June 24 – Self-Control (2 Timothy 1:7)

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”(Proverbs 25:28)

IN WORD:
The contemporary church is plagued with problems of self-discipline. Sinful behaviors have infiltrated our congregations possibly at unprecedented levels. One reason self-control is such a problem for so many Christians is that it feels like a work of the flesh. We are told to live Spirit-filled lives, so we become passive. We have incorrectly assumed that any effort on our part is “works,” a product of the flesh and a symptom of legalism. We end up with a faith without works, and as we find out, that kind of faith is dead.
Self-control is perhaps the most confusing of all the fruit of the Spirit. How can it involve the self and the Spirit at the same time? If it’s self-control, how can it be Spirit-control? It can’t. But, contrary to popular teaching, the Bible never tells us to be controlled by the Spirit, at least not in the sense that we lose our personality and will. We are to be born of the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, inspired by the Spirit, and sealed by the Spirit. But we are not controlled by the Spirit. The Spirit enables us to have self-control.
A lack of self-control will cause us to neglect necessary disciplines like prayer, Bible study, contemplation, evangelism, and more. It will also cause us to indulge even godly desires in inappropriate ways. A lack of discipline distorts work, sexuality, entertainment, nutrition, and stewardship of time and money. If our lives were compared to an ancient city, self-indulgence would be the weakness in our walls. Erosion will eventually cause our protection to collapse and allow our enemies to raid.

IN DEED:
A life of godly discipline is useful to God. He can accomplish much with it, because it can steward his vast resources appropriately. The uncontrolled life squanders God’s treasures — spiritual and material — and invites attack. At all costs, let the Spirit empower you to learn self-control. It is the key to managing all other fruitfulness.

“If you would learn self-mastery, begin by yielding yourself to the One Great Master.” -Johann Friedrich Lobstein-

June 23 – Gentleness (Philippians 4:4-5)

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
(Philippians 4:5)

IN WORD:
David was gentle toward his rebellious son (2 Samuel 18:5). Jesus came into this world with a spirit of gentleness (Matthew 11:29; 21:5). Paul had a tender attitude toward the churches he had founded (2 Corinthians 10:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:7). Throughout Scripture, we are instructed to put on gentleness as though it’s a required garment. Why? Because God has been gentle with us. It’s who He is, and we are to be like Him.
We may not envision God as being gentle. We read of His anger toward humanity before the ark was built; of His command for Israel to ruthlessly conquer the Canaanites; of His judgments on Israel in the prophets; and of His harsh condemnation of our sin when He laid our iniquity on a bloodied, beaten Jesus. But all of this points to His absolute, uncompromising, holy purity. His heart is thoroughly gentle. When our confession and humility allow for His gentleness, He always chooses it over His judgment.
Have you felt His gentle touch? When you received mercy rather than condemnation, it was there. Every day when He feeds you, clothes you, and surrounds you with air to breathe, you feel His tender provision. If there is anyone out there who loves you as you are, you have seen a reflection of His gentle nature. In Jesus, we know a gentle God.

IN DEED:
If the fruit of the Spirit are God’s display of His character through the church to a searching world, then gentleness is one of the most needed elements of that display. The world does not know of this gentle God — it portrays Him as either viciously judgmental or blandly irrelevant. It has not seen enough examples of righteous, patient, redemptive gentleness. Be one of those examples. Find a hurting person and demonstrate God’s gentle touch.

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” -St. Francis de Sales-

June 22 – Faithfulness (Psalm 89:1-8)

“O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”(Psalm 89:8)

IN WORD:
If you were to do a biblical word study on “faithfulness,” you would find something mildly surprising: The vast majority of biblical references to faithfulness are about God, not about us. God’s faithfulness is an established fact in Scripture; man’s is not. We are encouraged to be faithful, but we are always found wanting. God, however, is constant. His faithfulness reaches to the skies (see Psalm 36:5; 57:10; 108:4), and His love and faithfulness are semantically paired so often that they are clearly intertwined. His love is unchanging; there is nothing fickle about it — not even from generation to generation (Psalm 100:5). True faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2). It can do no other.
This is why faithfulness MUST be a fruit of the Spirit. It cannot be of the flesh. Humanity measures faithfulness in terms of months and years; God measures it in terms of eternity. We cannot maintain such commitment unless the power to do so is given from above. It simply is not within us to be covenant keepers for long. Nearly every biblical covenant originates in heaven and is maintained unilaterally by the covenant-keeping God. His faithfulness alone is everlasting.

IN DEED:
If you needed any sense of security about your salvation, there it is. God keeps you because He is faithful. He knows the fickleness of those He pursues, and He pursues us nonetheless. He knew how unstable we were before He committed to keep us.
But we cannot remain unstable, not if we’re filled with His Spirit. The flesh is weak, but we no longer live according to the flesh. Never use the excuse, “I’m only human.” You’re a human with the Spirit of the living God dwelling within. Faithfulness is possible for us when we are wholly dependent on Him. His faithfulness surrounds His throne. Enthrone Him in your heart, and it will surround you, too.

“The faithful person lives constantly with God.”
-Clement of Alexandria-

June 21 – Goodness (Psalm 23)

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6)

IN WORD:
For something to be worthwhile in our age, it must be amazing, outstanding, remarkable, or awesome. We are so overwhelmed with superlatives that we must keep coming up with more attention-grabbing adjectives with each new season of advertising. But God often advertises Himself in refreshing simplicity. He is good. Through and through, pure and simple, He is good. His attitude toward us is good, His will toward us is good, and His works on our behalf are good. We are unaccustomed to pure forms in our world — everything is tainted with corruption — but with God, no superlative is necessary. From any angle we look at Him, we see goodness.
There’s a remarkable transformation for us in His goodness. God blesses so that His people will become “blessers.” He gives so that we will give. He loves so that we will love. He forgives so that we will forgive. His demeanor toward us is to be reflected in our demeanor toward others. It isn’t just a responsibility to fulfill; it’s a natural reaction. When we’ve been treated so well, it’s natural to treat others well. His goodness takes root in us; we become good, like Him.

IN DEED:
Most of us are busy trying to impress others with a remarkable personality, amazing skills, or our outstanding achievements. God’s Spirit in us, however, will not make us flashy. He will make us good.
If others do not see in us a simple, uncorrupted goodness, they do not see the Spirit of God. We forget that behind every miracle, behind every teaching, behind every revelation and prophecy, there is the good will of God. Goodness underlies everything He does. He is a beneficent Creator, and a beneficent Creator births beneficent children. Do you bear His goodness? Demonstrate it to someone today. Show your world what God is like.

“Goodness is something so simple: always live for others, never to seek one’s own advantage.” -Dag Hammarskjold-

June 20 – Kindness (Colossians 3:12)

“A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.”(Proverbs 11:17)

IN WORD:
Kindness is defined as an attitude or action that benefits others. It is directed toward others, enjoyed by others, and edifying for others. Cruelty, too, is defined as something directed toward others. But this proverb doesn’t focus on the effect of kindness (or lack thereof) on others. It skips the basic definitions and goes straight to the side effects. It focuses on the results on oneself.
Just as patience ironically promotes those who are most reluctant to promote themselves, so kindness builds up those who are most interested in building up others. Cruel people try to give themselves a boost by harming others, but the strategy backfires. Harming others will eventually cause trouble for the cruel person. Likewise, kindness will eventually be returned to the kind. People who help others also help themselves, and so does God.
But we must be careful how we define kindness. True kindness will prompt a person to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). No one would question Jesus’ kindness, but it could be a very confrontational kindness toward those who distorted truth and righteousness. A wise person will accept that: “Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head,” wrote David (Psalm 141:5). Kindness is an intentional effort to pursue what is good for another person.

IN DEED:
Have people been unkind to you? There’s a chance that the reason lies within yourself — not that you are unworthy of the kindness of others, but perhaps you have not made an effort to be kind. A person reaps what he sows, and if one has sown kindness, he will reap it as well.
Perhaps others take your kindness for granted. God will not. An unbiblical saying asserts that God helps those who help themselves. Biblical truth says that God helps those who help others. Do you qualify? Then they, and you, will benefit.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -Mother Teresa-

June 19 – Patience (Ecclesiastes 7:8-9)

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”(Proverbs 19:11)

IN WORD:
It is profoundly ironic that those who are most aggressive in asserting their rights and establishing themselves are least likely to earn a respectable reputation. There is something disturbing about those who are rash and overly assertive. They must have what they want now. They are ruled by their whims. They carry the defining marks of this world, and they are unimpressive to everyone but themselves.
By contrast, those who are patient — slow to anger, deliberate in their steps, reluctant to speak or to judge hastily — are those held in highest regard by others. They do not assert their reputation, they simply earn it. They lose the argument but win respect. The world takes notice because they are noticeably not like this world. They carry the marks of wisdom. In fact, whether they intend it or not, they are like Jesus.
Jesus could have won the kingdoms of this world at the Temptation, but He waited. He could have established His kingdom when He rode into Jerusalem, but He waited. He could have condemned those who crucified Him, but He waited. He could have called legions of angels to defend Him, but He waited. He could have returned yesterday, but He’s waiting.
Why is He so excruciatingly patient? Because the greater the investment in His people — in both time and spiritual maturity — the greater the benefit in the eternal scheme.

IN DEED:
Have you learned that principle for yourself? Sometimes the best answer is a slow one — or none at all. Sometimes there is no pressing need to defend yourself when you know your position will be established in the end. Sometimes the person who offends you will eventually come around — if you give him time. If you are patient in all things, you are like Jesus. Your wisdom will be to your own glory, and also to His.

“Be as patient with others as God has been with you.”
-Anonymous-

June 18 – Peace (Colossians 3:15-17)

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:15)

IN WORD:
Peace is elusive. Not only is it elusive to governments in the world’s hot spots of conflict, it is elusive in public and private institutions. Unfortunately, it is also elusive in churches and families. And, most unsettling to us, it is elusive in our own hearts.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, the human heart is by nature unsettled. We are restless creatures because we have separated ourselves from our created purpose. The natural dependence our first parents felt for God has been lost on us. Insecurity reigns within; and where insecurity reigns, peace doesn’t.
The reason we live in a world that is in conflict is because we have hearts in conflict. We want to institute the rule of Christ in our hearts, but He must replace the reign of self — with all its fears, ambitions, passions, and false hopes — and that takes time. Human beings in such turmoil find it difficult to live in peace with others, whether it is on the job, in the church, or at home. Those who do not get along with others are invariably uncomfortable with themselves. Those who are at peace within are almost always at peace with others. Even when others rage against them — as they did with Jesus on the cross, Stephen before the Sanhedrin, and Paul from city to city — they do nothing to fuel the conflict. They have no need. They are at peace with themselves and at peace with god.

IN DEED:
Paul says we are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. He doesn’t say peace is simply to exist in our hearts. He doesn’t say it is to influence our hearts periodically. It is to rule.
Take this diagnostic test: Are you in conflict with others? It is likely a reflection of the condition of your heart. Ask God to still your turbulent waters. Let Jesus rule in the deepest corners of your being. Know the depths of His peace.

“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You.” -St. Augustine-

June 17 – Joy (Nehemiah 8:1-12)

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”(Nehemiah 8:10)

IN WORD:
It was a day of grief and repentance, that day the scribe Ezra read “the Book of the Law of God” in the hearing of the assembly. A generation of Israelites suddenly realized what many previous generations had forsaken — a covenant of love with the great and mighty God. And, according to Nehemiah, they wept.
Have you ever wept over your failures? It’s a humbling experience, pouring out your heart over grievous sins that can’t be undone. The human heart never feels weaker than when it is faced with its undeniable shortcomings. Our humanity is shot through with sin, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re weak and helpless.
Believe it or not, that’s a great place to be. God meets us in our weakness and He exalts the humble. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). It is a blessed frailty to have no claim before God, no words with which to justify ourselves, no bargaining power whatsoever. When we can accept that, we can accept His provision; and there is no greater joy than His provision. It is all we need. It takes us from weakness to strength because God’s power — His very presence — is greatest when we are most visibly vulnerable. We can lay down our stressful, painful attempts at self-sufficiency, and we can accept his sufficiency instead. What greater joy is there than to realize it all falls on His shoulders and not on ours?

IN DEED:
Do you know God’s joy? Have you ever heard him speak into your grief and say with Ezra, “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength?” The joyless Christian is bearing burdens no human is capable of bearing. The joyful Christian has come to grips with his weakness and accepted God’s strength by casting all burdens on Him. Learn the art of casting those burdens; be joyful and be strong.

“Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved.” -Henri Nouwen-

June 16 – Love (Song of Solomon 2:1-4)

“His banner over me is love.” (Song of Solomon 2:4)

IN WORD:
The Song of Solomon is an amorous book because our God. Is an amorous God. Does. It seem irreverent to say so? It can’t be, not when we realize the most passionate kind of love could not have originated anywhere but in the passionate heart of God. It is certainly not Satan’s invention, nor that of a depraved human condition. It is experienced by emotional beings made in the image of an emotional God. Our love reflects His.
Like the bridegroom in the Song of Solomon, our Bridegroom, Jesus, has set His love over us as His declaration of victory. It is our identity. We know that He loves us, and because of that, we love Him (1 John 4:19). Not only do we love Him, we love each other. It is the identifying feature of a Spirit-filled Christian. Where love is absent, so is the Spirit. Where the Spirit is absent, so is love.
So important is this characteristic that Jesus spent the major part of His last words to His disciples on the subject. In John 13-16, He first demonstrates love and then preaches on it: love and obedience, love and the Spirit, love and prayer, love and His friendship, love and joy. Then in His parting prayer, He asks this of the Father: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23). It is an intimate love — “I in them and you in me” — between a loving God, the beloved Son, and a love-hungry people. If there is any single mark of belief, it is love.

IN DEED:
Does your life bear the banner of love? Are you aware of God’s great love for you? Do you have great love for Him and for others? Do not be deceived: No matter how spiritually mature a believer is, it is a false spirituality if he or she is not thoroughly saturated in love. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). There is no way around it. The Christian life is a loving life. An un-loving life is not Christian. Let love, above all else, define you.

“Love of man necessarily arises out of love of God.”
-John Hooper-

June 15 – Fruit and the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26)

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22-23)

IN WORD:
All those who desire to live godly lives have prayed for these fruits. We want more love, so we pray for God to increase our love. We want more patience, so we pray for patience. We all know the routine. We’ve all sought the gifts of the Spirit with a shopping-list mentality.
But there is a better way. Instead of seeking more of the fruits, we must seek more of the Spirit. When we think we need more love, we really need more of Jesus in us. Or, perhaps more accurately, we need Jesus to have more of us. The same goes for our joy, our peace, our patience, and so on. These are not 9 individual characteristics that we can isolate and work on individually. They are integral parts of the mind of Christ. The more we abide in His Spirit, the more we will have them. When we lack certain fruits, we lack fellowship with the Spirit who gives them. The means to be more fruitful is to ask for closer fellowship with the Source. When we have that, the love, joy, peace, etc., will come.
This is God’s design for His people. His plan is not simply to improve us and make us better people. His plan is to inhabit us. The fruit of the Spirit is not about us and our deficiencies. It is about God and His presence in this world. If you find yourself lacking, the problem is not an isolated characteristic; it is fellowship with the personal, living God. He aims to live His life in you.

IN DEED:
Believe it or not, you — along with other believers — are the means to display God’s character in this world. If we don’t display Him, He won’t be seen. That’s an awesome responsibility. It’s also an awesome privilege. Do you lack His fruitfulness? Then you lack Him — not necessarily His salvation, but His lordship and His fellowship. Don’t just ask for love, joy, or anything else. Ask for Him.

“Work designed for eternity can only be done by the eternal Spirit.” -A.W. Tozer-