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Noree Wegmeyer

Fruit of the Spirit -GOODNESS

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” 
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Goodness and kindness are similar, but there is a subtle difference between the two. Kindness is more so defined as actions displayed towards others out of a tender heart, however goodness is a “moral and spiritual excellence,” (MacArthur, “The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 2005, pg. 1676) displayed in either kindness towards others or towards an activity one is engaged in. For example, Colossians 3:23 tells us “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord… .” When you do something in excellence because you’re doing out of a heart for the Lord, you’ve done a “good job.” It could be studying for an exam, cooking a meal for your family, or completing a project for work.

When a child has a choice to either share with their sibling or be selfish and they choose to share, parents will often say: “Good job! You’ve made a good choice.” Most often parents are praying that choice came out of the goodness of their heart and not out of a duty to following the rules.

Sincere goodness flows out a transformed heart. That transformation comes through the power of the Holy Spirit, hence, goodness being one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the parable of the talents. To the servants who showed integrity and faithfulness in stewarding what the master had given them, the master told them, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” (emphasis mine). I hope that you take a moment today to reflect on the kindness and goodness of God towards you, and how you can reflect that in your life towards others.

God bless!

Noree Wegmeyer

 

 

Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cheerful-close-up-coffee-cup-208165/

 

Fruit of the Spirit -KINDNESS

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” 
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Being kind in this world is becoming a lost art in some areas of our culture. In Matthew 5:40-42 Jesus tells His followers “If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” And in Romans 12:20 Paul tells his audience “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Paul is quoting from the book of Proverbs. In fact, the Old Testament is full of “kindness” laws. Within the book of Deuteronomy, there are a plethora of laws that deal with being kind, fair and honest with your family, neighbors and foreigners.

Love displays itself in kindness towards others. Romans 2:4 tells us that it’s the kindness of God that leads us toward repentance. Being kind will draw people to you, and in doing so hopefully those people will ultimately be drawn to God. Being kind is asking the clerk behind the cashier’s counter how their day is going. Being kind is watching your neighbors’ kids while she runs another kid to the ER. Kindness is handing out cold water bottles on a hot day at the stadium, or raking your elderly neighbors’ yard in the fall. The chance to be kind is all around you. I challenge you to ask God to open your eyes to see the opportunities to display kindness to those around you. I think you’ll be surprised at how many opportunities there are!

God bless!

Noree Wegmeyer

 

 

 

Photo Credit:   https://www.pexels.com/photo/soldier-giving-red-fruit-on-2-children-during-daytime-36785/

Fruit of the Spirit – PATIENCE

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” 
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Our nation is very good at stream-lining things for convenience sake. We can drive through and get our coffee, any meal during the day, and any of our medical prescriptions. We pull up to a parking spot and we can have our groceries that we ordered online conveniently packed into our car. We no longer have to hold the handle of a vacuum or a mop to get our floors clean, miraculous little machines will do it for us. Yes, we are a nation that is very good at making things convenient. We are not a nation that is good at waiting. When the drive-through line moves at a snail’s pace we start to yell at the people serving the food (with the windows up of course) wondering what the holdup could be. When on the phone if we get put on hold we press the speaker button, put the phone down, and begin multi-tasking because we cannot stand to sit still and wait for five minutes. We (myself included!) are not a patient people.

In the Bible, the original Greek word is often translated as longsuffering. “LONG” being the key root word. Not only is patience essential to our walk with God, when we display patience with a world that is rude and in a rush, we stand out like a star in the night sky. Throughout the course of our lives, God will teach us many lessons that require patience. But in the meantime, remember to use it as a virtue in your every-day life. It is a kindness that people remember. It is a virtue that points to the love of God.   

God bless!

Noree Wegmeyer

 

 

Photo Credit:   https://www.freeimages.com/photo/don-t-lose-your-patience-1241239