The Fruit of the Spirit

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Five Ways Christ Loves His People Well

~ Colin Smith

What you believe most deeply about how God loves his people will shape your experience of him.

Some people see God as a kind of referee, running up and down the field, watching all of us as we play the game of life, making sure we play according to the rules.

Other people see God as a kind of gatekeeper. Think of the officer on passport control. The officer checks your passport. If everything is in order, the officer stamps your passport and lets you in. If there’s a problem, it is his job to keep you out.

Other people see God as a kind of servant who only exists to give them the life they want.

There are many people in church who see God as the referee, the gatekeeper, or the servant. But what do you know about Christ as the lover of your soul? God says, “If you want to know what I am to my people, think love, think marriage.”

Here are five ways Christ loves his people well.

Cleansed: A love that forgives you

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:25-26)

A believer who comes to Christ and asks for forgiveness will never hear the answer no. “Whoever comes to me, I will never turn away.” When you say “Please forgive me,” you always get a yes from Christ, because he loves you.

Christ never turns a cold shoulder towards his people. He does not hold a grudge. He does not open old wounds or pick at old sores. Christ loves us well with a love that forgives. “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church.” But it’s not just husbands. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

Read more: https://unlockingthebible.org/five-ways-christ-loves-his-people-well-2/

Peacebringers

~ The River Walk

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.(Colossians 1:19-20)

Read: Jeremiah 4:19-6:15, Colossians 1:18-2:7, Psalm 77:1-20, Proverbs 24:23-25 

Relate: “No. This is a lie. I don’t know how to prove it to you, but I know this is a lie.”

With this statement, I knew that any further discussion in this direction would get nowhere. It was the end of a conversation barely more than an hour ago. A Muslim man wanted prayer for peace of mind. I prayed, along with a couple other Christians for him for a short while, and then asked:

Go to: https://theriverwalk.org/2017/10/08/october-5-peacebringers/

5 Marks Of A Contented Heart

What are the characteristics of a contented heart? Contentment is often tough to pin down. In this post, I want to take an excerpt from my book Chasing Contentment to try to answer this common question by interacting with a trusted guide from the past.

Through the gospel, God lovingly accomplishes and applies redemption for people who have sought happiness in something other than him. Humanity has all turned aside and served the creation rather than the Creator. Instead of leaving us hungry and hurting in our rebellion, God acts. He pursues us. He comes after us. And to what end? It is so that through this gracious rescue we might find ourselves agreeing with him about his all-surpassing supremacy and sufficiency. Through the gospel, God makes himself our treasure. In other words, God makes us content in him.

We know that this contentment is not simply idealistic but rather characteristic of the Christian life. As believers, we continue to learn contentment by learning to trust and treasure God in every situation. God has provided us with the Bible and the church to be the means by which we work this out in our lives.

In his book The Art of Divine Contentment, Thomas Watson described five characteristics of a contented heart. With our course marked out for learning contentment, let’s think about how we might evaluate where we are in our own personal progress.

A Contented Spirit Is a Silent Spirit

Read more: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/erikraymond/2017/09/06/5-marks-of-a-contented-heart/

A Cappella Group Sings A Beautiful Rendition Of ‘Be Still My Soul’

http://www.faithpot.com/be-still-my-soul-acappella/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=30/06/2017

The Secret to Being Content

http://unlockingthebible.org/secret-being-content/

9 Ways to Cultivate Peace of Mind

Why are some people peaceful, tranquil and calm? And others are constantly disquieted, distressed, and frustrated? Why do some folks seem happy all the time and others unhappy? Why does one person wear a perpetual smile, and another an incessant frown?

Several years ago the Sociology Department at Duke University did a study on “Peace of Mind.” After studying hundreds of people, both happy and unhappy, 9 factors were found to contribute to emotional and mental stability.

In reading the list, it was quickly apparent that these ideas are either directly stated in implicitly implied in the Bible. Here are the 9 with a corresponding scripture and a brief comment.

1.The absence of suspicion and resentment. Holding a grudge was the major factor in unhappiness

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Eph 4:31, NIV)

Bitter people are unhappy, agitated people. Get rid of this detrimental toxin.

Read the rest: https://thepreachersword.com/2016/12/08/9-ways-to-cultivate-peace-of-mind/