The Names of God: Adonai-Lord

Adonai-Lord: Master

Adonai-Lord indicates the sovereignty of God. The Master is the one who assumes control of a situation. The servant, seeks to know and to do the will of his Master.

Genesis 15:2 KJV
And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Abram was in a pickle. He was old, rich, and had no heir. He knew if he were to die, all that he had worked for, all that God had blessed him with, would go to some servant in his household, not his own flesh and blood. Never mind that he was being less than grateful or faithful. God had already made a powerful and bountiful covenant with him in Genesis 12:1-3 and renewed that covenant again in Genesis 13:14-18. God had assured Abram twice now that his seed would number as the dust of the earth. But Abram, like the rest of us doubted after time had passed and he was still childless. Abram was flesh, just like you, just like me. His faith faltered a little. He stumbled a bit in his walk. 

Yet the knowledge that God was still God was clear when Abram called upon Him in Genesis 15:2. The Hebrew for Lord GOD in this verse is Adonai-Lord, Master. There may have been a little doubt creeping in and beginning to clutch at his heart but the truth remained, the truth that God is Master, He is in complete control. And because He is our Master, we are to serve Him, trust Him, and have faith in Him.

And like the loving and merciful Master He is, when Abram reminded Him that he was still childless, God, Adonai, promised him his heart's desire. But not only did He promise Abram an heir from his own loins, He promised for the third time that Abram's seed would number as the stars in the heavens. 

Three times now, God had spoken to Abram and told him he would be the father of many nations, and somehow this was still not sufficient for him. Once again he got impatient, restless, and he took matters into his own hands, and Ishmael was conceived. 

Astoundingly though, God once again renewed His covenant with Abram after Ishmael's birth. This was a sure sign of His love and patience with us. Were it any other father and son, I imagine there would've been much yelling and throwing hands in the air. But He remained long-suffering, even through His promise to Sarah of a son as she laughed at the absurdity of a child at her age. 

Finally in Genesis 21, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90, Isaac was born and the rest is history as they say.

It took 25 years for Abraham to begin to see the fulfilling of the covenant God had made with him in Genesis 12, but that certainly did not mean that God was not in control every minute of those 25 years. And when you think about it, to only have to be reminded 3 times in a quarter of a century that God is in control, that He is Master and you are servant is pretty astonishing. It seems He has to remind me at least a dozen times in 24 hours. 

But He is. He is Master. And He is in control of each and every situation, whether it be spiritual, financial, physical, or mental, He is Master. He created the heavens and the earth...He can cure cancer with a single thought. He breathed life into dust and made man...He can put life in even the most barren of wombs. Through His Son, He took 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes and fed 5,000...He can see any bill paid, any mouth fed. 

He took one man's faltering faith and made him the father of many nations. 

Here I am Adonai-Lord, use me up, make me your righteous and faithful servant.

Adonai

One single drop of rain

Your salty tear became blue ocean

One tiny grain of sand turning in your hand

A world in motion

You're out beyond the furthest Morning Star

Close enough to hold me in Your arms

Adonai, I lift up my heart and I cry

My Adonai

You are the Maker of each moment

Father of my hope and freedom

Oh, my Adonai

One timid faithful knock

Resounds upon the Rock of Ages

One trembling heart and soul

Becomes a servant bold and courageous

You call across the mountains and the seas

I answer from the deepest part of me

Adonai, I lift up my heart and I cry

My Adonai

You are the Maker of each moment

Father of my hope and freedom

Oh, my Adonai

From age to age you reign in Majesty

And today You're making miracles in me

Adonai, I lift up my heart and I cry

My Adonai

You are the Maker of each moment

Father of my hope and freedom

Oh, my Adonai

Fruits of the Spirit: Temperance

Galatians 5:16-25 KJV

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Temperance Is:

The growing realization that one's desire to please self was crucified with Christ, and replaced with a desire to glorify God (Galatians 2:20).

To avoid spoiling watch for pride.

I did not want to get up and go to church this morning. I worked on homework last night until after midnight. My boys were up at 3:16 this morning, climbing into our queen sized bed, asking for water, squirming around, and finally falling back asleep. I was tired and weary this morning at 7:30 when Kieran had an accident in the bed. Water in the middle of the night is not a good idea. I was not looking forward to a service wrangling my overtired boys in the pew, trying to keep them quiet, trying not to be an utter distraction. I wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed and sleep until noon.

But I didn't. 

The Lord has been working on my heart in the last 6 months since we have started our Ministry and blog. I am closer to Him now than I have ever been. Had it been left up to me and my selfish, prideful desires, I would've made some excuse not to go. But I knew that my presence in the house of the Lord was important to Him. I knew that by being there, by being faithful to Him, by setting an example for my boys, that I was glorifying and honoring my Savior. And so I pressed on this morning. We got dressed and ready and made it to church on time. And the blessing we got in return today for simply going to church to worship Him was amazing. 

Today I witnessed what the power of God can do. I saw a man stand behind the pulpit and pour out his heart and soul to a congregation for his Savior. I saw him speak with power, authority, and reverence for God, from God. I saw a man weep with conviction and joy. I saw a man preach with love for a lost and dying generation and for saints in glory. 

I sat in awe of the power of God and I wept with thankfulness. You see this man I saw and heard today was my husband. A man I have loved with all of my heart for nearly ten years. A man I didn't think it possible to love any more than I already did. And yet, as I sat there and watched him give glory and honor to our Savior, I felt myself falling more in love with him and the new man he is becoming. 

Romans 6:6-10 KJV

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Crucified with the old man is our desire to please ourselves. 3 years ago, church was the last place you'd have found either of us. 3 years ago Brandon was more likely to have had a hangover than an overdose of Jesus. 3 years ago we were on the brink of divorce. Oh but what victory there is in Jesus! He has so transformed our lives they are nearly unrecognizable. He has given us love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and now temperance. He has built upon the love we had for each other and for Him, as deeply buried and as hard to find as it was sometimes, and he has multiplied in exponentially. He is continually changing our hearts, shaping and molding us in the servants He'd have us be. And I absolutely cannot thank Him enough. 

Galatians 2:20 KJV

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Heeding to the will of God, knowing that I put my selfish desires and my pride away this morning and practiced temperance, means that I am learning not only to live in the Spirit but to walk in the Spirit as well. It means that I am living by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me, for you. It means that I had victory over my flesh, over sin, and over Satan. Victory in Jesus.

Victory in Jesus

I heard an old, old story,

How a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary

To save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning,

Of His precious blood's atoning,

Then I repented of my sins

And won the victory.

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about His healing,

Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again

And caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,

Come and heal my broken spirit,"

And somehow Jesus came and bro't

To me the victory.

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about a mansion

He has built for me in glory.

And I heard about the streets of gold

Beyond the crystal sea;

About the angels singing,

And the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I'll sing up there

The song of victory.

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

Fruits of the Spirit: Meekness

Galatians 5:16-25 KJV

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Meekness Is:

A tender spirit purposefully expressed (Romans 2:4) and sacrificially given (Ephesians 2:7) especially to the undeserving (Titus 3:4).

To avoid spoiling watch for a judgmental spirit.

You wouldn't think that meekness would be such a difficult characteristic to try to maintain. After all, how hard is it to be nice to someone? Well, sometimes it can be extremely difficult. I believe that is why it is 8th in line behind love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faithfulness. We've got to get those down pat before we can truly have a meek spirit to all those we encounter, even those we deem undeserving of kindness.

Anyone who knows me knows that the sun rises and sets in my boys as far as I'm concerned. I love them more than words can possibly express. I prayed and begged God for them, because there was a dark time in my life when I didn't think my heart would ever be whole again. And if you know me, you'll know that I have two of the roughest, rowdiest, rambunctious boys you've ever seen. I've called Brandon or my Momma in tears more times than I can count because I've been overwhelmed, maxed out, done in.  I've sat and cried out to God over and over for help, guidance, and direction in learning how to teach them, discipline them, and love them without breaking their beautiful spirits.

And this morning God graced me with an answer. He broke my heart in utter conviction. 

My hard to handle boys are not my problem. I am.

My boys need me to have a tender spirit purposefully expressed and sacrificially given. Not my bad attitude. Not my temperamental mood swings. If I can show meekness to a rank stranger on the street then I am capable of showing it to my family, the ones who ought to be the easiest to be kind to.

But it's not always easy. Being a Momma means being on call 24/7, no sick days, no vacation days. There is the occasional night spent at Poppa and Nanna's but our time apart is rarely spent on relaxation. So I do get frustrated and overwhelmed at times and I find myself being hateful and ill with the ones I love the most. 

Today the Lord has shown me that in writing this series on the Fruits of the Spirit, my heart and soul have been changing. I find myself being more purposeful in my actions and words than I was before. I am less quick to fly off the handle when Devlin throws a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet or when Kieran mimics my own stubborn attitude. They deserve my kindness, perhaps more than any other, because in my kindness, in my meekness dwells Christ, the only true kind man that ever was or ever will be. I must be intentional in my walking and living in the Spirit so that I am leading by example, teaching my boys that I not only talk like a follower of Christ but that I live like one too. I must teach them what it means to be a Christian so that when the Holy Ghost beckons them they will answer without hesitation. If my actions were to ever hinder their salvation in any way I would be devastated. 

I must show them that they should never mistake meekness for weakness for it is in the moments that we apply meekness that our strength is revealed. We must be kind to those we believe undeserving of it, we must sacrifice our pride to do it if necessary, we must forsake the judgmental spirits, we must be kind to everyone we meet because they are each fighting a hard battle we know nothing about. We must strive to live as much like Christ Jesus as possible because it was His tender spirit that was purposefully expressed in the ultimate sacrifice to the most undeserving of sinners, you and I.

Fruits of the Spirit: Faithfulness

Galatians 5:16-25 KJV

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Faithfulness Is:

A promise (Romans 3:3, Lamentations 3:23) to keep one's word, and do one's best (1 Thessalonians 1:3) with a servant-attitude focused on the Master's approval (Matthew 25:21).

To avoid spoiling watch for weariness, laziness, procrastination, and discouragement.

Ask me how I am at any given point in the day and I'll probably give you one of the above answers. I'm either tired and weary, being lazy, procrastinating and avoiding something, or I'm just downright discouraged.  Exactly the perfect conditions to spoil the fruit of faithfulness. We know that the Fruits of the Spirit build one upon the other so we know what the perfect conditions to ripen our faithfulness to harvest are. They are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness and goodness. I need to fill my days with these fruits so that I can be faithful to my Savior, so that I can walk in His Spirit as I have been commanded to do.

Perhaps the most important part of faithfulness is the servant-attitude focused on the Master's approval and no one else's. In writing this blog I often struggle with discouragement. Sometimes I feel like there is little to no point in writing these posts because perhaps I don't get the volume of feedback I'd like from the audience I had hoped to reach.  I let myself get bogged down in looking for approval from my peers instead of my Master. Do I need encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Christ? Yes! Absolutely! But ultimately it is His approval that I should crave. It was Him after all that gave His life so that I could live a life covered by the blood. Yet, although I pray for guidance before writing any of my posts, I still find myself second guessing what I've written until I get an "atta girl" from family or friends.  I've told my Momma this before. She scolded me. And I needed it. She told me that second guessing what the Holy Ghost had given me would do nothing but irk Him and I certainly didn't want that. She's right. If I ask Him to use me, to guide me, to give me the words He'd have me use, and then I doubt what He gave me, I'm failing in my faithfulness, in my promise to do my best.

I believe that God gives each of us a specific and unique gift, with one outcome in mind: to be profitable in the Gospel, to use our talent to point others to Christ.  In Matthew 25:14-30 we find Jesus telling the parable of the talents.  The Master gave to each servant according to his abilities. The man with 5 talents and the man with 2 talents each received the same amount of praise because they were profitable, they had each doubled their talents. The third man hid his 1 talent in fear and was cast into outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth because he was unprofitable.  

This parable isn't speaking of money but of our individual ability, our specific and unique gift, to serve God. Because although Salvation is not of works, our Salvation will give us the desire to do good works for our Savior.

We must be rich in the fruit of our faithfulness to be profitable for Christ even when we do not always understand the happenings of our lives. 

Faith is a deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time. --Oswald Chambers

When I miscarried in my 5th pregnancy in January this year, I had no idea what God's reasoning was.  I felt that we were finally getting our lives back on track and that a baby was going to multiply our joy exponentially. But God said, "Not now."  I couldn't understand His will at the time but I made the deliberate choice to have confidence, to have faith in Him. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that we'd have founded Help the Hurt Ministry and odds are, we wouldn't have with a baby on the way. Finishing my degree is something I've tried to do a couple of times in the past and now, I'm praying, it's going to become a reality, slowly but surely. Brandon too, is on his way to getting a college degree. God has given us a mission and we want to be faithful enough to see it through to completion. My heart sill aches with the desire to have a baby, but again, I have to be faithful and know that the Lord will answer my prayer in His own time.

Esther 4:14b KJV

And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

We have been put here on this earth, in these specific circumstances, for a time such as this. We all know in our heart what our calling is, how we can serve our Lord and Savior in the best way possible. Our faithfulness is our promise to heed to our calling and to do our best as servants seeking the Master's approval.

Fruits of the Spirit: Longsuffering

Galatians 5:16-25 KJV
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Longsuffering Is:
A learned attitude (Colossians 1:11) revealed through a joyful willingness (James 1:2) to remain under difficulty (James 1:3-4) in order to learn God's lessons (James 5:11). 

To avoid spoiling watch for an unwillingness to submit.

Colossians 1:11 KJV 
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 

James 1:2-4 KJV 
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 

James 5:11 KJV 
Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 

I am impatient and stubborn to a fault. I want things done my way and I want them done now. 

The Lord obviously has a sense of humor, otherwise He'd not have blessed me with the most curious, inquisitive, free spirited, independent, stubborn, wild and wonderful boys that He did. And they try what very little patience I have day in and day out. I heard once that you're never supposed to pray for patience because the Lord will answer that prayer with opportunities to practice patience. Unfortunately I heard it a prayer or two too late. And my prayer probably went something like this, "Lord, please give me patience. And give it to me right now!"

And if I am lacking in patience, you can certainly guarantee I'm far from longsuffering. Because patience is not about how long someone can wait. It's about how they behave while they wait.

patience, noun:

the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

longsuffering, adjective:

having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.

I wear my heart on my sleeve. Every emotion I have crosses my face. I'd be a terrible poker player, an even worse actress, and a laughable liar. So having and showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people is hard for me. This makes my life difficult at times because motherhood isn't easy.  I am not the perfect Momma I always thought I'd be. I'm not raising perfect boys though sometimes I treat them as though they ought to be. It is hard not to let my frustration, irritation, and anger get the best of me at times and it's even harder not to let it color my judgement when it comes to my wild boys. But I desperately do not want them to remember me as an ill and hateful Momma. I am with them day in and day out, we're rarely apart. It will be me at the forefront of their memories and I need to fill them with love and mercy and grace. The same love, mercy and grace that Christ extends to me when I make mistakes, am slow to listen and unwilling to submit.

Longsuffering is a learned attitude. That is why the Lord gives us so many opportunities to practice it. And we must have a joyful willingness to have ourselves tested, even in difficult times because an unwilling heart will spoil the fruit and we cannot learn God's lesson for us. We certainly give the Lord ample opportunity to practice longsuffering with us.

The Fruits of the Spirit build one upon the other. I believe there is a reason the Holy Ghost inspired Paul to list the Fruits in the order he did. At the time Paul was writing, the Galatian churches were facing a double threat, involving purity of doctirne and purity of conduct. The Fruits are characteristics displayed in the life of a Christian who is justified by faith alone.  Longsuffering is built upon peace that is built upon joy that is built upon the Love of our Savior.

John 15:1-8 KJV

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

To bear our Fruit we must abide in the Vine, the source of our love, joy, peace and longsuffering, because without Him we can do nothing. We will wither.

Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25 KJV

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Love Is:

A sacrificial choice (1 John 3:16) of words accompanied by actions (1 John 3:18), regardless of attraction or response (Romans 5:8) generated by God not by one's self (John 21:15-18).

To avoid spoiling watch for apathy.

Joy Is:

A pre-determined attitude (Philippians 4:4) of praise for God's goodness (Psalms 5:11) by maintaining an eternal focus (Psalms 16:11) in the midst of difficulty (Hebrews 12:2).

To avoid spoiling watch for complaining.

Peace Is:

A settled confidence of mind (Philippians 4:7) from a right relationship with God (Philippians 4:9) unaffected by circumstantial change (Philippians 4:11).

To avoid spoiling watch for worry.

Longsuffering Is:

A learned attitude (Colossians 1:11) revealed through a joyful willingness (James 1:2) to remain under difficulty (James 1:3-4) in order to learn God's lessons (James 5:11). 

To avoid spoiling watch for an unwillingness to submit.

Gentleness Is:

An attitude of humility (James 1:21) stirred by a grateful spirit (Numbers 12:3) revealed in a tenderness towards other (Ephesians 4:2) sustained by a growing trust in God (Matthew 5:5).

To avoid spoiling watch for bitterness.

Goodness Is:

A focused resolve (2 Thessalonians 1:11) that drives us to become actively involved in the life of another (2 Chronicles 24:16) consistently expressed through generosity (Nehemiah 9:25).

To avoid spoiling watch for selfishness.

Faithfulness Is:

A promise (Romans 3:3, Lamentations 3:23) to keep one's word, and do one's best (1 Thessalonians 1:3) with a servant-attitude focused on the Master's approval (Matthew 25:21).

To avoid spoiling watch for weariness, laziness, procrastination, and discouragement.

Meekness Is:

A tender spirit purposefully expressed (Romans 2:4) and sacrificially given (Ephesians 2:7) especially to the undeserving (Titus 3:4).

To avoid spoiling watch for a judgmental spirit.

Temperance Is:

The growing realization that one's desire to please self was crucified with Christ, and replaced with a desire to glorify God (Galatians 2:20).

To avoid spoiling watch for pride.