claire de lune

LOVE
    do i offer others a love that is earthly and of my flesh or do i offer them love from the core of my being from the well spring of life that the Spirit is constantly replenishing? I am equipped to love others in a way that brings the nations to Jesus. this is the love i truly long to have a constant habit of showing.

JOY
    do i bubble and brim over with a contagious joy? a passionate flame of bliss, happiness, rest in my soul and contentness in life? Only God can provide this joy. The joy that is unafraid to shout out, to rejoice and bring praise…even when it is illogical.

PEACE
    do i have a peace that is a deep, inexpressible calm of my heart that is so soft and docile that it creates tranquility in every exchange I’m a part of in any given day? a graceful gentleness of a Spirit at complete peace is what i strive for.

PATIENCE
    do i have the patience that only God provides? the patience that constantly puts others before myself, aiming for others benefit in every deed and thought? it doesn’t grumble but with mercy and a forgiving heart chooses to love all the more despite the flesh’s objections.

KINDNESS
    do i have the kindness that shocks people? the kindness that covers evil. the kindness that doesn’t make sense, that is given where not deserved. the kindness that makes people wonder, that looks completely different from the world.

GOODNESS
    He created the earth and said it was GOOD. Creation, to me, is much more than just good…Creation, in all its miraculous splendor and awesome creativity in design is…good? if i’m called to that level of goodness…HOW IN THE WORLD? literally. weird. There is no good in man, no none at all. This is a fruit i must depend wholly on God for, because after all, He is the author of Creation, the author of all that is “good”.

FAITHFULNESS
    am i faithful in all areas of my life? do i have the capacity to invest my heart and my head and my body into whatever it is at hand? whether it is being faithful to a friendship or being faithful to completing my homework assignments, i am called to a level of consistency, an amount of persistence, perseverance and loyalty through and through. am i constant at loving Jesus? Am i steadfast at aiming to put Him before myself?

GENTLENESS
    am i gentle in my friendships? do i take special care of others feelings and am i thoughtful towards them in the things that i do? am i tender and sensitive to feelings of people that i don’t even know, a gentleness that completely outdoes others in honor and respect?

SELF-CONTROL
     self-control channeled directly from the Holy Spirit’s presence within me. it trumps any evil, any temptation, any thought….self-control that encourages others, that convicts others, that leads them to ask questions about themselves and that is performed not for my own personal gain but for Christ’s honor for his holy name is worthy of much more than just my self-control. Worship HIM in a Spirit of self-control.

…against such things there is no law.

galatians 5:22-23