I am glad to be sitting down, and talking to you today! I have been busy, running around because I seem to have been hit with a spring fever. Away with the dark green table cloth in the dining room, bring out the pastels colors and celebrate new beginnings!

Peace seems to hit us in the same way sometimes. It comes from the depths of our spirit, but can only stay when Christ has washed us, cleansed us, and given us much needed grace. We need washing over and over again. His presence and His Holy Spirit never tire of making us fresh and new.

This washing is like a great river that flows from the throne of God. It carries away all that is not God. The cleansing that it brings makes you brighter than the whitest snow. It is a fruit of the Spirit of God.

 We can cultivate this in our lives by keeping His Word before us at all times. I don't mean that you walk around with your Bible open all day, but in your mind you are meditating on the promises of God. "Write them on your doorposts of our house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.      Deuteronomy 11:20-21.

The reason God said to do this on the doors was so that they would see what God wanted every time they were ready to leave., and on the gates also. I think we could do something similar. Maybe write scripture where we would see it every day, some people put a verse on there mirror in the bathroom. Others use their car, but wherever you choose it will help you to keep your mind on peaceful things, and that is what God is after.

I hear others saying all the time- God is faithful. I love to hear it because we all need to hear this time and time again. We forget that in up times and down times He is every bit the same. It's because there is no one else like Him, so we get caught in the everydayness of life, and we forget the heavenly truths that look us right in the face every day.

He is faithful to bring up the sun at just the right time, every morning. He is faithful to warm the earth just enough for the plants and flowers to wake from their sleepy nap. He is faithful to keep the earth at the right tilt so that we don't burn or freeze. He is faithful to keep us from troubles that we may never know about, this side of heaven.We can see when someone else has their feet pulled out of the fire, and they may never know it.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."    1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

I gave you the first verse here because it perfectly explains what verse 24 means. He who is faithful will make you whole. He who saves also does the clean up work. We are being changed on a regular basis, when we allow the Holy Spirit to work. He is sanctifying us, causing us to be made in His likeness for His honor. It's a painful process, but only when we try to fight against His work. Let go, and let God! You will be happy that you did!

Joy is one of those things that we usually think of for very special events. Someone gets married, or has a baby. The Bible tells us that "the joy of the Lord is our strength." Nehemiah 8:10 We can have joy more than every so often because we are the redeemed of the Lord. Just remembering that the Lord God Almighty is our everything can keep joy very close.

I too often get off course when I allow some little nuisance to grab my joy. We need to guard it so that it doesn't run off on us. My biggest problem is when a nuisance comes from behind, and I'm caught off guard. It could be when my son tells me he has to do an extra semester of college because he lost credits along the way. How about when my daughter informs me that she is not coming home for the summer because her NY job fell through. Oh well, I'm not supposed to get my joy from other people.
So why do I allow their circumstances to change my emotions?

I guess we will have to settle for:"I am a work in progress." I am finding my joy a lot quicker these days. It doesn't take off quite as fast as it used to. I have weathered through a lot of life's storms, and found that it is much easier to hold on tight to the joy that the Lord gives. He is ever so faithful in every circumstance to win me over with His love.

Love is a fruit of the Spirit of God. Probably you have a good idea of what love is, from God's perspective. Many people don't know what love is. The Bible tells us that: "God is love."
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. He that does not love, does not know God; for God is love... Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.  { 1John 4:7-10}

Since the fall of mankind the word love has been stomped upon, dirtied, and twisted. We can all remember the oldest line in the book, the guy says, I love you so it's ok. Ha, how many unsuspecting girls have fallen for that line, and what does it have to do with love? Nothing. And how many young people have given their hearts away to someone who has trampled on it, with no regard for them, and left a relationship feeling that love is not worth it. If this is love, why bother?

Biblical love is not a feeling, but a commitment.Yes, the feelings can and should be there, but when the tough times come, and they always do, it is the commitment to the words that were said at a altar years before that hold a relationship together. When we don't understand why a person does what they do, the covenant of love holds strong.

I guess the best definition of love is summed up in the other fruit of the Spirit. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Only a relationship with Christ can grow these fruit in our lives. If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life, repented from your sin, and to lead and guide you, why don't you do it right now? Tomorrow is never guaranteed. The word in our verse for today- propitiation, means that He took our place on the cross, because He is the sinless Son of God. Because of sin, we deserved to be there, but in His love for us, He went to die in our place. Now that is a true definition of LOVE!

God is good! He is just so good, that the word " goodness" cannot hold it all! There are not enough words in english to describe the type of "goodness" that He is. I heard the phrase, " God is good" in a song on the radio this week, and It hit me, that is just not enough to describe Him! I guess that is why He has given us the gift of tongues, because we can't find words in english that are adequate.

Then we have the words that have been overused lately, like awesome. No one ever used this word when I was younger. Now you can hear it all the time. There are the words  "shut up." If you said that to someone they would be offended. I guess I found out about these words being "updated" from the movie, "Princess Diary.

Goodness never happens without the Holy Spirit. There would be nothing worth having if it weren't for the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self -control. As we worship and adore the Lord, goodness is poured down in wonderful ways. We may call it a loving feeling, or a sense of God's presence, but in that goodness comes as well.

Goodness comes to us as we read about the works of Jesus. " And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst'."  John 6:35 
"He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:38
We could go on forever. What about the feeding of the 5, 000, or the healing of the countless people from the days He was here on earth to today. Think of all the ordinary people in the old testament that He spoke to.  He longs to speak to ordinary people today too, like me, like you. Are you listening?

What do you think of when you hear the word, gentleness? I thought of Gentle Ben, a t.v. show many years ago about a bear by that name. The dictionary defines it as "softness of action or effect; lightness." The Bible Dictionary says "gentle words wield great power."

"A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
"By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks a bone." Proverbs 25:15

Gentleness is not usually seen as having great power, but it does. When we control our emotions, and give a right answer, it soothes away anger and despair. It can tame the savage beast, or maybe a distraught teenager? Yes, it can bring peace to a situation, where there had been strife. Only the presence of God can move over situations of confusion and bring direction.

I think of gentleness as an action, a touch, an arm around someone who needs to know others care. Our words can build us up or bring us down, and those around us.
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.    Proverbs 25:11  { NAS}
This is a pretty idea, it is regal and elegant, and so can our words be, if we watch them. We also know out of the same mouth can come blessings and cursing, and the Bible tells us that this shouldn't be so. If we spend our time reading" good reports" good will come out of us. Spend as much time as possible tonight in God's word, it will make a huge difference in what comes out of your mouth tomorrow.

Kindness- A foreign term to some, but well known to those of us that read the Bible. It is a fruit of the Spirit, so as we grow closer to Jesus, this should be one of the signs of our love and devotion to Him. Oh God, sometimes this is so easy, and then sometimes...  I know you can relate. Our patience can wane. Didn't we talk about patience recently? Oh God!!!

Let me relax a bit. When I am relaxed I can be a lot more kind... and patient. I'm sure you can be too.

"Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?  Romans 2:4  { NLT }

This is so very true! No one turns to God because someone made them feel lower than low over their sin. People turn to Jesus, because they see the kindness of God in His servants. They see the love of the Father, because in His patience He never gives up on us! This causes others to want to put away sin, and be filled with that unfathomable love that fills hearts who want to know Him. There is nothing in this world that can fill us, calm us, and continue with us even when we make mistakes.

Stop, slow down, wait and hear from God. If I do this I am happy with the outcome. I have no regrets. I can look back on any given situation and say Thank you Lord, if I slow down, and hear.
It is so worth waiting and listening. Will you join with me in cultivating this in your life? Let's make sure we pray for each other too. Thank - you!