'GENTLY' back on board...

Dear Loved ones,

I'm excited tonight for some reason. I've been sluggish all day long, so it's about time to have a little life starting to stir in myself.

I want to get back to the devotions I started with you back in the Spring on the Fruit of the Spirit.
It's a great study.
It is IMPORTANT to God for us to know HIS attributes.
It is what HE wants to do through us.

Think about that! Goodness, Gracious! Why would he want to pour out His attributes into these shallow, cracked, ugly, dirty, vessels of clay??? He so much is Not our way of thinking...Alleluia!!
I wouldn't pour anything into myself if it were me...for that matter, I wouldn't pour anything as beautiful as He is into a lot of people I know. I would think that I or they would just mess up a good thing and ruin said reputation. Ha...see how different we think from the way God thinks. I'm assuming that someone else out there feels the same way I do.
Having said that so gently and kindly, let's look at some attributes of kindness (gentleness). That is our Fruit for today.

(from Bible knowledge.com)
"Here are some of the different definitions of what real kindness is all about:

1/ Quality or state of being kind

2/ The steadfast love that maintains relationships through gracious aid in times of need

3/ Goodness of heart, serviceable, good, gracious, pleasant

4/ Love for mankind, hospitality, acts of kindness, readiness to help, human friendship, benevolence, taking thought of others

5/ Goodness in action, sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, affability

6/ The ability to act for the welfare of those taxing your patience " (oooouch, I feel that one!)

Listen to this verse...then listen again.

Gentleness (kindness) -- We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).

We all know someone that we could honestly say has any one or several of these attributes: They could be lovely, joyful, peaceful, long suffering, gentle (kind), good, faithful, meek (enduring injury with patience and without resentment : mild) and practice temperance people.
They also could not even know the Lord Jesus. They are just simply nice people we enjoy being around.
There has to be a difference! God has distinctly made it clear that this one nine fold fruit is from HIM and that we cannot nor will not be able to produce it.
Maybe the difference is people's reaction. If it is from Him we will be drawn to Him eventually through contact with this spirit filled person. If it is a personality of someone then we are drawn to her or him. Is that the difference? What do you think?

The word “Spirit” is with a capital “S” – which means these 9 fruits are coming directly from the Holy Spirit, not from us.

What this means is that God’s love, God’s peace, God’s joy and God’s goodness can start to be transmitted up into our personality. These are His attributes and personality qualities that will start to move into the core of our personality.

Think about the ramifications of this – that God the Father Himself is allowing us to share in a part of His divine nature by allowing His Holy Spirit to transmit and impart these nine divine qualities right up into our soul and personality!
As you can see from some of these different definitions, this is a very beautiful quality to have transmitted up into your soul and personality by the Holy Spirit. Not only will you be able to touch others with this godly quality, but you will also be able to touch yourself – because you will feel so much better about yourself if you can learn how to treat others with much more kindness and respect in your daily dealings and affairs with them.

Think about that...then think about it again. Have you ever had to minister to yourself? David did over and over.
I love you all!!

Blessings,
Mom/Meme/Linda