“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law†(Galatians 5:22-23).
When we look at the next three “grapes†in our cluster, we see ones that touch on our relationship with others. As we focus on these we will understand how our relationship with God affects our dealings with others. By our actions with others, we will show God has transformed our lives.
Another word for “longsuffering†is patience. This one may need more “Son-shine†and the moisture of prayer. If we have complete confidence in the sovereignty of God, we will trust Him with the timing of our circumstances and how He works in the lives of others. This will enable us to be calm in spite of life’s uncertainties and patient when others treat us wrong. I’ve often shared this bit of humor, “True Christianity is letting your light shine even when you’re ready to blow a fuse.â€
Next we see the words, “gentleness†and “goodness.†The two are very similar. We want these to be evident in our lives but often we may either display one or the other. We can show forth both if we can show goodness to others in a gentle way. No matter how good our intentions are to do good towards others, we must be sensitive in how we carry it out.
If our lives show forth the above traits, we have the potential to be used greatly for God’s glory. Our witness and testimony will impact many people.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for adequate funding for the WNAC office.
