Sometimes when we come to passages like Matthew’s condensed Christmas story, we don’t come with that childlike curiosity and wonder—looking at the everyday with awe, perceiving the familiar as fascina...
Bethany Verrett
The spirit of a person was put in them so they could connect with God and be like Him. Just as part of God’s character is Spirit, people have spirit that endows on them the image of God....
Lisa Loraine Baker
Jesus gave further explanation of the difference between a good fruit bearer and one who produces bad fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles. A healthy tree bears good...
Pamela Palmer
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul referred to the church as the body of Christ. He used this metaphor to relay significant truths about the church and to help believers better understand the valu...
Emma Danzey
Today as we study the fruit of peace, may we remember that this is a peace different from what the world offers. Many things leave someone feeling peaceful, but only the Holy Spirit can leave a person...
David Burchett
Travel can be wonderful. But business travel is generally more like death by paper cuts. A frustrating airport concession stand moment revealed my own need to open the gifts of grace daily....
Bethany Verrett
For someone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life and has the Holy Spirit indwelling, they can rely on God to help them grow in discipline in both personal and spiritu...
Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
The 'rivers of living water' Jesus was referring to is the Spirit of God working in and flowing out of the life of a believer. Up until this time, the Holy Spirit would come upon a believer and then d...
Emma Danzey
The first fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 is love. When we try to grasp the Biblical definition of love, we see themes of sacrifice and selflessness. God Himself is love (1 John 4:8). Thi...
Hope Bolinger
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Many of us have heard of the Fruit of the Spirit or tried to focus on embracing them at different times. But ...
Mark Altrogge
When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, he changes our hearts and minds. He gives us the mind of Christ (Php 2:5). And we are to cooperate with him by actively transforming our minds and thinking b...
Believers are called to unity of spirit by grace, and a walk according to God, so that they may be as heavenly lights amid the moral darkness of this world....
Emma Danzey
When we ponder the concept of having the fragrance of Christ, everyone on this earth will have a preference. There are two options: either we love the fragrance of Jesus, or we despise it. It either r...
Frank Santora
In short, the fruit of the Spirit is the outward, visible and godly virtues displayed in a believer’s life, that evidences the inward, invisible presence of the Holy Spirit. These virtues or character...
Emma Danzey
His kindness came to us. Jesus, the incarnate deity, came to earth to show us the greatest act of kindness and love on the cross at Calvary. Death was defeated and not only that, by the Holy Spirit we...
Michael Jakes
The church is the body of Christ, a gift from the Father for us to grow in community, and grow closer to Him. But churches are filled with sinful human beings, ourselves included! When problems arise,...
Tim Pietz
Exhortation is filled with this same kindness and hope, but then it takes a second step—it incites its listeners to action....
Sheila Alewine
The nature of the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit - is just something that we will never be able to understand this side of eternity. But it doesn't mean we can't catch glimp...
In our day one of the nicer things said about the institutional church is that it is “irrelevant.” The book of Acts carries the remedy....