In December my daughter turned 16, and we went to the PennDOT Driver’s License Center at East Town Mall so she could take her permit test. We walked in the front door, and she received her number from the receptionist. At the far side of the large waiting room, we found seats near the bankContinue reading “The agony of waiting – Fruit of the Spirit: Patience, Preview”
Tag Archives: Galatians 5
How to grow peace in your life – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 5
This week we welcome guest blogger, David Hundert, who is a Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA. What I hope is that you will be able to walk away from these blog posts about peace and have peace; to be at peace with God. How do we do that? First, inContinue reading “How to grow peace in your life – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 5”
What is trust? – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 4
This week we welcome guest blogger, David Hundert, who is a Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA. Charles Blondin was a world famous tightrope walker in the 1800s who decided that he wanted to be the first person to walk a tightrope stretched across Niagara Falls. During his first attempt crossingContinue reading “What is trust? – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 4”
Trusting in God as Shepherd – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 2
This week we welcome guest blogger, David Hundert, who is a Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA. In the previous post we learned that the first step to experiencing peace is to trust in God. But what does it mean to trust in God? There are two analogies that the LordContinue reading “Trusting in God as Shepherd – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 2”
When joy is not easy – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 4
Joy as inner strength during trials is not to be confused with a bubbly or outgoing personality. Not everyone has such a charismatic personality, but they can feel joy deep within them. Also, not everyone who is bubbly and charismatic is feeling joy. Extroverts most often seem joyful. Introverts not so much. But we’re notContinue reading “When joy is not easy – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 4”
Is there a difference between joy and happiness – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 2
What is joy? When the writers of the New Testament wrote about joy, such as in Galatians 5:22-23, when Paul wrote about the Fruit of the Spirit, he used the Greek word kara. That’s right, the women’s name Kara is the Greek word for joy. The people who study words tell us thisContinue reading “Is there a difference between joy and happiness – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 2”
When “rejoice always” sounds impossible – Fruit of the Spirit: Joy, Part 1
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″
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”
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