Self-control is the ability to control our thoughts, words and actions. It requires moderation, restraint, and the ability to say no to sinful desires and temptations. This virtue is used as a defense against sin and the enemy. When we use it to guard our life, finances, health, and relationships, […]

Gentleness is defined as being mild-mannered, compassionate, submissive to God’s will, meek and humble. It feels a little like a forgotten fruit, one of those at the end of the list that is harder to remember because it doesn’t seem as powerful as love or as difficult as patience. However, […]

Faithfulness is a bit hard to nail down because it takes a few different forms for us. It can mean full of faith, trusting and believing in God. It can also be defined as being trustworthy, loyal, dependable, true to our word, and diligent to fulfill responsibilities.  We know that […]

Goodness feels a little generic to me, because we use “good” to describe so many different things. Good news is positive, a good year for a business is profitable, good fruit is ripe, a good dog is obedient and “my goodness!” is an exclamation of surprise.   So what exactly is […]

I Corinthians 13:4 begins with “Love is patient, love is kind…”,  and 1 John 4:16 tells us, “God is love.” Therefore, God is kind.  While God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance, (Romans 2:4) our kindness should lead others to God. When we withhold kindness, we withhold the […]

Patience is the virtue that everyone jokingly says not to pray for, because patience has to be tested to be grown.  In some versions of the Bible, this attribute is called forbearance, which isn’t a common word in today’s society. Forbearance means restraint from taking action, and is often used […]

Merriam-Webster defines peace as “a state of tranquility, freedom from oppressive thoughts, and harmony in personal relations.” Biblically, peace means wellness or wholeness; it comes from being in God’s presence. Anything that comes between us and God threatens our peace, from our own thoughts to our busy schedules to sins […]

Just like we are not supposed to have a favorite child, I’m not sure we are supposed to have a favorite aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. But if we could, I would probably choose joy. I think joy in a person is so lovely, so attractive, and so […]

(If you haven’t read my invitation to practice the fruit of the Spirit, you can read more about why we are doing this here.) Love is the first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. To understand it better, we must dig in a bit. The Greek word for […]

I recently finished The 40-Day Sugar Fast, by Wendy Speake. Her daily devotions are awesome at pointing the reader to God. I love this practice of strengthening self-control and turning away from a worldly comfort (sugar) as a cure for boredom or to satisfy a craving. Instead, we practice turning […]