Hi Friends,
Last week on my Facebook page I shared thoughts from Women of the Bible Speak Out on the fruits of the Spirit. I was amazed at how closely the fruits mirrored what we need in our world today. So, I wanted to share the list again here with some words of encouragement that we might ponder how we can let the Holy Spirit develop these fruits in us during these tumultuous times.
So, here ya go . . .
Love. In hope and faith, we can put the needs and well-being of others first.
Joy. For the joy set before us, we can endure, looking to Jesus for our strength and hope.
Peace. We can choose to focus on God and his faithfulness rather than the flaws and foolishness of our Nabal. We can encounter the Nabal in our lives with peace and reason rather than with angst and agitation.
Patience. We can let God take care of the outcomes and the timing. We can rest without needing to fix our husband, our boss, our father, or any other man in our life. We can cooperate with God by making wise decisions and taking wise actions. Then we can watch and wait as God moves.
Kindness. We can choose to be kind. Mean-spirited retaliation isn’t God’s way. We don’t have to give in to foolishness, but neither do we have to respond to our Nabal in a Nabal-like way. We can pursue the righteousness of God for the benefit of all, even the very one who is being unkind.
Goodness. We can do right no matter what, even when it’s scary. Even when it’s risky. We can refuse to use “submission” as an excuse to go along with the sin or foolishness of our Nabal. We can do good.
Faithfulness. We can refuse to let anyone cause us to sin. We can be faithful to God’s call in our lives. A Nabal may be terrible, abusive, “harsh and badly behaved,” but we don’t have to give him the power to destroy us by pushing us into sin. We can be loyal to Christ. We can hold fast to our integrity, not letting our Nabal destroy our faith—and if we already have allowed that, we can repent. Then we can make a different choice. Faithfulness can start today. Right now. One wise word, one courageous action at a time.
Gentleness. We can walk in gentleness instead of passivity. We can choose to not just let whatever happens happen, without care or prayer. Rather, we can walk in the ways of God, especially when everything in us wants to walk in the ways of either apathy or anger and retaliation—to give up and give in or to yell back, accuse, condemn, spew words of hate, and take revenge. Instead, we can gently pursue God’s will in all areas of our lives.
Self-control. We can choose self-control over self-seeking. We can practice the discipline of doing right so we don’t give in to the impulse of getting back at Nabal or cringing away in fear. Self-control empowers us to seek God, and to remember who we are. We are beloved children. We are daughters of the King. We are the bride of Christ.
