November 6, 2025
Planting the Seeds of Peace in Marriage
Peace isn’t just a seed. It’s a strategy. It’s strength. It’s Spirit. And peace, just might be the generational tree where your legacy rests.
Articles for tag: Fruit of the Spirit
June 26, 2025
“How Will Revival Come?,” A Christian Standard Article from May 25, 1957
It is our sincere conviction that a genuine Christian revival in our generation must begin with and be channeled through the local church.
June 23, 2025
Self-Control: The Flipside of Liberty
“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28), for self-control provides protective boundaries and moral defenses.
June 16, 2025
The Persuasive Power of a Gentle Spirit
Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, but the concept often has been misunderstood. Gentleness doesn’t equal weakness.
June 2, 2025
If One Word Could Describe You
We are complex beings described by many things, but perhaps no description could be better than being regarded as faithful.
May 26, 2025
The Hard Edge of Kindness and Goodness
Jesus showed kindness and goodness throughout his ministry—including on the cross as he promised salvation to a dying thief, asked the Father to forgive his killers, and provided for the care of his mother.
May 19, 2025
Wait a Minute
Patience isn’t our natural inclination, but it’s a Christ-like quality and a fruit of the spirit.
The Necessary Estuary
Peace is more than a political policy or an abstract goal. Ultimately, we find peace in a Person: the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Christ is the necessary estuary.
May 5, 2025
Finding Joy When Life Isn’t Enjoyable
Joy is more than light-hearted levity based on happy circumstances. It’s not a fleeting feeling; it’s a fruit of the Spirit—a by-product of God’s presence in your life.
April 29, 2025
Are You Lovesick?
Not surprisingly, love is listed first among the Fruit of the Spirit because love is the fertile soil where other virtues thrive and grow.
April 21, 2025
The Fruit of the Spirit
What kind of spiritual fruit delights God’s heart and reveals his character to the world? Here’s the answer: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
September 11, 2023
September 17 | Application (‘What Will You Bring to the Wedding?’)
The bride and groom don’t come to the wedding ceremony empty-handed. They bring their unique personalities, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, habits, and hang-ups. . . .
May 1, 2023
10 Personal Practices That Will Lead to Greater Unity
By Rubel Shelly How can you and I “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3)? Here are 10 practices each of us should consider: • Pray for the unity of the church. If Jesus prayed for the unity of all who would believe in him through the apostles’ message (John 17:20-26), how dare we not pray for it as well? Pray for Christians you know from various backgrounds. Pray for the “tribes” other than your own. Don’t pray for them to change but for God to let you love them.
December 21, 2022
‘It’s Christmas Time in the City’
"All my Christmas memories are framed by the city where I both spent my childhood and where my wife and I raised our daughter," Steve Carr shares in today's Christmas remembrance. "And for me, nothing says Christmas in Cincinnati like the live Nativity display at Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park."
January 24, 2022
Jan. 30 | Application
How can we honor the Lord when conflicts arise? Is it possible to hold firm convictions without destroying relationships? Several principles found in Romans 14 can help us put this slogan into practice.
January 4, 2022
Ten Things I Would Teach in Student Ministry
As a father, a student ministry volunteer, and a college professor, I offer these 10 suggestions of what I would teach in student ministry to help prepare resilient and growing disciples of Jesus.
November 1, 2021
The Greatest Love Song of All Time
By Jerry Harris What is the greatest love song of all time? Ask 10 people and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. It’s said music is the language of emotion, and if true, then singing is its spoken word. Our emotions come directly from being made in God’s image because our God is an emotional God—a God who feels. Our God not only feels emotions, but he also invented them . . . and some of the best emotions are called the fruit of the Spirit. That list in Galatians 5 begins with the greatest and highest of all emotions:
August 23, 2021
Aug. 29 | Discovery
Look at the contrasts between the “acts of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit.” . . . What do those headings demonstrate to you about living as a follower of Christ?
September 7, 2020
How to Have a Good Fight (Sept. 13 Lesson Application)
This “Application“ column goes with the Bible Lesson for Sept. 13, 2020: “Fight” (1 Timothy 1:12-19; 6:11-16) ________ By David Faust Ironically, it was a fighter who informed us that peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Paul compared himself to a boxer throwing punches (1 Corinthians 9:26). He saw the Christian life as a battle against dark spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:12). As death approached, he said, “I have fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7). Not all fights are good. Some are petty or even humorous. The author Kevin Leman quips, “My wife and I live in
February 22, 2020
How Paul Used the Social Media of His Time
By Jon Weatherly Would the apostle Paul use today’s social media? After all, it is filled with triviality, gossip, cruelty, divisiveness, indecency, blasphemy, and “fake news.” When videos of cats wearing shark suits and riding Roombas may be the least evil thing on social media, how can we imagine Christ’s apostle engaging in such an environment? When a person uses social media for what they consider a noble purpose, still it can backfire. Consider the case of Adam Smith in 2012 in Tucson, Arizona. One particular day, Smith filmed his interaction with a fast-food employee. Smith wanted to make a
