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 […]