This week we are studying the quality of goodness, which is listed in the Fruit of the Spirit. What we’re going to find is that defining goodness is not as simple as it might seem. We learned in the previous post that numerous Psalms declare that God is good. In today’s post we jump overContinue reading “The complexity of defining goodness – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 4”
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The first and most important step to growing goodness in our lives – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 3
During my first few years as senior pastor, I remember a thought I had nearly every Sunday when I was studying for and writing the sermon each week. I thought, “the people don’t need to hear this…they already know it…look at them…look how good they are. What could this sermon possibly say that they needContinue reading “The first and most important step to growing goodness in our lives – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 3”
What to do when Christians disagree about what is good and what is bad – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 2
What is good…and what is bad? In Christian circles there are plenty of disagreements about what are good actions and bad actions. Many times on the blog I’ve talked about many of these disagreements. What clothing styles can people wear to worship services? What beverages can people drink? What films, music, TV, books, magazines, canContinue reading “What to do when Christians disagree about what is good and what is bad – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 2”
You good? – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 1
“You good?” Have you ever said that to someone? Maybe a person appears to be coughing or choking, and as they struggle to maintain composure, we say, “You good?” After they regain composure, they respond, “It’s all good.” Or maybe a person has a particularly emotional reaction to a situation, a reaction that we thinkContinue reading “You good? – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Part 1”
Oh my goodness! – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Preview
“Oh my goodness!!!” How many of you say that phrase? Usually we say “oh my goodness” when we feel surprised, disappointed or disgusted. Why, then, do we not just say “I am surprised,” or “I am disgusted”? Certainly there are times when we do say, “I am surprise” or “I am disgusted,” but my guessContinue reading “Oh my goodness! – Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, Preview”
How to be kind even when you don’t want to be – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 5
Kindness can get a bad rap. Some people who are extraordinarily kind can come across as fake. We tend to think that there is no way people can be that kind. We want people to be real. “I’m just keepin’ it real,” we say, as if it is always good to express ourselves however weContinue reading “How to be kind even when you don’t want to be – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 5”
What to do when kindness doesn’t work – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 4
This week we are studying kindness, so let’s go back to our definition of kindness. Kindness is “to provide something beneficial for someone as an act of kindness.”[1] My college, Lancaster Bible College, has an annual mission conference. During the years Michelle and I were students, the mid 1990s, one feature of the mission conferenceContinue reading “What to do when kindness doesn’t work – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 4”
What do kindness and heaven have to do with one another? – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 3
In the previous post, we read Paul’s words in Galatians 5 where he writes that if you are regularly demonstrating hatred, discord, and fits of rage, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Is Paul saying that if we are not kind, we cannot go to heaven? “Paul,” you might say, “I thought you wroteContinue reading “What do kindness and heaven have to do with one another? – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 3”
The surprising efficacy of unkindness – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 1
My wife recently shared a prayer request in a group text, and one person texted back, “No praying!” Then a few seconds later the person wrote, “This phone has been killing me lately with autocorrect…that was supposed to be ‘NOW praying’.” How many of you have had text messages auto-correct to something crazy? Something unsavory?Continue reading “The surprising efficacy of unkindness – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Part 1”
The frustrating difficulty of kindness – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Preview
“Just be kind!” I can’t tell you how many times those three words have been uttered inside my house. The reason why we have said those words so often over the years is because people in my house are not treating each other with kindness. Usually this bad behavior is the outflow of sibling rivalryContinue reading “The frustrating difficulty of kindness – Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness, Preview”
Engaging Scripture 