Transformative Love: Cultivating Patience, Kindness, and Goodness
Summary
### Summary
Today, we celebrated the birth of my granddaughter, Margo Rusty Mathis, and reflected on the transformative power of God's love in our lives. We continued our series on the fruit of the Spirit, focusing on patience, kindness, and goodness. These virtues are not just passive traits but active expressions of God's love working through us. Patience, as we discussed, is love persevering. It is the ability to endure and remain steadfast, even when faced with adversity or frustration. This patience honors God's sovereignty and allows His will to be done in our lives.
Kindness, on the other hand, is love serving. It is a tender-hearted concern for others, leading with compassion, action, and generosity. Kindness requires us to empathize with others, understanding their backstories and the struggles they face. This empathy enables us to treat others with the same loving kindness that God shows us.
Goodness is love proving. It is a predictable and stable expression of God's character in us. Goodness is not just a single act but a consistent lifestyle of obedience, surrender, and holiness. It reflects a pure heart and a life lived in alignment with God's will.
We are reminded that the root of all these virtues is love. God's love is active and transformative, and as we remain in Him, He remains in us, producing these characteristics in our lives. Our challenge is to allow God's Spirit to work in us, transforming us from the inside out, so that we can reflect His love to the world around us.
### Key Takeaways
1. Patience as Love Persevering: Patience is the ability to endure and remain steadfast, even in the face of adversity. It honors God's sovereignty and allows His will to be done in our lives. Our impatience, on the other hand, dishonors God's control and attempts to wrestle it away from Him. By being patient, we submit to God's timing and trust in His faithfulness. [37:11]
2. Kindness as Love Serving: Kindness is a tender-hearted concern for others, leading with compassion, action, and generosity. It requires us to empathize with others, understanding their backstories and the struggles they face. This empathy enables us to treat others with the same loving kindness that God shows us, making our interactions more meaningful and compassionate. [45:30]
3. Goodness as Love Proving: Goodness is a consistent lifestyle of obedience, surrender, and holiness. It reflects a pure heart and a life lived in alignment with God's will. Goodness is not just a single act but a predictable and stable expression of God's character in us, making us dependable and trustworthy in the eyes of others. [52:38]
4. The Transformative Power of God's Love: God's love is active and transformative, not passive. It works in us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, transforming us from the inside out. This transformation is evident in our patience, kindness, and goodness, which are all expressions of God's love living through us. [34:02]
5. Remaining in God's Love: The key to expressing the fruit of the Spirit is to remain in God's love. As we stay connected to Him, He remains in us, producing these characteristics in our lives. This connection is essential for our spiritual growth and for reflecting God's love to the world around us. [01:07:52]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[30:41] - Introduction to the Fruit of the Spirit
[32:11] - Love as the Root of All Virtues
[34:02] - The Active Nature of God's Love
[35:39] - Patience: Love Persevering
[37:11] - Honoring God's Sovereignty with Patience
[40:35] - Patience in Anger
[45:30] - Kindness: Love Serving
[47:10] - Empathy and Understanding Others
[50:24] - Kindness Towards Enemies
[52:38] - Goodness: Love Proving
[56:06] - The Predictability of Goodness
[01:00:10] - Responding with Goodness in Surprising Situations
[01:04:10] - Seeing Others and Their Backstories
[01:07:52] - Remaining in God's Love
[01:13:07] - Closing Prayer and Blessing
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV)
> "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
2. John 15:1-11 (NIV)
> "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
3. 1 John 4:8 (NIV)
> "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to Galatians 5:22-25, what are the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit?
2. In John 15:1-11, what does Jesus say is necessary for a branch to bear fruit?
3. How does 1 John 4:8 describe God, and why is this significant in understanding the fruit of the Spirit?
4. What does the sermon suggest is the relationship between patience and God's sovereignty? ([37:11])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of "remaining" in Jesus, as described in John 15, relate to the production of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives?
2. Why is patience described as "love persevering," and how does this reflect our trust in God's timing and faithfulness? ([37:11])
3. How does kindness as "love serving" require us to empathize with others, and what impact does this have on our interactions? ([45:30])
4. What does it mean for goodness to be a "predictable and stable expression of God's character," and how does this affect our reliability and trustworthiness? ([52:38])
#### Application Questions
1. Think of a situation where you struggled with impatience. How can you remind yourself to honor God's sovereignty and trust His timing in similar situations in the future? ([37:11])
2. Reflect on a recent interaction where you had the opportunity to show kindness. How did empathy play a role, and how can you cultivate more empathy in your daily interactions? ([45:30])
3. Identify a specific area in your life where you can demonstrate goodness consistently. What steps can you take to ensure your actions reflect a stable and predictable expression of God's character? ([52:38])
4. How can you remain connected to Jesus in your daily life to ensure that the fruit of the Spirit is evident in you? What practical steps can you take to "remain in Him" as described in John 15? ([01:07:52])
5. Think of a person who tests your patience. What is a short prayer you can say before the next time you interact with that person to help you respond with love and patience? ([38:55])
6. How can you show kindness to someone who may be difficult to love, especially considering their backstory and struggles? Share a specific example and plan of action. ([47:10])
7. Reflect on a time when you responded poorly to a surprise or difficult situation. How can you prepare yourself to respond with goodness and grace in future unexpected moments? ([01:00:10])
Devotional
### Day 1: Patience as Love Persevering
Patience is the ability to endure and remain steadfast, even in the face of adversity. It honors God's sovereignty and allows His will to be done in our lives. Our impatience, on the other hand, dishonors God's control and attempts to wrestle it away from Him. By being patient, we submit to God's timing and trust in His faithfulness. [37:11]
Bible Passage:
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" (Psalm 37:7, ESV)
Reflection:
Think of a situation in your life where you are feeling impatient. How can you actively choose to trust in God's timing and sovereignty in this situation today?
### Day 2: Kindness as Love Serving
Kindness is a tender-hearted concern for others, leading with compassion, action, and generosity. It requires us to empathize with others, understanding their backstories and the struggles they face. This empathy enables us to treat others with the same loving kindness that God shows us, making our interactions more meaningful and compassionate. [45:30]
Bible Passage:
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (Colossians 3:12, ESV)
Reflection:
Identify someone in your life who may be struggling. How can you show them kindness and compassion today, understanding their backstory and needs?
### Day 3: Goodness as Love Proving
Goodness is a consistent lifestyle of obedience, surrender, and holiness. It reflects a pure heart and a life lived in alignment with God's will. Goodness is not just a single act but a predictable and stable expression of God's character in us, making us dependable and trustworthy in the eyes of others. [52:38]
Bible Passage:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:9-10, ESV)
Reflection:
Reflect on your daily actions and decisions. Are they consistently reflecting God's goodness? What is one specific way you can align your actions more closely with God's will today?
### Day 4: The Transformative Power of God's Love
God's love is active and transformative, not passive. It works in us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, transforming us from the inside out. This transformation is evident in our patience, kindness, and goodness, which are all expressions of God's love living through us. [34:02]
Bible Passage:
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)
Reflection:
Consider an area of your life where you need transformation. How can you invite God's active love to work in you and produce the fruit of the Spirit in this area?
### Day 5: Remaining in God's Love
The key to expressing the fruit of the Spirit is to remain in God's love. As we stay connected to Him, He remains in us, producing these characteristics in our lives. This connection is essential for our spiritual growth and for reflecting God's love to the world around us. [01:07:52]
Bible Passage:
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John 15:4, ESV)
Reflection:
What practices or habits help you stay connected to God's love? How can you prioritize these practices in your daily routine to ensure you remain in Him?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "God loves you the way you are but he refuses to leave you that way he wants you to be more like Jesus Christ he gave you and I Jesus Christ in the human form to show us one who he is and also to show us who we can be when we follow in God's footsteps so God's love is an active love it's not passive." [34:02] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Patience is the ability to put up with people you'd probably like to put down and we sometimes get frustrated but there's a plan in the world that we're not going to be able to put up with people that we're not going to be able to put up with." [35:39] (9 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Goodness makes me look like Jesus. Now here's the key concept that I want you to take away today. When we think about God building His kingdom, all sorts of things come to mind. Sometimes it might be church buildings. Sometimes it might be huge ministries. Sometimes it might, who knows what comes to mind. But the core idea, when God thinks about building His kingdom, He's thinking about replicating Himself in you." [01:02:49] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "If we're truly going to express these things, we have to see, we have to truly see other people. We have to acknowledge that there's a huge backstory in each person we meet. That it makes sense that they are where they are at some level. And that when we're engaging somebody in this moment, there is a lifetime of story that brought each of you to this place. You know yours, but you don't know theirs." [01:04:10] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "The only way that we can express God living through us, express these characteristics is that He remains in us and we remain in Him. Let's worship together. If you remain in Him And He remains in you Which is what He's promised us that means he will continue to produce this character in your life and the more your character grows into the likeness of Jesus Christ the better days will be." [01:07:52] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Patience is love persevering patience is the quality of putting up with others even when one is severely tried it's fascinating to me that one of the ways if not the main way one of the key ways other than his conversations with us other than us reading the word but one of the key ways that he develops you and I is by just putting us along other side of people he'll use other people to help develop in you and me the character." [35:39] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "My patience honors God's sovereignty that means I'm going to be patient I'm going to be patient I'm going to be patient my impatience dishonors God's sovereignty sometimes we want to yank the control of the universe out of his hands into our own and we get impatient that the world is not going the way we want it to go and in the midst of doing that in the midst of allowing those feelings of impatience to fester we must realize that we're dishonoring God's sovereignty." [37:11] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Patience is active patience is constructive God's move in your life is active it's constructive patience is an expression of love because love is patient is one of the defining qualities of what love is patient patience is being slow to anger and enables us to live a good life hard to live a good life without patience patience will keep us from embarrassing ourselves by what we say or do." [42:06] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Kindness from the inside out affects certain things it affects how we treat those that are hurting it affects how we treat those that are hurting it affects how we treat those that are Him our friends Ephesians 4 32 be kind to each other tender-hearted forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you that's a description of kindness and a friendship I don't know if you've noticed this but sometimes the closer you get to people the worst part of you they get have you noticed that and sometimes God is calling us to say ah let me have that and start to transform some of that for you from the inside out." [50:24] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Goodness is more than a single emotion. It's more than a single word. It's more than a single action. It's more than a single moment. It is the sum total of your character as it's lived out over time. And as it's lived out over time, Christ in you will show others again and again, this is a person that you can depend on. More often than not, we'll all make mistakes, more often than not, you can trust the goodness that you find inside of them." [01:01:40] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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