#hewbrews

Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:12

You cant just "do what you want" after believing. Why? The Law is not written on stone (the 10 commandments) like the Old Covenant. Everyone was on their own and it was all outward.

LOVE –JOY- PEACE- PATIENCE- KINDNESS

GOODNESS- FAITHFULNESS- GENTLENESS- SELF- CONTROL 

Sometimes when I hear about the fruits of the Spirit they sound overwhelming.  You always think of striving towards them, but just trying to accomplish one fruit for the day is a huge feat. Something I think what we forget is that all of the fruits of the Spirit are not only the Spirit’s attributes, but also God’s.

What an amazing thing, that when we strive to have the fruit in our own lives, we are becoming closer to Christ and more like Him.

As we run after being for faithful in our walk, we see the faithfulness of God in our own.

When we decide to be kind to someone who has hurt us or annoyed us, we get a glimpse of how Christ feels every day when someone speaks poorly about Him.

When a stranger pays for your coffee for no reason at all, God shows you the goodness of Him through others, so we can strive to be God in others lives.

Deciding not to watch porn late at night, or gossip when it’s easy takes self-control. God has set that up so well that when you take one small step to have more self-control, it leads to more self-control with each small decision. He walks with us.

When you sit, read Gods word and talk with Him instead of watching TV or hanging out with friends you start to feel Joy. Not just happiness but Joy, the feeling you get when you strive and achieve a beautiful relationship with Jesus.

If you’re frustrated that the one guy you like on campus just isn’t giving you the attention you want. And you decide to pray about it and wait for Gods divine timing you are demonstrating patience. Having patience and trusting in Gods plan will to his timing and will be better than your wildest dreams.

When you read the Gospel and see how God gave His son to die on the cross for us, that is true love. That is the kind of love we should strive to show others.

God is so gentle with us when we mess up. When we veer off path God shows how He chooses gentle love when we are fragile as he forgives us. We in return can show the people in our lives the gentleness of our grace and understanding when someone hurts us.

When we choose to live in community with God and strive for a better relationship with Him everyday He gives us peace. That peace is contagious and will seep out of us as others wonder what kind of peace that is, and how can they receive it.

When we live with the fruits of Spirit in our hearts and minds we become closer to Christ and more like Him. People will see them in us and lived out in our actions, and wonder what is different. When we bear fruit, it is a blessing in our lives and in others lives.