The fruit of the spirit for this week is Goodness.
When thinking about this post a few days ago, I stood silent a moment, too shocked to speak.
​In Romans, it clearly states that NO ONE is good no not one! So why would Goodness be one of the fruits of the spirit? Why demand something you know the person can’t give? Was there a typo in the Bible?!
The reason, I soon discovered, is because I wasn’t thinking from the right perspective. I was looking in the wrong place! 
​
If you define the word goodness, you get this: 

​But if you define the word good? You get a TOTALLY different definition! And I think this one is exactly what we’re looking for! 

You see, we should seek God’s approval and earnestly desire to please Him. If we’re doing this and succeeding, then we’re being good, like the definition says above.
The problem?
We can’t succeed.
It’s utterly impossible! We can’t please God to the extent that He deserves. Nothing we do can reach the point where God looks at us and says, “Well done my faithful servant, you are GOOD.”

As it says in Isaiah 64:6
“But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…”
 
So, that was the bad news. The good news? We can’t succeed in fulfilling ANY of the fruits of the spirit to the extent that we should! Now, I know that sounds like bad news too, but stick with me.
 
If we’re striving to please God and do our very best, that’s all we CAN do. God understands that, and He knew that we would never be able to reach His standards. That's why He sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice that we could never be.

The reason this is good news, is because we don’t have to be GOOD in order to fulfill that fruit of the spirit. We just need to strive towards that goal with the best of our ability, just like we strive to be faithful, loving, kind, patient, gentle, etc.
And how do we do that? By doing things that please the Lord and bring glory to His name.

A couple of scriptures to think about:
 
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2
 
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
 
 
What are some ways we can do things for the glory of God?
 
I received a certain email right before I sat down to write this post. I don’t think it was ironic that the sermon excerpt attached was pretty much on the topic of goodness. I think it was the Lord’s timing!
 
So instead of listing ways we can please the Lord, I’ll leave you with a single thought, along with the link to this 6-minute, 14-second episode by John Piper. (Trust me, your life won’t be the same after you listen to it!)
 
As you do every task, pleasurable activity, etc. this week. Think of these four words as you do so,
“Is this glorifying God?”
Because if the answer is “no,” I urge you to stop doing it. Don’t go a step further before you figure out why it isn’t glorifying Him. Then, endeavor to either put it aside if it’s overtly wrong, or change your attitude and motive so that it’s pleasing to the Lord.
 
Let’s strive to make sure that EVERYTHING we do is bringing glory to His name!
 
With humble hearts, let’s all strive to become more like Christ and take these things to heart.
Let's all be joyful, willing, servants of our King.

 
PLEASE don’t miss this short excerpt of Piper’s sermon! It will completely revolutionize your thinking process on this topic!
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/holiness-is-a-race-not-a-prohibition

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering…”
~Colossians 3:12
 
 
The word kindness is described in many ways. 

​

Affection, generosity, gentleness, concern. These are just a few definitions of kindness, yet they all seem to be saying a different thing. Generosity is completely different than concern, so how can they both tie into the meaning of kindness?

I think this has a lot to do with the reason that kindness can be shown in SO many ways. And many people accept kindness differently. For instance, one person would see a gift as an act of kindness, while another might be more apt to accept kindness in the form of affection or a gentle word of exhortation.
What are some scriptures that speak on this topic?

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:32
 
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
Romans 2:4
 
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant.”
1 Corinthians 13:4
 
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”
Colossians 3:12


​

​Jesus was our perfect example of kindness. Everywhere throughout the Bible we read how He felt compassion for the poor, sick, and widowed. How He showed tenderness to countless people with a heart spilling over with kindness.
 
He had compassion and mercy on us, taking our place on the cross, the tree that we should have been crucified on.

What are some ways that we can show kindness to others?
As you read these, try to think of a special person in your life that would benefit from one of these acts of kindness. Remember that some people accept affectionate and personable kindness better than gifts and acts of serving.
 

        1. A smile or a hug
Yes! Even something as small as a smile can show such a great act of kindness and brighten their day so much.
 

       2. Serving opportunities
Washing the dishes, making your sister’s (or brother’s) bed, cleaning the house, sweeping the floor…the possibilities are endless! All these things are great acts of kindness that will really bless someone’s heart!

       3. Prayer
Charles Spurgeon, as you read above, believes that the greatest act of kindness for him, is somebody’s prayers. There’s a lot of truth in that. It takes only a few moments to pray for someone, and you never know, your prayers may have been just the thing to help that person through their day.

       4. A gift
Even something small, like a bouquet of flowers or a plate of homemade cookies can be used as an act of kindness. Because, who doesn’t enjoy a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies?!
Did you happen to make some today? If you have a few extra lying around (though if you’re anything like us there is no such thing as “extra cookies lying around”) then you could put some on a plate and take them to the neighbors.
You showed an act of kindness right there, and it didn’t even take much effort on your part! But imagine what a blessing it could be to others! 
 
 
You see, acts of kindness don’t have to take a lot of time or effort on our part. There are so many simple ways to bestow kindness to someone, it just takes thinking about it.
 
Let’s all try something this week. Let’s determine to make a conscience effort to show kindness to at least one person.
 
With humble hearts, let’s all strive to become more like Christ and take these things to heart.
Let's all be joyful, willing, servants of our King.
 

Patience.

Talk to the average mom with little children and this word will probably come up during your conversation. I've heard it before! “Oh, I just wish I had more patience!” “I could always use a little patience.” “I need more patience!”

It’s true that our children (and siblings) tend to stretch us in these areas. (But keep in mind too, that we are probably the cause of someone else’s patients stretching as well!)
In fact, my mother (an only child) said that when she was growing up, she thought of herself as a really patient person. Until she had children!

So, how do we guard ourselves against this temptation to respond unkindly?
As usual, we must first define what patience is and then in turn, we must discover what it isn’t. 

​
The word patience means: 

We live in a world where the lack of patience is constantly being catered to.
Products are invented in order to make our lives easier and to cut out the extra useless time we spend waiting.
Microwaves, dishwashers, cars. All these things were made to shorten our “wait” time so we can get things finished quickly.
And in some cases, this definitely isn’t a bad thing. But since we’ve now received a taste of what “quick life” is like, it’s hard to go back.
Having to creep along in our cars during rush hour tends to frustrate people and cause them to get angry. Because why on earth is it called “rush hour” when nothing’s moving?!
Every time I see a driver upset because they’re having to wait a few extra minutes, my mind always goes back to the 1800s, when stagecoaches were the town’s most popular mode of outside transportation.

A family rushes around making sure everything is ready for their trip. Animals taken care of, baby’s things packed, grandma has her knitting needles. They rush to the town’s only restaurant, which also serves as the hotel, and eagerly await the stagecoach's coming. The owner of this establishment comes out only to relay the information that they missed the stagecoach by a mere few minutes. “Oh,” the father shrugs, trying to tone down his disappointment, “we’ll catch it next month.” 

You see, people back then didn’t have instant access to the internet, or the ability to warm their food up in thirty seconds flat.
If they missed the stagecoach, they had to wait an entire month for the next one!
These people knew well about the virtue of patience even without consciously thinking about it.

What are a few scriptures that talk about patience? 

"Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another."
(Ephesians 4:2)

"Hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace."
(Proverbs 15:18)

"Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times."
(Romans 12:12)

"I waited patiently for the Lord’s help;
then he listened to me and heard my cry."
(Psalm 40:1)

"The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him,
So it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us--
And it is best to learn this patience in our youth."
(Lamentations 3:25-27)

Now that we've defined what patience is and isn't and the different scriptures concerning this fruit of the spirit, what are some ways that we can welcome patience into our lives?

1. Don’t rush through day to day tasks, but take joy in them, doing them thoroughly to serve God rather than man.
   
2. If something happens that slows down your plans, use that time to take a deep breath and enjoy those few moments of peacefulness.  
3. If you’re stuck in traffic and find yourself growing irritable, try thinking of it this way; if you trust God’s will and desire for your life, and you trust that He holds the future in His hands, then you won’t mind that you’re sitting in traffic. Because who knows, God might be saving you from an accident that you may have otherwise gotten into if the traffic had been fine.
4. If you find yourself being unkind and irritable to your sibling or child and responding with haste, then use the “count to five” rule. This trick results in two things; one, you’ll have a moment to cool off and usually determine that it wasn’t as catastrophic as you thought it was. And two, it gives you a moment to think about your response and whether it could be hurtful to that person.  

Let’s try something this week. Let’s all determine to make a conscience effort to hold our tongues and respond patiently to everyone we come in contact with.

And keep in mind that if Jesus could patiently endure the torture He went through by giving His life on the cross, then we, as His children, can take the time to respond kindly to one another when we aren’t treated the way we think we should be treated.

With humble hearts, let’s all strive to become more like Christ and take these things to heart.
Let's all be joyful, willing, servants of our King.

A few months ago I was in the process of building my blog list and I had a goal to reach 100 subscribers. Because of YOU, I completely surpassed that goal with a whopping 200+! 

Now, I'm asking that you help my friend do the same! =) 

Kiki is a fellow Christian writer (with some crazy AMAZING talent!)  and she's trying to reach her goal of 100 subscribes by the end of this week. 
Let's totally blow that goal out of the water and reach even further! 

Here's what to expect when you sign up: 

1. Monthly update on what she's achieved that month
2. Her goals for the upcoming month
3. Quick access to published articles and content 
4. Exciting news about her writing journey 

How to enter the drawing: 
1. Sign up for her email list. 
2. Then leave a comment here saying, "I entered," so that I can put your name in the drawing. (Don't forget to do this, or else you won't be able to enter! =) 

3. Sit back, and eagerly await the drawing results Sunday afternoon! 


Thank you all SO much! 
​​

It's time I shared a little more about my current work in progress, "A Marvelous Redeemer."
This 95,000 word novel is the last book in my trilogy, "A Light for Christ," and it was SO much fun to write! 

After a little persuasion, I was able to get my characters to share a little about their lives and I also included some excerpts from the story! =)
 
So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy! 

Amira, (the main character)

I'm SO excited about this book and I can't wait until you can read it!

Many blessings on you all as you strive to serve the Lord in all you do!