"this kind of fruit"

Sunday, February 11, 2018 (7:01 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Mm, yes. Thank You that when I don’t know what else to say I can always choose to say, “Thank You.”

Thank You for love. Thank You for joy. Thank You for peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. And self-control (Galatians 5:22b-23a). And where do these qualities begin? The Holy Spirit.

Yes! “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit…” (New Living Translation; Galatians 5:22a).

Mm… “this kind of fruit”. Holy God, thank You that You are so good to provide us with “this kind of fruit.”

Holy Spirit, thank You for controlling our lives. When we let You! Yes. We must choose to allow You charge over our hearts, our souls, our minds and our strength.

Waking up this morning I found myself starting to negatively replay a few recent mistakes. Thank You that the immediate thought that countered this way of thinking was “Count it all as joy” (James 1:2).

J.B. Phillips New Testament tells us, “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!” This runs so contrary to my natural bent.

Father, thank You that Your Truth teaches that when our faith is tested, endurance is produced and when fully developed we “become men of mature character with the right sort of independence” (vs. 3-4).

Yes, please. The Living Bible says, “for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when Your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.”

Again, the correlation between the two sections. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and Christians welcoming trouble (James 1:2-8). Fruit blooming and developing. Mm, yes. Continue Your work in me.

I love You. I need You. I want You. I seek You. Use me as You wish. Thank You. Amen.

(362 words ~ 8:33 a.m.)