I once read the following quote: “There are lots of reasons people cite for their loss of interest in faith, but one of the main reasons I have often heard stems from the perception that God’s people are boring, sad, anxious, narrow. One person said: ‘I just think that life should be joyful; and manyContinue reading “When “rejoice always” sounds impossible – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 1″
Tag Archives: Discipleship
What is your level of joy? – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Preview
At Christmas we sing “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” The words of that Christmas carol reflect what the angel declared to the surprised shepherds keeping watching over their flocks at night just outside the town of Bethlehem, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will beContinue reading “What is your level of joy? – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Preview”
God loves you like Beauty and the Beast, so you can love like that too – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 5
In addition to the word agape, the Greeks had another word for love, phileo, which is defined as “brotherly love.” For example in Romans 12:10, Paul uses phileo when he writes, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” What does brotherly love look like? Brotherly love is sacrificial, the willingness to lay one’s lifeContinue reading “God loves you like Beauty and the Beast, so you can love like that too – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 5”
How can you love others if you don’t love yourself? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 4
This week we’ve been learning about the first quality in the Galatians 5 list called “The Fruit of the Spirit.” That first quality is love. But there is a roadblock to love, and the roadblock can be deep within us. There is a story in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus said that the twoContinue reading “How can you love others if you don’t love yourself? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 4”
“Agape” love is hard work? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 3
In the previous post, I mentioned that, Paul, the guy who wrote about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, used the Greek word, agape, when he was referring to love. What is unique about agape love? Paul describes it much more in-depth in 1 Corinthians 13, which is often called “The Bible’s LoveContinue reading ““Agape” love is hard work? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 3″
What is love? – Fruit of the Spirit, Love – Part 2
What is love? Our culture has many ideas about love. Here’s a great medley of some famous love songs. How do these songs describe love? So many love songs. What is your favorite? How does our culture describe the word “Love”? I LOVE Pizza! Really? What does someone mean when they say they love pizza? Continue reading “What is love? – Fruit of the Spirit, Love – Part 2”
James Dean, long strides and the Holy Spirit? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 1
One of my parents’ neighbors is quite a character. He’s lived on their street before my parents moved there in the mid-1980s, and he is probably about 5 years older than me. He has classic car hot rods, and during his late teens and 20s he would rev the engine every morning before going toContinue reading “James Dean, long strides and the Holy Spirit? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Part 1”
God is______? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Preview
If you had to describe God in one word, which is impossible I know, what word would you use? Pause reading this, think about it, maybe write down the word, and then come back to the email. What word to you land on? Holy? Pure? Trinity? Jesus? Perfect? All-powerful (or its fancy synonym, “omnipotent”)? AnotherContinue reading “God is______? – Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Preview”
How to enter the Kingdom of God – Galatians 5:16-26, Part 5
After illustrating the acts of the sinful nature, as we learned in the previous post on Galatians 5:16-26, Paul has a clear warning for the people. Look at the end of verse 21, “If we live according the desires and indulgences of the sinful nature, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” That’s aContinue reading “How to enter the Kingdom of God – Galatians 5:16-26, Part 5”
Examining the acts of the sinful nature – Galatians 5:16-26, Part 4
In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists some examples of what he calls “the acts of the sinful nature.” It is not a comprehensive list, as that could potentially fill multiple volumes. Instead Paul mentions a dozen or so examples to illustrate how all humans have a sinful nature. In this post we’ll examine his list. I’mContinue reading “Examining the acts of the sinful nature – Galatians 5:16-26, Part 4”
Engaging Scripture 