Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
Kindness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)
Kindness Day 57
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write
them on the tablet of your heart,
- NASB
Proverbs
3:3
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, the character Hester Prynne is forced to wear the letter “A” on her dress as a
symbol of her sin of adultery. Today, instead of intentionally wearing symbols
that report personal sin, it is common to see people wearing symbols associated
with faith. However, a fish symbol on a car, a cross on a necklace, or even a
cross as a tattoo does not reveal a person’s true character or commitment to
God. Our true commitment to God is not something that is evident in jewelry or
markings. It is recognized in our fruit and character.
Physical markings and jewelry can be taken off or removed.
One act of kindness may be forgotten or overshadowed by countless other acts of
selfishness or rudeness. To continuously reveal the trait of kindness, we need
to make it a part of our character and who we are. When we are bound to
kindness like chains, we will be kind regardless of when it is, where we are,
or whether we feel like it.
See more at www.thefruitinyou.com
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Kindness (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)
Kindness Day 56
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return;
and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is
kind to the unthankful and evil.
Luke
6:35
We are no longer under the law of the Old Testament. We are
freed by grace, through Christ. Now, we live by the Spirit. One way of showing
that we are of the Spirit is by showing that we have the character traits of
God. This can be done by revealing the fruit of kindness to all, just as God
has done for us all - even though none of us is deserving.
Luke 6:35 identifies certain ways in which we show kindness.
For some, it may be easy to grasp the concept of loving our enemies. Many
recognize the significance of performing good deeds. Some of us even have no
problem lending. Christ issues a challenge in this scripture, however, by
telling us to not even hope for anything in return.
If we desire to have the traits of God, our kindness should
not be contingent upon whether we will be thanked. When we reveal the fruit of
the Spirit in us, we do not evaluate if the recipient of our kindness has
earned it. No matter if others are unthankful or even evil, our kindness should
indicate that we are focused on the ultimate reward – being considered children
of the Most High God. We show that we are the children of the Most High God by
acting like it, with kindness.
See more at www.thefruitinyou.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Patience (The Fruit of the Spirit in You)
Patience Day 55
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah
29:11
When reading a book, there is sometimes the temptation to
flip ahead to the climax to find out what happens in the end. Now that viewers
have access to entire seasons of television shows on DVD or by the internet,
there also may be the temptation to skip episodes to see how the season ends.
Sometimes, we wish to take sneak peeks ahead in our own lives because, even
though we trust God, we are still concerned with what lies ahead in the future.
Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that no matter the situation,
circumstance, or trial, the Lord’s thoughts toward us are not of evil, but of
peace. No matter what we experience, He has given us a future and a hope. Our
future and hope may not always be what we desire. In fact, it may be difficult,
at times, to be patient and faithful beyond our immediate circumstances.
Let us not forget that our immediate circumstances are not predictors
of our eternal reality. If we could turn the pages of our lives to the final
chapter, we would see that God’s thoughts toward us are of ultimate and eternal
peace. So, let us work to excel at revealing the fruit of patience. Let us face
each individual day with an eternal view and with patience.
See more at www.thefruitinyou.com
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