Tag Archives: the fruit of the Spirit

Should I Make My Child Go To Church?

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Genesis 19-21

Lot didn’t leave Sodom willingly. He hesitated, so the angels took him by the hand and led him, his wife, and daughters out of the city about to be destroyed by God. Why the hesitation? Did they doubt the seriousness of the angels’ message? Did they doubt these men were really even angels? Were they so intrenched in this sinful lifestyle of Sodom they didn’t want to let go of it? Or maybe they thought, “it can’t be that bad. I can handle whatever comes?”

Whatever the reason for the hesitation, it’s evident that Lot and his family took their sin with them when they were forced to leave Sodom. They’d heard the truth. They knew judgment was coming. They left, albeit reluctantly. But they didn’t repent. They changed their address, but they didn’t change their hearts.

I think there are some parents who might feel like those angels every Sunday morning when they have to take their hesitant (or even rebellious) children by the hand and drag them to church. Sometimes they might wonder if it’s worth it.

It’s worth it.

First let me say good for you for fighting that battle every week. Don’t give in. Don’t let your kids “decide” for themselves. Be the parent. No one said it was going to be easy. Keep battling. Their eternal souls are worth it. It’s your responsibility to train them up in the way they should go.

But I must warn you, even though you probably already know the truth of it. Simply getting your children to church doesn’t guarantee their salvation. Along with attending church, you’ve got to pray that God would break through their resistance until they humble themselves and believe, until they turn from their sin and follow Jesus willingly themselves.

I pray that you are modeling what it means to be a Christian, and not just on Sundays. I pray your children recognize the Fruit of the Spirit in you – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. I pray they see you reading your Bible, hear you talking about it, and watching how you choose holiness.

I pray that when you fail, when you sin, they’ll see what it means to humble yourself, repent, ask for forgiveness, and/or forgive another.

So if your question is “should I make my kid go to church?” I would say the answer is, “yes.” (Ok. Not just any church. A Bible believing, truth teaching fellowship of faith. Please be careful). And only if you go to church with them.

Dear One, there is more to raising Christian children than getting them to church. Let’s learn from Lot’s experience and take it a step or two further than getting them through the doors (or out of the “city”). Be the Christian you want your children to be.

I’m praying for you.

___________________________

Ok, so yesterday after posting this I was scrolling through Instagram and heard a young preacher talking about this exact topic. They, of course, take their children to church every Sunday. But he and his wife take it a step further. They want their children not only learn about going to church, they want their children to learn to BE THE CHURCH.

Which reminded me a family with three boys who are members of our church. Our church has a Wednesday night family dinner before Bible Study and youth activities. Every Wednesday we get together and enjoy a meal together. Sometimes 50, sometimes 80 family members strong. It really is a special church family time.

But here’s what made me think about this family. The parents prompted the boys to go around to those who are finished with their meals and offer to take their empty plates to the trash. These boys all under 10 years old, clear the tables of the trash, put silverware in the tray for cleaning. These boys are learning to be servants and I will tell you they do it with smiles on their faces.

So yes, take your children to church on Sunday. But I would encourage you to not leave it there. Show them what it means to be the Church. I think that is one way you can teach them in the way they should go, to make going to church more than a habit, so that when they are older they will not depart from it. They are the future Church!

Godliness

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1 Timothy 3:14-16

Who is the most godly person you know? What qualities do you see that point to godliness in him or her?

I think of one of the ladies in my Sunday School class. She’s a woman grounded in the truth of Scripture. She is a prayer warrior. She has a quiet strength. She is refined, self-controlled, compassionate, kind, joyful, humble, faithful, wise, and generous. She has a servant’s heart and doesn’t seek recognition for the things she does. She feeds the hurting and ill people in our family of faith, sends cards and flowers, makes telephone calls, stays connected with many who have moved away. And most of the time her deeds are known only between her and the one who receives the blessing from her. Check out Proverbs 31. You might see her there.

This dear lady looks very much like Christ in her. She’s probably not perfect, although I can’t see a whole lot of imperfection. Godliness is not perfection. At least not yet.

But if Christ is in us, His character ought to be recognizable in us, too. My friend is still growing, still learning, still pursuing God as she loves and serves Him. I think that’s what Paul is recommending for Timothy (and us) here in these verses.

Take a good look at Jesus, then strive to be like Him, press on toward that goal, it’s not you or I who live but Christ living in and through us. Let our conduct in our homes, in our churches, our neighborhoods be a result of deep-seated loyalty and devotion to our Lord.

I pray that you are the most godly person in someone’s life. If not today, then soon as you grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus, as you submit daily to Him, and allow His Spirit to bear fruit in your life.

He deserves that.

May you be blessed and a blessing today.

Self-Control

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Titus 2

The last aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit described by Paul in Galatians 5 is self-control. Those of you who know me know self-control flies out the window when I’m holding a bag of potato chips. I almost never have an open bag in my pantry because once I start, I can’t stop eating until the last chip is gone. I’m out of control. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

Boy, am I under conviction today. Studying these facets of the Fruit of the Spirit these past few weeks has made me aware that because the Spirit lives in me, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness live in me. I’m ok with that. In fact, I welcome that and pray those aspects of Christ in me can be clearly seen by others.

But then Paul ends with self-control. (as the ladies in my Sunday School class would say: Now he’s meddling!)

Ugh! After today I can never again say I have no self-control when it comes to chips. Self-control lives in me.

Jonathan Landry Cruse, in his book entitled The Character of Christ; the Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of our Savior (Versa Press; 2014) says that self-control is the ability to be controlled, not by self, but by the Holy Spirit. (p 143). In other words I have the control to turn over the control to the Spirit.

Paul, in his letter to Titus, has a lot to say about the Spirit-fueled self-control. He doesn’t let any of us off the hook. In verse 11 he assures us that it is the grace of God that brings salvation, then shows us how to live sensibly and godly.

Jesus demonstrated self-control when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, when He didn’t call down fire from heaven at the suggestion of his disciples when some people rejected Him, when He stood quietly before Pilate and heard the lies told about Him, and when he didn’t turn the soldiers who beat Him and nailed Him to the cross into toads.

That same self-control lives in me. I can never again claim I have no self-control. I use my chip weakness as an example of any sin I allow to over-power me. If I give into a sin, I quench the Holy Spirit in me. I demonstrate I have SELF-control. And that’s a sin.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence Paul ended his description of the Fruit of the Spirit with self-control. Without choosing to relinquish my will, and the control over my life to the Spirit I cannot produce the Fruit of the Spirit in me. It’s not me producing anything by my own effort. It’s being firmly attached to the Vine, growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus, reflecting more of Him today than was evident yesterday, and allowing Him to fill me, and use me for His glory.

The Fruit of the Spirit. May it have fertile soil in my heart from which to grow, mature, and produce the harvest God intends. I pray the same for you.

Faithfulness

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John 17

As I look at the Fruit of the Spirit these past few days I realize Satan is doing a pretty good job of making people believe these qualities are old-school, maybe even laughable. He’s convinced many that love is acceptance; joy can be gained at the expense of others; peace comes only if you agree with their delusion; patience is a one-way street; kindness is weakness; goodness is relative; and faithfulness is unnecessary.

I’m looking especially at faithfulness today, and I got to thinking that it might be a lost art. People aren’t faithful to marriage vows as evidenced by the fact more than half of all marriages today end in divorce – even among Christians. And even some Christians have had multiple marriages like the Samaritan woman at the well.

People aren’t faithful to their children when they adopt a hands-off, gentle parenting mode and expect their kids to raise themselves. Unfaithfulness is seen when parents are absent from the home, when they are too busy to support their children at games or concerts, or when they do attend, their eyes are on their phones.

Being faithful in the workplace? People change jobs like they are playing hop-scotch. The grass looks greener over there, so I’m out!

People aren’t even faithful to a church. Someone hurt my feelings, so I’m going to find another church (until someone hurts my feelings…)

Even being faithful to the Word of God is seen as a negative. Satan suggests we can tout the verses we like, either tweak or ignore the ones that make us uncomfortable, or claim God has a new revelation because the Bible is out-dated for our advanced society.

And yet, Jesus is our example of faithfulness. He was faithful to the Father, to the Father’s will, the Father’s message, the Father’s plan up to and including a very painful and humiliating death on the cross.

Jesus was faithful to His friends. He spoke truth to them, He protected them and provided for their needs. He never let them down, never threw them under the bus.

Jesus was faithful to the Words of God. He never altered the message to please different audiences. He spoke the same truth to lepers, tax-collectors, farmers, as well as religious leaders and even kings. He was always faithful to God’s Words.

The same faithfulness in us is an indication of Jesus’ Holy Spirit in our lives. Yes, that means being faithful to your spouse, faithful to train your children in the way they should go, faithful to those in authority over you, faithful to your Bible believing church, faithful to go and make disciples by standing on the truth found in the Bible. Faithful to God’s will, God’s message, God’s plan, and faithfully obedient to His commands.

The world might look at your faithfulness as archaic, but they will also see someone with integrity, someone who is different, better than they. They will see Jesus.

That’s what Jesus prayed right before He went to the cross. May God continue to answer that prayer in my life and yours.

Goodness

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Romans 7:14-25

When the rich young ruler in Luke 18 called Jesus “Good,” Jesus asked him why he addressed Him like that. Was the young man acknowledging Jesus was God? There is no goodness apart from God.

This world is corrupt – not because God isn’t a good God – but because our hearts are desperately evil. Those who question the goodness of God ought first to look in the mirror, then look at the cross. While we were still sinners Jesus died to save us. It doesn’t get much more gooder than that!

Look at this amazing creation. The warmth of the sun, the air we breathe, love and laughter, hearts that beat, and the ability to enjoy it all. It all points to a good God.

God’s good Spirit in us produces attitudes and actions that are good. I love how Paul explains it because I relate. No matter how hard I try to be good, I end up failing. I desire to do better, but the harder I try, the harder I fall. If I can be as honest as Paul is in these verses, I will admit that there really isn’t a whole lot of good in me.

So who can save me from this body of death, this pitiful excuse for goodness?

Jesus! When I accept His grace and submit to His will, He is free to live His goodness through me. What an awesome privilege. May God’s goodness, not a poor imitation of my own doing, be seen in me today.

More Kindness

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Ephesians 2:1-10

Jesus’ kindness was bold. He physically touched a leper. No one ever did that, ever. He touched an unclean man who believed Jesus could heal him.

Jesus’ kindness was fearless. He expressed kindness every day, even on the Sabbath. He wasn’t afraid of the condemnation of the powers that be in that society. His kindness was expressed very publicly, and very consistently.

Jesus’ kindness was indiscriminate. He healed diseases and forgave sins of those who came to Him believing. And, hanging on the cross, He forgave the very ones who nailed Him there.

If the spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, lives in me, I, too, will express kindness boldly, fearlessly, and indiscriminately. I will think kindly, speak kindly, show kindness in my actions toward family, friends, neighbors, and strangers.

It’s not that I will try harder to be kind, or work on having an attitude of kindness. It’s that I will surrender to God and let His kindness flow through me…

so that He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (vs 7)

Kindness, like all aspects of The Fruit of the Spirit, will reveal Jesus to the people around you. Those are the very people Jesus died to save, and your kindness toward them might be the thing that breaks through their resistance.

Is the evidence of Christ in you seen as kindness?

Patience

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Luke 9; Hebrews 12

Jonathan Landry Cruse, in his book entitled, The Character of Christ; The Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of our Savior (Versa Press; 2014) suggests this aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit comes in two parts: forbearance and long-suffering. Here are my thoughts.

When God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 34 He gave a description of Himself:

The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

I see a God whose mercy and grace, steadfast love and faithfulness, produces perfect patience toward us, the forbearance part of patience.

Sometimes we may wonder, “How long, Lord, are you going to put up with this corrupt, sin-filled world before you come back and end it all?” I hear God say, “Be patient. People are still being saved from their sins. I can wait.”

Jesus demonstrated forbearance in a little Samaritan town where He was not welcome. His disciples were angry and wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy those evil people right then and there. Scripture tells us Jesus scolded his disciples for that attitude, I think in part, for their impatience toward sinners.

God doesn’t want anyone to die without Him. He can wait until the last soul is saved before He comes back and this life is over. I am happy for that last redeemed soul. It could have been me.

The other half of the Spirit’s patience is long-suffering, according to Cruse. I wonder if we really believe the best is yet to come? Do we consider our problems in this life light and momentary compared to what is ahead? Are we able to face the hardest of our circumstances with confidence and even joy, knowing God is working all things out for our good as we wait patiently for Heaven? Can we suffer long, trusting God for every detail?

The more you know of Jesus, the more you see how long-suffering He was. He waited patiently until the Father said it was time for the cross. He endured the awful pain and humiliation of the cross with patience so that our sin debt could be paid. Not only was Jesus patient with people who followed Him, He was patient with the people who tormented Him. And He was patient during the most unimaginable pain, the most awful circumstances we can imagine. He endured for the joy set before Him, the joy of that day when you repented of your sin and accepted His grace.

Jesus is our example of patience. He lived one day at a time until the right time. He trusted the Father, obeyed the Father, He patiently put up with the foolishness of people, and the evil in people because He knew something better was ahead.

We’ve all heard it said, “Lord I need patience… NOW!!!). Well, friend, if Jesus is your Savior, the Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart, He IS your patience. And the expression of His patience through you in those difficult circumstances and around those difficult people is evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in you.

Don’t say you don’t have patience. If you have Jesus, patience dwells in you!

PEACE

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Ephesians 6:10-20

Peace is not necessarily a calm feeling, although that feeling can be evidence of peace. Peace isn’t necessarily absence of conflict, either. In fact, the Holy Spirit often reveals Himself in the midst of conflict. Jesus demonstrated that while He slept in the boat during a severe storm.

The aspect called peace in the Fruit of the Spirit is actually harmony between God and a repentant sinner saved by grace. It’s the restored relationship we lost in the Garden when sin entered the world for the first time.

As God’s adopted child, I can rest in Him, His protection, and provision. I don’t need to worry about today or eternity. I have peace with God, peace in my soul because Jesus died on the cross to purchase my redemption, fixing my broken relationship with the Father.

But this peace is why we put on the armor of God every day, too. We prepare to fight the principalities of evil that would keep us from furthering the gospel of peace. Satan sure doesn’t want any more people with a restored relationship with God. So there is a battle we are called to fight.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” We think that means keeping peace between siblings or warring countries. The peace Jesus was concerned with was peace between God and man, disciple-making. It’s the sharing of the gospel that brings peace when a person accepts the grace of God for salvation.

The Fruit of the Spirit brings peace to our souls, is the peace we have concerning what happens today and in eternity, and it’s the peace that reaches out to the lost so that they can know this blessed peace as well.

Accepting The Joy

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Habakkuk 3

Any time we base our happiness on circumstances and/or relationships, we set ourselves up for disappointment, even devastation. I know from personal experience, how quickly situations change that can steal my joy, if I am depending on imperfect people (including myself) to make me happy. I’ve seen how quickly things can happen to change a sunny Sunday afternoon into the darkest day of my life.

But there is something deeper than happiness, something surer than circumstances, something more lasting than even the best and purest marriages and friendships. Listen to what the prophet Habakkuk says:

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (verses 17-18)

Even when I don’t “feel” happy, I can rejoice in the fact my sins are forgiven at the cross of Jesus. Even when people fail me, or life gets hard, I have joy knowing God is my Heavenly Father who sustains me, embraces me, loves me, and strengthens me.

You see, joy is a fruit of the Spirit, something that supernaturally defines those in whom the Spirit dwells! It has nothing to do with whether or not I get that promotion at work, or if my children are obedient, or if I’m surrounded by friends. This joy is a result of my relationship with God, my Savior. It’s joy non-believers can’t understand or experience.

May we who have received God’s grace through the blood of Jesus rejoice in the Lord, separating that joy from our circumstances. May we accept the joy that come from knowing God who has saved us.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said the following. I’d like to say the same to all of us today:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

(Psalm 1) Blessed To Bless

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I’ve never really studied the psalms. I’ve read them often and have been blessed and challenged by certain phrases that stand out to me as I quickly read over them. But I’ve never dug deeper into them as I have other places in God’s Word. I think it’s time.

So using the opinions written by Bible scholars like those who contribute to my Apologetics Study Bible, Warren Wiersbe’s “Be Worshipful,” Matthew Henry, Josh Hunt, and others, I’m going to take one psalm at a time, word by word, and prayerfully consider this portion of Scripture like I’ve never done before. This could take a while.

I memorized Psalm 1 in the KJV when I was a youth. It’s taken decades to really look at what God would have me know through these familiar verses. In fact, as I’ve looked at this psalm for the past 2 1/2 hours, I am challenged to do what it says!

The first word in this psalm is “blessed,” or “happy,” and isn’t that something we all aspire to? I don’t know that anyone would say they just want to be miserable and to go through hard times. So, here is the key to happiness according to God’s Word:

First what not to do. Don’t go the way of the world. Don’t go along with the crowd. Don’t take what your professors or politicians or rockstars or pro-athletes or peers or news anchors say as gospel. The loudest voices aren’t always the right voices, aren’t always the truthful voices.

Some of those voices mock Christianity, reject Truth, deny God. Do you want to be happy and blessed? Don’t walk with them. God would have us know that the blessed, the happiest people are those who don’t listen to the ungodly, are those who don’t align themselves with unbelievers.

Here’s the other aspect of the key to happiness: Love God’s Word. Yes, love the Bible. Read it, but don’t stop there. Pray about it. Think about it day and night. Let it become a part of you.

Commentaries and study guides help. I’m going to be looking at several while I study the psalms in the next few weeks (or months at the rate I’m going). But there isn’t a Bible teacher or Bible scholar who can replace the treasure that is God’s own Words.

In fact, if you need counsel, direction, advice for life, there is no better place to go than to the Giver of life! Happy, blessed, are those who make Scripture a priority.

The psalmist compares people who are grounded in God’s Word to a healthy tree, planted by water, and bearing fruit. It is a picture which demonstrates that our nourishment comes from spending time in God’s Word. Reading the Bible and allowing it to feed us produces fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Now here is something Warren Wiersbe said, “We must remember that the tree doesn’t eat the fruit; others eat it.” (Be Worshipful; by Warren Wiersbe; David C Cook publisher; 2009; p 22))

When we delight in God’s Word, we bear fruit that will bless others. That in itself is WHY we are blessed. If we want to be blessed so we feel blessed, if the blessing stays with us and becomes more important than the Giver of the blessing, that is idolatry. And idolatry is sin. (from page 21 of “Be Worshipful)

The prosperity the psalmist speaks of is the number of eternal souls saved by the fruit we bear.

The psalmist gives a warning to those he calls, “wicked,” those who follow the way of sinners and sit with the ungodly. Their judgment is sure. In the end, they will be separated from the righteous (not the sinless because none of us are without sin. But righteousness comes to those who delight in God’s Word and bear fruit for the kingdom as a result of an encounter with Jesus).

That separation is ruin. Loss. Pain. The antithesis of anything right. And it will never end.

I am challenged today. I do love spending time in God’s Word. I want to love it more. I am blessed by the Spirit’s gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But I don’t want to just sit here and get fat on my blessings. I want to bless others with the blessings I’ve received.

Well, this was a long post. If you are still with me, thanks! Not sure I would have done the same if I were you. I pray that you and I will delight in God’s Word every day, think about it throughout the day, let it nourish us and strengthen us so that we bear fruit today, and that someone will be drawn to our precious Savior because we are doing what Psalm 1 instructs us to do.

To we who are blessed, let’s be a blessing.