the inflection of our voice can convert our words from expressing love to being sarcastic or angry.

Throughout the bible, we learn that how we speak may reveal godly wisdom, and wisdom may reveal our humility. Psalm 37:5 informs us that “[t]he words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.” Proverbs 11:2 instructs us that “with the humble is wisdom.” James 3:17 (today’s scripture) further explains that godly wisdom also will be revealed in our gentleness. It is by traits such as purity, a willingness to yield, and by being merciful, that we expose our godly wisdom. None of which is fully possible to embrace without God’s help.

Like Solomon’s prayer for knowledge in 1 Kings 4:12, let us seek wisdom to better serve God. Let us pray to be peaceful, pure, and to display other traits of gentleness described by James. Let us desire to have hearts and minds filled with wisdom from God, not just knowledge from the world. With godly knowledge, we can reveal to others the true nature of God. We can do so, not only by what we say, but by how we say it and show it in our gentleness.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-5) Day 85

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 85

⁴ . . . Love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 
⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own . . .

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

On average, there are more mirrors in a home than there are bibles. In fact, most people spend more time looking into mirrors each day than spending time in fellowship with God. While this reality may reveal the emphasis our culture places on appearances and de-emphasizes God, it too may reflect the emphasis we place on “I” and “me.” When it comes to loving others, however, we must learn to lessen the emphasis on “us” and increase the emphasis on “how” God would have us love others. We should love with a humble and pure heart.

Pure love does not seek its own or focus attention on itself. Loving others with a humble heart requires that we separate our personal desires from the blessings of others. This love is expressed as a verb, just like the act of feeding.

Someone feeding a child or weaker adult is not envious of what is being eaten. The goal is simply to assure that the other person receives the food. Likewise, let us love without concern for our own increase. Instead of being rude or envious because someone else receives a blessing (healing, house, position, spouse, child, etc.) that we also desire, let us be satisfied with knowing that he or she has been blessed.

Let us learn to love without the focus always being on us. Let us focus on the love of Christ. He loved us so much that He gave up His life that we might receive the great gift of eternal life.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness (Romans 3:23-24) Day 84

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 84

²³ for  all  have  sinned  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God,
²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:23-24

Where do you live? Where do you work? Where did you go to school? These questions are typical parts of conversations between people meeting for the first time. For some, it is a casual way of getting to know one another. Although, for others, it may serve as a means of comparing lives and distinguishing a status.

Is my neighborhood more elite than yours? Do I earn more than you? Is my church bigger or more prestigious than yours? Though it may not always be through these standards, we often seek ways to compare ourselves to others.

Romans 3:23-24 provide the ultimate equalizer. We all have sinned. We all fall short of God’s glory. It is only through Christ that we are redeemed. It does not matter who we are or who our family may be. Our past or current lifestyles do not matter. We have no reason to elevate ourselves above others nor do we have any excuse to diminish our own value. The same price was paid for us all, and the richest person could never afford to pay it.

Let us never give in to the temptation to feel low or exalted by comparing ourselves to others. Let us not become “holier than thou” or “lower than thou” Christians. We do not know what God has done in someone else’s life. What we can be sure of, is that even though we all have sinned, Christ’s sacrifice has paid the way for us all.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Gentleness (2 Chronicles 7:14) Day 83

Gentleness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Gentleness                                                                              Day 83

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

In chemistry, there are formulas. For manuals, there are instructions. In cooking, there are recipes. God also has provided a prescription to help His children guide the world away from sin. Instead of blaming sinners and passing judgment on the lives and lifestyles of others, we can follow God’s instructions from 2 Chronicles 7:14. There He provided steps to bring order to a broken nation.

When we pray and seek God’s face, we are on the way to changing our world. When we turn from our misguided ways and to a godly path, we can help others facing their troubles. God is only waiting to heal our land. However, the first step written in the scripture may be the most difficult, for we must first humble ourselves.

It may take time for us to learn how to humble ourselves before God. It may take time for us to shake away the shackles of pride, but we can learn to pray to, seek for, and turn toward God. The time has come for us to set the stage for God to heal our land. So, let us voluntarily humble ourselves before He allows us to be humbled. 

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Faithfulness (Psalm 56:3) Day 82

Faithfulness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Faithfulness                                                                            Day 82

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.  I will trust in You.

Psalm 56:3

Author Neale Donald Walsch writes that F.E.A.R. is really False Evidence Appearing Real. Our life experiences prove how true this acronym actually is. How many times have we backed away from opportunity because we were afraid of failure? How many times have we chosen not to act because of reasons that were not realistic or likely? How many times have we not stepped out on faith because of the mere possibility of what might happen?

When we are afraid, we have a God in whom we can trust. He has a proven track record. The true evidence of God’s presence in our lives shows that we have no reason to fear or to be afraid. The same God who has the power to create life and heal a weakened body has the power to work through our circumstances.

Let us place our trust in God and not in our doubts, emotions, or human nature. It is human to be afraid, but we reveal the fruit of the supernatural Spirit when we learn to trust God, in spite of our circumstances. Let us allow our fruit to reveal our faithfulness.

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Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Holy Spirit in You - Faithfulness (Ephesians 6:16) Day 81

Faithfulness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)

Faithfulness                                                                            Day 81

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Ephesians 6:16

There are types of insurance for almost every aspect of life: home, auto, health, life, flood, fire, pet, etc. In fact, one source identified at least 85 different types of insurance. How great it would be if we had insurance to help us bounce back from our personal struggles? Wouldn't it be nice to have insurance for when we are flooded by temptation or struck by the symptoms of sin? Actually, we do have insurance - faith.

                When our hopes are destroyed, faith in our redeemer restores us. When disappointments or the death of loved ones impede into our lives, faith renews our spirit. When ideas contrary to the Word of God are planted around us, faith can repel lies and implant the truth. While insurance is there in the event that tragedy occurs, faith in God prepares us and stands with us even before tragedy is conceived.

                We do not, however, need to pay a premium for the benefits of faith. Christ paid the price for all. Our faith is free, and the benefits are eternal. Let us not only have faith, but be faithful and utilize the great shield of faith that cannot be penetrated.

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