Category Archives: Fruit of the Spirit

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September 7, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Salvation: A New You

GOD’S SMILE

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. [Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)]

sunflowerPastor Sandi always closes the service with Numbers 6:24-26. With this blessing, she’s continuing a tradition that is more than 3,000 years old. Intended as a blessing for the people, the Lord gave those words to Moses for Aaron to pass on to his sons and successive Temple priests. In 1979, that ancient blessing was found on two tiny silver scrolls in a burial cave near Jerusalem. Known as the Ketef Hinnom scrolls, they contain verses from Deuteronomy 7 and Numbers 6 and date to around 600 BC (making them the oldest known text of the Bible)!

Granted, as spirit, God has no face as we know it. In His glory, God is too magnificent to be seen by sinful man and, when He visually reveals Himself, He does so in a way we can understand, as He did for us with Jesus. Even so, when referring to God’s presence and favor, Scripture frequently speaks of the face or countenance of God.

When God is pleased with His people, His face shines upon them and He shows them His favor. But, when He’s displeased with His people, Scripture often says He turns His face from them and withholds his favor and blessing. God even warned Moses that if Israel broke their covenant, He would hide His face from them because of their evil. [Deut 31:18] In Psalm 88, the psalmist asks, “Why are you turning your face from me and looking the other way?” and in Psalm 27, David begs God not to turn His face away. [88:14;27:9]

While most Bibles translate Numbers 6:25 as making the Lord’s face either “shine upon you,” or “smile down on you,” the Living Bible’s paraphrase of “May the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you!” truly paints a vivid picture. I suspect God’s face radiated with joy when Mary gave birth and the armies of heaven sang their praises or when Jesus was baptized and a voice was heard to say, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [Lk 2:14, Mt 3:17]

Rather than turning His face from us, can you picture God’s face literally glowing with joy because of us? What would make Him beam the way a parent does when their baby takes his first steps or that baby graduates from college with honors? What could we do to cause His face to radiate with joy the way it does when your child comes home unscathed from deployment abroad? How would we make God smile the way a Grandma does when she holds her first grandchild?

Fortunately, God, provided the answer in Scripture and Jesus summarized it beautifully with two commandments: love God with our entire being and love others as we love ourselves. If we want to put a smile on God’s face, we should love Him with the same intensity we did when we first came to know Jesus by loving Him so much that we want to spend time in His presence contemplating His word and listening for His voice. He’ll smile as we grow strong in our faith, give thanks for His gifts, become obedient to His word, and are accepting of His will.

While that sort of devotion may put a smile on God’s face, if we want Him to “radiate with joy,” we must have as much concern for other people’s well-being as we have for our own. We must be as willing to overlook their shortcomings and accept their faults as we are ready to ignore and disregard ours. We should be as attentive and supportive of others as we are self-indulgent and accommodating to ourselves. Our sincere love for Him and our fellow travelers in this world is what will make God’s face beam with joy as He looks down at us!

The smile of God is the goal of your life. [Rick Warren]

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. [Psalm 67:1-2 (NIV)]

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August 6, 2026

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Church & Worship, Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Joy, Knowing Him, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You

THE DAILY BLESSINGS OF FAITH

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” [Matthew 7:21 (NLT)]

Since her church attendance is limited to Christmas and Easter, with an occasional funeral or wedding thrown in, a neighbor describes herself as being a “Birth and Resurrectionist.” People like her are often categorized as “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christians. Granted, church attendance is not the litmus test for Christianity. Nevertheless, lack of church attendance indicates a lack of commitment and a token or non-practicing faith. While such people identify as “Christians,” their Christianity is a more a matter of culture, habit, or tradition than one of faith, creed, and rebirth.

Celebrated evangelist Billy Sunday said, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile,” and we’ll find “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christians in the pews as well as the beach or golf course Sunday mornings! Some things, however, can’t be done partially—and following Christ is one of them. An all-or-nothing proposition, following Jesus means a transformed life. When those “nominal” or “non-practicing Christians” arrive at the Pearly Gates, they shouldn’t be surprised when Jesus doesn’t recognize them! Nevertheless, setting aside the promise of salvation and where we’ll spend eternity, what would our lives be like right now if we only were token or cultural Christians?

While we’d still have a code of ethics, knowing what’s right doesn’t mean we’ll do the right thing. A relationship with Jesus means we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through our moral choices and get us back on track when we stray. Without the Holy Spirit, would we be able to love? Probably, but not with the unconditional love (agape) about which Jesus spoke—the power to do that comes from Him. Worse, we’d have anger, resentment, and bitterness because, without the Spirit’s power, we’d struggle to forgive those who’ve hurt us. Moreover, if Jesus weren’t in our lives, we’d miss the blessing of God’s forgiveness and be burdened with guilt, regrets, and shame.

If we had no relationship with Jesus, we’d miss that wonderful sense of peace that comes with Him. We’d always be searching for the next best thing without ever realizing that we have the best thing right beside us. Without Jesus, our sense of worth would depend on superficial and transient things like social status, wealth, education, and looks. With Jesus in our hearts, we know without a doubt that we are loved unconditionally. Moreover, without Jesus in charge, we’d lose our sense of hope and trust. We’d fight our troubles instead of accepting them with the knowledge that He will carry us through them.

Finally, a “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christian misses out on the blessings of Christ’s church. The church isn’t a building; it’s a family of faith. It’s friends, support, instruction, accountability, inspiration, opportunities, guidance, encouragement, prayer, and joy! While salvation is the final reward for our faith in Christ, our daily lives are continually blessed for that faith.

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. [John 10:9-10 (NLT)]

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July 20, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Temptation & Sin, Today: Make it Count

LIKE SMOKE

He looked out across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace. [Genesis 19:28 (NLT)]

Let’s pray that the human race never escapes from Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere. [C.S. Lewis]

I still go online to read the newspaper from what was our hometown for over fifty years. Last week, it was filled with news about the events of Fiesta Days. With its Car Show, Big Wheel Race, Duck Derby, Beach Bash, Street Fair, Music Fest, Art Show, Parade, Fireworks, and Carnival (complete with rides and funnel cakes), the festival is one of summer’s highlights.

However, when air quality monitors reached the “hazardous” and “very hazardous” categories, all outdoor activities in the area were cancelled. Smoke from Ontario’s over 200 wildfires caused the unhealthy conditions and darkened skies. The smoke and haze from these fires spread southeast over 500 miles through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and across northern Illinois. It didn’t stop there; on Friday, it also brought hazardous air and hazy skies to Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, D.C., and across Maryland and Virginia. By Saturday, over 125 million Americans in 18 states were on air quality alerts.

Fire has a way of causing far-reaching collateral damage and so does sin. The chronology of kings in Israel and Judah is filled with stories of how a father’s sinful example was followed by his son and led the people to sinfully disregard God’s commands. Today, the abusive father is likely to have an abusive son, the adulterous spouse’s divorce hurts the entire extended family, toxic relationships poison everyone near them, and the children of an alcoholic carry emotional baggage that affects not just them but their own children, as well. When the bad stuff hits the fan, it spatters all over innocent people and rarely stops there.

Well, I’m not abusive, adulterous, toxic, or alcoholic so I can’t spread sin, pain, and sorrow, or can I? A few poorly chosen words, a sharp retort, a tidbit of gossip, a rude gesture, a bit of spitefulness, impatience, and rudeness—they all have far-reaching effects. My rudeness to a waiter or salesperson can easily cause them to be irritable with their customers, who then might be short-tempered with the people they meet later. By the end of the day, my unpleasantness may have created a negative chain reaction affecting dozens of people.

Unkindness to one person can end up spoiling other people’s days the way smoke spoiled people’s plans for the Fiesta Days’ carnival! We are connected to the people around us and to those around them. Whether intentional or not, the consequences of our sins don’t remain with us just as that smoke didn’t remain in Thunder Bay!

We talk of “paying it forward” when doing a kindness that will reverberate with more kindnesses. Unfortunately, it appears to work that way with sin (including those “little sins” like anger, rudeness, impatience, hostility, gossip, griping, and spite). Worse, it seems we’re more likely to pay rudeness forward with more of the same than to pay forward our blessings! Any time we fail to live as Jesus did, every time we allow Satan a foothold in our lives, when we forget to respond with love, or are inconsiderate of other people, our ugliness can spread far and wide as did the smoke from the fires in Ontario.

Father, guide our words and actions so that the love of Jesus is clearly seen and felt by all whose lives we touch today. Don’t let us darken someone’s day the way smoke can darken the sky!

The greatest need in the world is the transformation of human nature. We need a new heart that will not have lust and greed and hate in it. We need a heart filled with love and peace and joy, and that is why Jesus came into the world. [Billy Graham]

This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but also sets the forests ablaze. Its burning sends up clouds of smoke. [Isaiah 9:18 (NLT)]

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July 16, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

WHAT WOULD ROY DO?

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. [Ephesians 5:1-2a (NLT)]

And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. [John 13:14-15 (NLT)]

Several “Nancy” comics written and drawn by Guy Gilchrist have inspired my writing.  Curious about the cartoonist, I was not surprised to learn that he is a Christian; that was not always true. As a boy, he was poor, lonely, abused, and searching for someone and something in which to believe. Missing a dad, he found a father figure in an unlikely place—television—and in a remarkable person—a radio, television and movie star by the name of Roy Rogers. When the young cartoonist was unsure how to behave, he’d look to the singing cowboy and ask himself, “What would Roy do?” He knew his cowboy hero always took the right course of action. Although Rogers was publicly vocal about his faith, Gilchrist didn’t know his hero was a Christ follower until many years later.

Since there was no difference between Rogers’ television persona and the man himself, Gilchrist chose an excellent role model in this man of integrity. Kind and honest, Rogers was a devout Christian who stood for decency, truth, and justice. Unaware of Roger’s Christian faith, the boy didn’t know that the entertainer had his own model for behavior: Jesus. While Gilchrist asked, “What would Roy do?” the star probably asked, “What would Jesus do?”

Emulating Roy’s example made Gilchrist a good person. But, following the “Roy Rogers’ Rider’s Club Rules” by studying hard, obeying his parents, protecting the weak, and being kind, courteous, brave, and neat didn’t make him a Christian. Gilchrist’s commitment to Christ didn’t happen until the cartoonist realized how much he needed Jesus shortly after his divorce.

Nevertheless, the father figure Guy Gilchrist found in Roy Rogers illustrates how each of us can influence the lives of others and have a profound effect on them. Granted, we’re not Hollywood stars. We don’t ride a golden palomino named Trigger or have a German shepherd answering to the name of Bullet. All the same, we have a responsibility to be good role models to all who know or even observe us—and, like Rogers and his wife Dale Evans, we must be open to sharing the gospel whenever possible.

Do we live by asking ourselves what Jesus would do? Do we live in such a way that we would want young people to model their behavior after ours? Would we want them to respond to disappointment, resolve problems, settle conflicts, react to insult or injury, deal with loss, and treat both pleasant and unpleasant people the way we do? Would we want them to ask themselves what we would do? Then, would we want them to do it?

A good example is far better than a good precept. [D.L. Moody]

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. [1 John 2:6 (NLT)]

And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. [1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT)]

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July 9, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Patience & Perseverance, Salvation: A New You

INCONVENIENCED

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [Matthew 9:35-36 (NLT)]

My summer beach novel began with a man having a heart attack on a commuter train. For the next several pages, I was privy to the thoughts of his fellow passengers who were annoyed by the train’s unscheduled stop for medical aid. Because they’d be delayed, they saw the man’s collapse as a tremendous inconvenience to them. As passengers disembarked to find another way into the city, their thoughts were not of the dying man and his wife but of themselves and how they’d been inconvenienced.

My husband has been on a commuter train that was delayed because someone deliberately stepped onto the tracks in front of the train. His fellow passengers were like those in my novel. Their words were about themselves and how the delay negatively affected them. They seemed to forget that this person’s death had ruined more than a day for his family and friends—let alone the train’s engineer who’d become an unwilling accomplice in a suicide.

Back in the days of typewriters, my friend Gaye taught typing at the local junior college. When a student with only one arm entered her classroom, rather than empathy for the challenges he faced trying to conquer a keyboard, she thought of the problems his handicap posed for her as his teacher. Like the train passengers and Gaye, we usually see life through the eyes of self-concern. Forgetting that it really isn’t about us and we’re not the center of the world, our self-interest often undermines our compassion, patience, and understanding.

Surely all those people who followed Jesus and pled for healing inconvenienced and delayed our Lord, but we never read of Him sending anyone away because He was too busy or had better things to do. Jesus didn’t complain about walking to Jairus’ house or being delayed by the woman with the blood issue. Spotting a tax collector in need of forgiveness, He stopped for Zacchaeus and, hearing a blind man beg for mercy, He called for Bartimaeus. Rather than complain about interruptions or inconvenience, Jesus showed mercy, sympathy, patience, and kindness.

“It must be hard for you,” said a stranger to Anne as she maneuvered the walker into her car. “Yes,” she admitted, “but it’s much harder for my aunt who has Parkinson’s!” Although she was inconvenienced by the challenges of caregiving, Anne knows that Parkinson’s is no picnic for her aunt either. On the days she resents the extra weight placed on her shoulders, Anne remembers it is worse for the woman whose weight she is carrying. When she considers life from her aunt’s position, any resentment or feeling of inconvenience is replaced by love and compassion. Isn’t that what doing unto others really means? To truly do unto others, we need to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes instead of complaining about a little scuff on ours!

Christ and compassion go hand in hand but compassion doesn’t always come easily. It’s only human to have our first response be, “What does this mean to me?” or “How will I be affected?” It may be human, but it’s not Christ-like.

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” [Martin Luther King, Jr.]

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. [Colossians 3:12 (NLT)]

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May 21, 2026

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Bible Stories, Fruit of the Spirit, Holidays & Holy Days, Holy Spirit, Sharing Our Faith

PENTECOST

Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. [Acts 2:2-4 (CSB)]

Following Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the apostles obediently and courageously returned to Jerusalem. They got down to business and selected a replacement for Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ. With the addition of Matthias, there again were twelve apostles and about 120 believers/disciples and the entire group devoted themselves to prayer. Picture this diverse group of people. How did they keep the faith? Did they wonder what exactly they were waiting for and when it would happen? Where was this baptism with the Holy Spirit Jesus promised them? When would Jesus to return? Did they grow impatient or begin to doubt what they’d seen with their eyes?

While we don’t know the words of their prayers, we do know they were still praying together ten days later—fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection. Occurring seven weeks after the Jewish celebration of Passover, that fiftieth day was the Jewish holiday Shavu’ot (or Pentecost). This Jewish holy day celebrated the first harvest and Moses being given the law at Mt. Sinai.

It was on this fiftieth day after Jesus’ resurrection that the Holy Spirit, accompanied by high winds and tongues of fire, descended upon Christ’s followers. As the believers were filled with the Spirit’s power, they began to speak languages previously unknown to them. Nevertheless, they spoke real languages that were understood by those from various lands familiar with them. Although Shavu’ot had brought together Jews from fifteen or more different regions, each with its own language, everyone was able to understand the Spirit-filled Christians as they spoke. The Holy Spirit had empowered the disciples to bring Christ’s message of salvation to all people.

It hardly seems an accident that God chose Shavu’ot for such a miraculous event to occur. One of the three pilgrimage festivals requiring all able-bodied Jewish men to come to Jerusalem, it meant the city was teeming with people from far and wide. While people went to the temple to be in God’s presence and make sacrifices on Shavu’ot, the Holy Spirit’s arrival meant that God would always be present in His people! Rather than dwelling in the Holy of Holies (the inner sanctuary), God now dwelt in His believers. On a day that commemorated the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai—an external means of keeping Israel from sin—the Holy Spirit descended. Rather than lives being Torah-centered and Torah-directed, lives were to be Christ-centered and Spirit-directed! Believers no longer had to adhere to laws carved on stone because God’s law was written on their hearts. The law told people what to do but, when Jesus poured out His Spirit, He gave us the power and ability to do it and live righteously.

Jesus told His disciples to be His witnesses but it was the presence of His Holy Spirit that empowered them to do so! That 50th day after Christ’s resurrection, Peter preached at Christianity’s first revival and 3,000 people were baptized. On a day celebrating the year’s first harvest of produce, Christ’s church had its first harvest of souls! That Pentecost day marked the beginning of the New Testament church.

While Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, Pentecost celebrates the birth of the Christian church. This coming Sunday marks the 50th day after Easter—Pentecost. While there probably won’t be cake, ice cream, or balloons at church Sunday, perhaps they should be there. Let us celebrate the Church’s birthday and the gift of the Holy Spirit!

Since the days of Pentecost, has the whole church ever put aside every other work and waited upon Him for ten days, that the Spirit’s power might be manifested? We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power. [J. Hudson Taylor]

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” [Acts 2:38-39 (CBS)]

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