Southeast Christian Church

Though David and Jonathan could have become bitter enemies fighting to gain the kingship of Israel, God instead forged a strong friendship between them. Although kings of his time were known to eradicate all competition, David made a vow with his friend saying that, as king, he would not wipe out Jonathans family. David upheld his vow by blessing Jonathans crippled son, Mephibosheth, providing us with an excellent example of kindness and goodness from which we can make application for our lives today.

Patience is not a fruit of the Spirit that comes naturally to us. Whether were kids wanting a road trip to be over or adults wishing traffic would speed up, patience is a battle. Thankfully, God has established some simple, specific ways to encourage the growth of patience in our lives.

One "Fruit of the Spirit" that the Apostle Paul lists for us in Galatians 5 is "peace." Many people try to attain peace through a self-help message that says "You've got to try harder" or, "Do this and you'll find peace." However, their efforts only end up robbing them of their peace as they bring about stress and anxiety instead the opposite of internal peace. Know that this isn't something that we can do, for peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and it is only He that can produce peace when the pressure is on.

The Apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter to the Philippians. He had no freedom, rare bathroom privileges, limited visitation, and failing health. However, it was here that Paul penned these words: "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). From an earthly perspective Paul should have been the last person on earth to have joy. Yet, Paul wrote these words while chained to a guard. We may find joy to be elusive when we face times of despair. So we must learn to gain a perspective like that of the Apostle Paul, who found joy in all occasions because of Christ.

This week we take a look at the first Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22, love. Most of us think of ourselves as loving people. We may even find it easy to love those who love us in return. But do you love when you are around a demanding boss or when you are at home with your forgetful husband? In order to see growth in the Fruit of the Spirit we must love others even when its not deserved.

We often want the fruit of the Spirit to develop in our lives, but we neglect spiritual preparation for producing such fruit. In Galatians 5, Paul challenges us to first pull the weeds of the sinful nature. However, whether you want to grow fruit or you need to pull weeds, know that the power to do so is found through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God not only grows the fruit in our lives, but He also gives us the power to kill the weeds.