Verse of the Day 9/26

Verse of the Day 9/26

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:

joy??that overflows,

peace??that subdues,

patience that endures,

kindness in action,

a life full of virtue,

faith??that prevails,

gentleness??of heart, and

strength??of spirit.

Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.^?????? The Passion Translation (TPT)

Today's verses came up in the read through the New Testament plan that I am following.?? They are probably familiar to most, in not all, of us; but reading them in the TPT broke it out in such a way to take a look at each of those qualities, the fruit of the Spirit.?? We read them and acknowledge that we want them to be present in our lives and it sobers us to realize that some of them may not be.?? The qualities will not come about naturally of ourselves.?? They come from the Holy Spirit and need to be cultivated, there needs to be a determination on our part.

The passage below talks about some of the things that are more "natural" for us as human beings, characteristics found all too often in society and sadly, too often in ourselves when we stop and take a close look at our lives.?? I'm reminded of the Philips, Craig and Dean song "Strong Determination".

Yes, it's been said before
'Cause it's forever true
Good things take a lot of patience
If you're gonna see them through
So much depends on us
And what we invest through the years
When the fire is an ember
When the laughter's touched by tears

'Cause it's easy to love
When you've just fallen in
But the years take a toll
And you've got to hold on
To finish what you begin

It takes a strong determination
A trust that never dies
The courage to forgive
And a heart that reconciles
A life full of devotion
A faith that won't give up
It takes a strong determination
To build a house of love

Life requires a strong determination, for the Christian it depends on the power of the Holy Spirit working in us to build and establish those traits in us, and for those traits to be evident i

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Galatians 5:19-26??New King James Version (NKJV)

^19??Now??the works of the flesh are evident, which are:??^[a]adultery,??^[b]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,??^20??idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,??^21??envy,??^[c]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told??you??in time past, that??those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

^22??But??the fruit of the Spirit is??love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,??goodness,??faithfulness,??^23??[d]gentleness, self-control.??Against such there is no law.??^24??And those??who are??Christ???s??have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.??^25??If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.??^26??Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.