Search for Significance

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-26 I read an article a while back about a “Be Kind” message that began trending across the globe back in 2018 as a result of a woman repurposing a whiteboard she found thrown in the trash while on a walk. This woman simply wanted to encourage others with words of kindness, So she began to write positive messages on the board that she displayed in her front yard. "Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." Proverbs 16:24 How true is this - we all long to be treated with kindness. Yet why is it so hard? Why is there a "Be Kind" movement trending on yard signs and t-shirts? Why do we need to be reminded to be kind - when we all long for it ourselves? Is it because we have become synical ? Calloused from being hurt ourselves? Distrustful of kindness? So stubborn and focused on self that we are unable to see and hear another? Built walls around our hearts or hardened them so as to protect ourselves from being hurt once again? All of these play into why we may struggle with not being kind - sadly to the point that we have lost the ability to be kind. If we look at Jesus we can see all throughout scripture that it was His kindness that drew many to Him. Let's take a look a three different ways Jesus extended kindness and to whom. 1. Feeding the hungry ark 6:34-44 "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages[e]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. 2. Healing the sick Matthew 8:1-4 "When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” – 3. Caring for and spending time with "outcasts" Luke 19:1-10 "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was. But because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” “If God is Love, He is, by definition, something more than mere kindness. And it appears, from all the records, that though He has often rebuked us and condemned us, He has never regarded us with contempt. He has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain Kindness is what led God to provide salvation for us - Titus 3:4-5 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.." Kindness leads God to show grace, mercy and forgiveness to those who repent and turn to Him - Romans 2:4-8; "Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness." Kindness leads God to give us His love, joy, peace, patience, etc. and restoration of our souls - He is Kindness and He is King -

"The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:22-25 What does patience look like? What does patience feel like? The word “patience” comes from the word hupomene, which broken down into two words - hupo and meno. The word hupo means under, and meno means to stay or to remain. When joined together, the word means endurance or to stay under. It gives us a picture of one who is under a heavy load but is resolved in staying put - regardless of how hard or heavy that load becomes. Patience in Galatians 5:22 literally means “long temper,” in the sense of “the ability to hold one’s temper for a long time.” It can also mean “longsuffering.” A patient person is able to endure much pain and suffering without complaining. A patient person is slow to anger as he waits for God to provide comfort and punish wrongdoing. Did you know that patience is actually a position of power. Have you ever thought about that? Patience is self-restraint and careful thinking. When we are faced with a difficult or challenging situation, we must choose to exert - patience. It is taking a deep breath and resolving to restrain from taking revenge and or lashing out with words that you cannot take back; it is choosing to love and ask God for help because we want to have a heart like Him and to choose to pray for that person who wronged us. Patience is choosing to give compassion to a tiring and challenging person. Patience is choosing to trust and wait on God through trying situations because we have hope for healing or relief or whatever it is we are going through. Patience is the state of being that comes from being grounded in God and abiding in Him that occurs over a lifetime of experiences and reactions and how they played out. Losing patience is a sign of weakness. Patience is a virtue they say. We admire those who have it, we even aspire to have it from afar - yet, the closer it comes to us — when it invades our peaceful lives, or intrudes on our way of life, the claws come out and the tongue fires up quicker than we can hold back and bite down. How can we become more patience? Patience grows in the soil of the Spirit — from a place of humility and a willingness to embrace the reality that we do not know and cannot control all things. It comes from a deep and abiding trust that God is in control and will follow through on all of His promises. It comes from a heart that is surrendered to Him and is truly happy to have God on throne of their life. Have you ever thought about how patient God is with us? Take a look back over your life. Look at this world, the choices we make, how we treat each other, how we do not value human life, how we disregard Him and His ways, God is so patient with sinners. Romans 2:4 – “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” - His patience is meant to lead us to repentance. Romans 9:22 – "Even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. - His patience is meant to save us from self destruction. 1 Peter 3:20 – “Those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.” - God had immense patience with the evil people of Noah’s day, delaying judgment as long as possible, just as He still remains to this day. 2 Peter 3:15 - our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. When we feel irritated, discouraged, frustrated, agitated, anger and have a desire for revenge - God says: Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Galatians 6:9 "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Romans 8:25 "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." Ephesians 4:2 "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love," Psalm 37:7-9 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land." 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant." This is the will of God- He knows that practicing patience is beneficial to our heart, soul and mind - and beneficial to those around us. If we are to live like Christ, we are to live like Him with a spirit of patience - towards Him, towards ourselves, and towards others. When we choose impatience - nothing good comes from it - for us or those around us. Have you ever experienced any of these side effects when you are feeling impatient? 1. A lack of peace and joy. 2. Restlessness, stress, irritability, and just an overall negative attitude 3. A feeling of inadequacy and frustration within ourselves and others. 4. Clouded thinking 5. A rise in your blood pressure 6. The inability to be present because your mind is elsewhere fretting or mulling over that which is stealing your attention of impatience. These are just a few of the negative side effects impatience can cause us. John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Let's close with reading a passage from the book of John. I believe it will help us as we go forward with our study on the Fruit of the Spirit. As we come to understand that we are not left to figure this out on our own, nor are we to muster up these "fruits" by ourselves. God invites us to "abide in Him," and that in Him is where we find true peace and patience comes from His Spirit working within us as we put our trust in Him and allow Him to work in and through us. Here is a beautiful picture of what God can do in us if we come to Him with a willing heart and mind. John 15 :1-17 The Vine and the Branches “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit— fruit that will last— and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want… 22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:13-22 What comes to mind when you think about the word - Peace? Take a moment and sit back with your eyes closed - with nothing but silence - breathe in - then breathe out. Repeat. Now add dim light and soft worship music. Repeat. And... Repeat... deep breath in - deep breath out ... Absorb the peace and quiet- Rest in the atmosphere we have just set in place- Are you there? Could you do it? Maybe, you have crying baby that needs you, or a loud tv playing in the background, or police car sirens sounding off. Maybe - finding peace is not as easy as I just made it out to be, or is it? Maybe peace is something much more than an experience or the atmosphere you are in. Let's read what Paul has to say about peace. Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." Is that the peace Galatians is talking about? “Keeping peace” with others? Today I have a few questions for you to think and pray over, and even journal about if that helps you in your quiet time. 1. What is the "Peace" that the fruit of the spirit speaks of? (Your time to think, pray, and journal) The dictionary defines "Peace" as: - freedom from disturbance; tranquility: - a state or period in which there is no war, or a war has ended - a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. We live in a day and age where people are striving to find some sense of peace- Anxiety and depression are rapidly increasing faster than we have ever seen. Psychology Today has a recent article titled: “Depression and Anxiety are on the Rise Globally: A new study shows we’re experiencing a mental health crisis. What’s going on?” “Anxiety disorder went up 25.6 percent worldwide during the pandemic. For depressive disorder, the prevalence increased by 27.6 percent.” There are many factors that play into why people are searching for peace: home life, peer pressure, social media, performance pressure, financial issues, isolation for various reasons. The main reason we humans strive to find peace is because nothing in this world has a lasting comfort or ability to meet the needs of our most inner self, therefore we will continue to feel unsettled. The Bible defines peace primarily in three ways. 1. Psychological peace, the comfort within. 2. Relational peace, harmony among humanity. 3. Spiritual peace, which is between God and man. The reason humans are not at peace is because we are odds with God – we are not at peace with our Maker. When God created humans, Adam and Eve were at peace with God, they were at peace within themselves and with each other. Sadly, that peace was lost when they turned against God. 2. How can we find true Peace? God provided the way to find true peace – through His Son, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who He sent to our world to take away our sins by allowing Himself to be crucified. Through His sacrifice He made it possible for us to have peace once again with God our Father — which will spill over into every other area of our lives - being at peace with God, will bring peace within ourselves and move in us to live at peace with each other. Just as with "Joy", we cannot muster up peace within ourselves. Yes, we can take long hot baths, we can light candles and sit in "peace and quiet" with a cup of coffee, but the "Peace" that is of the Fruit of the Spirit goes beyond that kind of peace. This world can offer momentarily soothing moments, those are special moments indeed, and you can find peace there, but it can disappear in a blink of an eye or a knock at the front door. This "Peace" is an eternal Peace, a saved by grace Peace, a sweet relationship with Jesus and being at peace with God - Peace. Ephesians 2:14-17 "For Christ himself has brought peace to us." Today, I encourage you to set some time aside, maybe now, or later to read, reflect, pray, and spend time journaling how these verses show us how being at peace with God, will bring us ultimate peace. Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” John 15:15 – “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Isaiah 26:3 - “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Philippians 4:4-7 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The Fruit of the Spirit – Peace, comes from the source of Peace because the Holy Spirit dwells within a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, peace is available in every situation, and unlike anything that the world has to offer. When we live at odds with God or we are not trusting in God or seeking God for His peace and are trying to do things on our own, our lives can become filled with doubt, filled with fear, anxiety and depression- Why? Because we have taken our eyes of the source of Peace - God is a wellspring of life (John 4:13) and peace, rest in Him today, bring your burdens to Him today, (Matthew 11:28-30) lay them at the foot of His cross today, seek community with other believers to help them carry your load if you are struggling- but seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. Let's close with reading Psalm 23 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Amen