In biblical times, to show anything but joy in the presence of a king could cost you your life. This is why Nehemiah was terrified when the king noticed the grief he had for the condition of Jerusalem while he was serving the king. With our King this is not dangerous because in His presence it can’t happen. In His presence you simply can’t be depressed or distraught about anything, as Psalm 16:11 declares, “In His presence is fullness of joy.”

         It’s not possible to be depressed or...

         I once read that the only creature that loves a storm is the eagle. The reason is they have learned that if you approach a storm at the right angle it will carry them higher. In aviation “angle” can also be a term for “attitude.” This is what we must do in the stormy times—approach the storms with the right attitude and they will carry us higher. 

         Continuing with Peter’s exhortations about how we face trials, remembering that the Lord gave him the “keys of the kingdom,” we now look at I Peter 4:1-2:

...

         We have been covering how the fruit of the Spirit are divinely powerful weapons. In this day of increasing discord and conflict it is even more crucial that we build our lives upon the Rock, Jesus, and strengthen ourselves in Him by continually seeking to grow in His nature. This is demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit in our life.  

         For this reason, we will now cover some of the biblical exhortations that give us clear instructions as to how we strengthen ourselves in the Lord. We will begin with those written to us...

         We continue covering the fruit of the Spirit, which are also “divinely powerful weapons.” In this Word for the Week, we will cover the last one listed in Galatians 5: “self-control.” 

         Why would “self-control” be named as a fruit of the Spirit? Isn’t that something we do? We must keep in mind that the Spirit is “the Helper,” not “the Doer.” He has been sent to help us, but not to do what we are responsible for doing. However, He does help us to develop these qualities so they are His fruit in our life.

...

     Jesus said “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentleand humble in heart…” (Matthew 11:29). It is extraordinary that the first thing Jesus says that we need to learn from Him is gentleness. This elevates gentleness to a high priority, and we must seek to know His definition of gentleness.

     We often think of gentleness as being mild-mannered, or the kind of carefulness that could hold a baby bird and not injure it. We can see this gentleness in Jesus as He healed the sick, as He taught and led those who were like...