The fruit of the Spirit is . . . faithfulness.
By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. § Without faith it is impossible to please Him. § He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. § Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!
Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. § Faith working through love. § Faith without works is dead.
We walk by faith, not by sight. § I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. § Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Gal. 5:22; Eph. 2:8; Heb. 11:6; John 3:18; Mark 9:24;
1 John 2:5; Gal. 5:6; James 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 2:20; 1 Peter 1:8–9
The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. § The Lord is gracious and full of compassion … He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. § As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.
His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
When Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. § The same yesterday, today, and forever … Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will … Do not fear therefore.
James 5:11; Ps. 103:13; 111:4–5; 121:3–4; Deut. 32:11–12;
Lam. 3:22–23; Matt. 14:14; Heb. 13:8; Matt. 10:30, 29, 31
Years ago my mother was invited to a very prestigious dinner party in London, England. As she conversed, Mother discovered that the distinguished-looking older gentleman seated beside her was the former head of Scotland Yard, Great Britain’s equivalent of the FBI. Fascinated, she respectfully began to probe him for anecdotes. As he opened up under her genuine interest, he revealed that the departments under his authority had included those for forgery and counterfeiting. When she surmised that he must have spent a lot of time studying counterfeit signatures, he corrected her. “On the contrary, Mrs. Graham. I spent all of my time studying the genuine thing. That way, when I saw a counterfeit, I could immediately detect it.”
My mother’s dinner partner had unwittingly touched on a very important principle. If you and I want to be able to detect counterfeit truth, we need to immerse ourselves in the real thing. We need to saturate ourselves in the truth of the Word of God.
Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. § It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. § We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God. § We do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
2 Tim. 2:3; Isa. 55:4; Heb. 2:10; Acts 14:22;
Eph. 6:12–13; 2 Cor. 10:3–4; 1 Peter 5:10
Keep the unity of the Spirit.
There is one body and one Spirit. § Through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.
Eph. 4:3; 4:4; 2:18–22; Ps. 133:1–2; 1 Peter 1:22
Eph. 4:3; 4:4; 2:18–22; Ps. 133:1–2; 1 Peter 1:22
Jesus described the Holy Spirit as “Another.” The Greek word actually means “another who is exactly the same.” So although the Holy Spirit is a distinct person, He is exactly the same as Jesus, but without the physical body. He has been described as Jesus without skin. Or, like an FBI agent, He is Jesus undercover.
We know that Jesus is in heaven. As the first martyr, Stephen, was being stoned to death, he looked up and saw heaven open and Jesus standing at God’s right hand, preparing to welcome him home! (Acts 7:56)
But that doesn’t mean Jesus has left us to stumble through the darkness of the future on our own. He promised His disciples that when He went to heaven, He would ask His Father to send down to earth “Another.” One Who would have His same mind, will, emotions, and intellect. Jesus called Him the Counselor (John 14:16), because He is readily available to give us wisdom for our decisions, direction for our future, insight into our problems, and management for our responsibilities.
Seek those things which are above, where
Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Get wisdom! Get understanding! § The wisdom that is from above. § The deep says, “It is not in me”; and the sea says, “It is not with me.” § We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. § [God] made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. § Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Col. 3:1; Prov. 4:5; James 3:17; Job 28:14; Rom. 6:4–5;
Heb. 12:1; Eph. 2:5–6; Heb. 11:14; Zeph. 2:3
Nicodemus . . . came to Jesus by night.
Peter followed Him at a distance. § Among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. § The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. § A bruised reed.
He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench. § Faith as a mustard seed.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. § Little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. § Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
John 7:50; Matt. 26:58; John 12:42–43; Prov. 29:25;
John 6:37; Isa. 42:3; Matt. 17:20; 2 Tim. 1:7–8; 1 John 2:28; Matt. 10:32
