This is the fruits of the spirit passage. For those of you who are not reading along this passage lists what is in our lives should be a reflection of Christs love and our signs that we are following him. These things are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is right after he lists all the activities that would show us to be living our lives as people just trying to fulfill our sinful nature. These activities are sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies (doesn’t this go with sexual immorality?), and the like. Paul even says that people who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
A: In which of these areas (the fruits of the spirit areas) have you seen God working on in your lives? Which ones do you need God to help you more with?
A: I could probably use help with peace, patience, and gentleness from God. I’ve never been good at maintaining peace, if something isn’t going crazy in my life I usually add something until things go crazy, or I feel overwhelmed. Also I’ve never been patient. I yell at the internet because it is never fast enough…especially on dial-up. The car can’t get me there fast enough, and there aren’t enough hours in the day because traffic isn’t moving, not because I’m trying to do too much. I’ve never been really good at waiting for change in people either. I want to see things move today, it is time for meaningful revelation in peoples lives and that needs to seriously take root and move them to action. I don’t think that ever happened to me in a !bang! kind of way, but by God, that is what needs to happen because I said so…..right? On to gentleness. I like to be blunt. I like the statement “that is just a lie” and “why do you always have to repeat that crap” or “this is your problem….” Now generally are these awful things? Don’t people need to hear stuff told to them this way? I would say sure, sometimes people need to hear a harsh truth just bluntly told to them. But a lot of times people need an ear, they need someone to listen to their concerns and pray for them. They need to hear things in a gentle way, soothing and easing fears and concerns while empathizing. I’m not so good at this all the time….there are times when I just want to lay it down like this: 1) “This is your problem…..” 2) “This is what the Bible says about it / It seems obvious that this is what the solution is to it” 3) “Abra-ca-dabra, presto-change-o” and poof…..new person or problem solved. I’m a crappy counselor, but I make a good guy to get blunt advice from if your ready for that. But I think if God could help change that I could affect more people in a positive way. I’ve seen God working in my life on my self-control. It has been a lot easier for me to control my thoughts, and not let them wonder in directions that I don’t wish them to go, and I thank God for that because I couldn’t do as well on my own as I have lately.