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Share God’s Love!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a ESV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV

Apple tree with apples almost ready to pick.
Peaches growing and ripenning.

Last Saturday we had a Vacation Bible School for kids in our area from 3 years old to 18. It was a lot of fun for all! One of  our discussions was the “fruits of the Spirit.” We had some crafts and talked about how we should treat others. But I began to consider that these “fruits” are not just character traits that we want our kids to have, but fruits we want them to “grow” and share with others as they learn more about God and Jesus. (Check out the kid’s blog, Share the Love!)

We love because God loves us. We strive to be more like God and Jesus. We endeavor to learn more about God, Jesus, and the Spirit. And only then can we produce all of these “fruits” to share as we interact with others!

Later this week I read a devotional (about the fruits of the Spirit) and I want to share this quote with you. It spoke to me. God’s love is the good soil that helps all our fruits grow.

“The way I define love is by using the fruit of the Spirit, which starts with love. I believe that joy is love rejoicing, peace is love at rest, patience is love waiting, kindness is love interacting, goodness is love initiating, faithfulness is love keeping its word, gentleness is love empathizing, and self-control is love resisting temptation.” By Michael Timmis (written to Nicky Gumbel)

All the fruits of the Spirit are born out of God’s everlasting love for us! They are not just guidelines for interacting with others, they are the why and how we choose to interact with others. Let all our interactions with others begin with love as we share God’s love!

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we explore the fruits of the Spirit.

Blessings and fruitfulness in all your interactions!

8 comments

  1. I have a VBS story for you, Peggy. When I was about six years old, I attended VBS at a small-town Baptist church with my same-age cousin. During lunch, I took a big bite out of a bologna sandwich my mom had made for me and noticed something was a little…off. I opened the sandwich and there was bread, mustard, lettuce…and no bologna! My mom had forgotten the meat! My cousin looked at the sandwich, wrinkled his nose, and said, ‘Eww!” 😂 That day in VBS, I made a little plaque of praying hands. I gave it to my mom, of course. In 2015, when she died, this little praying hands plaque was buried with her. It felt right to let it accompany her on her journey, you know?

    It’s always a delight to read your posts, my friend. As always, keep bringing the light. You’re making a positive difference. 😊

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    • I love the VBS story! I’m sure both of my kids would have a story about something I forgot to put in their lunches. 😂
      And as moms, we keep everything our kids ever made for us. 😊
      I so love that the praying hands plaque you made at six was with your mom as she went home to heaven. So sweet!

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  2. so many memories resting this post. VBS was highlight.of my summer as a kid.. mandatory but something I looked forward to nonetheless.

    I remember learning chorale speaking and all the arts and crafts.. many of which I still apply as an adult 40+ years later

    My eldest sister runs the VBS back home every summer now, as she has never lost her enthusiasm for it. And the children still adore it.

    great post Peggy..I hope you’re running the VBS next summer as well. 😊🙏

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