The seed of every other fruit of the Spirit is a deep, enduring joy and satisfaction in Jesus. A lack of love communicates that we treasure ourselves more than Jesus and the people he purchased by his blood. Our anxiety tells God we’re not happily content to have him and his fatherly plan (and timing) for our lives. Impatience says the Jesus we already have is not enough for us. An inability to say no suggests we believe this food, that purchase, or this website will make us more happy than Jesus. But real joy in Jesus, through the gospel, will free us from all the rotting, poisonous fruit of
...more
