Growing up, my understanding of using the name of the Lord in vain was clear, don’t use His name in a derogatory manner. The reality is, even though Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament so we no longer need to live under the law, Jesus always went deeper into the heart than the superficial. […]
Self Control
James 1:13-15 (NIV) When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when […]
Gentleness
Proverbs 15:1; A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 25:15; By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone. In my younger years, I was always cautious as to what and how I responded to people. I didn’t want to offend; and more often than […]
Faithfulness
1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own]. I’m paraphrasing, but I’ve always looked at this in the light of […]
Goodness
Mark 10:17-31 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, […]
Kindess
Romans 2: 1-16: You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere […]
Patience
Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be angered by injustice, we saw Jesus’ anger as he overturned the money tables. I believe it’s speaking more to our initial reactions to every day life, but also patience with God is […]
Peace
1 Peter 3:8-13 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tender-hearted and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his […]