"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). Dive deeper into the cultivation and application of these spiritual fruits in this collection of messages.
We ”love" lots of things: food, movies, friends, sports, But do we really love those things or just have great affection for them? Probably the latter is more likely. True love is rare in this world, but it should not be among Christians. God's love is real love, and we are to love like Him. Covers I John 4:7-11.
There should be a positive correlation between what we say we are thankful for and the expressions of those thanks in practical ways. When the Jews joyfully celebrated the dedication of the wall around Jerusalem, their joy overflowed into expressions that were plain to see. Covers Nehemiah 12:1–47.
As the nations of the world seem to be racing toward greater conflict, even annihilation, what should Christians be doing in response? Dr. David Jeremiah examines Jesus’ prophecy that His followers would hear of “wars and rumors of wars” in earth’s final days. Covers Matthew 24:6-7.
We are called upon to have patience many times in life – perhaps often in a single day. It’s hard because we lack certainty about what is going to happen. But when it comes to the Second Coming of Christ, we can patiently wait with courage because we have confidence in God’s promise. Covers James 5:7-8.
In 1 Peter 1:3-8, the Lord gives us a series of eight critical character qualities necessary for triumphant living. Brotherly kindness is high on the list; in fact, it's right before agape love itself. The term "brotherly kindness" is from the Greek work, philadelphia, which means "brotherly love." The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was named for this Greek word; for the founder, William Penn, aspired to create a city where people truly loved each other. How do we develop brotherly love? We have it described for us in a parallel passage--Ephesians 4:25-32. Covers selected Scriptures.
Are you carrying a grudge against somebody? If you are, you’re holding onto hate that the other person probably isn’t even aware of. So who are you really hurting? Drawing from Paul's description of the breastplate of righteousness in Ephesians 6, Dr. David Jeremiah offers specific strategies to help us leave vengeance to God, live peaceably with all men, counteract evil with good, and bless those who mistreat us. Covers Romans 12:17-21 plus selected Scriptures.
At one time or another, all of us have felt as if we were the only person in the world, totally alone in our struggles. In reality that has never been true of us, but Noah was one person who could actually claim such a grievance. Besides his wife and his three sons (and their wives), Noah had to stand alone against the world with only his faith in God to secure him. Covers Hebrews 11:7.
Look around today and you see people trying to increase their strength: working out at gyms, taking steroids to bulk up, and jockeying for positions of power in business. Paradoxically, the Bible says true strength comes when we recognize our true weakness. Covers Matthew 5:5.
In Peter's list of qualities we are to cultivate, he tells us to add self-control into the mixture of our life (2 Peter 1:6). A person without self-control is like a city without walls; the enemy can burst in and plunder at will. But someone who is under the Spirit's control is also learning self-control, for the Holy Spirit wants to impart personal discipline to all our other traits. This deserves priority; it displays maturity; it deepens our disciplines; and it's available to those who develop a meaningful strategy for putting this virtue into place. Covers selected Scriptures.
