“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians…

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24, NIV). “Justification” is another big word in the Christian faith. It is a judicial term meaning that someone who has done…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (John 1:1,14, NIV). “Incarnation” is one of the big words of the Christian faith. It simply means that God, in Jesus Christ, took…

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV). Today is Independence Day in the United States of America. This is the day we recall the many freedoms we have…

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8, NIV). I love the image of God strolling through…

“God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV). Recently I took my eleven-year-old son to purchase his back-to-school supplies. As we worked through our list of items, we played an…

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you…

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28, NIV). I must confess that, in discussing the fruits of the Spirit, I’ve waited until the very end of our series to discuss self-control. Alright, I guess I still have kindness and patience to…

“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9, NIV). Faithfulness is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit listed in Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia (Galatians 5:22-23). Faithfulness is the language of love and relationship. Faithfulness…

“…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV). Today we are considering the Spirit fruit of gentleness. In order that we might better understand what…